The Big Ten will move to a Pac-12-only conference schedule this fall. Here are 5 things to know including the lost games we’ll miss the most, and what’s about to happen.
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Pac-12 to go with a conference-only schedule. 5 Things To Know.
The Pac-12 announced that it’s about to follow the Big Ten’s lead and go with a conference-only schedule.
What are the five big things that matter?
5. It’s probably going to be a ten game Pac-12 season … maybe
4. The Big Loser Is …
3. Ranking The Lost Non-Conference Games
2. Every Pac-12 Team’s Missing Pac-12 Games
1. Pac-12 Schedule: What Will Happen?
It would make the most sense in terms of competitive balance if it’s an 11-game all-Pac-12 schedule – everyone plays everyone.
At the moment, UCLA and Utah both miss Oregon. In an 11-game schedule, no big whoop since the Bruins and Utes would play the loaded Ducks just like everyone else win, but in a ten-game slate, one of those two would catch a massive break.
After doing some digging, friend of the program @MichaelJLev – football reporter for the Arizona Daily Star – thinks the odds-on favorite model will be ten games, mostly for the same reason that the Big Ten will go with it – flexibility.
The idea might be to go two games on, one off, to allow as much rest and as many options to move things around as possible.
And here’s where it gets quirky.
ESPN reported that the Pac-12 would be thinking about delaying the start of the season to buy more time for USC and UCLA, because the Los Angeles area is such a hot spot.
So then what? Start in October? A ten-game season might be pushed well into December, and then what happens to the College Football Playoff rankings and the bowl games? Would a backloaded schedule be packed together, or could it be spread out over 14 weeks or so by starting in September?
Let’s just say it’s a fluid situation.
NEXT: The big loser is …
4. The big loser is …
Hawaii, followed up by Notre Dame.
In 1926, Notre Dame ended its football season with a 13-12 win over the University of Southern California.
The two have played 90 more times since then. They’re not going to play this season.
The Irish also will lose the home game against Stanford on October 10th, but don’t shed too many tears – their dance card will easily be filled.
Hawaii has a bigger problem. On the plus side, it’s among the safest places in the United States. On the negative side, in a time when cost-cutting is at a premium for athletic departments, good luck getting any random team to make the trip.
“Obviously with three Pac-12 teams on our football schedule, today’s decision affects us more than others,” Athletics Director David Matlin said. “We are disappointed because not only were we looking forward to opening the season at Arizona, we were excited to host UCLA for the first time in over 80 years and renew a series with Oregon. However the decision was made in the best interest of student-athlete health and wellness and we support that and will move on accordingly with the rest of our schedule.”
The Rainbow Warriors were supposed to start the season at Arizona, follow it up with UCLA, play Fordham – also cancelled – and go to Oregon a few weeks later. They wanted the showcase games, and the returning team is good enough to pull off at least one win, possibly two.
BYU is also going to scramble a bit with the opener against Utah, the trop to Arizona State, and the regular season finale at Stanford all gone. Throw in the lost games against Michigan State and Minnesota, and … uh oh.
NEXT: The non-conference games we’re all missing out on are …
3. The non-conference games we’re all missing out on are …
Ranked in order of what we’ll miss the most, to the ones that we’ll all move on without.
1. Ohio State at Oregon, Sept. 12
2. USC vs. Alabama, Sept. 5
3. Notre Dame at USC, Nov. 28
4. Michigan at Washington, Sept. 5
5. Stanford at Notre Dame, Oct. 10
6. North Dakota State at Oregon, Sept. 5
7. Colorado at Texas A&M, Sept. 19
8. Utah at Wyoming, Sept. 19
9. TCU at Cal, Sept. 5
10. BYU at Arizona State, Sept. 19
2020 CFN Team Previews
NORTH Cal | Oregon | Oregon State
Stanford | Washington | Washington State
SOUTH Arizona | Arizona State
Colorado | UCLA | USC | Utah
11. BYU at Stanford, Nov. 28
12. Arizona at Texas Tech, Sept. 19
13. UCLA at Hawai’i, Sept. 5
14. Colorado at Colorado State, Sept. 5
15. Hawai’i at Arizona, Aug. 29
16. UCLA at San Diego State, Sept. 19
17. Hawaii at Oregon, Sept. 19
18. Utah State at Washington
19. Washington State at Utah State, Sept. 5
20. Northern Arizona at Arizona State, Sept. 3
21. Portland State at Arizona, Sept. 5
22. William & Mary at Stanford, Sept. 5
23. Portland State at Oregon State, Sept. 19
24. Idaho at Washington State, Sept. 19
NEXT: The Pac-12 teams in play for the other Pac-12 teams are …
2. The Pac-12 teams in play for the other Pac-12 teams are …
This is big.
Again, from the first part of this, all is well if it’s an 11-game schedule. Everyone plays everyone, and while there will be a slight issue with an unbalanced set of home and road games, remember, with no fans in the stands the idea of the home date doesn’t mean quite as much.
However, if it’s a ten-game schedule, that means not everyone plays everyone else, and then things get funky.
For example. Washington State from the Pac-12 North is going to miss both Arizona and USC from the Pac-12 South. This year, that’s a huge call considering the Trojans are much scarier looking than the Wildcats.
Here are all the Pac-12 teams with the two teams from the other division currently not scheduled to be played.
Pac-12 North
Cal: missing Arizona, Colorado
Oregon: missing UCLA, Utah
Oregon State: missing Colorado, USC
Stanford: missing Arizona State, Utah
Washington: missing Arizona State, UCLA
Washington State: missing Arizona, USC
Pac-12 South
Arizona: missing Cal, Washington State
Arizona State: missing Stanford, Washington
Colorado: missing Cal, Oregon State
UCLA: missing Oregon, Washington
USC: missing Oregon State, Washington State
Utah: missing Oregon, Stanford
NEXT: The Pac-12 schedule – what’s going to happen?
1. The Pac-12 schedule – what’s going to happen?
As if the decision by the Pac-12 to go to a Pac-12-only schedule wasn’t enough, things took a downturn on Friday evening when it was announced that Commissioner Larry Scott tested positive.
The Pac-12 is in one of the more interesting overall positions among the Power Five conferences.
Arizona is one of the nation’s biggest coronavirus hot spots, and few places on the planet are having more issues lately than Los Angeles.
The University of California system – including Cal and UCLA from the Pac-12 – are looking hard into going mostly remote for classes this fall, and the California State University system – which doesn’t have any Pac-12 schools – already said it’s doing the remote thing.
It’s not that the Pac-12 doesn’t love its football or want a season, but when it comes to the politics, the hot spots, and the current climate, the conference likely won’t be facing quite as much pressure as the other four Power Five conferences to move heaven and earth to play college football.
The other option on the table is the idea of playing in the spring. That’s a tough one for other parts of the country – okay, so Pullman isn’t exactly Balmy in February – but for the most part, the weather aspect isn’t going to be as big of a factor.
Like everyone else, the Pac-12 is trying to buy time.
Realistically, to make a ten-game season with a whole lot of breaks work, the season has to start no later than mid-September. No one’s thinking about bowl games right now, but economically – ESPN is going to need programming in December – that might become a factor.
Simply getting on the field and safely playing college football is the first step. Scratch that – simply getting back to campus and practicing without an outbreak is the first step.
Check back in early August.
However, if the SEC and/or ACC decide in late July that they can’t figure it out, watch out for the Pac-12 to follow the lead if everything isn’t perfectly in place.
