With college football’s opening week right around the corner, big news sparked on Aug. 24 when the Big Ten, Pac-12 and ACC released their agreement on “The Alliance.”
With 41 teams involved, alliance’s intention is to “create new inter-conference games, enhance opportunities for student athletes, and optimize the college athletics experience for both student-athletes and fans across the country,” sources said. The scheduling alliance will be put into action as soon as possible, respecting current contractual obligations. The scheduling criteria and decisions will be made by groups of athletic directors representing each conference.
Now, let’s take a look around the Pac-12 at each teams’ week 1 matchup:
Weber State @ Utah (Thurs. 4:30 p.m.)
Utah starts the season ranked at No. 24 and will start the season off right against a bottom-tier opponent in Weber State. Utah’s defense, the strength of the program, should be dominant against the wildcats. Weber State’s defense is no slouch and will make the Utes’ offense work, but they should do more than enough to take their first game on Thursday.
Southern Utah @ Arizona State (Thurs. 7:30 p.m.)
No. 25 Arizona State will be under the spotlight this season, as their NCAA investigation for recruiting violations continues. The Sun Devils are expected to get off on the right track against Southern Utah, who is coming off a 45-14 loss to San Jose State.
Northern CO @ Colorado (Fri. 6:00 p.m.)
This is an important game for Colorado to get in rhythm before taking on top-15 Texas A&M in week two. This is also an essential tune up game for new starting quarterback Brandon Lewis before he takes on stronger defenses. The Buffaloes will look to exploit the Bears defense with their deep backfield and, most likely, roll to a comfortable victory.
Stanford @ Kansas State (Sat. 9:00 a.m.)
One of the more important Pac-12 week 1 games –– Stanford seeks to secure an all-important non-conference win as a 2.5 point underdog.Stanford will play only Power Five teams this season, making these coin flip games more important than ever. The Cardinal defense will be the key to victory as it attempts to slow down quarterback Skyler Thompson and the Kansas State offense. Thompson missed most of the season due to injury last year, so the passing game expected to be vastly improved.
San Jose State @ USC (Sat. 2:00 p.m.)
A San Jose State team which went 7-1 last year and blew out Southern Utah last week provides USC with a key week 1 matchup to show they are legit contenders to win the conference. As a two touchdown favorite, this is a key game for the Trojans to show they can live up to the hype at No. 15 nationally.
Oregon State @ Purdue (Sat. 4:00 p.m.)
Similar to Stanford’s opener, a non-conference, Power Five win for the Beavers would be big for the Pac-12 as a whole. As a touchdown underdog, the Beavers will have to overcome defensive end Yanni Karlaftis and the strong pass rush of Purdue. The passing offense of Oregon State will also need to be consistent to keep up with Purdue’s sharp offense. The Boilermakers led the Big Ten in passing offense with 370 total yards and 27 points per game.
Montana @ Washington (Sat. 5:00 p.m.)
Another tune-up game in the Pac-12 this week, the No. 20 Huskies will try to prove their ranking with a dominant win against the Grizzlies on Saturday. The offensive line is the standout unit for the Huskies as they allowed just one sack and ten tackles for loss last year. All five starters will be back. Dylan Morris is expected to start again at quarterback after he threw for 700 yards, four touchdowns and three interceptions in last year’s shortened season.
LSU @ UCLA (Sat. 5:30 p.m.)
As a slight underdog, UCLA will attempt to achieve a massive ranked win against No. 16 LSU on Saturday. The Bruins defense allowed 274.1 passing yards a game last year –– which could be a problem against LSU’s quarterback Max Johnson, and with Kayshon Boutte on the outside. In order for the Bruins to come out victorious, they will need to slow down LSU’s strong passing attack.
Nevada @ California (Sat. 7:30 p.m.)
One of the better teams in the Mountain West, Nevada and their top-10 receiving corps led by Romeo Doubs and Elijah Cooks won’t be an easy out for Cal. The Golden Bears will have their hands full with a Wolfpack offense that averaged 441 yards and 31 points per game last year. Chase Garbers is starting his fourth season as the Golden Bears quarterback and looks to use his experience against Nevada, who went 7-2 last season.
BYU @ Arizona (Sat. 7:30 p.m.)
BYU will be a common opponent for the Pac-12 this year, playing five teams from the conference. Arizona will try and pull off the upset week 1 after a disappointing last season. Going 0-5, the Wildcats are looking for some kind of spark this season, as their quarterback battle is extending into gameday.
Utah State @ Washington State (Sat. 8:00 p.m.)
Washington State is expected to be more competitive this year with plenty of returning talent. This in-game experience, especially on defense, should be a big factor in Pullman, as Utah State introduces new head coach Blake Anderson. For the past seven years Anderson was the head coach at Arkansas State, making a bowl game in six of those seasons.
