In his first public comments as Pac-12 commissioner, George Kliavkoff noted that βeverything is up for reviewβ when it comes to improving the football product, including the schedule.
One component requires little if any improvement: The lineup of home-and-home series against peer conferences.
With the announcement last week that Oregon and Ohio State would tangle in the early 2030s, the Pac-12 now has 117 games scheduled against Power Five opponents over the next dozen years, according to Hotline research.
And more than one-third of those dates β 44 in all β are against the SEC.
Colorado leads the way with 17 matchups against Power Five opponents. At the other end: Washington has just five Power Fives currently scheduled.
Opponents under contract include Ohio State, Alabama and Georgia, plus multiple home-and-home series against LSU, Auburn, Texas A&M and Florida.
The Hotline compiled all the Pac-12 non-conference matchups through 2033 using team schedule sites, news releases and media reports, then cross-checking our list against games listed on the fabulous fbschedules.com.
Please note: The situation is highly fluid β a new series could be announced tomorrow, while an existing series could get moved, or canceled.
Also, we have only listed the years in which games are scheduled.
Grab some coffee and get comfortable β¦
(Power Five opponents in italics.)
ARIZONA
2021: vs. BYU (in Las Vegas), vs. San Diego State, vs. Northern Arizona
2022: vs. Mississippi State, at San Diego State, vs. North Dakota State
2023: at Mississippi State, vs. NAU, vs UTEP
2024: at Kansas State, vs. NAU
2025: vs. Kansas State, at Hawaii, vs. Weber State
2026: at BYU, vs. NAU
2027: at Colorado State, vs. BYU, vs. NAU
2028: at Nebraska, vs. Colorado State
2029: vs. Virginia Tech
2030: at Virginia Tech, vs. Wyoming
2031: vs. Nebraska
2032: at Alabama
2033: vs. Alabama, at Wyoming
Total vs. Power Five: 10
Best series: Alabama.
Comment: Plenty of B- and C-level dates are needed in later years, but we like the mix of Power Five matchups. The Wildcats can thank former athletic director/current Alabama boss Greg Byrne for the Crimson Tide series. (Nick Saban will be 79 when the 2032 season begins, by the way.) Of note: Mississippi State coach Mike Leach put up 257 points in his last five games against Arizona while at Washington State.
ARIZONA STATE
2021: at BYU, vs. Southern Utah, vs UNLV
2022: at Oklahoma State, vs. Eastern Michigan, vs. NAU
2023: vs. Oklahoma State, vs. Fresno State, vs. Southern Utah
2024: vs. Mississippi State, vs. Wyoming, at Texas State
2025: at Mississippi State, vs. NAU, vs. Texas State
2026: at Texas A&M, vs. Bowling Green, vs. Hawaii
2027: vs. Texas A&M, vs. San Diego State
2028: vs. Florida, at San Diego State, vs. NAU
2029: at LSU
2030: vs. LSU
2031: at Florida
2032: vs. Texas
2033: at Texas
Total vs. Power Five: 12
Best series: LSU
Comment: First-rate scheduling by the Sun Devils using the popular A-B-C approach, which features one Power Five opponent, one Group of Five opponent and one FCS foe. ASU is willing to play anyone, anywhere, and surely benefits from Power Five blue bloods desiring exposure in metropolitan Phoenix, which has become a recruiting hotbed. Then again, ASU has expanded the scope of its recruiting, too.
CAL
2021: at TCU, vs. Nevada, vs. Sacramento State
2022: at Notre Dame, vs. UC Davis, vs. UNLV
2023: vs. Auburn, at North Texas, vs. Idaho
2024: at Auburn, vs. UC Davis, vs. San Diego State
2025: vs. UNLV, at San Diego State
2026: at Florida, at UNLV
2027: vs. Florida
2028: at Minnesota, vs. Wyoming
2029: vs. Minnesota, at Wyoming
Total vs. Power Five: Eight
Best series: vs. Florida
Comment: The Bears have a slew of dates to fill, especially with B- and C-level games. Notre Dame is that rare one-off in which a Pac-12 program is paid for a road game with no home date in return. Sure, the experience will be popular with alumni and donors, but the reported $1.9 million payday will make the administration very happy. Four quarters of pain (or joy) in exchange for a paycheck that almost covers the entire travel budget for Calβs Olympic sports.
