Here's the last installment of our summer reading series that looks at the schedules of the BCS conferences. We still miss you, Alan Malamud.
Pac 12
Five Big Ones- Non Conference (or 5 games that aren't USC at Notre Dame)
8/31 Boise State at Washington: This game is flying under the radar right now as far as recognition of its' importance. Make no mistake, this game is HUGE. It's huge for UW because it is the first game in the newly renovated Husky Stadium. For Dawgs HC Steve Sarkisian it's huge because a win here puts his squad on the national map. For the Broncos, a win keeps them on the big stage as a potential BCS Buster, while a loss drops them off everyone's list for the rest of the year. The Broncos wish to avoid a loss like last year's 17-13 decision at Michigan State. The Broncos fell to 0-1 and weren't spoken of seriously again in 2012.
8/31 Washington State at Auburn: This game ranks as an important game to me because of the way the game will be interpreted by the eastern media and the SEC bootlickers at ESPN. A Wazzu upset turns the football world on its' ear. An Auburn blowout lets the media write about SEC supremacy over the Pac 12.
9/14 Tennessee at Oregon: When an SEC team takes a trip out west it becomes noteworthy. So, this game has become important. An Oregon win bodes well for the Ducks and the Pac 12. An Oregon loss hurts the conference in a big way and feeds the SEC media beast.
9/14 UCLA at Nebraska: Now that UCLA is a known commodity, how will they stack up against the Cornhuskers? The bRuins have never won in Lincoln so a victory could really catapult UCLA's standing across the country. A loss could lead to a season of cold hard reality in Westwood.
9/14 Fresno State at Colorado: Why is this big? It's big because all of us will find out how far the Buffalos have come in HC Mike MacIntyre's third game at the helm. The Bulldogs will provide a very tough test for the boys from Boulder. A tone for whole season will be set by how tough the Buffs play against Fresno State.
Five Big Ones- Conference (or 5 games that aren't UCLA at USC)
9/28 USC at Arizona State: This game isn't the make or break game of the Pac 12 slate for both schools, but the victor will have a better shot at the division crown. For USC, it will be their first big road test in a hostile environment with a new QB and defensive scheme. ASU's prime concern will be how healthy they are after facing Wisconsin and Stanford in the two weeks leading up to this game.
10/10 Arizona at USC: This will be one of those crazy Thursday night games. After the Trojans' second half collapse in Tuscon that led to a 39-36 loss last year, they will be looking to whip the Wildcats. However, USC won't have its' usual home field advantage as the powers that be at USC have done everything in their power to discourage fans from attending the game. Meanwhile, UofA will be looking for that first big signature road win under Rich Rodriguez. Remember how the 'Cats took Stanford to OT last year? It could be a wild night.
10/12 Oregon at Washington: For all those years that the Huskies slapped the Ducks around when Don James was the lead dog in Seattle, Oregon has exacted a good measure of revenge. In just the last five years alone, Oregon is 5-0 v. the Huskies, has outscored them by an aggregate total of 225-83 with an average margin of victory of a little over 28 points per game. So, if you're the Huskies, this game means everything. A win could denote a seismic shift in the Pac 12 North power structure. If you're Oregon, a win gets you one game closer to a big date with Stanford.
10/26 Stanford at Oregon State: USC isn't the only team that has problems playing in Corvalis. Stanford hasn't won back-to-back games at OSU in almost twenty years. The Beavers will be their usual dangerous selves at home where a win would definitely put them in contention for the North Division title. A win for the Cardinal sets them up as they will go into a bye week to prepare for a visit form Oregon.
11/7 Oregon at Stanford: If all predictions hold true, this will be the game that decides who the wins the Pac 12 North. The Cardinal are looking to repeat their physical beat down of the Ducks. Stanford hit the Duck backfield often and hard. UO will need to get to the outside and beat the Cardinal through the air to win this game. It should be epic.
11/23 Arizona State at UCLA: The Sun Devils have lost the last two games in this series by a total of three points. So it is needless to say that ASU will come to the Rose Bowl looking to avenge those defeats. This game also serves as the defacto Pac 12 South semi-final. A UCLA win most likely sets the bRuins up for a division title showdown with USC, while an ASU win leaves them in a similar situation when they face Arizona the next week.
Pac 12 Schedule Quick Hits
Tough Double to start; Wazzu opens up on 8/31 at Auburn then plays at USC on 9/7.
Pansies are now a desert flower; Arizona's pansy filled non-conference slate consists of a season opener at home v. Northern Arizona, a trip to that power of southern Nevada, UNLV, and a home date with Texas- San Antonio. What you've never heard of Texas- San Antonio? This is their first year playing a full FBS slate. The program was started in 2009.
Tough Triple; Washington hosts Arizona on 9/28, goes to Stanford on 10/5, then comes home for Oregon on 10/12.
They wanted to see the Gaslamp Quarter; Oregon State plays at SDSU this season for the first time since 1972. SDSU won the game back in '72, 17-8. The game featured a clash of coaching styles. The Aztecs took to the air under HC Don Coryell, while the Beavers stuck to the ground attack running HC Dee Andros' Split T Veer.
Hard roads to travel; Big XII or Pac 12 doesn't matter, Colorado is just 3-28 on the road since 2007.
