Could the Pac-12 end up playing a conference-only 11-game schedule? Here’s how it might look.
Pac-12 Football Schedule Composite 2020
Current Pac-12 Football Schedule Analysis
North Cal | Oregon | Oregon State
Stanford | Washington | Washington State
South Arizona | Arizona State | Colorado
UCLA | USC | Utah
No Notre Dame vs. USC? No Ohio State traveling to Oregon? No USC dealing with Alabama?
The Pac-12 might want to blow off that last one, but discussions really are happening among conference members about the possibility of going to a Pac-12-only 11-game season.
And why? Ease of travel for one, but mostly because it would eliminate a whole slew of logistical headaches as everyone tries to figure out how to play a college football season through a pandemic.
Forgetting all the various parts to this – like the College Football Playoff, the bowls, and what this would do to the contracts and the budgets for the FCS programs on the various schedules … how would an 11-game all-Pac-12 schedule look?
Here are all the Pac-12 schedules as they stand right now, along with how they might end up changing if the conference really does go through with this.
Pac-12 North
California Golden Bears
Pac-12 Teams Added To Possible New Schedule: Arizona, Colorado
Non-Conference Games Lost: at UNLV, TCU, Cal Poly
Losing the home date against TCU only stinks if you really needed to closure on the 2018 Cheez-It Bowl disaster – the 10-7 Horned Frog overtime win was one of the worst-played college football games ever. Adding Arizona and Colorado wouldn’t be all that bad.
Aug. 29 at UNLV OPEN DATE
Sept. 5 TCU OPEN DATE
Sept. 12 Cal Poly Colorado
Sept. 19 OPEN DATE at Arizona
Sept. 26 Utah
Oct. 3 at Washington State
Oct. 10 at USC
Oct. 17 Oregon
Oct. 24 at Oregon State
Oct. 31 Washington
Nov. 7 at Arizona State
Nov. 14 OPEN DATE
Nov. 21 Stanford
Nov. 28 UCLA
Oregon Ducks
Pac-12 Teams Added To Possible New Schedule: UCLA, Utah
Non-Conference Games Lost: North Dakota State, Ohio State, Hawaii
This totally stinks. It was going to be a blast of a non-conference home slate for Oregon, but now it has to do some moving around. On the plus side, there would be a nice week off between road dates at Cal and Arizona.
Sept. 5 North Dakota State at UCLA
Sept. 12 Ohio State OPEN DATE
Sept. 19 Hawaii Utah
Sept. 26 at Colorado
Oct. 3 Washington
Oct. 10 OPEN DATE
Oct. 17 at Cal
Oct. 24 Stanford
Oct. 31 at Arizona
Nov. 7 USC
Nov. 13 Arizona State
Nov. 21 at Washington State
Nov. 28 at Oregon State
Oregon State Beavers
Pac-12 Teams Added To Possible New Schedule: Colorado, USC
Non-Conference Games Lost: at Oklahoma State, Colorado State, Portland State
The Beavers get burned more than anyone. They might have needed the home games against Colorado State and Portland State to get bowl eligible, and not having USC on the slate from the South would’ve been a plus.
Sept. 3 at Oklahoma State OPEN DATE
Sept. 12 Colorado State USC
Sept. 19 Portland State at Colorado
Sept. 26 Washington State
Oct. 3 at Arizona State
Oct. 10 at Washington
Oct. 17 OPEN DATE
Oct. 24 Cal
Oct. 31 at Stanford
Nov. 7 UCLA
Nov. 14 at Utah
Nov. 21 Arizona
Nov. 28 Oregon
Stanford Cardinal
Pac-12 Teams Added To Possible New Schedule: Arizona State, Utah
Non-Conference Games Lost: William & Mary, at Notre Dame, BYU
Stanford is the one team that screws up everyone. Unlike most Pac-12 teams that start out the season with three straight non-conference games, the Cardinal’s three were spread out. Not only would they have to fit in Arizona State and Utah, but they’d have to move around their dates with USC and Colorado so they wouldn’t have two off weeks in a row in the middle of October.
Sept. 5 William & Mary at Utah
Sept. 12 at Arizona
Sept. 19 USC Arizona State
Sept. 26 at UCLA
Oct. 3 OPEN DATE Colorado
Oct. 10 at Notre Dame OPEN DATE
Oct. 17 Washington State
Oct. 24 at Oregon
Oct. 30 Oregon State
Nov. 7 at Washington
Nov. 14 Colorado OPEN DATE
Nov. 21 at Cal
Nov. 28 BYU USC
Washington Huskies
Pac-12 Teams Added To Possible New Schedule: Arizona State, UCLA
Non-Conference Games Lost: Michigan, Sacramento State, Utah State
Boo. This was going to be a shot for new head coach Jimmy Lake to get off to a hot start with a huge game against Michigan to kick things off, and then two winnable games before diving into an off-week. At least the Pac-12 season doesn’t start with a trip to Oregon with this.
Sept. 5 Michigan OPEN DATE
Sept. 12 Sacramento State at Arizona State
Sept. 19 Utah State OPEN DATE
Sept. 26 OPEN DATE UCLA
Oct. 3 at Oregon
Oct. 10 Oregon State
Oct. 17 at Utah
Oct. 23 Arizona
Oct. 31 at Cal
Nov. 7 Stanford
Nov. 14 at USC
Nov. 21 Colorado
Nov. 27 at Washington State
Washington State Cougars
Pac-12 Teams Added To Possible New Schedule: Arizona, USC
Non-Conference Games Lost: at Utah State, Houston, Idaho
Nick Rolovich might be breaking something tasteful with no Utah State, Houston or Idaho – no non-conference games against Power Five teams – to get everything in place. The Utah game would have to be moved so the Cougars could have a midseason open date.
