Big 12
Baylor – The Bears only have one game scheduled in 2025 so far, a Week 1 matchup with Auburn. Don’t count on Baylor adding a second straight game against a power conference opponent like Penn State for the following week.
PAC-12
Stanford – Penn State has been a while to get revenge for a Blockbuster Bowl loss to Bill Walsh’s Stanford Cardinal. But if Penn State was going to find a way to get Stanford on the schedule, they may have to travel to Stanford. The Cardinal already have two road games scheduled at Hawaii and BYU in the first few weeks of the season.
USC – Penn State and USC each with a scheduling vacancy in the same week? Well, this is too good to be true, right? It turns out, it just might be. The Trojans are opening the season the previous week against an SEC opponent (Ole Miss) and will include a matchup with Notre Dame in October. USC’s desire to add another power conference opponent to the mix may not be there.
Utah – If there is a PAC-12 option in play, Utah could be it. The Utes already have two road games scheduled at Wyoming and BYU in the 2025 season, and Utah may not be interested in a one-off. Could a trip to Utah be fit in as part of a home-and-home deal, even if the second game in Beaver Stadium can’t be squeezed in until 2028 at the earliest?