15 Possible Games If There’s No Pac-12 Season, Or If California Schools Don’t Reopen

What might happen if the Pac-12 doesn’t play non-conference games? Here are 15 ideas for college football matchups to fill the void.

What might happen if the Pac-12 doesn’t play non-conference games – or doesn’t play football at all – and if the California schools don’t reopen this fall? Here are 15 ideas for college football matchups to fill the void.


Contact/Follow @ColFootballNews & @PeteFiutak

With the announcement by the California State University system that there likely won’t be in-person classes in the fall, and with the University of California system likely to do the same, what happens if the various schools decide the cancel all athletics and not have a college football season?

Or, what happens if the Pac-12 figures out a way for all the members to play, but decides to go with an 11-game conference-only schedule? What happens to all the big games against the big teams on the various slates?

All of a sudden, several athletic departments across the country will be scrambling to fill the holes – some are supposedly looking into filling out their schedules right now.

We already tried to come up with the idea of how the Pac-12 season might look if it played an 11-game schedule with only conference teams, but what happens to the schools on the non-conference schedule?

Let’s play the role of part athletic director and part matchmaker and come up with the best possible games if there’s no Pac-12 college football non-conference season and/or if all California schools choose not to have athletics if they conduct all of their classes on-line.

Let’s also start with a few massive assumptions.

1. The idea that there won’t be football if students aren’t back on campus holds. If everyone really tried to work the problem, it might be possible to test players, quarantine them in an athletic facility for a few months, have them take online courses like everyone else, and then play in a limited way. However, that all seems unlikely.

2. Other schools across the country are actually going to have students on campus and will play college football. That’s a massive leap – it’s not just going to be the California schools that put the kibosh on in-person classes in the fall. But let’s assume – for now – that it’s all-systems-go for everyone else.

3. This assumes that there either won’t be a Pac-12 football season, or there will be one with no non-conference games. All 15 of the potential matchups listed below take out the Pac-12 teams and also assumes the absence of Fresno State, San Diego State, and San Jose State. Those last three are Mountain West schools in the California State University System. UCLA and Cal are in the University of California system.

Got all of that?

Basically, here are 15 potential ideas for college football matchups if the Pac-12 and three California Mountain West schools end up not playing college football for the 2020 season.

Obviously not all of these can happen considering Alabama, for example, only has to potentially fill just one game on September 5th. These are possibilities to play around with.

[jwplayer jqPM8mHk]

15. BYU at Wyoming, Sept. 19

Current Scheduled Games
Utah at Wyoming, Sept. 19
BYU at Arizona State, Sept. 19

This one’s relatively easy – it’s almost like a normal Mountain West matchup. The two haven’t met since BYU won the 2016 Poinsettia Bowl over the Cowboys 24-21, but they’ve played 78 games starting in 1922.

14. North Dakota State at TCU, Sept. 5

Current Scheduled Games
North Dakota State at Oregon, Sept. 5
TCU at Cal, Sept. 5

The main problem here – and the the NCAA might have to chill a bit if this matters when it comes to bowl eligibility – is that TCU will start the season with two games against FCS schools. It would kick things off against the Bison, and then play Prairie View A&M.

13. Hawaii at Notre Dame, Nov. 28

Current Scheduled Games
Hawaii at San Diego State, Nov. 28
Notre Dame at USC, Nov. 28

This is a no-brainer. Notre Dame avoids a road game – which might matter in a big way; more on that later on this list – and Hawaii has to fly a little further. The two last played in the 2008 Hawaii Bowl – a 49-21 Irish win – and it would be the fourth meeting all-time between the two. Notre Dame is 3-0.

12. BYU at Texas Tech, Sept. 19

Current Scheduled Games
BYU at Arizona State, Sept. 19
Arizona at Texas Tech, Sept. 19

This is easy. BYU’s plane would fly just a wee bit further east to Lubbock instead of Tempe. Texas Tech would happily take this deal with the Big 12 season kicking off the following week against Iowa State on the road. This would be the second all-time meeting between the two – BYU can finally get a shot at revenge for the 21-20 loss back in 1940.

11. BYU at Penn State, Sept. 19

Current Scheduled Games
BYU at Arizona State, Sept. 19
San Jose State at Penn State, Sept. 19

It would be the fourth meeting between the two schools – the last one a 30-17 BYU win in 1992 – and it might be the most likely of the September 19 options for Penn State. BYU was supposed to play a road game anyway, and the Nittany Lions aren’t going to be too keen to go on the road to play anyone. There would be a fight for the other possible Penn State matchups, like …

10. Texas Tech at Penn State, Sept. 19

Current Scheduled Games
Arizona at Texas Tech, Sept. 19
San Jose State at Penn State, Sept. 19

Neither team will want to give up a home game and later concessions would have to be made to the school that travels. Penn State will be coming off a trip to Virginia Tech and kicks off the Big Ten season the following week against Northwestern – no chance it’ll want to move for Texas Tech.

The Red Raiders play Alabama State the week before, but have to travel to Iowa State to start the Big 12 season the following week.

It would be the second meeting between the two – Penn State won 24-23 to kickoff the 1995 season.

[vertical-gallery id=512292]

9. BYU at Texas A&M, Sept. 19

Current Scheduled Games
BYU at Arizona State, Sept. 19
Colorado at Texas A&M, Sept. 19

BYU is going to be the most coveted team on this September 19th date because it’s simply swapping a road game for another road game. Texas A&M isn’t going to want to travel, and this makes it easy.

