Pac 12 football schedule 2021 – what are the five things you need to know? What are the five things that matter?
Pac-12 Football Schedule 2021: 5 Things You Need To Know
2021 Pac-12 Schedules, Analysis
North Cal | Oregon | Oregon State
Stanford | Washington | Washington State
South Arizona | Arizona State | Colorado
UCLA | USC | Utah
The Pac-12 had a shortened 2020 season, but it was a whole lot of fun stuffed into a small package of games. Now we get the full thing back, and it looks like it’s going to be a blast.
Here are five things about the schedule that matter including who misses the big teams from the other division, the non-conference analysis, the one big difference in this year’s slate, the winners and losers, and starting out with …
5. Who gets the rested teams?
Almost every team – looking at you, Wazzu – plays a restaurant quality Power Five game from another league. Who gets the weeks off when, and who gets hit with the game against the rested teams?
Almost every team – fist bump, Stanford – has a layup game, too, to go along with that week off. When are the scrimmages?
Pac-12 North
Cal
The open date: Oct. 9 before at Oregon
The layup non-conference game: Sept. 18 Sacramento State before at Washington
Oregon
The open date: Oct. 9 before Cal
The layup non-conference game: Sept. 18 Stony Brook before Arizona
Oregon State
The open date: Oct. 16 before Utah
The layup non-conference game: Sept. 18 Idaho before at USC
Stanford
The open date: Oct. 23 before Washington
The layup non-conference game: (it’s relative) Sept. 18 at Vanderbilt before UCLA
Washington
The open date: Oct. 9 before UCLA
The layup non-conference game: Sept. 4 Montana before at Michigan
Washington State
The open date: Nov. 6 before at Oregon
The layup non-conference game: Sept. 11 Portland State before USC
Pac 12 South
Arizona
The open date: Oct. 2 before UCLA
The layup non-conference game: Sept. 18 Northern Arizona before at Oregon
Arizona State
The open date: Oct. 23 before Washington State
The layup non-conference game: Sept. 2 Southern Utah before UNLV
Colorado
The open date: Oct. 9 before Arizona
The layup non-conference game: Sept. 3 Northern Colorado before Texas A&M
UCLA
The open date: Sept. 11 before Fresno State, and Nov. 6 before Colorado
The layup non-conference game: Sept. 18 Fresno State before at Stanford
USC
The open date: Oct. 16 before at Notre Dame
The layup non-conference game: Sept. 4 San Jose State before Stanford
Utah
The open date: Oct. 2 before at USC
The layup non-conference game: Sept 2 Weber State before at BYU
– The games against the teams from the other division
NEXT: Who misses the big boys from the other division?
4. Who misses the big boys from the other division?
Do you have to play USC from the South, or do you miss Arizona?
Or, do you get to avoid Oregon or Washington – or both, in one team’s case – or do you miss Oregon State or Washington State.
Every Pac-12 team plays nine conference games with five against teams from their own division and four from the other side. This is always a huge deal considering some teams gets a big break, and others get hosed.
Pac-12 North
Cal
South games: Arizona, Colorado, UCLA, USC
So that means no … Arizona State, Utah
Oregon
South games: Arizona, Colorado, UCLA, Utah
So that means no … Arizona State, USC
Oregon State
South games: Arizona State, Colorado, USC, Utah
So that means no … Arizona, UCLA
Stanford
South games: Arizona State, UCLA, USC, Utah
So that means no … Arizona, Colorado
Washington
South games: Arizona, Arizona State, Colorado, UCLA
So that means no … USC, Utah
Washington State
South games: Arizona, Arizona State, USC, Utah
So that means no … Colorado, UCLA
Pac-12 South
Arizona
North games: Cal, Oregon, Washington, Washington State
So that means no … Oregon State, Stanford
Arizona State
North games: Oregon State, Stanford, Washington, Washington State
So that means no … Cal, Oregon
Colorado
North games: Cal, Oregon, Oregon State, Washington,
So that means no … Stanford, Washington State
UCLA
North games: Cal, Oregon, Stanford, Washington
So that means no … Oregon State, Washington State
USC
North games: Cal, Oregon State, Stanford, Washington State
So that means no … Oregon, Washington
Utah
North games: Oregon, Oregon State, Stanford, Washington State
So that means no … Cal, Washington
NEXT: The non-conference games
3. The non-conference games
The Pac-12 gets back the non-conference games.
USC gets back Notre Dame, Washington and Oregon get the massive dates against the Big Ten powerhouses they were supposed to play last year at home, and Stanford plays all Power Five non-conference teams.
Here are each team’s mild, medium, and diablo non-conference games.
Pac-12 North
Cal
Mild: Sacramento State
Medium: Nevada
Diablo: at TCU
Oregon
Mild: Stony Brook
Medium: Fresno State
Diablo: at Ohio State
Oregon State
Mild: Idaho
Medium: Hawaii
Diablo: at Purdue
Stanford
Mild: at Vanderbilt
Medium: Kansas State (in Arlington)
Diablo: Notre Dame
Washington
Mild: Montana
Medium: Arkansas State
Diablo: at Michigan
Washington State
Mild: Portland State
Medium: Utah State
Diablo: BYU
Pac-12 South
Arizona
Mild: Northern Arizona
Medium: San Diego State
Diablo: BYU (in Las Vegas)
Arizona State
Mild: Southern Utah
Medium: UNLV
Diablo: at BYU
Colorado
Mild: Northern Colorado
Medium: Minnesota
Diablo: Texas A&M (in Denver)
UCLA
Mild: Fresno State
Medium: Hawaii
Diablo: LSU
USC
Mild: San Jose State
Medium: BYU
Diablo: at Notre Dame
Utah
Mild: Weber State
Medium: at San Diego State
Diablo: at BYU
– The one big different thing in the 2021 schedule
NEXT: The one big different thing with the 2021 Pac-12 season is …
2. The Pac-12 teams will actually play each other
Of course it’s not time to spike the ball just yet and assume everything will be smooth come fall – even though the world has the ball first and goal on the four – but all signs point to things being a whole lot more 2019 than 2020.
