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Pac-12 Football: 12 best non-conference games of 2016

By Gabe Encinas

November 28, 2015; Stanford, CA, USA; Stanford Cardinal running back Christian McCaffrey (5) runs the ball against Notre Dame Fighting Irish linebacker Joe Schmidt (38) during the second half at Stanford Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Gary A. Vasquez-USA TODAY Sports
November 28, 2015; Stanford, CA, USA; Stanford Cardinal running back Christian McCaffrey (5) runs the ball against Notre Dame Fighting Irish linebacker Joe Schmidt (38) during the second half at Stanford Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Gary A. Vasquez-USA TODAY Sports /
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Nov 7, 2015; Los Angeles, CA, USA; Southern California Trojans receiver Adoree Jackson (2) carries the ball on a 42-yard reception against the Arizona Wildcats at Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum. USC defeated Arizona 38-30. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports
Nov 7, 2015; Los Angeles, CA, USA; Southern California Trojans receiver Adoree Jackson (2) carries the ball on a 42-yard reception against the Arizona Wildcats at Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum. USC defeated Arizona 38-30. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports /

The Pac-12 football schedule features a ton of intriguing non-conference games, including USC opening vs. Alabama.

We’re still months away from kickoff, but it’s never too early to look ahead to some of the best games of the season. Non-conference is a special time for college football fans. This is when dream matchups come alive, especially when we see proactive athletic directors in their scheduling.

Some teams never really schedule games outside of their reach, some like to schedule teams of their caliber and then the ones who have unbalanced  the schedule, either scheduling way up or way down.

The great thing about these games is that it doesn’t have any implications on the Pac-12 standings. Unless a team is competing for a national championship birth or extremely reliant on winning non-conference games in order to make a bowl game. It’s a measuring stick, telling you exactly what you need to do in order to progress through the Pac-12.

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It’s also good for the conference to win, especially when it comes to the rankings and strength of schedules. There is no bowl tie-in for the Pac-12 and SEC, which is still head scratching, making two of these matchups huge for each conference.

The Pac-12 also has some pretty strong ties to Boise State and BYU, who both make an appearance on this list. Sadly, Washington did not make the cut, with USC landing two of the marquee non-conference games for this season.

We’re all thirsty for college football right now and Pac-12 fans might be spoiled this season with the Pac-12 non-conference schedule, about to start scouting their opponents for the treacherous Pac-12 season.

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