The two teams are 2-2 against each other with the last meeting a 41-37 Cougar win in the Pigskin Classic to start the 1996 season.

8. Texas Tech at Texas A&M, Sept. 19

Current Scheduled Games
Arizona at Texas Tech, Sept. 19
Colorado at Texas A&M, Sept. 19

The politics of getting this game going would be next to impossible, but the matchup would be a whole lot of fun.

The two former Big 12/Southwest Conference rivals first started playing in 1927 and last faced off in 2011 – a 45-40 Texas A&M win.

In a perfect world, these two meet in the middle and play in AT&T Stadium in Arlington, but 1) Texas A&M plays Arkansas there the following week and 2) no chance A&M travels to Lubbock with three of its following four games away from College Station, and 3) Texas Tech probably wouldn’t want to concede a home game to A&M.

7. North Dakota State at Michigan, Sept. 5

Current Scheduled Games
North Dakota State at Oregon, Sept. 5
Michigan at Washington, Sept. 5

Realistically, this is the most likely of all the North Dakota State possibilities on September 5th. Michigan not only doesn’t have any other games against FCS teams on the schedule, but it gets to exchange a road game at Washington for a home one.

Of course, against the defending FCS national champion Bison, be careful what you wish for.

6. TCU at Michigan, Sept. 5

Current Scheduled Games
TCU at Cal, Sept. 5
Michigan at Washington, Sept. 5

Which school would be cool with staying with a road game? It would be the first ever meeting between the two schools, and Michigan wouldn’t have any real beef traveling to Fort Worth considering it plays Ball State the following week. TCU has Prairie View A&M to follow, and then a week off – it would probably be the one to travel.

NEXT: Top 5 Schedule Possibilities If Pac-12 Teams Don’t Play Non-Conference Games

Pac-12 Football Conference Only Schedule? Here’s How It Might Look

Could the Pac-12 end up playing a conference-only 11-game schedule? Here’s how it might look.

Could the Pac-12 end up playing a conference-only 11-game schedule? Here’s how it might look.


Pac-12 Football Schedule Composite 2020

Current Pac-12 Football Schedule Analysis
North Cal | Oregon | Oregon State
Stanford | Washington | Washington State
South Arizona | Arizona State | Colorado
UCLA | USC | Utah

No Notre Dame vs. USC? No Ohio State traveling to Oregon? No USC dealing with Alabama?

The Pac-12 might want to blow off that last one, but discussions really are happening among conference members about the possibility of going to a Pac-12-only 11-game season.

And why? Ease of travel for one, but mostly because it would eliminate a whole slew of logistical headaches as everyone tries to figure out how to play a college football season through a pandemic.

Forgetting all the various parts to this – like the College Football Playoff, the bowls, and what this would do to the contracts and the budgets for the FCS programs on the various schedules … how would an 11-game all-Pac-12 schedule look?

Here are all the Pac-12 schedules as they stand right now, along with how they might end up changing if the conference really does go through with this.

[jwplayer 64533z1E]

Pac-12 North

California Golden Bears

Pac-12 Teams Added To Possible New Schedule: Arizona, Colorado
Non-Conference Games Lost: at UNLV, TCU, Cal Poly

Losing the home date against TCU only stinks if you really needed to closure on the 2018 Cheez-It Bowl disaster – the 10-7 Horned Frog overtime win was one of the worst-played college football games ever. Adding Arizona and Colorado wouldn’t be all that bad.

Aug. 29 at UNLV OPEN DATE
Sept. 5 TCU OPEN DATE
Sept. 12 Cal Poly Colorado
Sept. 19 OPEN DATE at Arizona
Sept. 26 Utah
Oct. 3 at Washington State
Oct. 10 at USC
Oct. 17 Oregon
Oct. 24 at Oregon State
Oct. 31 Washington
Nov. 7 at Arizona State
Nov. 14 OPEN DATE
Nov. 21 Stanford
Nov. 28 UCLA

Oregon Ducks

Pac-12 Teams Added To Possible New Schedule: UCLA, Utah
Non-Conference Games Lost: North Dakota State, Ohio State, Hawaii

This totally stinks. It was going to be a blast of a non-conference home slate for Oregon, but now it has to do some moving around. On the plus side, there would be a nice week off between road dates at Cal and Arizona.

Sept. 5 North Dakota State at UCLA
Sept. 12 Ohio State OPEN DATE
Sept. 19 Hawaii Utah
Sept. 26 at Colorado
Oct. 3 Washington
Oct. 10 OPEN DATE
Oct. 17 at Cal
Oct. 24 Stanford
Oct. 31 at Arizona
Nov. 7 USC
Nov. 13 Arizona State
Nov. 21 at Washington State
Nov. 28 at Oregon State

Oregon State Beavers

Pac-12 Teams Added To Possible New Schedule: Colorado, USC
Non-Conference Games Lost: at Oklahoma State, Colorado State, Portland State

The Beavers get burned more than anyone. They might have needed the home games against Colorado State and Portland State to get bowl eligible, and not having USC on the slate from the South would’ve been a plus.

Sept. 3 at Oklahoma State OPEN DATE
Sept. 12 Colorado State USC
Sept. 19 Portland State at Colorado
Sept. 26 Washington State
Oct. 3 at Arizona State
Oct. 10 at Washington
Oct. 17 OPEN DATE
Oct. 24 Cal
Oct. 31 at Stanford
Nov. 7 UCLA
Nov. 14 at Utah
Nov. 21 Arizona
Nov. 28 Oregon

[vertical-gallery id=512292]

Stanford Cardinal

Pac-12 Teams Added To Possible New Schedule: Arizona State, Utah
Non-Conference Games Lost: William & Mary, at Notre Dame, BYU

Stanford is the one team that screws up everyone. Unlike most Pac-12 teams that start out the season with three straight non-conference games, the Cardinal’s three were spread out. Not only would they have to fit in Arizona State and Utah, but they’d have to move around their dates with USC and Colorado so they wouldn’t have two off weeks in a row in the middle of October.

Sept. 5 William & Mary at Utah
Sept. 12 at Arizona
Sept. 19 USC Arizona State
Sept. 26 at UCLA
Oct. 3 OPEN DATE Colorado
Oct. 10 at Notre Dame OPEN DATE
Oct. 17 Washington State
Oct. 24 at Oregon
Oct. 30 Oregon State
Nov. 7 at Washington
Nov. 14 Colorado OPEN DATE
Nov. 21 at Cal
Nov. 28 BYU USC

Washington Huskies

Pac-12 Teams Added To Possible New Schedule: Arizona State, UCLA
Non-Conference Games Lost: Michigan, Sacramento State, Utah State

Boo. This was going to be a shot for new head coach Jimmy Lake to get off to a hot start with a huge game against Michigan to kick things off, and then two winnable games before diving into an off-week. At least the Pac-12 season doesn’t start with a trip to Oregon with this.

Sept. 5 Michigan OPEN DATE
Sept. 12 Sacramento State at Arizona State
Sept. 19 Utah State OPEN DATE
Sept. 26 OPEN DATE UCLA
Oct. 3 at Oregon
Oct. 10 Oregon State
Oct. 17 at Utah
Oct. 23 Arizona
Oct. 31 at Cal
Nov. 7 Stanford
Nov. 14 at USC
Nov. 21 Colorado
Nov. 27 at Washington State

Washington State Cougars

Pac-12 Teams Added To Possible New Schedule: Arizona, USC
Non-Conference Games Lost: at Utah State, Houston, Idaho

Nick Rolovich might be breaking something tasteful with no Utah State, Houston or Idaho – no non-conference games against Power Five teams – to get everything in place. The Utah game would have to be moved so the Cougars could have a midseason open date.

Sept. 5 at Utah State Arizona
Sept. 12 Houston
Sept. 19 Idaho at USC
Sept. 26 at Oregon State
Oct. 3 Cal
Oct. 10 Utah
Oct. 17 at Stanford
Oct. 24 OPEN DATE
Oct. 31 Arizona State
Nov. 7 at Colorado
Nov. 14 at UCLA
Nov. 21 Oregon
Nov. 27 Washington

NEXT: Pac-12 South

Pac-12 Bowl Projections: 2020-2021 Spring Version

CollegeFootballNews.com Pac-12 bowl projections: 2020 spring version

CollegeFootballNews.com Pac-12 bowl projections: 2020 spring version


2020-2021 Pac-12 Bowl Projections

Future College Football Playoff Sites & Dates
All of the 2020-2021 bowl tie-ins

Contact/Follow @ColFootballNews & @PeteFiutak

Games listed alphabetically until all the dates are announced  

LA Bowl

Date Coming
ESPN
SoFi Stadium, Inglewood, CA
Mountain West vs. Pac-12
Spring Projection: San Diego State vs. Arizona State 
Last Season: First Bowl in 2020

Mitsubishi Motors Las Vegas Bowl

Date Coming
ESPN
Sam Boyd Stadium, Las Vegas, NV
Big Ten vs. Pac-12
Spring Projection: Iowa vs. Utah
Last Season: Washington 38, Boise State 7

Redbox Bowl

Date Coming
FOX
Levi’s Stadium, Santa Clara, CA
Big Ten vs. Pac-12
Spring Projection: Indiana vs. Stanford 
Last Season: Cal 35, Illinois 20

San Diego County Credit Union Holiday Bowl

Date Coming
FOX
SDCCU Stadium, San Diego, CA
ACC vs. Pac-12
Spring Projection: Louisville vs. Washington
Last Season: Iowa 49, UAC 24

[lawrence-related id=510330]

Tony the Tiger Sun Bowl

Thursday, December 30
CBS
Sun Bowl Stadium, El Paso, TX
ACC vs. Pac-12
Spring Projection: NC State vs. UCLA
Last Season: Arizona State 20, Florida State 14

Valero Alamo Bowl

Date Coming
ESPN
Alamodome, San Antonio, TX
Big 12 vs. Pac-12
Spring Projection: Texas vs. USC
Last Season: Texas 38, Utah 10

Walk-On’s Independence Bowl

Date Coming
ESPN
Independence Stadium, Shreveport, LA
Army vs. Pac-12
Spring Projection: Army vs. Cal
Last Season: Louisiana Tech 14, Miami 0

PlayStation Fiesta Bowl

Saturday, January 2
ESPN
State Farm Stadium, Glendale, AZ
New Year’s Six at-large vs. New Year’s Six at-large
Spring Projection: Oregon vs. Penn State 
Last Season: Clemson 29, Ohio State 23

[protected-iframe id=”361699434b6d70baf15f631ed2408ac1-97672683-92922408″ info=”https://www.googletagservices.com/tag/js/gpt.js” ]

College Football News Team, Conference, Schedule Pages

College Football News team, conference, preview and schedule pages for the 2020 season.

[jwplayer cIhQ5UVQ]


College Football News team, conference, preview and schedule pages for the 2020 season.


CFN Team, Conference, Schedule, Previews

2020 College Football Preview pages to be added as they go up.

ACC

Atlantic

Boston College
Schedule | Preview

Clemson
Schedule | Preview

Florida State
Schedule | Preview

Louisville
Schedule | Preview

NC State
Schedule | Preview

Syracuse
Schedule | Preview

Wake Forest
Schedule | Preview

Coastal

Duke
Schedule | Preview

Georgia Tech
Schedule | Preview

Miami
Schedule | Preview

North Carolina
Schedule | Preview

Virginia
Schedule | Preview

Virginia Tech
Schedule | Preview

American Athletic

EAST

Cincinnati
Schedule | Preview

East Carolina
Schedule | Preview

Temple
Schedule | Preview

UCF
Schedule | Preview

USF
Schedule | Preview

West

Houston
Schedule | Preview

Memphis
Schedule | Preview

Navy
Schedule | Preview

SMU
Schedule | Preview

Tulane
Schedule | Preview

Tulsa
Schedule | Preview

Big 12

Baylor
Schedule | Preview

Iowa State
Schedule | Preview

Kansas
Schedule | Preview

Kansas State
Schedule | Preview

Oklahoma
Schedule | Preview

Oklahoma State
Schedule | Preview

TCU
Schedule | Preview

Texas
Schedule | Preview

Texas Tech
Schedule | Preview

West Virginia
Schedule | Preview

Big Ten

EAST

Indiana
Schedule | Preview

Maryland
Schedule | Preview

Michigan
Schedule | Preview

Michigan State
Schedule | Preview

Ohio State
Schedule | Preview

Penn State
Schedule | Preview

Rutgers
Schedule | Preview

West

Illinois
Schedule | Preview

Iowa
Schedule | Preview

Minnesota
Schedule | Preview

Nebraska
Schedule | Preview

Northwestern
Schedule | Preview

Purdue
Schedule | Preview

Wisconsin
Schedule | Preview

Conference USA

EAST

Charlotte
Schedule | Preview

Florida Atlantic
Schedule | Preview

Florida International
Schedule | Preview

Marshall
Schedule | Preview

Middle Tennessee
Schedule | Preview

Old Dominion
Schedule | Preview

WKU
Schedule | Preview

West

Louisiana Tech
Schedule | Preview

North Texas
Schedule | Preview

Rice
Schedule | Preview

Southern Miss
Schedule | Preview

UAB
Schedule | Preview

UTEP
Schedule | Preview

UTSA
Schedule | Preview

Independents

Army
Schedule | Preview

BYU
Schedule | Preview

Liberty
Schedule | Preview

New Mexico State
Schedule | Preview

Notre Dame
Schedule | Preview

UConn
Schedule | Preview

UMass
Schedule | Preview

——————————————-

CFN Features

Fearless Predictions

Bowl Projections
Bowls & CFP

Rankings
CFN Rankings
CFP Rankings

CFN Podcast

Hot Seat Coach Rank

Heisman Hunt

MAC

East

Akron
Schedule | Preview

Bowling Green
Schedule | Preview

Buffalo
Schedule | Preview

Kent State
Schedule | Preview

Miami University
Schedule | Preview

Ohio
Schedule | Preview

West

Ball State
Schedule | Preview

Central Michigan
Schedule | Preview

Eastern Michigan
Schedule | Preview

Northern Illinois
Schedule | Preview

Toledo
Schedule | Preview

Western Michigan
Schedule | Preview

Mountain West

Mountain

Air Force
Schedule | Preview

Boise State
Schedule | Preview

Colorado State
Schedule | Preview

New Mexico
Schedule | Preview

Utah State
Schedule | Preview

Wyoming
Schedule | Preview

WEST

Fresno State
Schedule | Preview

Hawaii
Schedule | Preview

Nevada
Schedule | Preview

San Diego State
Schedule | Preview

San Jose State
Schedule | Preview

UNLV
Schedule | Preview

Pac-12

North

Cal
Schedule | Preview

Oregon
Schedule | Preview

Oregon State
Schedule | Preview

Stanford
Schedule | Preview

Washington
Schedule | Preview

Washington State
Schedule | Preview

South

Arizona
Schedule | Preview

Arizona State
Schedule | Preview

Colorado
Schedule | Preview

UCLA
Schedule | Preview

USC
Schedule | Preview

Utah
Schedule | Preview

SEC

East

Florida
Schedule | Preview

Georgia
Schedule | Preview

Kentucky 
Schedule | Preview

Missouri
Schedule | Preview

South Carolina
Schedule | Preview

Tennessee
Schedule | Preview

Vanderbilt
Schedule | Preview

WEST

Alabama
Schedule | Preview

Arkansas
Schedule | Preview

Auburn
Schedule | Preview

LSU
Schedule | Preview

Mississippi State
Schedule | Preview

Ole Miss
Schedule | Preview

Texas A&M
Schedule | Preview

Sun Belt

EAST

Appalachian State
Schedule | Preview

Coastal Carolina
Schedule | Preview

Georgia Southern
Schedule | Preview

Georgia State
Schedule | Preview

Troy
Schedule | Preview

West

Arkansas State
Schedule | Preview

Louisiana
Schedule | Preview

South Alabama
Schedule | Preview

Texas State
Schedule | Preview

ULM
Schedule | Preview

 