No major conference will look and play and feel more different than the Pac-12.
In case you missed the 2020 Pac-12 college football season …
It was a go, and then it was cancelled, and then it came back in a conference-only form, and then a whole slew of issues hit and not everyone could play every game, and then Colorado couldn’t play USC to create a clean and true Pac-12 South champion, and Washington couldn’t play Oregon to create a clean and true Pac-12 North champion, and then Washington couldn’t play at all meaning Oregon went to play USC for the Pac-12 championship, and ….
It was fun, though, when the teams that could play got on the field.
However, Utah finally get to play its first game on November 21st. Several teams were starting to ramp things up just as the Utes were getting started.
Cal never seemed quite able to get going, Stanford was homeless for five of its six games, both Washington and Washington State were only able to get in four games – and none of them against each other – and on and on and on in the strange season that had no flow.
How weird was it? USC – not exactly some Little Engine That Could program – wasn’t going to have any real shot at getting into the College Football Playoff had it beaten Oregon to finish as an unbeaten Pac-12 champion.
Imagine how that might have played with the folks in Columbus if Ohio State was in that scenario.
And for our infinite patience we’re expected to get USC vs. Colorado this time around, and Washington hosting Oregon, and all the big games we missed in 2020.
On a national scale, the non-conference games are even bigger.
Oregon was supposed to host Ohio State, and now it gets to go to Columbus. Washington was expected to welcome in Michigan, and now it gets to go to Ann Arbor.
USC and Notre Dame are going to play college football again on October 23rd in South Bend. Just imagine how the 2020 season might have gone if those two were able to play and the Trojans pulled off the win.
Now, did the Pac-12 totally whiff by not scheduling USC against either Oregon or Washington? In terms of a national showcase, ya think? But after last year, the Pac-12 is back.
Hopefully.
– Pac-12 schedule winners and losers
NEXT: Pac-12 schedule winners and losers
1. 2021 Pac-12 schedule winners and losers
Before the fun gets started, the winners and losers in your 2021 Pac-12 football schedule are …
Winner: USC
And not just a winner. How about the steaming hot pile of winning love with the MASSIVE breaks in the schedule that either scream 1) gross incompetence by the Pac-12 to let this happen, 2) genius by the Pac-12 to help USC get into a position to win the title and maybe have a shot at the College Football Playoff, or 3) all of the above.
What’s the big whoop?
Arizona, Colorado and UCLA all have to play both Oregon and Washington – most likely two of the league’s best teams. Arizona State misses Washington, Utah misses Oregon, and USC MISSES BOTH OF THEM.
USC vs. Oregon, USC vs. Washington – those are it. Those are the money games that people in Florida and Michigan and Delaware would tune in to watch no matter who else is playing on any given Saturday, but nope.
Oh, and if that’s not enough, USC only plays four Pac-12 road games.
There is a run of three games in four weeks starting with Notre Dame, but boo hoo.
Loser: Colorado
You know how Colorado had a surprisingly great first season under Karl Dorrell and turned into one of the Pac-12’s better teams? Yeah, that was fun.
After being served Northern Colorado as a tasty snack, the Buffs get Texas A&M and Arizona State. They get USC at home, but they have to play five Pac-12 road games including at Oregon, at UCLA, at Arizona State and at Utah. Oh, and there’s a home date against Washington from the North, too.
Winner: Washington State
While Washington is going off to play Michigan and Oregon gets a layup at Ohio State, Wazzu will be fighting the good non-conference fight against Utah State and Portland State to start the season. Yeah, BYU isn’t bad, but if that’s your one decent non-conference game – and it’s at home, too – you’re living right.
The Cougars do have to go to Oregon and Washington, and they have to deal with five Pac-12 road games, but overall this slate is built for a decent mid-level bowl appearance.
Loser: Stanford
The program was tweet-bragging about how it’s playing all 12 games against Power Five teams …
𝗖𝗛𝗔𝗟𝗟𝗘𝗡𝗚𝗘 𝗔𝗖𝗖𝗘𝗣𝗧𝗘𝗗
🚨 𝟮𝟬𝟮𝟭 𝗦𝗖𝗛𝗘𝗗𝗨𝗟𝗘 🚨
☑️ Only school to play 12 P5 opponents
☑️ Only P5 school to begin season with three straight games away from home🗞 » https://t.co/Usu8xpBzwa#GoStanford pic.twitter.com/pmbmgz962w
— Stanford Football (@StanfordFball) March 2, 2021
Yeah, that’s great, but that means you’re, well, playing 12 Power Five opponents. Even the easy one of the bunch – Vanderbilt – is on the road.
That’s not enough masochism for the Cardinal.
Not only do they play a rough non-conference slate, but they don’t play at home until September 25th. Not only is that bad, but they have to play USC from the South – on the road.
Not only is that bad, but they miss both Arizona and Colorado – probably the two teams from the South you actually would like to play.
There is a wee bit of a break in the scheduling gloom with Oregon and Washington both home games, and with just one road date after October 16th, but closing out with Washington, Utah, at Oregon State, Cal, and Notre Dame isn’t exactly easing out of the 2021 season.
2021 Pac-12 Schedules, Analysis
North Cal | Oregon | Oregon State
Stanford | Washington | Washington State
South Arizona | Arizona State | Colorado
UCLA | USC | Utah
