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(Credit: Associated Press)
Our early preview of the 2016 season continues with a look at the non-conference schedules. (Previous items: order-of-finish projections and all-conference picks). And from that ultra-narrow slice of Pac-12 football life, we can conclusively state: Thank goodness for the California schools.
Each of the four has at least one game that flashes on the intersectional radar.
The schedules for the eight non-CA schools? Mostly weak sauce:
* Oregon-Nebraska might be the best of the group, thanks to a certain former Beaver coach. (It’s not the Ducks’ fault that Nebraska isn’t Nebraska, although Nebraska hasn’t been Nebraska in 15 years.)
* Colorado-Michigan is one for the ages … in 1994.
* Washington, which figures to be one of the league’s top teams and has played marquee games in the past, is all milquetoast in the fall.
A few non-CA-school games have significant regional appeal — those against Brigham Young and Boise State — but they hardly clear the national bar.
All in all, the Pac-12 has 12 dates with Power 5 opponents (including Notre Dame), six with the Big Sky, three with Brigham Young, two with Boise State and one with a team from Tuscaloosa.
Let’s take a look:
Arizona
Lineup: vs. Brigham Young (in Glendale), vs. Grambling, vs. Hawaii
Verdict: With BYU on the schedule, the soft-scheduling Wildcats have one non-cupcake.
Arizona State
The lineup: vs. Northern Arizona, vs. Texas Tech, at UTSA
The verdict: Trip to Lubbock not sexy but will be challenging and could be telling when it comes time to assess the Pac-12 against other P5s.
Cal
The lineup: vs. Hawaii (in Australia), at San Diego State, vs Texas
The verdict: The game Down Under, which is one week earlier than all other season openers, adds a layer of intrigue to a lineup that was already difficult. Two wins would be an accomplishment.
Colorado
The lineup: vs. Colorado State (in Denver), vs. Idaho State, at Michigan.
The verdict: Death by mauling, at least in the case of the trip to the Big House.
Oregon
The lineup: vs. UC Davis, vs. Virginia, at Nebraska
The verdict: Tussle in Lincoln would be only moderately interesting if not for Mike Riley’s presence on the Cornhusker sideline.
Oregon State
The lineup: at Minnesota, vs. Idaho State, vs. Boise State
The verdict: Too tough for the Beavers. Way, way too tough.
Stanford
The lineup: vs Kansas State, at Notre Dame, vs Rice
The verdict: Not quite as daunting as it might seem: This won’t be an elite Kansas State team, and Rice poses no threat. The other game could be a tad difficult, however.
UCLA
The lineup: at Texas A&M, vs UNLV, at Brigham Young
The verdict: Kudos to the Bruins for playing two difficult roadies in the same season. A&M isn’t top-10 material. But still …
USC
The lineup: vs Alabama (Arlington), vs Utah State, vs Notre Dame
The verdict: Undoubtedly the toughest in the league and probably the toughest in the land — and that was before a bunch of Bama’s top talents passed on the NFL draft.
Utah
The lineup: vs. Southern Utah, vs. Brigham Young, at San Jose State
The verdict: Only game that matters is against the in-state rival. Oh, and the tangle with BYU should be interesting.
Washington
The lineup: vs. Rutgers, vs. Idaho, vs. Portland State
The verdict: Wake me when their league season starts (Sept. 24, in Tucson).
Washington State
The lineup: vs. Eastern Washington, vs Boise State, vs Idaho
The verdict: Cougars have a good chance to sweep the noncon, which means they’l be 3-0 when Oregon comes to town in late September.
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The post Pac-12 football: The 2016 non-conference schedules appeared first on College Hotline.
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by Jon Wilner