 

 

 


[protected-iframe id=”361699434b6d70baf15f631ed2408ac1-97672683-92922408″ info=”https://www.googletagservices.com/tag/js/gpt.js” ]

Colorado Reportedly To Hire Karl Dorrell As Head Coach. Can The Buffs Start Winning Again?

Colorado appears to have found its man. It’s being reported that Karl Dorrell will be the next head coach. What does it mean?

[jwplayer TRIUkHHS]


Colorado appears to have found its man. It’s being reported that Karl Dorrell will be the next head coach. What does it mean?


Karl Dorrell? Uhhhhhhh, okay.

The base desperately wanted Colorado to somehow lure away former star running back and current Kansas City Chief offensive coordinator Eric Bieniemy to be the head man, but it didn’t work out. Instead …

Colorado appears to have wanted a head coach with NFL experience at some level, but unlike previous hire Mel Tucker – who bolted after one year at the gig for Michigan State – we’ve seen what Karl Dorrell could do as a head coach.

It was whatever, but now it’s clean slate time for Colorado football as well as its new head coach.

The former UCLA head man is being hired away from his job as the Miami Dolphins’ receivers coach to take over a Colorado program that has a whole lot of potential, but needs a jump-start.

Dorrell seemed like the right hire at the right time for UCLA in 2003. The former Bruin wideout was a rising coaching prospect with time logged in after various Pac-12/Pac-10 schools – including Colorado for two different stints as the receivers coach – and it’s not like he was awful.

He led UCLA to five bowl appearances in five years, finished with a 35-27 record, and he even looked like he was about to make something special happen after building things up to a big 10-2 third year. Along the way, his 2006 team shocked a loaded USC squad 13-9.

But the program wanted more, Dorrell was fired in 2007, and he bounced around the NFL as a key assistant and spent a year as the Vanderbilt offensive coordinator.

And now he gets another shot.

It really is possible to win in Boulder.

After three straight 5-7 seasons, Colorado football has been the master of teasing everyone to think something big could get started, and then … pffffffft. The air keeps coming out of the balloon.

Even when it went to the Pac-12 Championship in 2016, that was a bit of an aberration – the schedule wasn’t anything great and the South tripped over itself. But a ten-win season is a ten-win season, especially when it’s the only winning campaign since 2005.

Good luck, Coach Dorrell.

It’s been over 15 years since Colorado was a superpower – in the Big 12. But in the Pac-12, it’s had one winning season in nine years, and a whole generation of fans have no idea what happened back in 1989 and 1990 – by the way, there was a tie in 1990 along with a split national championship; that’s how long ago it’s been since the program was a killer.

Fortunately for Dorrell and the Buffs, the South is gettable right now.

It’s just not happening so far at UCLA under Chip Kelly and Arizona under Kevin Sumlin, USC is in limbo, Utah is fine to a point, and Arizona State is fine, but whatever.

Dorrell has to ramp up the offense. He has to come up with a style of football that can at least start winning again, and then hope things fall into place and the South continues to struggle.

Was this the home run hire that’s going to freak out the rest of the Pac-12? Nah, but win eight games in Boulder on a regular basis, and build the thing up over the next three years, and Dorrell can make the program his.

[protected-iframe id=”361699434b6d70baf15f631ed2408ac1-97672683-92922408″ info=”https://www.googletagservices.com/tag/js/gpt.js” ]

Colorado vs. Oregon Basketball Fearless Prediction, Game Preview

Colorado vs Oregon college basketball fearless prediction and game preview.

[jwplayer knKwbXKc]


Colorado vs. Oregon college basketball fearless prediction and game preview.


Colorado vs. Oregon Broadcast

Date: Thursday, February 13
Game Time: 9:00 ET
Live Stream: fuboTV (click to watch for free)
Venue: Matthew Knight Arena, Eugene, OR
Network: ESPN

All of the CFN Fearless Predictions

Colorado (19-5) vs. Oregon (18-6) Game Preview

If want in on this week’s games, sign up with BetMGM


Why Colorado Will Win

The Buffs got them the first time around with a defense that stuffed Oregon from three and was able to do a wee bit more on the boards and from the field  in the 74-65 win.

The Duck offense has hit the skids over the last two games in ten-point losses to Stanford and Oregon State, and now the Colorado defense has to take over to keep that going.

The Buffs are great from three, among the best in the Pac-12 on the boards, and they don’t make a slew of mistakes, but the D is the difference. It’s holding teams to well under 70 on a regular basis, and again, Oregon is struggling a bit.

Why Oregon Will Win

The Ducks are eventually going to get hot from three again.

With the best-shooting team in the Pac-12 from the outside, Oregon has to bomb its way out of the current problem. It might have been held in check in the loss back in early January, but in general, the Colorado three-point defense isn’t all that great.

It’s a simple formula – hit 33% or better from three, and win. The Ducks are 16-1 – only losing to North Carolina back in November – when connecting on that many threes or more. Colorado has allowed teams to hit 33% or more from three 14 times, including in five of their six losses.

What’s Going To Happen

Colorado is playing well, and Oregon isn’t. However, the last two Duck losses came on the road, and they haven’t lost at home since late November. The threes will fall just enough to survive to tie the Buffs for the lead on top of the Pac-12 standings.

Colorado vs. Oregon Prediction, Line

Oregon 77, Colorado 72
Bet on this with BetMGM, or for latest line 
Oregon -4.5, o/u: 135.5
Live Stream: fuboTV (click to watch for free)
ATS Confidence out of 5: 2
Get Tickets For This Game

Must See Rating: 4

5: Jameis Winston with LASIK
1: Jameis Winston

[protected-iframe id=”361699434b6d70baf15f631ed2408ac1-97672683-92922408″ info=”https://www.googletagservices.com/tag/js/gpt.js” ]

5 Possible Colorado Coaching Candidates … If It’s Not Eric Bieniemy

Mel Tucker left for Michigan State, and now the Colorado job is open. Who are five possible coaching candidates – if it’s not Eric Bieniemy.

[jwplayer 9Dc7iKWP]


Mel Tucker left for Michigan State, and now the Colorado job is open. Who are five possible coaching candidates – if it’s not Eric Bieniemy. 


Eric Bieniemy isn’t going to be the next head coach for the Colorado Buffaloes … maybe.

Oh sure, if he wants the job, it’s his no matter what – the former Buff running back legend would be the dream guy for the gig – but he’s too big, too good, and he’s going to get an NFL head coaching job at some point.

It could be with the Kansas City Chiefs.

Andy Reid might say he wants to stay around and ride this out with Patrick Mahomes as the new superstar of superstars, but even if it’s just three years or so, maybe Bieniemy stays put until it’s his time to take over.

Who wants to leave the life as an NFL coach who gets to work with an all-time great quarterback who’s only 24?

However, it’s very possible that Bieniemy wants the Colorado job because he’ll 1) get a massive salary bump and 2) it could be a whole lot of fun. But let’s assume that it doesn’t happen. Who else should be on Colorado’s short list?

Here are five Colorado coaching candidates who athletic director Rick George will at least need to think about if he can’t land Bieniemy.

5. Todd Graham, Hawaii head coach

Don’t just meh this, Colorado fans. He’d be a better hire than you might think.

Here’s the best part – Arizona State is still paying for him.

ASU had to drop close to $13 million to ask Graham to leave, and it’s still dropping checks to finish out the deal. The former Sun Devil head man is only making around 800k with the Rainbow Warriors, but he hasn’t even gotten started yet, and he’s still good enough to still be a Pac-12 coach.

He’s only 55, was decent at ASU – going to four bowl games in five years with two ten-win seasons with a Pac-12 South title – and he knows how to crank up an offense.

Okay, okay, this wouldn’t be a disappointment considering Bieniemy is the dream, but Graham would win right away.

If I didn’t lose you with the idea of Todd Graham …

4. Barry Odom, Arkansas defensive coordinator

DON’T LEAVE … stay with me here.

Colorado isn’t going to be in the hunt for Urban Meyer – it’s going to have to punch its weight if it can’t get Bieniemy.

The $2.4 million buyout by Missouri isn’t at the Todd Graham level, but it’s still something. Along with that, he was a whole lot better at Missouri than he got credit for.

Yeah, he went 25-25 in his four years in Columbia, but when he had the right offensive coordinator, his offenses were explosive, his defenses were normally solid, and the teams he put together that had so many problems against the better SEC programs would do just fine in the Pac-12.

Odom improved in each of his first three years a Mizzou – going from four wins, to seven, to eight – and then the program was hit with bullspit NCAA sanctions, didn’t have a bowl game to play for, QB Kelly Bryant was banged midseason, the O died, and the team finished 6-6.

Like Graham, Odom is a better head coach than you might think. And so is …

[lawrence-related id=507743]

3. Willie Taggart, Florida Atlantic head coach

You see that thing that’s happening at Oregon? Who set the wheels in motion to get that up and rolling again?

Yes, Taggart has never won a bowl game. Yes, he has never won a bowl game partly because he left WKU for USF, USF for Oregon, and Oregon for Florida State. Yes, he has never coached in a conference championship game, much less win one, and yes, his 21 games at FSU were painful.

But yes, he wasn’t handed a full cupboard from Jimbo Fisher when he took over the job. Dog his short stint in Tallahassee all you want, but 21 games isn’t enough time to work to crank up a high-end program. It just didn’t work.

Here’s the thing – get him right now on the cheap, because his stock is going to go way, way up again two years from now.

He’s stepping into a nice situation at Florida Atlantic, he’s going to win really, really big, and then he’ll be in line for a better gig than Colorado.

There’s a reason he was wanted at Oregon and Florida State – he builds programs. He might not turn Colorado into what Oregon is now, but can certainly be a difference-maker in a good time to take over the Pac-12 South.

2. Bill Napier, Louisiana head coach

There wouldn’t be a list of top head coaching possibilities without having Napier on it.

The 40-year-old is coming off an 11-win season with two Sun Belt West titles in two years, his offenses are dangerous, and he’s more than due to get one of the bigger gigs considering his resumé.

