What might happen if the Pac-12 doesn’t play non-conference games – or doesn’t play football at all – and if the California schools don’t reopen this fall? Here are 15 ideas for college football matchups to fill the void.
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With the announcement by the California State University system that there likely won’t be in-person classes in the fall, and with the University of California system likely to do the same, what happens if the various schools decide the cancel all athletics and not have a college football season?
Or, what happens if the Pac-12 figures out a way for all the members to play, but decides to go with an 11-game conference-only schedule? What happens to all the big games against the big teams on the various slates?
All of a sudden, several athletic departments across the country will be scrambling to fill the holes – some are supposedly looking into filling out their schedules right now.
We already tried to come up with the idea of how the Pac-12 season might look if it played an 11-game schedule with only conference teams, but what happens to the schools on the non-conference schedule?
Let’s play the role of part athletic director and part matchmaker and come up with the best possible games if there’s no Pac-12 college football non-conference season and/or if all California schools choose not to have athletics if they conduct all of their classes on-line.
Let’s also start with a few massive assumptions.
1. The idea that there won’t be football if students aren’t back on campus holds. If everyone really tried to work the problem, it might be possible to test players, quarantine them in an athletic facility for a few months, have them take online courses like everyone else, and then play in a limited way. However, that all seems unlikely.
2. Other schools across the country are actually going to have students on campus and will play college football. That’s a massive leap – it’s not just going to be the California schools that put the kibosh on in-person classes in the fall. But let’s assume – for now – that it’s all-systems-go for everyone else.
3. This assumes that there either won’t be a Pac-12 football season, or there will be one with no non-conference games. All 15 of the potential matchups listed below take out the Pac-12 teams and also assumes the absence of Fresno State, San Diego State, and San Jose State. Those last three are Mountain West schools in the California State University System. UCLA and Cal are in the University of California system.
Got all of that?
Basically, here are 15 potential ideas for college football matchups if the Pac-12 and three California Mountain West schools end up not playing college football for the 2020 season.
Obviously not all of these can happen considering Alabama, for example, only has to potentially fill just one game on September 5th. These are possibilities to play around with.
15. BYU at Wyoming, Sept. 19
Current Scheduled Games
Utah at Wyoming, Sept. 19
BYU at Arizona State, Sept. 19
This one’s relatively easy – it’s almost like a normal Mountain West matchup. The two haven’t met since BYU won the 2016 Poinsettia Bowl over the Cowboys 24-21, but they’ve played 78 games starting in 1922.
14. North Dakota State at TCU, Sept. 5
Current Scheduled Games
North Dakota State at Oregon, Sept. 5
TCU at Cal, Sept. 5
The main problem here – and the the NCAA might have to chill a bit if this matters when it comes to bowl eligibility – is that TCU will start the season with two games against FCS schools. It would kick things off against the Bison, and then play Prairie View A&M.
13. Hawaii at Notre Dame, Nov. 28
Current Scheduled Games
Hawaii at San Diego State, Nov. 28
Notre Dame at USC, Nov. 28
This is a no-brainer. Notre Dame avoids a road game – which might matter in a big way; more on that later on this list – and Hawaii has to fly a little further. The two last played in the 2008 Hawaii Bowl – a 49-21 Irish win – and it would be the fourth meeting all-time between the two. Notre Dame is 3-0.
12. BYU at Texas Tech, Sept. 19
Current Scheduled Games
BYU at Arizona State, Sept. 19
Arizona at Texas Tech, Sept. 19
This is easy. BYU’s plane would fly just a wee bit further east to Lubbock instead of Tempe. Texas Tech would happily take this deal with the Big 12 season kicking off the following week against Iowa State on the road. This would be the second all-time meeting between the two – BYU can finally get a shot at revenge for the 21-20 loss back in 1940.
11. BYU at Penn State, Sept. 19
Current Scheduled Games
BYU at Arizona State, Sept. 19
San Jose State at Penn State, Sept. 19
It would be the fourth meeting between the two schools – the last one a 30-17 BYU win in 1992 – and it might be the most likely of the September 19 options for Penn State. BYU was supposed to play a road game anyway, and the Nittany Lions aren’t going to be too keen to go on the road to play anyone. There would be a fight for the other possible Penn State matchups, like …
10. Texas Tech at Penn State, Sept. 19
Current Scheduled Games
Arizona at Texas Tech, Sept. 19
San Jose State at Penn State, Sept. 19
Neither team will want to give up a home game and later concessions would have to be made to the school that travels. Penn State will be coming off a trip to Virginia Tech and kicks off the Big Ten season the following week against Northwestern – no chance it’ll want to move for Texas Tech.
The Red Raiders play Alabama State the week before, but have to travel to Iowa State to start the Big 12 season the following week.
It would be the second meeting between the two – Penn State won 24-23 to kickoff the 1995 season.
9. BYU at Texas A&M, Sept. 19
Current Scheduled Games
BYU at Arizona State, Sept. 19
Colorado at Texas A&M, Sept. 19
BYU is going to be the most coveted team on this September 19th date because it’s simply swapping a road game for another road game. Texas A&M isn’t going to want to travel, and this makes it easy.
