Tag: 2023 Pac-12 football schedule

An inside look at Oregon’s 2023 football schedule

The Oregon Ducks will be in the Pac-12 title conversation in 2023, and their schedule isn’t nearly as unfavorable as USC’s, a point we have made quite often.

The Oregon Ducks were a Civil War victory away from a Pac-12 title game appearance on Dan Lanning’s first season in Eugene.

Instead, they ended up at the Holiday Bowl and had a tough time against North Carolina, although they were able to squeeze out a victory.

The 2023 season looks promising for the Ducks with Bo Nix returning to school for one more year.

When the Pac-12 schedule for 2023 was released, Oregon must have breathed a little sigh of relief. Why? Well, as Jon Wilner of The Mercury News points out, it could have been much worse:

“The Ducks should be delighted with the end result,” Wilner wrote. “Considering they play Washington and Utah on the road and USC at home — their first regular-season date with the Trojans since 2019 — the lineup could have been vastly more daunting. They have a bye before Washington, host WSU before heading to Utah and face Cal before USC’s visit. And even though the Ducks play consecutive road games (Stanford and UW), they are broken up with a bye.”

The Ducks do face USC for the first time since 2019, and they have a bye before Washington and play Cal before facing the Trojans.

That’s good news, and with all of the weapons returning to Oregon, things are looking very promising in Eugene.

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Oregon State will be tested early in the Pac-12

The Oregon State Beavers have a tough beginning and end to their Pac-12 schedule in 2023. A Friday (short week) game vs. Utah is particulary difficult.

The Oregon State Beavers were arguably the biggest surprise in Pac-12 football this past year. Head coach Jonathan Smith was named the Pac-12 Co-Coach of the Year with Washington’s Kalen DeBoer.

The Beavers then added Clemson transfer QB D.J. Uiagalelei, and things are looking good in Corvallis.

Unfortunately, the schedule makers did the Beavers no favors when the 2023 schedule was released last week. Jon Wilner of The Mercury News gave a few notes.

“The start and finish to league play are daunting,” Wilner wrote. “The Beavers open with a trip to Washington State, then host Utah; and they finish with Washington at home and a visit to Oregon. In between, there is no cause for alarm for a program coming off a 10-win season. Even the back-to-back road games (Colorado and Arizona) are manageable. And what’s more, they follow a bye.”

The Beavers begin with Washington State and Utah, and the end is Washington and Oregon. That’s a tough stretch.

They do play Colorado and Arizona on the road, although both of those programs appear to be much-improved in 2023, especially the Buffaloes.

The Beavers won 10 games and won the Las Vegas Bowl against Florida, so there is a lot of hope once again in Corvallis. Let’s see if the Beavers can put together another strong season.

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Stanford football schedule in 2023 is no picnic, but it’s much better than nasty 2022 gauntlet

David Shaw is out of the picture at Stanford, and the Cardinal have a 2023 schedule which is nowhere near as brutal as last year’s slate.

The Stanford Cardinal will be without David Shaw for the first time in a long time. Troy Taylor came to Palo Alto, and the Cardinal watched quarterback Tanner McKee go to the NFL.

The Cardinal might not win many games, but they do have a comparatively favorable schedule in 2023 when measured against last year (h/t Jon Wilner of The Mercury News).

“Compared to the brutal 2022 schedule, this edition feels like a garden stroll on a warm summer evening,” Wilner wrote. “The bye for new coach Troy Taylor comes in Week Six, not Week Three; Utah is nowhere to be found; and the Cardinal plays seven weeks in a row, not 10. Also, the odd-year rotation means Oregon, Washington, UCLA and Notre Dame are at home, not on the road.”

Stanford lucked out with four of their biggest games being played at home, which definitely helps Taylor and his team.

Still, the Trees probably won’t win many games in 2023. The Cardinal will be a popular pick to finish last in the Pac-12, especially with Arizona and Colorado looking much improved.

Things could’ve been much worse for Stanford’s schedule, so Taylor has to be a little bit relieved as he begins a new journey and tries to change the Stanford program.

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We can all be adults here and admit that George Kliavkoff is being a smart, savvy Pac-12 commish

If you were #Pac12 commissioner right now, you would have catered to #Oregon — not #USC — in crafting your football schedule. Even @Ducks_Wire would agree.

Let’s be adults here, folks. Let’s be grownups. Let’s be mature individuals and admit the simple truth. It’s okay. It’s not a sign of weakness to admit what we can all see in the room: The Pac-12 very clearly catered to the University of Oregon in crafting and approving of its 2023 conference football schedule. The conference was just as clear and transparent in not catering to the University of Southern California.

We can simply admit this as mature adults, or we can look off to the side and pretend this didn’t happen. It’s your choice.

We don’t have to pretend. We can be honest with ourselves and each other and see this schedule for what it is.

Let’s be very clear: USC was catered to and given a soft, cushiony ride last year in the 2022 schedule release. The Pac-12 rolled out the red carpet for the Trojans. We never refused to admit that, too.

Then came the move to the Big Ten. Suddenly, USC was no longer valued by George Kliavkoff. Oregon was.

We can just admit this or pretend these considerations are irrelevant. Come on now. Let’s go through the details and simply admit the truth: