The Pac-12 era is finally here and we’re inching closer to Jim Mora’s CSU Football debut in the 2026 season opener against Wyoming.

The hope is that with a change of scenery in a new league and an accomplished coach leading the way, the Rams will be able to flip the script and reimagine the Colorado State brand during a crazy, chaotic time for the sport of college football.

If CSU is going to hit the ground running in year one, though, Mora is going to have to overcome a variety of losing trends that have plagued the program for years now.

With that in mind, here are 10 key factors for CSU to find success in year one of the Mora era.

Maximizing QB Play

While the quarterback is somewhat dependent on those around him to effectively do their jobs — it’s hard to succeed behind a bad offensive line or with no real weapons to get the ball to — the reality is that you cannot be a championship level team with subpar play under center.

Regardless of whether it’s Hauss Hejny, K’Saan Farrar or even Darius Curry, CSU needs to hit on a QB in 2026 if the Rams are going to have any hope of reaching the postseason, let alone contending for a Pac-12 Championship.

Jay Norvell put all of his marbles into the ‘BFN’ basket and that obviously didn’t pan out well. It’s been refreshing to see true competition and to feel like CSU has more than one viable option. Nick Stevens played the best football of his career after being pushed and even temporarily losing his starting gig to Collin Hill 10 years ago. Coincidentally, or maybe not, Stevens was also CSU’s last first-team all-conference selection (2017), beating out both Josh Allen and Brett Rypien for the honor.

Let’s hope that some good old fashioned competition brings out the best of what appeared to be a talented group in the spring period.

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