The former Arizona State offensive coordinator was also the quarterback coach for a year at Colorado State – it’s not like he’d be a fish out of water in Boulder or the Pac-12.

Like Taggart, Colorado would be getting him at a good time at a relatively solid value. If 2020 is like 2019, Napier is going to be the hot name for a bigger-time job.

And the same goes for …

1. Graham Harrell, USC offensive coordinator

Colorado is never afraid to make a bold choice and take a bit of a call when it comes to its head coaches.

Harrell might be 34, and his resumé is only as a one-year offensive coordinator at USC after doing big things for three years as the North Texas OC, but his attacks produce massive numbers.

Don’t let it be lost that the Trojan passing game was amazing – remember, the O had to deal with three different quarterbacks throughout the year – even though the season was a disappointment overall.

There might be some growing pains, and he might be a year or two away from a good Power Five job. but get him to Boulder and the passing game playmakers will flock to the school …

If Colorado doesn’t get Eric Bieniemy.

[protected-iframe id=”361699434b6d70baf15f631ed2408ac1-97672683-92922408″ info=”https://www.googletagservices.com/tag/js/gpt.js” ]

Mel Tucker To Take Michigan State Job. Who’s Next At Colorado?

Mel Tucker will leave Colorado to become the new Michigan State head coach. Who’s next for the Buffs?

[jwplayer ol8TXAzY]


Mel Tucker will leave Colorado to become the new Michigan State head coach. Who’s next for the Buffs?


This might not be so bad, Colorado

After just one year on the job and a 5-7 record, Mel Tucker will leave the Buffaloes to become the next head coach at Michigan State.

He originally didn’t seem to have interest in the job, Luke Fickell of Cincinnati decided he’d stick around the American Athletic Conference world, and then Michigan State had enough.

This was becoming an embarrassing situation for the school. Michigan State might not be an A-list gig, and it’s not a given that just anyone would want to step in and beat his head against the wall against Ohio State, Penn State and Michigan every year in the Big Ten East, but it’s still a major Big Ten program, it’s still possible to win there, and it still has the resources to go lure away a rising Pac-12 head man.

According to Bruce Feldman of The Athletic, Michigan State will push Tucker’s salary to well over $5 million a year – over doubling what he was making in Boulder – and it’s prepared to provide whatever it takes to help him succeed.

No stranger to the Big Ten, Tucker went to Wisconsin, spent a few years as a defensive coach at Ohio State, and worked his way up through the ranks as a defensive coordinator with the Browns, Jaguars and Bears before helping create a dominant D at Georgia. That led to the Colorado gig, and that led to East Lansing.

He was a part of two national championship teams – 2002 Ohio State and 2015 Alabama – as the defensive backs coach, but he only has one year of head coaching experience.

So why is a 5-7 guy with one year at the helm such a hot coaching candidate?

He fits what Michigan State likes. Defensive-minded, NFL coaching skills, good recruiter. Throw in that he’s the type of motivator and personality that can fit right in, and he’s a great get for the Spartans.

But there’s a chance Colorado could win by losing.

What would it take for the Buffs to get former running back star and current Kansas City Chiefs offensive coordinator Eric Bieniemy?

He would be the dream get as the guy with a Super Bowl ring, the coaching chops to help turn Patrick Mahomes into one of the biggest stars on the planet, and with the fire and energy to be an absolutely perfect college football head coach.

Throw in his undying love for Colorado football as a part of the national championship-caliber teams back in the late 1980s and early 1990s, and he’s it. He’s the guy you back up the truck for if you’re Colorado. However …

The gig isn’t big enough for him.

Bieniemy is the right head coach for the right school at the right time, but he’s also the right head coach at the right time for any NFL head coaching gig – why Carolina couldn’t wait a few minutes to go after him was insane.

Will Colorado want to pay him?

It’s not just about paying a guy with his resumé and talent much more than the $2.6ish million that Tucker was getting, it’s about making it attractive enough to stay even if they do get him.

Now, Michigan State gets a guy who should be able to keep the program at a level where it at least brings a nasty D every time out. And now, Colorado has a chance to bring in a possible dream for its program.

The coaching carousel never stops.

[protected-iframe id=”361699434b6d70baf15f631ed2408ac1-97672683-92922408″ info=”https://www.googletagservices.com/tag/js/gpt.js” ]

Pac-12 College Football Recruiting: Team Rankings, Top Players, Biggest Strengths, What’s Missing

How did all of the Pac-12 teams do this recruiting season? Here are the recruiting rankings for the conference, along with the stars for each team, top players, and biggest strengths. – Contact/Follow @ColFootballNews – Every Team’s Star Recruit – …

[jwplayer Ec1cG9E6]


How did all of the Pac-12 teams do this recruiting season? Here are the recruiting rankings for the conference, along with the stars for each team, top players, and biggest strengths.


Contact/Follow @ColFootballNews

Every Team’s Star Recruit
Recruiting Class Strengths
What’s Missing From Each Recruiting Class
2020 All-Pac-12 Recruiting Team
Recruiting Team Rankings


Every Pac-12 Team’s Star Recruit

Arizona

QB Will Plummer, 6-2, 205 – He might not be all that big, but he’s a big-time passer with a live arm and the mobility to be what the Kevin Sumlin offense wants.
Key Schools In The Running: Oklahoma State, Colorado, Oregon State

Arizona State

WR Johnny Wilson, 6-6, 230 – An interesting target with the size to grow into a tight end, and the athleticism to be a matchup nightmare as a wideout. Oregon had him, and the Sun Devils flipped him.
Key Schools In The Running: Oregon, USC, Tennessee

Cal

RB Chris Street, 5-9, 195 – Very, very shifty and fast through the hole, he’s a home-run hitter who can be used as a receiver and have plays designed to get the ball in his hands in a variety of ways.
Key Schools In The Running: Arizona State, Utah, USC

Colorado

RB Ashaad Clayton, 6-0, 200 – Really, really fast with the size to bring a little bit of power, he’s more of a home-run hitter than a workhorse. The New Orleans native isn’t just a track guy playing football, though.
Key Schools In The Running: Florida, LSU, Kansas 

Oregon

LB Justin Flowe, 6-3, 225 – And go ahead and add Noah Sewell as the No. 1A star of the Oregon class. Sewell is the big-hitting run-stuffer on the inside, and Flowe is the all-around playmaker on the outside with the hybrid pass-rushing ability to be terror from the start.
Key Schools In The Running: Alabama, Clemson, Georgia

Oregon State

QB Chance Nolan, 6-3, 200 – The JUCO transfer has great size, excellent mobility, and the experience to step in and start right away. However, he has only three years of eligibility.
Key Schools In The Running: Utah, UCLA, Oklahoma State

Stanford

OT Myles Hinton, 6-7, 310 – The son of former NFL star Chris Hinton is going to John Elway’s school – Chris was taken one pick after Elway in the 1983 NFL Draft. Myles is a big-body athlete with the talent and smarts to go along with the frame.
Key Schools In The Running: Alabama, Georgia, Ohio State

UCLA

QB Parker McQuarrie, 6-7, 208 – Is he it? Is he the quarterback who’s going to make the UCLA offense work under Chip Kelly? He’s not a runner, but he’s got the pro-style size and arm.
Key Schools In The Running: Wisconsin, Miami, Minnesota

USC

WR Gary Bryant, 5-11, 165 – A tall, thin target with great hands and the quickness to be used as a runner from time to time. He could be a kick and punt returner if needed, but he’ll mostly be a deep threat receiver.
Key Schools In The Running: Arizona State, Oklahoma, Oregon

Utah

CB Clark Phillips, 5-10, 187 – With a good frame, great quickness, and the ability to attack the ball with the hands to be used as a receiver if needed – he won’t drop picks. After originally choosing Ohio State, Utah plucked him away.
Key Schools In The Running: Ohio State, UCLA, Notre Dame

Washington

DE Sav’ell Smalls, 6-4, 244 – The Huskies landed the superstar. The Washington native has the NFL size to go along with the unstoppable pass rushing ability to instant step in and produce. He’s going to be the main man for the new era of UW football.
Key Schools In The Running: Florida State, Clemson, Georgia

Washington State

QB Jayden De Laura, 6-1, 190 – He signed on when Mike Leach was still the head man, and now the Hawaii native should grow into Nick Rolovich’s quarterback. He might not be all that big, but he’s deadly accurate and can run.
Key Schools In The Running: Ohio State, USC, Hawaii

Recruiting Class Strengths
What’s Missing From Each Recruiting Class
2020 All-Pac-12 Recruiting Team
Recruiting Team Rankings

NEXT: Pac-12 Recruiting Strengths

Pac-12 Predictions, Schedule, Game Previews, Lines, TV: Week 14

Check out all the fearless predictions, game previews, lines and TV listings for Week 14 of the Pac-12 season.

[jwplayer PkCtjTd4-boEY74VG]


Check out all the fearless predictions, game previews, lines and TV listings for Week 14 of the Pac-12 season.


How are the Pac-12 predictions so far?
Straight Up: 56-27, ATS 39-37, o/u: 47-28


Click on each game for game preview & prediction

Friday, September 22

Washington State at Washington

4:00 FOX | Get Tickets
BetMGM Line: Oregon -19.5, o/u: 65.5
Bet on this with BetMGM, or for latest line 

Saturday, September 23

Oregon State at Oregon

4:00 Pac-12 Network | Get Tickets
BetMGM Line: Washington -7.5, o/u: 63.5
Bet on this with BetMGM, or for latest line 

Notre Dame at Stanford

4:00 FOX | Get Tickets
BetMGM Line: Notre Dame -16.5, o/u: 48
Bet on this with BetMGM, or for latest line 

[lawrence-related id=502045]

Colorado at Utah

7:30 ABC | Get Tickets
BetMGM Line: Utah -28.5, o/u: 49.5
Bet on this with BetMGM, or for latest line 

Arizona at Arizona State

10:00 ESPN | Get Tickets
BetMGM Line: Arizona State -14, o/u: 59.5
Bet on this with BetMGM, or for latest line 

Cal at UCLA

10:30 FS1 | Get Tickets
BetMGM Line: UCLA -1.5, o/u: 51
Bet on this with BetMGM, or for latest line 

– CFN Fearless Predictions & Game Previews

[protected-iframe id=”361699434b6d70baf15f631ed2408ac1-97672683-92922408″ info=”https://www.googletagservices.com/tag/js/gpt.js” ]