As I mentioned in the Big 12 grades intro, I’m choosing to grade each team subjectively. Different teams have difference expectations and have to schedule differently. For example, a USC program that is loaded with talent and expects to compete for national titles should schedule non-conference games against teams like Alabama. If Colorado, on the other hand, scheduled the Tide, it would be a bad idea. It would be an embarrassing blowout loss that wouldn’t do much for the program.
I looked at the Big 12 all at once, but for these bigger conferences (especially once we get to the rest of the Power 5 conferences, which each have 14 teams) it makes sense to go division by division. Remember, the Pac-12 plays nine conference games (round-robin within the division and four cross-divisional games), so there are only three non-conference opponents per team.
Pac-12 North Non-Conference Schedule Grades
California Golden Bears
August 26: vs Hawaii (in Sydney, Australia)
The Rainbow Warriors are an on-and-off program that is currently in an “off” cycle. It’s a tune-up game right now, but nothing more. Still, it’s an early season-starting game halfway across the world, so people will tune in. It’s too bad college football couldn’t find a more evenly-matched game for its Australian debut.
Grade: D
September 10th: @San Diego State
This is a road game that isn’t a complete road game. Qualcomm will definitely have a majority of Aztecs fans, but it’s a big stadium that the Aztecs never really fill up. Cal will be well-represented. Still, this is a road game against one of the better Group of 5 teams out there, so it’s a perfect scheduling decision (even if it wasn’t quite planned that way) for a team in the middle of a Power 5 conference.
Grade: A
September 17th: Texas
A middle-of-the-pack (maybe slightly above average) Power 5 team against a middle-of-the-pack (maybe slightly above average) P5 team? These are non-conference games we love to see.
Grade: A
Overall:
For a P5 team that isn’t expected to make a playoff push, this schedule is just about perfect. One tune-up, one good G5 opponent, and one relatively equal P5 opponent.
Grade: A
Oregon Ducks
September 3rd: UC Davis
This is a tuneup against an FCS team, nothing more. But, it’s completely acceptable for a team that plays nine Power conference teams in-conference and two others out of conference.
Grade: D+
September 10th: Virginia
The Ducks will give new coach Bronco Mendenhall a welcome to Autzen, but it won’t be a warm one. Oregon is definitely the better team and program right now. This game should be beneficial for both, though, even though Virginia hasn’t been great recently and Oregon has been a CFP contender.
Grade: B+
September 17th: @Nebraska
This will be one of the national highlights of Week 3. Oregon has been one of the top programs of the past decade and it is traveling to face a blue-blood that is expected by many to have a resurgence this year. The path of the season could retroactively change our view of this game, but in September it will be must-watch football.
Grade: A+
Overall:
A very weak opener mars this schedule only slightly. We can’t complain too much about that, though. In only three games, the Ducks will play two P5 teams, including a road trip to a possible powerhouse. We can’t ask for more.
Grade: A
Oregon State Beavers
September 1st: @Minnesota
Minnesota might be one of the weaker Power 5 teams out there (even though they were trending upwards a few years ago). Then again, so is Oregon State. It’s a quality game for both teams to start the year. I like it.
Grade: B+
September 17th: Idaho State
Wins will be tough to come by once Pac-12 play starts, so the Beavers scheduled themselves one of the weaker FCS teams out there to guarantee at least one.
Grade: F
September 24th: Boise State
I’m a little ambivalent about how smart this game is for both programs, especially as it was scheduled back when Boise State was a top program in the country. Oregon State, meanwhile, had patches of potential but hasn’t done anything special in a long time. It’s against a Group of 5 team, but Oregon State might be playing above its pay grade here. Then again, it’s always nice when P5 teams schedule the elite G5 programs.
Grade: A-
Overall:
Just like I said with Cal, there’s not much more you can ask for. The Beavers are playing a cupcake, a good G5 team, and a P5 team about on their level. That’s a quality schedule.
Grade: B+
Stanford Cardinal
September 2nd: Kansas State
We can’t quite be sure how good Kansas State will be this year, but when this game was scheduled they were pushing towards the top of the Big 12. Sure, that didn’t quite sustain itself, but that’s not really Stanford’s fault. And who knows? Bill Snyder has done miraculous things before; maybe this will be another 10-win season for Kansas State anyway.
Grade: B+
October 15th: @Notre Dame
I don’t care if this is a rivalry game that’s played every year. This is a CFP contender playing another CFP contender on the road. This is the kind of game that makes the season.
Grade: A+
November 26th: Rice
Yes, it’s a bit of a scheduling quirk. It’s weird to see a potential CFP contender play a season-ending game against a lower Group of 5 team. Of course, it’s not significantly different than SEC and ACC teams playing cupcakes before rivalry week. And Stanford is entitled to one cupcake after playing 11 P5 teams; not to mention that Rice almost made a bowl game last year (no, the Owls still were not good; they just almost managed six wins regardless of that).
Grade: C-
Overall:
Stanford should be a CFP contender. The Cardinal is playing a decent P5 and an elite opponent on top of nine conference games. This is a good schedule for a contender.
Grade: A
Washington Huskies
September 3rd: Rutgers
Washington is gearing up for Chris Petersen’s third year and many are expecting the Huskies to challenge for the Pac-12 title, as well as a spot in the College Football Playoff. The defense looks stout and the offense is drastically improved. Which is why having Rutgers as the marquee non-conference opponent is completely unacceptable.
Grade: C+
September 10th: Idaho
Idaho is technically an FBS team, but they have never been able to really compete at the FBS level and will drop back down to FCS in two years. This is a cupcake game against a bottom-tier Sun Belt team.
Grade: F
September 17th: Portland State
Portland State was a Top 10 FCS team last year. That doesn’t make the Vikings a quality opponent, but it does make them better than Idaho.
Grade: D-
Overall:
Maybe it’s not fair to expect Washington to schedule like a College Football Playoff hopeful. After all, the Huskies have been a rebuilding project for a very long time now. Yet, this is still the weakest schedule in the Pac-12 by a wide margin. The only saving grace–and it doesn’t save much–is the fact that Rutgers is a Power 5 team, even if the Scarlet Knights have never done much of anything in the Big Ten.
Grade: D
Washington State Cougars
September 3rd: Eastern Washington
The Eagles are a perennial Big Sky challenger who is usually one of the better FCS teams. This would be a bad game for any top Power 5 team to schedule, but it’s in-state and Washington State is also a rebuilding project, even if we are currently witnessing the final stages of it. I’m okay with this scheduling decision, even though there are no P5 teams on this schedule.
Grade: C-
September 10th: @Boise State
No, there’s not P5 team on this schedule. Boise State is close enough, though. A trip to the blue turf is as tough as any road game in college football. This is a perfect game for a Pac-12 hopeful to test itself in with a national spotlight potentially on it.
Grade: A
September 17th: Idaho
As I said for Washington, Idaho is a cupcake, even if the Vandals are technically an FBS team.
Grade: D-
Overall:
This is a poor schedule, but it’s much better than the schedule of rival Washington. There’s one high-quality game on it and two cupcakes to prepare for Pac-12 play. It’s acceptable for a program that is still rebuilding respectability.
Grade: C+
