The Pac-12 announced its football schedule for the 2021 season early Tuesday morning. Each team is scheduled to play 12-games, nine against conference opponents and the other three against non-conference foes.
Pac-12 teams were not able to compete in their non-conference matchups during the 2020 season because of COVID-19 protocols.
The Pac-12 schedule features numerous primetime games. The Ducks will have seven matchups at Autzen Stadium, with the other five games on the road.
For the Ducks, the gauntlet starts early. After a home game against Fresno State, they travel to Columbus to face the Ohio State Buckeyes, on Sept. 11. This matchup was highly anticipated before its cancellation in the 2020 season. Despite several departures for Ohio State such as quarterback Justin Fields, the matchup could still be an early tone-setter for the season. The winner will have an upper hand in resume-building for the College Football Playoff.
After the game against the Buckeyes, the Ducks host back-to-back weeks against Stony Brook on Sept. 19 and the University of Arizona on Sept. 25. Then head to Palo Alto to take on the Stanford Cardinal on Oct. 2 before a one-week bye.
Another game to circle on the schedule is against the California Bears. The Bears took down the Ducks last season in Berkeley in a close game, 21-17. The Ducks will be out for revenge as they protect their home field under the Friday night lights, on Oct. 15.
The week following, they will travel to Los Angeles to take on former Oregon head coach Chip Kelly and his UCLA Bruins. The Bruins fell just short of beating the Ducks in a valiant effort last season. Oregon has taken eight of the last nine matchups with UCLA and hasn’t lost since Kelly was named the head coach.
Proceeding the matchup with UCLA, the Ducks take on the University of Colorado in Autzen. Then they travel to Seattle for a matchup with the Washington Huskies before returning to Autzen to face the Washington State Cougars.
Their fourth game against the southern division of the conference is in Salt Lake City, against the Utah Utes. The Ducks don’t have matchups against the USC Trojans or the Arizona State Sun Devils.
The final game to look out for is the week 13 matchup with the rival Oregon State Beavers. The Beavers surprised the Ducks last season as their backup quarterback, Chance Nolan, converted a quarterback-sneak on fourth down with 33 seconds remaining to send the Ducks packing. They won the game 41-38.
With the 2021 schedule released, Oregon is looking forward to its season. They have a lot to prove as the 2020 season did not go as planned. The Ducks have a lot of talent, now it’s just about turning that talent into victories.
