Mark Few and the Gonzaga Bulldogs are heading into a new era this college basketball season, joining the reborn Pac-12 after a nearly 50-year run in the West Coast Conference.

Gonzaga is joined by the two left-behind Pac-12 schools, Oregon State and Washington State, as well as Texas State from the Sun Belt and five former Mountain West schools: San Diego State, Utah State, Colorado State, Boise State, and Fresno State.

While it is expected to be a stronger overall conference than the WCC, it doesn't change Gonzaga's placement in the preseason rankings - with the Zags securing all 17 first-place votes in the first Pac-12 media poll of the new-look conference.

Gonzaga remains the team to beat in the Pac-12

Utah State, San Diego State, Colorado State, and Oregon State round out the top five, while Boise State, Texas State, Washington State, and Fresno State bring up the rear.

Gonzaga and Utah State both received votes in the preseason AP Poll, with Gonzaga coming in at No. 15 overall while Utah State had two votes total - suggesting a wide gap between the top two teams in this league.

Gonzaga has been picked to finish in first place in every conference preseason poll since 2001, with two exceptions: 2017-18 and 2023-24. Gonzaga went 14-2 in the WCC in 2023-24 and 17-1 in 2017-18.

Despite a turbulent offseason, Gonzaga managed to build a deep and balanced roster capable of competing with anyone in the country. Returning stars Braden Huff and Davis Fogle provide efficient offense; Arizona State transfer Massamba Diop is an excellent rim protector; Florida transfer Xaivian Lee is a terrific organizer and transition scorer; and Houston transfer Isiah Harwell looks ready for a massive sophomore breakout season.

Add in the surprise play of Spanish big man Izan Almansa, and young upside players like Luca Foster and Juwan Ekanga, and you have a team that should win the Pac-12 this season - even with tough squads at the top in USU, SDSU, and an upstart Oregon State program.

Braden Huff and Davis Fogle earn preseason recognition

The Pac-12 also had the coaches vote on the Player Impact List, with two players from each team honored with this preseason recognition.

Huff and Fogle were Gonzaga's two selections, unsurprising considering both have been nominated for national preseason awards as well - Fogle for the Julius Erving Award as the best small forward in the country, and Huff for the Karl Malone Award at power forward.

Huff averaged 17.8 points and 5.6 rebounds last year before his season was cut short by a knee injury, while Fogle emerged as a critical piece of Gonzaga's wing rotation, averaging 8.6 points in 16.7 minutes as a true freshman.

Gonzaga opens up the season on Monday, Nov. 2, against the Purdue Boilermakers. The game will tip off at 4:30 PM PT at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas and will be broadcast on TNT and HBO MAX.