The 2023 Pac-12 football season is set to be another strong one.
The Utah Utes won the Pac-12 once again this season but lost in the Rose Bowl, and Cam Rising decided to return for one more season.
Caleb Williams, the Heisman Trophy winner, is back for the USC Trojans and is a leading contender to win the award again. USC will fight for a College Football Playoff spot after a frustrating Pac-12 title game loss to Utah followed by a crushing Cotton Bowl loss to Tulane.
The Pac-12 schedule has been officially released on Wednesday. Pac-12 insider John Canzano mentioned some interesting scheduling notes.
Then came the actual schedule release on Wednesday. The Trojans learned that Utah would be one week after the Notre Dame game. The Trojans certainly wanted to not have to play an elite Pac-12 team either the week before or the week after the Notre Dame game. Predictably, the Pac-12 sent USC out the door — in its final season as a conference member — with an extra-difficult scheduling arrangement. USC hosts Utah one week after the Notre Dame game.
You didn’t think the Pac-12 would make life convenient for USC, did you?
Here are various other observations to make about the Pac-12 schedule: