Hey All,
Here's the final part of the summer reading portion of this blog. It's time for a look at the schedules in the Pac 12 Conference.
Pacific 12
The Pac 12 is unchanged from last year with 12 teams split into two divisions.
Pac 12 North
California, Oregon, Oregon State, Stanford, Washington, Washington State
Pac 12 South
Arizona, Arizona State, Colorado USC, UCLA, Utah
Top Five Out of Conference Games
(Note: Other Pac 12 OOC games have been discussed in other installments of this blog)
9/1- Washington v Auburn at Mercedes-Benz Stadium, Atlanta, GA: There is no doubt that after last year's dismal bowl season that the national media buried the Pac 12. The Pac 12 needs a win here about as badly as any conference has ever needed one. If the Huskies, who are the odds on favorite to win the league, get trounced by Auburn, it almost guarantees that the Pac 12 will not make the playoff and SEC lap dog ESPN will be all too eager to help in that process.
9/15- Fresno State at UCLA: This game may feature a pair of whipped teams. The Bulldogs come into this one off a big road trip to Minnesota. UCLA should arrive back in Pasadena after having their heads handed to them at Oklahoma. A much needed win would give the bRuins a positive feeling going into their bye week. The bRuins follow up that bye week with nine straight conference games to finish the season.
9/8- Colorado at Nebraska: The last time these two met were as members of the Big XII back in 2010. The Buffs were trounced by the Huskers, 45-17 in their final game as a member of the conference. CU had already accepted an invitation to join the new Pac 12 back in June of that year. Now, they meet as members of the Pac 12 and Big Ten respectively. The Buffs should be improved over last year's 5-7 mark, but can they win what is a house of horrors for them at Memorial Stadium? The Buffs have only won five times in Lincoln in the last 61 years.
9/15- USC at Texas: Last year, the Trojans won an OT thriller at the Coliseum. This year, the venue switches to Austin where the Trojans last visited in 1966. That year, the Trojans pulled off a 10-6 win with John Wayne roaming the SC sideline for added inspiration. This year, the Longhorns are looking for a big win to propel them on their way back to national prominence under second year HC Tom Herman. USC needs a big road win to kick aside their Texas troubles of late, The Trojans have been outscored 76-13 in their last two trips to the Lone Star State.
9/29- Stanford at Notre Dame: Yes, this matchup has become an annual thing on each team's schedule, but it is still a big game. For the Cardinal this game comes at the end to a September where they will have hosted USC and traveled to Oregon, not to mention an opening day rematch with the SDSU team that humiliated them last year. If ND stumbles out of the gate v. Michigan, then Stanford is an elimination game as far as the Irish are concerned.
A few intriguing games that didn't make the top five...
9/1- Colorado v. Colorado State at Broncos Stadium at Mile High, Denver, CO: Colorado owns this rivalry, but the game are usually very entertaining and just sometimes flat out crazy. It is always worth a look.
9/1- Washington State at Wyoming: The Cougars start on the road with the Pac 12's least experienced team. The Cougars return only 10 total starters and just four on offense. They are also heading into a hostile environment. What makes this small stadium environment hostile is the altitude not the crowd. It's tough to play at 7,165 feet. Meanwhile, The Cowboys have what might be their best squad of the Craig Bohl era. Yes, QB Josh Allen has gone to the NFL, but Wyoming returns 17 starters that came within a few points of winning their division in the MWC. It bodes well for The Pirate and his young Cougs of they get out of Laramie with a win.
9/8- Utah at Northern Illinois: During their tenure in the Pac 12, the Utes always seems to drop a game or two that they flat out should not. The game isn't on the ability of NIU, it's all on the how the Utes handle their first road game with Washington coming to Salt Lake City the following week. Looking ahead could be embarrassing to the Utes.
9/15- Arizona State at San Diego State: It's a homecoming for new ASU HC Herman Edwards. He spent his senior year with the Aztecs back in 1975. The Sun Devils will be looking to rebound from an embarrassing 30-20 home loss to SDSU last year that frankly wasn't as a close as the score indicates. This game comes to ASU as the middle portion of three game stretch where the Sun Devils host Michigan State the week before, then play at Washington the week after. A win would help these new-look Sun Devils a great deal.
