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PAC-12 SCHEDULES VS. POWER FIVE CONFERENCES THROUGH 2020
Note-Chart doesn’t include games scheduled by USC and Stanford with Notre Dame, a major independent obligated to play at least five ACC teams a year. *-at Houston. **-at Arlington, Texas.
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The Arizona Wildcats’ football program, the only Pac-12 team without an opponent from the Power 5 conferences between 2015-2020, has six non-conference slots to fill in those six years. This site has taken a look at potential teams from Power 5 conferences other than the Pac-12, who could play against the Wildcats. The other four conferences include the ACC, Big Ten, Big 12 and SEC. Notre Dame is a major independent that will play five ACC opponents each year. BYU is also an independent and it plays Arizona in 2016, 2018 and 2020. The Cougars have recently competed in the Mountain West and Western Athletic Conference.
PREVIOUS POSTS:
— Southeastern Conference
— Atlantic Coast Conference
— Big Ten Conference
— Big 12 ConferenceRECENT SCHEDULING NEWS:
— Pac-12 releases 2015 football schedules
— Watered-down nonconference football schedules now the rule
— Report: Michigan and Texas discussing future series
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Perhaps Arizona Wildcats fans got spoiled in the program’s formative years in the Pac-10.
After all, Arizona’s first year in the Pac-10 in 1978 included a non-conference schedule of — ready for this? — Kansas State, Texas Tech, Iowa and Michigan. No hyphenated or directional schools. No money games. Kansas State, of course, was not what it is today but you understand the point.
By the fifth season (1982) after switching from the WAC, Arizona played three games against Iowa and two against Notre Dame. These challenging non-conference games did not derail the Wildcats from a promising start in the Pac-10.
In fact, by 1983, Arizona was ranked No. 14 in the AP preseason poll and climbed to as high as No. 3.
ARIZONA FOOTBALL FUTURE OPPONENTS (2015-2020)
*Glendale, Ariz. **UA can play 13 games due to Hawaii Exemption Rule.
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Arizona established its identity moving from a lower-rung league with upset wins over conference opponents UCLA and USC by 1983, but the Wildcats also did wonders for their recruiting by winning at Notre Dame in 1982. The late Larry Smith always called that win in South Bend, Ind., the “most prestigious” in the program’s history.
Smith also coached Arizona against LSU and SMU (when it was a top 10 program). Dick Tomey coached against Oklahoma, nationally-ranked Illinois teams, Ohio State, Miami, Penn State and Iowa.
Now Arizona is in the midst of the longest drought without a non-conference game against a team that is part of the Power 5 conferences (ACC, Big Ten, Big 12 and SEC).
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The 2015 schedule was released yesterday and it was learned that NAU filled Arizona’s last non-conference spot with Texas-San Antonio and Nevada occupying the other slots. It will be the third straight season without a Power 5 non-conference opponent, the longest such streak since Arizona joined what was then the Pac-10.
Mike Stoops’ teams in 2007 and 2008 did not play a major-conference opponent outside of the conference. Before 2007, when Stoops altered Arizona’s non-conference scheduling philosophy after a blowout loss at LSU in 2006, the Wildcats had only three seasons over a 28-year span in which they did not face an opponent from a power conference outside the Pac-10.
From 2007 to 2015, a nine-year span, Arizona will be without a marquee non-conference opponent on the schedule in five different years.
Rich Rodriguez believes the best mid-majors are better than the lower-rung Power 5 teams (ArizonaWildcats.com video capture)
The Wildcats’ home schedule next season is disastrous. It includes UTSA, NAU, UCLA, Oregon State, Utah and Washington State.
Oregon State, although competitive under Mike Riley, has never been a consistent good draw in Tucson. When the Beavers were ranked No. 18 in 2012 only 44,153 showed up at Arizona Stadium.
Utah and Washington State are by no means significant draws. UCLA is the only attention-getter.
UTSA and NAU: Yawn.
That’s reality. It is one of the most uninspiring home schedules ever assembled for Arizona.
The poll at this site includes a sampling of 77 voters (at time of publication of this blog) with 73 of them wanting a Power 5 opponent by 2020. That’s like having 77 Arizona fans in a room and an overwhelming 94.8 percent of them want a more enticing schedule. This is not an issue that should be minimized by athletic director Greg Byrne and head coach Rich Rodriguez.
Rodriguez was the lone dissenting vote in an ESPN poll among Pac-12 coaches who were asked if they favored scheduling only Power 5 opponents. In favor were Riley, ASU’s Todd Graham, Oregon’s Mark Helfrich, Stanford’s David Shaw, UCLA’s Jim Mora, Washington’s Chris Petersen and USC’s Steve Sarkisian.
Cal’s Sonny Dykes, Colorado’s Mike MacIntyre, Utah’s Kyle Whittingham, Washington State’s Mike Leach were undecided.
Arizona has six non-conference slots to fill from 2016-2020.
Will Byrne and Rodriguez step up to the plate or continue to observe from the dugout while others in the Pac-12 continue to take their best swing at Power 5 schools?
Arizona was ambitious with its non-conference scheduling moving from the WAC to the Pac-10. Why can’t the Wildcat brass follow the same philosophy 37 years into the program’s existence in the conference?
SEC OPENINGS (2015-2020)
Source: FBSchedules.com. Number in parenthesis is number of openings. Arizona does not have openings in 2015 and 2018 (not shown).
RED – Not likely or not at all.
[table “” not found /]BIG 12 CONFERENCE OPENINGS (2015-2020)
Source: FBSchedules.com. Number in parenthesis is number of openings. Arizona does not have openings in 2015 and 2018 (not shown).
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BIG TEN CONFERENCE OPENINGS (2015-2020)
Source: FBSchedules.com. Number in parenthesis is number of openings. Arizona does not have openings in 2015 and 2018 (not shown).
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ATLANTIC COAST CONFERENCE OPENINGS (2015-2020)
Source: FBSchedules.com. Number in parenthesis is number of openings. Arizona does not have openings in 2015 and 2018 (not shown).
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ALLSPORTSTUCSON.com publisher, writer and editor Javier Morales is a former Arizona Press Club award winner. He also writes articles for Bleacher Report and Lindy’s College Sports.
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