Pac-12 North
California Golden Bears
Letdown/Sandwich Game: Washington State, Oct. 2
Game Before: at Washington
Game After: at Oregon
Cal doesn’t get a whole lot of scheduling breaks its way, and the biggest knee to the junk is the assignment of both the Washington and Oregon games on the road. There’s a week off before dealing with the Ducks, but the Bears have to face Wazzu before the break.
– Full Schedule Analysis
Oregon Ducks
Letdown/Sandwich Game: Colorado, Oct. 30
Game Before: at UCLA
Game After: at Washington
If Oregon plays up to its talent level – not necessarily a given – it should be at worst 6-1 before hosting the Buffs. No matter what, the trip to Washington will have something to do with the Pac-12 North race. Going to UCLA before getting Colorado doesn’t help.
– Full Schedule Analysis
Oregon State Beavers
Letdown/Sandwich Game: Hawaii, Sept. 11
Game Before: at Purdue
Game After: Idaho
Call this an expanded sandwich. After starting the season at Purdue, Hawaii is going to be a fight. There shouldn’t be any issues with Idaho, but after that starts the Pac-12 season against USC on the road, followed up by Washington and at Washington State.
– Full Schedule Analysis
Stanford Cardinal
Letdown/Sandwich Game: at Vanderbilt, Sept. 18
Game Before: at USC
Game After: UCLA
There really isn’t a chance for a letdown against a schedule of all Power Five programs, but the trip to Vanderbilt is a relative break. It’s coming off the date at USC and before dealing with UCLA and Oregon, and it’ll be the third straight game away from home to start the season.
– Full Schedule Analysis
Washington Huskies
Letdown/Sandwich Game: Arkansas State, Sept. 18
Game Before: at Michigan
Game After: Cal
Different Arkansas State team, different head coach, but Butch Jones has a good group in place. The Red Wolves shocked Kansas State last season, and this time around the program has a shot to do something big against a Washington team coming off a trip to Michigan and will the Pac-12 season starting the week after.
– Full Schedule Analysis
Washington State Cougars
Letdown/Sandwich Game: Arizona, Nov. 19
Game Before: at Oregon
Game After: at Washington
The Arizona game might be the home finale, and everyone is always fired up for Senior Day, but it’s going off the trip down the road to Oregon and the always fun Apple Cup against Washington.
– Full Schedule Analysis
– Pac-12 2021 Predictions: Spring Version
Pac-12 South
Arizona Wildcats
Letdown/Sandwich Game: Northern Arizona, Sept. 18
Game Before: San Diego State
Game After: at Oregon
Arizona can’t afford to take anyone lightly, and this will be the biggest moment of the year for the Lumberjacks of Northern Arizona. Coming off the start of the Jedd Fisch era with BYU and San Diego State, and with a trip to Oregon up next, there can’t be a miss here.
– Full Schedule Analysis
Arizona State Sun Devils
Letdown/Sandwich Game: Washington State, Oct. 30
Game Before: at Utah
Game After: USC
There’s a week off in the middle of the sandwich, but the Sun Devils have to get up for the Cougars in between their two biggest games on the Pac-12 South slate.
– Full Schedule Analysis
Colorado Buffaloes
Letdown/Sandwich Game: Oregon State, Nov. 6
Game Before: at Oregon
Game After: at UCLA
The Buffs have a relatively tough first half of the season without a ton of sure-thing wins, and they close out at UCLA, Washington, at Utah. There can’t be a misfire against Oregon State, but they’re coming off road games at Cal and Oregon.
– Full Schedule Analysis
UCLA Bruins
Letdown/Sandwich Game: Fresno State, Sept. 18
Game Before: LSU
Game After: at Stanford
On the plus side, there’s a week off to get ready for the Bulldogs. However, it’s coming off a visit from LSU and comes right before the start of the Pac-12 season with a. date at Stanford.
– Full Schedule Analysis
USC Trojans
Letdown/Sandwich Game: Arizona, Oct. 30
Game Before: at Arizona State
Game After: at Notre Dame
It’s not just that the Trojans have to deal with Arizona at home in late October, and it’s not that the dangerous game at Arizona State is right after. It’s that it comes after going to Notre Dame and with the South showdown against Utah before that.
– Full Schedule Analysis
Utah Utes
Letdown/Sandwich Game: at San Diego State, Sept. 18
Game Before: at BYU
Game After: Washington State
San Diego State is dangerous enough to get Utah’s focus, but it’s coming right after the emotional-no-matter-what trip to BYU and right before the start of the Pac-12 season.
– Full Schedule Analysis
Letdown Game For Every Power 5 Team
ACC | Big Ten | Big 12 | SEC