Top Five Conference Games
9/8- USC at Stanford: The Trojans beat the Cardinal at the Coliseum and in the Pac 12 title game last year to claim the league's 2017 crown. Both games were physical, tight contests and this year's clash should be no different. Cardinal RB Bryce Love returns for a senior year Heisman shot behind four returning staters up front and a settled QB situation with K.J. Costello calling the signals. The Trojans come in with a huge question mark at QB now that Sam Darnold has gone to play for Gang Green. USC's defense will have to keep the Cardinal in check to give whoever their new QB is a chance to walk out of The Farm with a win.
9/15- Washington at Utah: The cool pick to win the Pac 12 South is Utah. The Utes can go from a cool pick to a way cooler pick if they take down the Huskies. A loss here would really hurt the Utes chances in the league. The Utes draw UW, Oregon and Stanford from the Pac 12 North on their schedule this year, so they really need to win at least two of those to have shot at the league title tilt. Washington will come into this game in one of two mindsets. They will be either supremely confident after beating Auburn to start the season or very grim and determined after losing to Auburn.
10/13- Washington at Oregon: This is a hurdle game. What? It's a hurdle game that has several different ways it can be viewed. If Oregon upsets Stanford on 9/22, then a victory by the Quack Attack will put them in the driver's seat for the Pac 12 North crown. If they have lost to Stanford, then this game is for survival and keeping their hopes alive in the division. For the Dawgs, a win here most likely sets up their game with Stanford as being for all the marbles in the North. A loss could take UW out of everything before November. Oh, and you know that Duck fans remember the 70-21 thrashing the Huskies laid on the Ducks the last time they were at Auzten Stadium in 2016.
11/3- Stanford at Washington: Last year, the Huskies held a 14-10 halftime lead at Stanford then watched the lead and their Pac 12 title hopes wash away in a sea of Bryce Love rushing yards and TDs. You can bet the Huskies want revenge for that stinging defeat on The Farm. You can bet that the Dawgs want to whip the Cardinal and get back to the league championship game. However, Stanford will arrive at Husky Stadium with no fear as they have beaten UW 10 of the last 13 times they have squared off.
10/27- USC at Utah: The home team has won this game in each of the last five seasons. The last two games in Salt Lake City have been nail-biters with The Utes pulling out a pair of dramatic last minute wins. The Utes will have an extra day to prepare for this one as they host Arizona on the Friday night of the prior week. The crowd will loud and intense at Rice-Eccles Stadium and maybe just a little more jacked up because it is Homecoming. USC just needs to prove it can win big road games consistently. USC's defense must hold Utah early to give their new QB the chance to acclimate to the conditions. You can expect another nail-biter in this game.
A few intriguing games that didn't make the top five...
9/22- Arizona at Oregon State: This is the first league game for each of these school's new HC. That makes it worth watching to me. I do admit, I also want to see how each coach reacts to just how bad Pac 12 officials really are.
9/28- UCLA at Colorado: The bRuins have won three of their last four v. the Buffs, but they have all been tight affairs. The total separating these two teams over the last four years has been just 21 points. Oh, and as we all know, some crazy games happen in the Pac 12 on Friday nights.
10/6- California at Arizona: The Golden Bears and Wildcats always seem to play a pretty wild game. These teams have met in three of the last five years and the final scores have been 45-44, 49-45, and 33-28. This one should be worth recording.
Where are they now?
Five, count 'em, five Pac 12 head coaches were fired or resigned last season! Here's a look at where they are in 2018.
Gary Andersen- Oregon State: I think most of us remember Andersen walking away from the Beavers last year and leaving 12 million dollars on the table. This year Andersen is back with his old pal Kyle Whittingham. Andersen is now the Associate HC and DL coach at Utah. Andersen and Whittingham go all the way back to when both were assistants together at Idaho State in the 1990s.
Todd Graham- Arizona State: Graham is living in North Scottsdale, AZ and not coaching this year. He is working with his son who is a HS school QB and Safety. Here's an update from AZ Central on him. He still watches film
Jim Mora-UCLA: Mora has basically switched jobs with new UCLA HC Chip Kelly. He will be an in-studio analyst for ESPN2 on college football Saturdays.
