2011 Preview Blitz: Pac-12 Schedule Breakdown
By Kyle Kensing
Football’s Dr. Frankenstein sees his concept become reality come September. Larry Scott certainly built a monster via the newly formed Pac-12 and its multi-billion dollar television contract. Of course, Boris Korloff’s portrayal of the classic Frankenstein Monster is more fitting the old Big Ten stereotype: big, plodding and lumbering. Boasting two of the nation’s top five scoring offenses from a year ago, a host of NFL prospect quarterbacks and a generally wide open style of play, the Pac-12’s explosive brand of football will have more eyes on it than ever before.
Whether that brings some of the villagers, namely Dan Beebe, John Marinatto and John D. Swofford out with pitchforks and torches, time will only tell.
Week 1 Make or Break
Oregon’s magical season ended with a neutral field loss to an SEC member. The Ducks get a shot at some level of redemption immediately against LSU. Fittingly, the showdown is in Cowboys Stadium, where there will be something of an Old West feel. After all, both the Ducks and Tigers are preseason BCS frontrunner, but as they say, “This town ain’t big enough for the both of us.”
UO will be without All-American Cliff Harris. The star cornerback’s absence could be the window Jordan Jefferson needs to establish himself as a top flight quarterback. LSU will also have the benefit of playing much closer to home. Auburn outdrew the Ducks in last year’s championship game, played in Pac Country. Imagine the sea of purple-and-gold UO will face just a state away from SEC territory.
The Cruelest Month
The five-game skid Arizona ended its 2010 season is the longest of Mike Stoops’ Tucson tenure. That streak will most likely end in Week 1 when UA plays its every-other-season matchup against Northern Arizona, but from there the Wildcats draw one of the most brutal stretches in the entire nation.
The Wildcats travel to Oklahoma State in Week 2, a home-and-home series that Tucson-based businessman and OSU alum Jim Click helped facilitate. OSU placed the cherry atop UA’s losing sundae in December’s Alamo Bowl.
From there, UA returns home. Good news, right? Well, the Wildcats host Stanford and Oregon in succession. In fact, UA won’t play a non-bowl qualifier again until Oct. 20 when UCLA comes to Tucson. Road trips to USC and Oregon State precede the ‘Cats date with the Bruins. UA won its last trip to both Los Angeles and Corvallis, but fell at home against each team last season.
In-Conference Non-Conference
In one of the stranger scheduling occurrences brought on by the conference realignments, Cal travels to new Pac-12 mate Colorado in Week 2 for a non-conference game. The programs signed onto a home-and-home deal for ’10 and ’11, and rather than scramble for new matchups upon CU’s joining the league, simply honored the second date.
Cal blasted the Buffaloes last season in Berkeley. The Bears’ 52 points were there most last season.
Holiday Rematch
Washington pulled off the biggest upset of last bowl season, rectifying a 56-21 September loss in a 19-7 victory over Nebraska. UW’s strong finish, which included three straight wins just to make the postseason, earned the Huskies considerable offseason buzz as a Pac-12 dark horse.
Nebraska meanwhile enters its first Big Ten season a legitimate contender, but with lingering questions its sluggish finish presented. Lincoln remains one of the most intimidating venues for visitors.
Rivalry Country
One change the addition of Colorado and Utah means is that the conference no longer has interleague rivals throughout each of its members. But five heated rivalries is certainly fertile ground for classic matchups. The Duel in the Desert, Civil War, Big Game, Apple Cup and Crosstown Showdown dot the schedule but will no longer mark the regular season finales. UA-ASU and Stanford-Cal are played Nov. 19 this season. The other three will close out the campaign.
SCHEDULE SUPERLATIVES
Cupcake Cup
Washington State doesn’t play a particularly embarrassing schedule. The Cougars do travel to San Diego State, and the Aztecs are coming off a 9-4 campaign that included a 6-1 mark at home. But WSU opens with Idaho State, which finished in last place in the Big Sky Conference and has regularly been one of the most anemic FCS programs. Week 2 has the Cougars hosting UNLV. The Rebels are 14-39 since 2007, and last year finished 2-11.
WSU gets a pass for playing a few lesser foes to open, though. The Cougars have finished last place in the conference each of the last two seasons, just narrowly avoiding the cellar in 2008 via a regular season finale defeat of Washington.
Toughest Schedule
Though it faces Missouri State early on, Oregon plays a rather daunting slate. Two of its three non-conference opponents finished last season in the top 15, LSU and Nevada. The Ducks must also travel to Stanford in a game likely to determine the Pac-12 North winner — that is, if they survive a trip the previous week to Washington.
Out of the division, UO travels to Arizona and hosts Arizona State and USC. Any of the three could finish with the South’s best record.
Arizona gets consideration for its brutal first month-plus, but out of conference plays Northern Arizona and Louisiana-Lafayette. UCLA also gets consideration. It hosts Texas and travels to Houston out-of-conference, then has a back-to-back road set of Oregon State and Stanford. The Bruins must also face Utah and Arizona on the road.
Top Non-Conference Games
The winner gains an immediate leg up in the national championship race.
The Cardinal has a two-game win streak over its rival UND, and when these teams last met in California, Toby Gerhart jumpstarted his Heisman campaign. BCS implications could be riding this time.
One of the nation’s best rivalries now crosses conference borders and moves from the finale to become an early test. The last two Holy Wars were decided by a total of four points, and this season’s should continue that trend. Last season’s young Cougars are matured, while UU faces some uncertainty in its initial Pac-12 campaign.
The historic and heated rivalry will write a new chapter. This season marks the first time the two teams will play under the lights at Notre Dame Stadium.
ASU is earning considerable attention with the nation’s most talented defensive player, Vontaze Burfict returning and riding into 2011 off a strong finish. The Sun Devils’ meddle will be tested in this Week 2 showdown with a powerful Big 12 foe. Mizzou returns to the scene of
Top Conference Games
UO’s incredible second half rally last October was the unofficial launching point of the Ducks’ BCS run.
ASU travels to Salt Lake City in an early conference matchup between two South frontrunners.
Despite its 5-7 finish, Cal gave Oregon its stiffest regular season challenge. The Golden Bears and Ducks have regularly engaged in classic battles. Though Autzen continues to be one of the more challenging home venues, but Cal did win there in 2007.
UA has won three of the last four against Washington, and probably should have a four-game streak against the Dawgs — were it not for the Immaculate Interception.
The last two meetings in Seattle have been among the more bizarre for either program. In 2007, the two combined for the most total yardage in Pac-10 history.
UW gets the opportunity to spoil Oregon’s conference championship aspirations a week before its heavyweight matchup at Stanford. The Ducks might have their minds preoccupied when they head north.