Sept. 5 at Utah State Arizona
Sept. 12 Houston
Sept. 19 Idaho at USC
Sept. 26 at Oregon State
Oct. 3 Cal
Oct. 10 Utah
Oct. 17 at Stanford
Oct. 24 OPEN DATE
Oct. 31 Arizona State
Nov. 7 at Colorado
Nov. 14 at UCLA
Nov. 21 Oregon
Nov. 27 Washington
NEXT: Pac-12 South
Pac-12 South
Arizona Wildcats
Pac-12 Teams Added To Possible New Schedule: Cal, Washington State
Non-Conference Games Lost: Hawaii, Portland State, at Texas Tech
The Wildcats had three very winnable non-conference games, and now they’d be gone. Even worse, a late-season open date would have to be gone because of how the early-season Hawaii game was going to push everything else.
Aug. 29 Hawaii OPEN DATE
Sept. 5 Portland State at Washington State
Sept. 12 Stanford
Sept. 19 at Texas Tech Cal
Sept. 26 OPEN DATE
Oct. 3 at UCLA
Oct. 9 Colorado
Oct. 17 USC
Oct. 23 at Washington
Oct. 31 Oregon
Nov. 7 at Utah
Nov. 14 OPEN DATE
Nov. 21 at Oregon State
Nov. 28 Arizona State
Arizona State Sun Devils
Pac-12 Teams Added To Possible New Schedule: Stanford, Washington
Non-Conference Games Lost: Northern Arizona, at UNLV, BYU
The Sun Devils had a relatively easy start to the season, but that would be all gone with Washington added to the schedule. Throw in back-to-back road games at Stanford and USC, and later with Colorado and Washington State, and this would make things a whole lot tougher.
Sept. 3 Northern Arizona OPEN DATE
Sept. 12 at UNLV Washington
Sept. 19 BYU at Stanford
Sept. 26 at USC
Oct. 3 Oregon State
Oct. 10 UCLA
Oct. 17 OPEN DATE
Oct. 24 at Colorado
Oct. 31 at Washington State
Nov. 7 Cal
Nov. 13 at Oregon
Nov. 21 Utah
Nov. 28 at Arizona
Colorado Buffaloes
Pac-12 Teams Added To Possible New Schedule: Cal, Oregon State
Non-Conference Games Lost: at Colorado State, Fresno State, at Texas A&M
So new head coach Karl Dorrell doesn’t have to go to Texas A&M – that’s not a bad thing. Getting Cal and Oregon State isn’t all that horrible, and the Stanford games would be moved so there’s a late season week off.
Sept. 5 at Colorado State OPEN DATE
Sept. 12 Fresno State at Cal
Sept. 19 at Texas A&M Oregon State
Sept. 26 Oregon
Oct. 3 OPEN DATE at Stanford
Oct. 9 at Arizona
Oct. 17 UCLA
Oct. 24 Arizona State
Oct. 31 at USC
Nov. 7 Washington State
Nov. 14 at Stanford OPEN DATE
Nov. 21 at Washington
Nov. 28 Utah
UCLA Bruins
Pac-12 Teams Added To Possible New Schedule: Oregon, Washington
Non-Conference Games Lost: New Mexico State, at Hawaii, at San Diego State
No one gets more hosed in this than UCLA. Not only does it not have New Mexico State as a tune-up, it misses out on a trip to Hawaii, and it has to now play Oregon and Washington from the North.
Aug. 29 New Mexico State OPEN DATE
Sept. 5 at Hawaii Oregon
Sept. 12 OPEN DATE
Sept. 19 at San Diego State at Washington
Sept. 26 Stanford
Oct. 3 Arizona
Oct. 10 at Arizona State
Oct. 17 at Colorado
Oct. 24 OPEN DATE
Oct. 29 Utah
Nov. 7 at Oregon State
Nov. 14 Washington State
Nov. 21 USC
Nov. 27 at Cal
USC Trojans
Pac-12 Teams Added To Possible New Schedule: Oregon State, Washington State
Non-Conference Games Lost: Alabama, New Mexico, Notre Dame
At the end of the day, trading out Alabama and Notre Dame for Oregon State and Washington State isn’t a bad thing. However, some things would get moved around. The date with Stanford – who has an open date on the final weekend – would be at the end to round out the conference slate so everyone finishes up on the same day.
Sept. 5 Alabama (in Arlington) OPEN DATE
Sept. 12 New Mexico at Oregon State
Sept. 19 at Stanford Washington State
Sept. 26 Arizona State
Oct. 2 at Utah
Oct. 10 Cal
Oct. 17 at Arizona
Oct. 24 OPEN DATE
Oct. 31 Colorado
Nov. 7 at Oregon
Nov. 14 Washington
Nov. 21 at UCLA
Nov. 28 Notre Dame at Stanford
Utah Utes
Pac-12 Teams Added To Possible New Schedule: Oregon, Stanford
Non-Conference Games Lost: BYU, Montana State, Wyoming
Oh, GREAT … not only would Utah lose out on playing three teams outside of the Power Five – even if BYU is a battle no matter what – but it would add Oregon to the equation.
Sept. 3 BYU Stanford (Sept. 5)
Sept. 12 Montana State at Oregon
Sept. 19 at Wyoming OPEN DATE
Sept. 26 at Cal
Oct. 2 USC
Oct. 10 at Washington State
Oct. 17 Washington
Oct. 24 OPEN DATE
Oct. 29 at UCLA
Nov. 7 Arizona
Nov. 14 Oregon State
Nov. 21 at Arizona State
Nov. 28 at Colorado