Rich Rodriguez-Arizona: Last known sighting of RichRod was at Alabama's pro day scouting talent for the New England Patriots. I haven't found any official word on Rodriguez other than that. It was quite an interesting site at Bama's pro day as fired Arkansas HC Bret Bielema and fired Tennessee HC Butch Jones were there too. Funny thing is Jones was wearing Bama gear and letting it be known that he wanted a job with Saban. Saban, from the media reports, wasn't too thrilled with that.
Willie Taggart- Oregon: Taggart fled Oregon after a season to take the Florida State job after Jimbo Fisher put Tallahassee in his rear view mirror.
Grass or not to grass that is the question
Virginia Tech is the only team in the FBS who will play their entire regular season on natural grass. However, 18 teams will play their entire slate on the fake stuff. Of those 18 teams, three are from Power 5 conferences. Indiana, Minnesota, and Oregon are the three schools. When it comes to artificial turf I refer to the bets quote ever on the subject by the late, great Tug McGraw who when asked if he prefers natural grass or Astroturf said, "I dunno, I never smoked Astroturf."
Now, our summer reading is over for 2018, the next time you read this blog, week one of the season will be in the books. So remember, the season is almost here!
-The Commissioner
Saturday, August 11, 2018
Thursday, August 2, 2018
Schedules Part II
Hey All,
It's time for the second part of our look at the schedules of The Power 5 conferences. This week we will look at the Big Ten and the SEC. We still miss you, Mal Florence.
Big Ten
The conference remains unchanged with 14 teams in two divisions.
Big Ten East
Indiana, Maryland, Michigan, Michigan State, Ohio State, Penn State, Rutgers
Big Ten West
Illinois, Iowa, Minnesota, Nebraska, Northwestern, Purdue, Wisconsin
Top Five Out of Conference Games
9/1- Michigan at Notre Dame: The Wolverines hold a 24-16-1 edge in this series, but that lead comes from their eight-game winning streak from 1887 to 1908. It's been an even slate since then with some incredible games and moments. Michigan comes into this game with 17 returning starters and immediately cleared to play transfer QB Shea Patterson from Ole Miss. ND isn't far behind with 15 returnees of their own. The Wolverines will have to do better than their last trip to South Bend where a pair of missed FGs and four turnovers led to a 31-0 blanking by the Irish.
9/8- Michigan State at Arizona State: The last time a Big Ten team visited Tempe, They were the victim of a clock fiasco thanks to the negligence of a Pac 12 referee crew that led to a Sun Devils win over Wisconsin. Michigan State may not make the game that close. The Spartans return 19 starters and will catch an ASU team in rebuild mode with new HC Herm Edwards. A road win coming before a bye week would be huge to the Spartans.
While the crew slept
9/8- Fresno State at Minnesota: Really? Yes, really. The Golden Gophers are in year two of the great P.J. Fleck boat rowing experiment. This will be a great test to see how far they have come along to this point. I say this because Fresno State went from 1-11 in 2016 to 10-4 last year under new HC Jeff Tedford and are this year's pick by more than a few to claim a spot in the MWC title game. A win for the Gophers could signal that they are on the upswing in the Big Ten.
9/8- Penn State at Pitt: With Saquan Barkley and their OC both gone, just how good will the Nittany Lions offense be this year? Nothing like taking on an old rival on the road to find out. Oh, and PSU's young defense could find some much needed confidence with a winning effort.
9/15- Ohio State v. TCU at Jerryworld, Arlington, TX: This is the one tough game on Theee Ohio State's non conference slate. The Buckeyes open up with Oregon State, then after this game will host hapless Tulane. A win keeps them rolling towards their showdown with Penn State a couple of weeks later.
Bonus Game: The Dumpster Fire Special
9/15- Rutgers at Kansas: This is a rematch of their 2015 tilt where the Scarlet Knights beat the Jayhawks, 27-14. Over the past four seasons, Rutgers and Kansas have a combined league record of 7-61, so a win, any win is precious.
Top Five Conference Games for 2018
9/22- Nebraska at Michigan: The Scott Frost angle makes this a big game. The Huskers don't have the talent to win this game at the Big House. What to look for is the drive and heart they display. That will show if this team has bought into Frost's program.
9/22- Wisconsin at Iowa: An Iowa win here would all but assure their place in the Big Ten title game. With all due respect to Northwestern and Wisconsin, this division is set for Iowa to win by scheduling alone. The Hawkeyes do travel to Penn State but won't play for TheeOSU, Michigan or Michigan State. Meanwhile, Wisconsin will play both Michigan and Penn State on the road. Northwestern draws both Michigan and MSU from the west, then later on faces Wisconsin and Iowa in a brutal three game stretch with Notre Dame in the middle.
9/29- Ohio State at Penn State: The last two games between these two have been barn-burners, so why not hope for a third? The winner has the inside track to division crown, while the loser has to scramble to get back into the league and national pictures.
10/20- Michigan at Michigan State: If the Wolverines and HC Jim Harbaugh want to prove they are back as a contender in the Big Ten, they have to take care of their little brothers in East Lansing. Sparty has won eight out of the last ten v. UM and could easily win another with the talent they have on this year's squad. A loss by Michigan could have UM alums talking about a buyout for Harbaugh.
11/24- Michigan at Ohio State: If Michigan lives up to their pre-season expectations, this will be the most meaningful game between these two in years.
Great White Hawkeyes
Iowa has their compasses pointing straight up with games v. Northern Illinois, Northern Iowa and Northwestern.
Trouble in Buckeye-land
Who actually thinks that TheeeOSU will part ways with HC Urban Meyer over this breaking scandal of allegedly turning a blind eye to the domestic abuse perpetrated by one of his assistant coaches? Will he be forced out like Jim Tressell was in 2011 over the scandal that involved his players selling or trading their bowl swag for cash and tattoos? The cynical eye of this reporter believes that an "internal investigation" will clear Meyer before the Buckeyes enter conference play. Hmmmmm.
SEC
The Southeastern Conference remains unchanged with 14 teams in two divisions.
SEC East
Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, Missouri, South Carolina, Tennessee, Vanderbilt
SEC West
Alabama, Arkansas, Auburn, LSU, Mississippi. Mississippi State, Texas A&M
Top Five Out of Conference Games (It's the SEC, not much to pick from here)
9/1- Auburn v. Washington at Mercedes-Benz Stadium, Atlanta, GA: This is one of those neutral site games that is anything but a neutral site. The stands will loaded with Tiger fans wanting their team to whip the Dawgs. A win for the Tigers keeps the SEC strong and puts the Pac 12 down further in the national discussion.
9/8- Clemson at Texas A&M: Just when Jimbo Fisher thought he'd escaped Dabo Swinney's squad, here they come in a non conference tilt. Aggie fans are expecting nothing more than a win from FIsher's team. Good luck, Jimbo. The last I heard was that Clemosn's defensive front is so good it could have stopped Patton's tanks.
9/8- Arkansas at Colorado State: This is not a typo. It's an actual true non conference road game where an SEC team travels west of Texas. The Rams don't return much in experience, but will have already hosted a conference game v. Hawaii and will have taken on instate rival Colorado before the Razorbacks arrive. The Hogs need to be on their game to not be upset in the mountains.
9/15- Vanderbilt at Notre Dame: It's not much of a chance, but it is a chance for the SEC to knock Notre Dame out of the playoff discussion with an upset.
11/17- Middle Tennessee State at Kentucky: This game falls just before KU takes on rival Louisville and is a classic trap game. The Blue Raiders will be improved this year and will challenge for the C-USA East title. Let's also face the fact that Kentucky is well... Kentucky. I'm thinking Mark Stoops will lose it at least five times on the sideline in this matchup.
Top Five Conference Games
9/29- Florida at Mississippi State: New Gator HC Dan Mullen returns to MSU to face the team he just left behind. This one should be an over-the-top game off emotions and bad blood.
9/29- Tennessee at Georgia: The Butch Jones era ended for all intents and purposes ended last year when the Bulldogs humiliated the Volunteers, 41-0, in Knoxville. A strong effort by the Vols could signal to the nutcases known as Volunteer Nation that the Orange and White may be back on the road to respectability.
10/27- Georgia v. Florida at TIAA Bank Field, Jacksonville, FL: This is the biggest test Georgia will face in the division on their way to the SEC title game. The rest of the SEC East is weak as tap water. However, there will be plenty of strong drinks flowing at the game that should still be known as "The World's Largest Outdoor Cocktail Party." The Gators will play tough under new HC Dan Mullen, but the Bulldogs should eventually pull away for a convincing win.
11/3- Alabama at LSU: This is Bama's last tough game before facing Auburn. For LSU, it may be the game that decides HC Ed Oregon's job status. This is year three for Coach O and the expectations are high in Baton Rouge. A home win over the Crimson Tide would be huge for Coach O and the program.
11/24- Auburn at Alabama: No shock here. Winner most likely heads to the SEC title game and if Bama loses, it won't matter. They will still be voted into the CFP.
Until next time folks, remember that the schedule maker's have no middle ground, they are either loved or hated in every college football fan base in America.
-The Commissioner
It's time for the second part of our look at the schedules of The Power 5 conferences. This week we will look at the Big Ten and the SEC. We still miss you, Mal Florence.
Big Ten
The conference remains unchanged with 14 teams in two divisions.
Big Ten East
Indiana, Maryland, Michigan, Michigan State, Ohio State, Penn State, Rutgers
Big Ten West
Illinois, Iowa, Minnesota, Nebraska, Northwestern, Purdue, Wisconsin
Top Five Out of Conference Games
9/1- Michigan at Notre Dame: The Wolverines hold a 24-16-1 edge in this series, but that lead comes from their eight-game winning streak from 1887 to 1908. It's been an even slate since then with some incredible games and moments. Michigan comes into this game with 17 returning starters and immediately cleared to play transfer QB Shea Patterson from Ole Miss. ND isn't far behind with 15 returnees of their own. The Wolverines will have to do better than their last trip to South Bend where a pair of missed FGs and four turnovers led to a 31-0 blanking by the Irish.
9/8- Michigan State at Arizona State: The last time a Big Ten team visited Tempe, They were the victim of a clock fiasco thanks to the negligence of a Pac 12 referee crew that led to a Sun Devils win over Wisconsin. Michigan State may not make the game that close. The Spartans return 19 starters and will catch an ASU team in rebuild mode with new HC Herm Edwards. A road win coming before a bye week would be huge to the Spartans.
While the crew slept
9/8- Fresno State at Minnesota: Really? Yes, really. The Golden Gophers are in year two of the great P.J. Fleck boat rowing experiment. This will be a great test to see how far they have come along to this point. I say this because Fresno State went from 1-11 in 2016 to 10-4 last year under new HC Jeff Tedford and are this year's pick by more than a few to claim a spot in the MWC title game. A win for the Gophers could signal that they are on the upswing in the Big Ten.
9/8- Penn State at Pitt: With Saquan Barkley and their OC both gone, just how good will the Nittany Lions offense be this year? Nothing like taking on an old rival on the road to find out. Oh, and PSU's young defense could find some much needed confidence with a winning effort.
9/15- Ohio State v. TCU at Jerryworld, Arlington, TX: This is the one tough game on Theee Ohio State's non conference slate. The Buckeyes open up with Oregon State, then after this game will host hapless Tulane. A win keeps them rolling towards their showdown with Penn State a couple of weeks later.
Bonus Game: The Dumpster Fire Special
9/15- Rutgers at Kansas: This is a rematch of their 2015 tilt where the Scarlet Knights beat the Jayhawks, 27-14. Over the past four seasons, Rutgers and Kansas have a combined league record of 7-61, so a win, any win is precious.
Top Five Conference Games for 2018
9/22- Nebraska at Michigan: The Scott Frost angle makes this a big game. The Huskers don't have the talent to win this game at the Big House. What to look for is the drive and heart they display. That will show if this team has bought into Frost's program.
9/22- Wisconsin at Iowa: An Iowa win here would all but assure their place in the Big Ten title game. With all due respect to Northwestern and Wisconsin, this division is set for Iowa to win by scheduling alone. The Hawkeyes do travel to Penn State but won't play for TheeOSU, Michigan or Michigan State. Meanwhile, Wisconsin will play both Michigan and Penn State on the road. Northwestern draws both Michigan and MSU from the west, then later on faces Wisconsin and Iowa in a brutal three game stretch with Notre Dame in the middle.
9/29- Ohio State at Penn State: The last two games between these two have been barn-burners, so why not hope for a third? The winner has the inside track to division crown, while the loser has to scramble to get back into the league and national pictures.