COLORADO
2021: vs. Texas A&M (in Denver), vs. Minnesota, vs. Northern Colorado
2022: vs. TCU, at Minnesota, at Air Force
2023: at TCU, vs. Nebraska, vs. Colorado State (CSU)
2024: at Nebraska, at CSU, vs. North Dakota State
2025: vs. Georgia Tech, at Houston
2026: at Georgia Tech, at Northwestern, vs. Houston
2027: vs. Northwestern, vs. Kansas State, vs. Colgate
2028: at Florida, at Kansas State, vs. UMass
2029: vs. Florida, at CSU
2030: at Missouri, vs. CSU
2031: vs. Missouri
2033: vs. CSU
Total vs. Power Five: 17
Best series: Nebraska
Comment: The Buffs believe their fans want quality opponents, even at the risk of defeat, and have acted on that sentiment with a stellar lineup of Power Five opponents. Weβd love an annual game against Nebraska but will take anything available. Of note: The home game against Missouri was scheduled for 2025 β on the 35th anniversary of the Fifth Down game β but has been moved to 2031. And in news from the future: Colorado head coach Karl Dorrell has called in sick for the month of September in 2022.
OREGON
2021: at Ohio State, vs. Fresno State, vs. Stony Brook
2022: vs. Georgia (in Atlanta), vs. BYU, vs. Eastern Washington
2023: at Texas Tech, vs. Portland State, vs. Hawaii
2024: vs. Texas Tech, vs. Boise State, vs. Idaho, at Hawaii
2025: vs. Oklahoma State, at Boise State, vs Montana State
2026: at Oklahoma State, vs. Portland State, vs. Boise State
2027: at Baylor, vs. Utah State
2028: vs. Baylor, at Utah State
2029: at Michigan State, vs. Utah State
2030: vs. Michigan State
2032: vs. Ohio State
2033: at Ohio State
Total vs. Power Five: 12
Best series: Ohio State* and Georgia*
Comment: Forget the wait until 2032-33. Our selections for the best series are single games against the Buckeyes (Week Two in 2021) and Bulldogs (Week One in 2022), which carry high stakes for the Ducks and the Pac-12. Boise State and Utah State are ideal B-level games, with the Ducksβ road dates coming in years they host a Power Five foe. Note that four games are scheduled in 2024 thanks to the Hawaii travel exemption.
OREGON STATE
2021: at Purdue, vs. Hawaii, vs. Idaho
2022: vs. Boise State, vs. Montana State, at Fresno State
2023: vs. San Diego State, vs. UC Davis, at Boise State
2024: vs. Purdue, vs. Idaho State, at San Jose State
2025: at Texas Tech, vs. Portland State, vs. Fresno State
2026: vs. Texas Tech, at San Diego State
2027: at Mississippi, vs. New Mexico, vs. Portland State
2028: at New Mexico
2030: vs. Mississippi
Total vs. Power Five: Six
Best series: Texas Tech
Comment: We selected Texas Tech as the top series, over Ole Miss, because the recruiting is more valuable for the Beavers in Texas than the Deep South. That said, Purdue, Ole Miss and TTU are all quality series for Oregon State β they stand out on the home schedule but are also winnable on the road. (Unfortunately, the 2022-23 windows are devoid of Power Five opponents.) Wisely, the Beavers donβt have two non-conference road games in any single year.
STANFORD
2021: vs. Notre Dame, vs. Kansas State (in Arlington, Texas), at Vanderbilt
2022: at Notre Dame, vs. BYU, vs. Colgate
2023: vs. Notre Dame, at Hawaii, vs. Sacramento State
2024: at Notre Dame, vs. TCU, vs. Cal Poly
2025: at BYU, at Hawaii
2026: vs. Hawaii, vs. BYU
2027: vs. Vanderbilt, at TCU
2028: at Boston College, vs. BYU
2029: vs. Boston College, at BYU
2030: vs. Hawaii
2031: at BYU
2032: vs. Vanderbilt
2033: at Vanderbilt
Total vs. Power Five: 13
Best series: Vanderbilt
Comment: This yearβs schedule is pure brutality β all Power Five opponents and only one at home β but the lineup turns manageable in β22 and remains so through the decade. (The four-game series with Vanderbilt was arranged years ago by David Shaw and then-Vanderbilt coach Derek Mason, a former Stanford assistant.) BYU makes sense in several regards, not the least of which is the Cougarsβ availability in late November in years that Stanford doesnβt finish with Notre Dame. The Cougars work for USC for the same reason.
UCLA
2021: vs. LSU, vs. Hawaii, vs. Fresno State
2022: vs. Bowling Green, vs. Alabama State, vs. South Alabama
2023: at San Diego State, vs. Coastal Carolina, vs. North Carolina Central
2024: at LSU, vs. UNLV, vs. Fresno State
2025: vs. Georgia, vs. New Mexico, at UNLV
2026: at Georgia, vs. San Diego State, vs. Nevada
2027: vs. Auburn, vs. Hawaii
2028: at Auburn
2029: vs. Wisconsin
2030: at Wisconsin
Total vs. Power Five: Eight
Best series: LSU or Georgia (coin flip)
Comment: Much has been made of the Bruinsβ recent decision to schedule two Historically Black Colleges and Universities (Alabama State and N.C. Central) and end their existence as one of the three programs to never face an FCS opponent (USC and Notre Dame are the others). Less has been made of the reason UCLA had the two vacancies: Michigan backed out of a home-and-home series in 2022-23 that would have given the Bruins a perfect lineup of A-level games through the decade.
