Hey All,
Here's another edition of the column that makes Tuesdays feel better than Mondays, Notes on a Pac 12 Scorecard. We still miss you, Alan Malamud.
The Pac 12 Schedule
Yes, there is now a third edition of the Pac 12 schedule for this crazy year. It is a seven game schedule that begins play hopefully on 11/7 and ends with the Pac 12 title tilt on 12/18. Each team will play all five division opponents and one team from the other division. Each team will have three home games and three away games. Oh, and on the same date as the title tilt, the other 10 teams in the league will be playing seeded consolation games against members of the other division. That's where every team gets that seventh game in. This link shows what the full schedule looks like Pac 12 Grid Here's my quick breakdown of the USC's slate.
11/7: v. ASU 9 am kickoff at the Coliseum. Surprisingly enough both teams agreed to play this game at this time according to the Pac 12 Senior Associate Commissioner for Football Operations, Merton Hanks. Hanks spoke to the San Jose Mercury news reporter and Pac 12 Hotline writer Jon Wilner. He told Wilner, "That's a tough game to make on Week One. It's great exposure, but the institutions stepped to the plate and said, 'We'll take it on." So yes Trojans fans, SC agreed to this miserable kickoff time. Sigh. This game is the Big Noon Kickoff game of Fox that week. Sigh again.
11/14 and 11/21: These two weeks Trojans go on their only two true road trips of the year. The first one should be beautiful weather-wise as SC will play at UofA. Then, SC goes to Salt Lake city to take on Utah. Three things make this game very winnable. One, Utah is down a lot of talent from last year's squad. Two, this game isn't on a Friday night for once. Three, there most likely will be no crowd or very little crowd in attendance. Maybe SC can get a win in Utah for the first time since 2012.
11/28 and 12/4: USC comes home for what should be an easy game against Colorado. After the Buffs get run out of the Coliseum, the Trojans will have a quick turn around for a Friday night home game with Wazzu. Wazzu will have an extra day of practice ahead of the game. However, the Cougars may be deflated as they will be coming off playing the Apple Cup game v. rival Washington.
12/12- SC travels crosstown to their second home, The Rose Bowl, to take on the bRuins. Trojans fans should be happy that is also a Saturday game. In fact, it is the only Pac 12 rivalry game to be played on a Saturday this year.
Quick Hits on the rest of the slate:
...Not feeling the TGIF; UCLA will host Utah, then go to Oregon on consecutive Friday nights.
...Sneaky tough crossover game; Washington going to Cal on11/7 looks like an upset win for the Golden Bears.
...Bring a life preserver; More rain will fall at Husky Stadium for the Oregon-Washington game on 12/12 than in Southern California for a whole year.
...At least one game will be cancelled due to COVID. This schedule doesn't have any room for postponements.
...A Pac 12 team will not make the College Football Playoff... again.
...Oregon State may just screw up the races in both divisions. Their game at Utah makes this a possibility.
...A tossup; This intrepid reporter is having trouble deciding which Pac 12 game will be the least watched in week one. Will it be Wazzu at Oregon State or UCLA at Colorado?
...The Network is Down; All Pac 12 games this year will be on either Fox or ESPN.
...Rivalry by Division; All three rivalry games in the Pac 12 North will be played 11/27 which is the Friday after Thanksgiving. All the Rivalry games in the Pac 12 South are in week six, which is 12/11, 12/12.
..An ancient foe left behind; USC and Cal have squared off 106 times on the gridiron, but they won't play this year. The last time the teams didn't face each other in football was 1919. Back in 1919, Woodrow Wilson was president, the White Sox hadn't become the Black Sox yet, and neither Memorial Stadium in Berkeley or the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum existed.
...Just a rumor; There's no truth to the rumor that Leisure Suit Larry Scott moved the start of the Pac 12 Schedule back a week form 10/31 to 11/7 because he was hosting a Halloween themed tennis watch party that included charcuterie trays with appropriately paired Napa wines.
Observations
...Feels so rad; With students getting kicked out of games and the football team being undefeated at 4-0, it must feel like the '80s again at SMU.
...COVID strikes the Pac 12; Arizona HC Kevin Sumlin has tested positive for COVID-19. Positive
...The Frogs and the Over; When TCU took an intentional safety to run out the clock in their upset of Texas last week, they swung a few fortunes in the process. The Over/Under for the game was 62.5 points. The safety took the total score from 62 to 64. Hmmmmmm
...Sunk; Navy still can't tackle.
...2-0 miracle; VaTech is 2-0. The Hokies destroyed both of their opponents this year with at least 20 players out each game due to COVID. wow.
...Not football related; Rams DB Jalen Ramsey and Giants WR Golden Tate got into a scrap after the Rams 17-9 win over Big Blue went final. However it didn't; have anything to do with the game. check out the TMZ worthy story here. That's for my sister!
...A simple question; Who out there thinks Will Muschamp is a decent HC? The man has failed upward into two SEC gigs and can't beat anybody.
...Of course it happened to him; Ole Miss HC Lane Kiffin actually had to tell the media he wasn't on the toilet during the weekly SEC coaches teleconference last week prior to the Rebels showdown with Kentucky. When you gotta go...
...What a shame; I guess football isn't so easy for OU HC Lincoln Riley with a starting QB that some other coach hadn't trained for a few years.
...Memo to Mississippi State fans; You've just had your introduction to "The Mike Leach Experience." A great win followed by a head scratching loss is just what he and his teams do. Get used to going to the Gaylord Hotels Music City Bowl.
...All quiet in Orlando; I hope Tulsa's upset of UCF will silence all those who keep saying UCF is a playoff contender.
...They just roll on; Alabama is just a machine, they should win it all again.
...Don't see it; I just don't see Miami staying close to Clemson this week.
...Rescue the man; I think Sam Darnold would be a great Raider.
...Red River blah; No Texas State Fair, and both teams off to a poor start has taken the luster off this year's OU-Texas game.
...Quietly making noise; Cincinnati is 3-0.
...Magnolia State bookends; Arkansas won at Mississippi State to snap a 20-game SEC losing streak. Before last Saturday's win, the Hogs last SEC win was a 38-37 thriller at Ole Miss on October 28, 2017.
...Forth Worth crossing their minds; You can sure as heck bet that the Longhorns will ponder for a long while the fact that TCU owns a 7-2 record over Texas since they joined the Big XII.
...Knock knock. Who's there? Owen, Owen who? 0-2; Oklahoma is now 0-2 in Big XII play.
...Booted in Big D; The entire SMU Student section was ejected in the first half of the Mustangs game with Memphis for not following COVID protocols. The SMU PD backed up by the Dallas Sheriffs Department sent the kids packing. See Ya! Wouldn't want to be ya!
...A sobering fact; Despite Oklahoma State's 3-0 start, the team with the inside track to Big XII title right now is Iowa State.
...Orange happiness; Tennessee is 2-0 and is playing a lot better than they have in years.
..Just hit mute; Just hearing USC HC Clay Helton drone on about the football starting back up in the Pac 12 makes you realize why he isn't called upon to speak on any of the college football pregame shows as a face of the league. Pure drivel.
...Least, but really really least; The NFC East is worst division I've seen in forever in the NFL. The Eagles are atop the standings with a 1-2-1 record and the only thing keeping the division form having two winless teams is an amazing onside kick by Dallas a few weeks back. Facepalm.
...Hard to hype this one; Notre Dame coming off COVID quarantines and limited practices v. a hapless at best Florida State squad is not must see TV this week.
Good Looking Rivalry of the Week
Georgia v. Auburn is billed as "The South's Oldest Rivalry." I was glad to see that both schools didn't opt for some lame alternate uniform. They both kept the uniforms traditional and classy.
Departments
Blowout Game of the Week: North Newton, KS- The Threshers of Bethel College methodically destroyed the Mid-America Nazarene Pioneeers, 83-35 in NAIA action. This game would be a shootout with the schools knotted at 21-21 at the end of the first quarter. Ummm, no. The Threshers put three more TDs on the board in each of the next three quarters, while their defense shutdown the Pioneers the rest of the way. The only blemish on the day for Bethel was a missed PAT in the second period. 12 different Threshers handled the ball in this laugher with QB Blake Atkins throwing for 237 yards and two scores.
Low Score Game of the Week: McPherson, KS- The Bulldogs of McPherson College scored a TD with 12:40 left in the fourth quarter to take a 20-17 lead over the Friends University Falcons. The Bulldogs defense then hunkered down the rest of the way to secure the victory. I only put this game in here so I could tell you that Friends University of Kansas makes funny acronym.
This Week's Three Notes About Nothing...
I didn't realize how many people were split about whether or not DOTS is a good candy.
Hard to think about pumpkins and all when it has been 95 degrees outside for the past week.
SNL's skit about the COVID outbreak at the Pittsburgh Department of Name Changes made me laugh hard.
Until Next week folks, remember that winning ugly is always better than losing pretty.
-The Commissioner
