Report: Additional Pac-12 matchups including Oregon vs Uta
Over the last week and some change, we've discussed the Pac-12 schedule possibilities, including the initial report that Oregon and Utah would square off September 12th. On Friday, Stadium's Brett McMurphy tweeted a list of the five potential additional Pac-12 matchups for the 2020 season including the aforementioned matchup between the Ducks and the Utes.
We first reported the potential matchup on July 15th, citing Utah was close to adding the Ducks as an additional opponent to their 2020 schedule.
McMurphy did not specify which teams would be home or away, but our sources indicated the game would be held in Salt Lake City on September 12th. The additional matchups throughout the Pac-12 include:
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On July 10th, the Pac-12 announced that they would follow the Big Ten and become the second conference to move to a conference only schedule for the 2020 regular season. Now, the details of said schedule are beginning to materialize. This falls in line with what other Pac-12 sources indicated about the Pac-12 moving to a 10-game conference-only schedule.
That would mean that each Pac-12 team would add a game against one of the conference opponents it wasn't scheduled to play, and also likely feature a completely revamped schedule. This is according to various sources around the Pac-12. A decision on how, and maybe even whether or not, the conference will play its football season will come by July 31st.
According to Tracy Pierson of Bruin Report Online, who cites various Pac-12 sources, "The proposed 10-game, conference-only plan would kick off Sept. 12th, delaying the start of each program's season 1-2 weeks to adapt to coronavirus complications. The delayed start of the season to Sept. 12th would also dictate that the start of fall camp be pushed back to Aug. 14th.
"The season would also have a couple other wrinkles," according to Pierson. "Two byes would be built in; most teams have one bye in their schedule, but another would be created. Also, each team would have three open dates on the back end, to accommodate any games that needed to be rescheduled."
Utah has their original bye week set for what would be week eight in late October, between the Washington game Oct. 17th and the UCLA on Oct. 29th, so that would give it the requisite two bye weeks for the season.
To be fair, many of these same sources indicate that the hope pertaining to the season actually happening is weakening. The university presidents and chancellors in the conference will make the ultimate decision whether their respective schools participate in a football season, and as of now the tone has not been very confident. There are plans and models prepared for a variety of possible scenarios, but the daunting reality of what will be required this season is starting to settle in.
In Utah's case, the coaches and players will continue moving preparing within the limitations that they are allowed to. Teams were supposed to get back to team activities this month, but part of the decision to remove non-conference games also included a delay in return to mandatory activities. If a six-week ramp-up is still going to be required, teams would need to get back to team activities by July 31st. That would provide the six weeks of preparation many deem is required for these student athletes.