USC
2021: at Notre Dame, vs. San Jose State, vs. BYU
2022: vs. Notre Dame, vs. Fresno State, vs. Rice
2023: at Notre Dame, vs. Nevada, vs. BYU
2024: vs. Notre Dame, vs. San Jose State
2025: at Notre Dame, vs. Mississippi
2026: vs. Notre Dame, at Mississippi, vs. Fresno State
2028: vs. Fresno State
Total vs. Power Five: Eight
Best series: Notre Dame
Comment: Two games against former coach Lane Kiffin, assuming heβs still in charge at Ole Miss in 2025, should be loads of fun, but the Notre Dame series is one of the grandest in the sport and seems likely to be extended beyond the current endpoint. The Trojans are taking a wait-and-see approach for the second half of the decade as the structure of the playoff, which should be determined this summer, could impact their strategy with Power Five opponents.
UTAH
2021: at BYU, at San Diego State, vs. Weber State
2022: at Florida, vs. San Diego State, vs. Southern Utah
2023: vs. Florida, at Baylor, vs. Weber State
2024: vs. Baylor, vs. BYU, vs. Southern Utah
2025: at BYU, vs. Wyoming
2026: vs. Arkansas, vs. BYU, at Houston
2027: vs. Houston, vs. Wyoming, at BYU
2028: at Wisconsin, vs. BYU, vs. Dixie State
2029: vs. Arkansas
2030: vs. Dixie State
2031: vs. LSU
2032: at LSU
2033: vs. Wisconsin
Total vs. Power Five: 10
Best series: Florida
Comment: Well, look whoβs loading up on Power Five opponents. The Utes have dramatically upgraded their schedule in recent years and agreed to home-and-homes with three SEC programs. The Florida matchup reportedly will mark the first time a Pac-12 team has faced the Gators since 1989. (UF coach Dan Mullen and Utahβs Kyle Whittingham were assistants together on Urban Meyerβs staff in Salt Lake City.) Weβd love to see the Holy War every year, but the two-season pause is a small price for the Florida series.
WASHINGTON
2021: at Michigan, vs. Montana, vs. Arkansas State
2022: vs. Portland State, vs. Kent State
2023: vs. Tulsa, vs. North Dakota
2024: vs. Ohio State, vs. Weber State
2025: at Ohio State, vs. UC Davis
2026: vs. Eastern Washington
2027: vs. Fresno State
2028: vs. Michigan State, vs. Eastern Washington
2031: at Michigan State
Total vs. Power Five: Five
Best series: Ohio State
Comment: We fully expect the Huskies to add a slew of Power Five opponents to what is, as this point, a light lineup: They need at least one game every year starting in 2022. (Hopefully, UW and Michigan will find a way to reschedule the lost 2020 showdown in Husky Stadium.) Future duels against Power Five foes could come in the form of neutral-site affairs on Labor Day weekend, similar to UWβs tangle with Auburn a few years ago in Atlanta. In that regard, Washington could be one of the prime beneficiaries if the Pac-12 secures an annual marquee showdown in Las Vegas, which should be a priority for Kliavkoff.
WASHINGTON STATE
2021: vs. Utah State, vs. BYU, vs. Portland State
2022: at Wisconsin, vs. Idaho, vs. Colorado State
2023: vs. Wisconsin, vs. Northern Colorado, at Colorado State
2024: vs. Portland State, at San Diego State
2025: vs. San Diego State, vs. Idaho
2026: at Kansas State, vs. Fresno State
2027: vs. Kansas, at Fresno State
2028: at Kansas
2029: vs. Kansas State
2030: at Mississippi State
2031: vs. Mississippi State
2032: at Boise State
2033: vs. Boise State
Total vs. Power Five: Eight
Best series: Wisconsin
Comment: We selected Wisconsin as the top series because of deep skepticism that 60-year-old Mike Leach will still be coaching MSU when the next decade arrives. (If he is, the game-week news conference will be sensational.) All in all, the Cougars have done quite well for themselves: Convincing Power Five teams to visit Pullman isnβt easy, and they have four committed to making the trek. (After much internal debate, we decided to count Kansas as a Power Five.) For logistical and competitive reasons, Boise State and BYU are excellent opponents for WSU, and there are plenty of openings for more of both.