The two teams are 2-2 against each other with the last meeting a 41-37 Cougar win in the Pigskin Classic to start the 1996 season.
8. Texas Tech at Texas A&M, Sept. 19
Current Scheduled Games
Arizona at Texas Tech, Sept. 19
Colorado at Texas A&M, Sept. 19
The politics of getting this game going would be next to impossible, but the matchup would be a whole lot of fun.
The two former Big 12/Southwest Conference rivals first started playing in 1927 and last faced off in 2011 – a 45-40 Texas A&M win.
In a perfect world, these two meet in the middle and play in AT&T Stadium in Arlington, but 1) Texas A&M plays Arkansas there the following week and 2) no chance A&M travels to Lubbock with three of its following four games away from College Station, and 3) Texas Tech probably wouldn’t want to concede a home game to A&M.
7. North Dakota State at Michigan, Sept. 5
Current Scheduled Games
North Dakota State at Oregon, Sept. 5
Michigan at Washington, Sept. 5
Realistically, this is the most likely of all the North Dakota State possibilities on September 5th. Michigan not only doesn’t have any other games against FCS teams on the schedule, but it gets to exchange a road game at Washington for a home one.
Of course, against the defending FCS national champion Bison, be careful what you wish for.
6. TCU at Michigan, Sept. 5
Current Scheduled Games
TCU at Cal, Sept. 5
Michigan at Washington, Sept. 5
Which school would be cool with staying with a road game? It would be the first ever meeting between the two schools, and Michigan wouldn’t have any real beef traveling to Fort Worth considering it plays Ball State the following week. TCU has Prairie View A&M to follow, and then a week off – it would probably be the one to travel.
NEXT: Top 5 Schedule Possibilities If Pac-12 Teams Don’t Play Non-Conference Games
5. TCU vs. Alabama (in Arlington, TX), Sept. 5
Current Scheduled Games
TCU at Cal, Sept. 5
USC vs. Alabama (in Arlington, TX), Sept. 5
If Alabama vs. USC can’t get going, this would be the next best and most realistic matchup. TCU wouldn’t have to make the road trip to Cal, and it would be logistically easy to make the trip 20 minutes east. If fans are allowed to go to games, organizers will take this matchup in a heartbeat.
The two last met in 1975 – a 45-0 Bama win – but TCU is 3-2 all-time in the series.
4. North Dakota State vs. Alabama (in Arlington, TX), Sept. 5
Current Scheduled Games
North Dakota State at Oregon, Sept. 5
USC vs. Alabama (in Arlington, TX), Sept. 5
It’s not going to happen – not like it really matters, but with a game against UT Martin on November 14th, this would make it two games against FCS teams on the slate – but who doesn’t want to see this?
The defending FCS national champion and its marvelous quarterback Trey Lance going against the big, bad Crimson Tide? It would be fantastic theater.
3. Penn State at Texas A&M, Sept. 19
Current Scheduled Games
San Jose State at Penn State, Sept. 19
Colorado at Texas A&M, Sept. 19
This isn’t going to happen because Texas A&M isn’t going to budge on the idea of traveling to Happy Valley when three of its next four games are away from home, and Penn State likely isn’t going to be all gung-ho to replace San Jose State with a nasty game against a strong SEC team on the road.
It would be fun, though, in what would be the fifth meeting between the two. Penn State is 3-1 with the last game a 24-17 Nittany Lion win in the 2007 Alamo Bowl.
2. Notre Dame at Texas A&M, Oct. 10
Current Scheduled Games
Stanford at Notre Dame, Oct. 10
Fresno State at Texas A&M, Oct. 10
This has to happen, but only if Notre Dame buys into the idea of traveling to College Station. No way, no chance that Texas A&M goes to South Bend with a a date in Arlington against Arkansas and a trip to Mississippi State the two weeks before October 10th, and road games at Auburn and South Carolina to follow.
Notre Dame, though, would be coming off of away games against Wake Forest and Wisconsin – playing in Green Bay – and have to travel to Pitt the week after. However, there’s an open date on October 24th to rest up.
Texas A&M is 3-2 all-time in the head-to-head matchup, but Notre Dame won the last meeting 24-3 in 2001.
1. Alabama vs. Michigan (in Arlington, TX), Sept. 5
Current Scheduled Games
Alabama vs. USC (in Arlington, TX), Sept. 5
Michigan at Washington, Sept. 5
Okay, okay, we JUST did this, and it wasn’t all that much fun after the first half. Alabama won the Citrus Bowl over Michigan on New Year’s Day – that seems like 15 years ago now – 35-16, so the rematch might not seem all that appealing, but …
Come on. It’s Alabama and Michigan to open up the season.
Michigan was supposed to travel to Washington anyway, but it’s probably not going to want to deal with Alabama again. However, woe to either side that backs out on this idea to fill the September 5th void with a game against something fluffy.
