The Pac-12 conference released its 2026-27 football schedule in February, and it listed the final regular-season game as to be determined.

The upcoming season has eight Pac-12 teams with eight conference scheduling spots. This final week will be a flex game, meaning that as the season progresses, the conference can change opponents.

Traditionally in college football, this spot is reserved for rivalry week. This year, the Rams will begin their season with a matchup against Wyoming, as Colorado will not be on their schedule.

The conference used the flex game structure last year when the only remaining members were Oregon State and Washington State.

The newly rebuilt conference elected to keep it after the expansion. The primary benefit and reasoning behind the game is that it could increase the likelihood of a Pac-12 team making the College Football Playoffs.

Last season, the flex game helped WSU land a spot in a bowl game.

An opportunity for higher-level teams in the conference to square off gives an additional chance to add a quality win. With how close voting can get, gaining final spots in the playoffs is challenging. This change could go a long way for Pac-12 teams.

In the past, other conferences in similar spots have elected out-of-conference opponents. Some teams use the opportunity to add a win to their record, often against a Football Championship Subdivision school.

The Pac-12 elected to stay in conference.

The decision represents a prioritization of getting a Pac-12 team in the CFP over other conferences’ teams. It also gives the conference flexibility to decide what is best after seeing how the season is going for different teams.

The Pac-12, before its remodel, was a power conference and got an automatic bid into the playoffs. The addition of this game shows the desire to get representation back into the playoffs as an eight-member conference.

While the schedule officially lists the game as a flex game, the conference announced tentative matchups for the week: Texas State at Colorado State; Boise State at Utah State; San Diego State at Fresno State; and OSU at WSU.

If the tentative schedule holds, CSU will play TSU twice this season.

The schedule listed CSU as a home team, meaning even if Texas State is not the decided opponent, an additional Canvas Stadium game is added to the schedule.

The host teams were decided upon the schedule release, confirming seven home games for Jim Mora’s first season as the head coach of the Rams.

With growing optimism surrounding Mora’s first season, an additional game in front of CSU’s faithful audience is unlikely to garner complaints from the Rams.

With the conference’s future looming, whether the flex game will stick remains to be seen. It is likely that the Pac-12 won’t need a flex game in the future. With only eight football schools in the conference, the potential of new teams joining the conference is on the table.

Reach Caleb Morrow at sports@collegian.com or on social media @RMCollegianSpts.

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