Shades of the Vandals; When former UCLA DC DeWayne Walker set up a game for 2013 with his old employer, I'm sure he'd though he be on the sidelines for the game as New Mexico State's HC. You know, that's what Nick Holt thought a few years back when he hit up USC for game with his Idaho squad. Funny how some things just don't work out.
Feeling the Mountain West; USC plays two games on Thursdays and one on a Friday this season.
Tough Quadruple; ASU hosts Wisconsin on 9/14, travels to Stanford on 9/21, comes home for USC on 9/28, then takes on Notre Dame at Jerryworld, in Arlington on 10/5.
Three out of 12; USC, UCLA, and Stanford are the only Pac 12 schools without an FCS team on their slate.
5 and 4; With the Pac 12 playing a nine game conference schedule, that leaves an uneven split on home and road games in the league. ASU, Oregon, Stanford, USC, Washington, and Utah all have five home conference games. It's a simple formula, the team hosting it's big in-conference rivalry game has five home games.
Tough Double to finish; Stanford's last two games this season are at home, but they take on Cal on 10/23, then welcome Notre Dame to The Farm on 10/30.
SEC
Five Big Ones- Non Conference
8/31 Alabama v. Virginia Tech at the Georgia Dome: Opening games can be scary and you know that VaTech is dreaming of turning back the Crimson Tide in this one. However, Alabama should be able to handle the Hokies in this one.
8/31 Georgia at Clemson: Hey, Gameday will be at Death Valley for this early clash of BCS hopefuls! The last time the Bulldogs opened up on the road, they lost at Okie State in 2009. UGA's defense has to step up and stop the Tigers. Period. That may be a problem with only three returning starters on defense. A win gives the boys from Athens a huge boost going into their home opener the following week v. South Carolina.
8/31 TCU v. LSU at Jerryworld: Well, with the war of words between TCU HC Gary Patterson and LSU HC Les Miles heating up this week, this game should be a real barn-burner. It had the makings of a good game to start, but now it may get nasty. I feel all a flutter now over this one.
8/31 Oklahoma v. Mississippi State at Reliant Stadium: Thanks to T. Boone Pickens' checkbook, Okie State has been a force in the Big XII lately. However, the Cowboys will have a tough time with the Bulldogs. MSU is not as talented as the last couple of seasons, but they will give Okie State fits before the Cowboys pull away late.
Five Big Ones- Conference
9/7 South Carolina at Georgia: Talk about a big early season conference game! The winner of this game has the inside track to the SEC East title. Georgia will be coming off their season opener at Clemson while South Carolina hits the road for the first time after facing North Carolina in their opener. The loser of this game will be in catch-up mode for the rest of the season.
9/14 Alabama at Texas A&M: The question in this game now isn't whether Alabama will get revenge for last year's loss, but will Johnny Manziel be on the field? It's being reported now that he signed about 4,000 pieces of memorabilia. It looks like Johnny Manziel is trying to become the Ryan Leaf of the 2010s.
9/28 LSU at Georgia: If South Carolina loses to Georgia, they will need a little help to get back into the SEC East race. LSU could give them that help with a win between the hedges. For Georgia, a win would leave them with only Florida standing between the Bulldogs and the SEC title game.
11/9 LSU at Alabama: This could be a big big game or not mean much. Alabama will be on another roll and ready. Meanwhile, LSU could fall flat on their faces before they get there. LSU just may not be all they are cracked up to be this season.
11/23 Texas A&M at LSU: As in the other TAMU game mentioned above, will Johnny Manziel be in uniform? If not, LSU wins a laugher. If so, things could go the Aggies way.
SEC Schedule Quick Hits
They learned the SEC way; Texas A&M has quickly learned the SEC way of scheduling. The Aggies have eight home games this season that includes an FCS team on the schedule.
Dodging three big bullets; South Carolina doesn't play Alabama, LSU or Texas A&M this season.
Tough Quad; Ole Miss will find out just how good they are after going to Alabama and Auburn on 9/28 and 10/5, then coming home for Texas A&M and LSU on 10/12 and 10/19.
No Hoosier love; The two squads haven't met since 1992, but when Missouri travels to Indiana, they'll be looking for their first win v. the Hoosiers. The Tigers are 0-6-2 lifetime v. IU.
The only one; Vanderbilt is the only SEC school this season to play a non-automatic qualifier school on the road. On 9/21 the Commodores will play at Massachusetts.
A bad quarter century; Kentucky has lost 26 straight times to Florida. That's the longest current losing streak in any series in the nation.
Troubling Kats; Texas A&M beter not overlook their FCS opponent the week before taking on Alabama. The Sam Houston State Kats are perennially one of the top teams in the FCS with a pretty potent offense.
Home sweet home; The home team has won five of the last six times that Arkansas and South Carolina have faced off. This year's game is in Fayetteville.
10 for Uga; Georgia as won 10 straight times at Vanderbilt.
Not a good run; Tennessee has lost eight straight to Florida and six straight to Alabama.
Wow folks, the season is almost here. Somewhere in camps across the land sprints are being run, Oklahoma drills are being done along with 7-on-7 work, skeleton, inside drills, and goal line periods. Oh, and we can't forget film sessions and opportunity weight lifting sessions. What a great time of year. See everyone again after week one.
-The Commissioner