10/20- Michigan at Michigan State: If the Wolverines and HC Jim Harbaugh want to prove they are back as a contender in the Big Ten, they have to take care of their little brothers in East Lansing. Sparty has won eight out of the last ten v. UM and could easily win another with the talent they have on this year's squad. A loss by Michigan could have UM alums talking about a buyout for Harbaugh.
11/24- Michigan at Ohio State: If Michigan lives up to their pre-season expectations, this will be the most meaningful game between these two in years.
Great White Hawkeyes
Iowa has their compasses pointing straight up with games v. Northern Illinois, Northern Iowa and Northwestern.
Trouble in Buckeye-land
Who actually thinks that TheeeOSU will part ways with HC Urban Meyer over this breaking scandal of allegedly turning a blind eye to the domestic abuse perpetrated by one of his assistant coaches? Will he be forced out like Jim Tressell was in 2011 over the scandal that involved his players selling or trading their bowl swag for cash and tattoos? The cynical eye of this reporter believes that an "internal investigation" will clear Meyer before the Buckeyes enter conference play. Hmmmmm.
SEC
The Southeastern Conference remains unchanged with 14 teams in two divisions.
SEC East
Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, Missouri, South Carolina, Tennessee, Vanderbilt
SEC West
Alabama, Arkansas, Auburn, LSU, Mississippi. Mississippi State, Texas A&M
Top Five Out of Conference Games (It's the SEC, not much to pick from here)
9/1- Auburn v. Washington at Mercedes-Benz Stadium, Atlanta, GA: This is one of those neutral site games that is anything but a neutral site. The stands will loaded with Tiger fans wanting their team to whip the Dawgs. A win for the Tigers keeps the SEC strong and puts the Pac 12 down further in the national discussion.
9/8- Clemson at Texas A&M: Just when Jimbo Fisher thought he'd escaped Dabo Swinney's squad, here they come in a non conference tilt. Aggie fans are expecting nothing more than a win from FIsher's team. Good luck, Jimbo. The last I heard was that Clemosn's defensive front is so good it could have stopped Patton's tanks.
9/8- Arkansas at Colorado State: This is not a typo. It's an actual true non conference road game where an SEC team travels west of Texas. The Rams don't return much in experience, but will have already hosted a conference game v. Hawaii and will have taken on instate rival Colorado before the Razorbacks arrive. The Hogs need to be on their game to not be upset in the mountains.
9/15- Vanderbilt at Notre Dame: It's not much of a chance, but it is a chance for the SEC to knock Notre Dame out of the playoff discussion with an upset.
11/17- Middle Tennessee State at Kentucky: This game falls just before KU takes on rival Louisville and is a classic trap game. The Blue Raiders will be improved this year and will challenge for the C-USA East title. Let's also face the fact that Kentucky is well... Kentucky. I'm thinking Mark Stoops will lose it at least five times on the sideline in this matchup.
Top Five Conference Games
9/29- Florida at Mississippi State: New Gator HC Dan Mullen returns to MSU to face the team he just left behind. This one should be an over-the-top game off emotions and bad blood.
9/29- Tennessee at Georgia: The Butch Jones era ended for all intents and purposes ended last year when the Bulldogs humiliated the Volunteers, 41-0, in Knoxville. A strong effort by the Vols could signal to the nutcases known as Volunteer Nation that the Orange and White may be back on the road to respectability.
10/27- Georgia v. Florida at TIAA Bank Field, Jacksonville, FL: This is the biggest test Georgia will face in the division on their way to the SEC title game. The rest of the SEC East is weak as tap water. However, there will be plenty of strong drinks flowing at the game that should still be known as "The World's Largest Outdoor Cocktail Party." The Gators will play tough under new HC Dan Mullen, but the Bulldogs should eventually pull away for a convincing win.
11/3- Alabama at LSU: This is Bama's last tough game before facing Auburn. For LSU, it may be the game that decides HC Ed Oregon's job status. This is year three for Coach O and the expectations are high in Baton Rouge. A home win over the Crimson Tide would be huge for Coach O and the program.
11/24- Auburn at Alabama: No shock here. Winner most likely heads to the SEC title game and if Bama loses, it won't matter. They will still be voted into the CFP.
Until next time folks, remember that the schedule maker's have no middle ground, they are either loved or hated in every college football fan base in America.
-The Commissioner
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