While the Big Ten is releasing its schedules a half-decade in advance, the Pac-12 waited until Wednesday to reveal its 2014 schedule. Waiting until eight months before game time to announce a schedule is about as 11th hour as it gets in the scheduling world - but that doesn't matter. 

Here's what does matter: getting through a Pac-12 schedule undefeated is about as realistic as traveling through the Amazon without getting a bug bite. 

The Pac-12 is already the toughest top-to-bottom league in FBS (hello, SEC), but that's not enough - they also require each team to play a ninth league game. There's a reason the Pac-12 was the only Power Five league to crown a champion with two conference losses.

"The depth of our Conference will be on display every week next season," Pac-12 Commissioner Larry Scott said in the league's announcement. "Coming off a record nine teams competing in this year's bowl season, next season's nine-game Conference schedule will be the toughest in the nation."

Here are the highlights:

Major non-conference games: Michigan State at Oregon (Sept. 6), UCLA vs. Texas (Sept. 13 at Arlington, Texas), 

- Stanford's return trip to Oregon falls on a Saturday this year, Nov. 1.

- Steve Sarkisian gets no favors for his first conference game. USC hosts Stanford on Sept. 6. Sarkisian opens with Fresno State at home the week prior. 

- Chris Petersen's first game as Washington's head coach comes at Hawaii on Aug. 30. His first home game comes Sept. 6 against Eastern Washington, and his first Pac-12 game falls Sept. 27 against Stanford at Husky Stadium. The Huskies visit Oregon on Oct. 18 and travel to Washington State on Nov. 29.

- The Pac-12 will again tempt fate with a back-to-back rematch, as Stanford visits UCLA on Friday, Nov. 28. The Bruins and Cardinal ended their 2012 regular seasons against each other, and then rematched a week later in the Pac-12 Championship.

- Speaking of the Pac-12 Championship, it moves back to Friday, Dec. 5 and will be televised on Fox. Inconvenient as a Friday night kick may be, it's still the right move. This year's Pac-12 Championship, broadcast at 10:30 p.m. ET on ESPN, drew minuscule ratings. 

- Weeknight conference games: UCLA at Arizona on Thurs., Sept. 25, Arizona at Oregon on Thurs., Oct. 2, Washington State at Stanford on Friday, Oct. 10, Utah at Oregon State on Thurs., Oct. 16, Oregon at California, Friday, Oct. 24, California at USC, Thursday, Nov. 13, and Arizona State at Arizona and Stanford at UCLA, Friday, Nov. 28. 

- UCLA stakes an early claim to the most difficult 2014 schedule in the country: at Virginia, vs. Memphis, vs. Texas (at Arlington, Texas), at Arizona State, vs. Utah, vs. Oregon, at California, at Colorado, vs. Arizona, at Washington, vs. USC, vs. Stanford. 

2014 PAC-12 FOOTBALL SCHEDULE (subject to change)

Thurs., Aug 28

Weber State at ARIZONA STATE

Idaho State at UTAH

Rutgers at WASHINGTON STATE (1)

Sat., Aug 30

UNLV at ARIZONA

Fresno State at USC

UCLA at Virginia

COLORADO vs. Colorado State (2)

South Dakota at OREGON

Portland State at OREGON STATE

WASHINGTON at Hawai’i

CALIFORNIA at Northwestern

UC Davis at STANFORD

Sat., Sept. 6

ARIZONA at Texas-San Antonio

ARIZONA STATE at New Mexico

USC at STANFORD

Memphis at UCLA

COLORADO at UMass (3)

Fresno State at UTAH

Michigan State at OREGON

OREGON STATE at Hawai’i

Eastern Washington at WASHINGTON

WASHINGTON STATE at Nevada

Sacramento State at CALIFORNIA

Sat., Sept. 13

Nevada at ARIZONA

ARIZONA STATE at COLORADO

USC at Boston College

UCLA vs. Texas (4)

Wyoming at OREGON

Illinois at WASHINGTON

Portland State at WASHINGTON STATE

Army at STANFORD

Sat., Sept. 20

CALIFORNIA at ARIZONA

Hawai’i at COLORADO

UTAH at Michigan

OREGON at WASHINGTON STATE

San Diego State at OREGON STATE

Georgia State at WASHINGTON

Thurs., Sept. 25

UCLA at ARIZONA STATE

Sat., Sept. 27

OREGON STATE at USC

COLORADO at CALIFORNIA

WASHINGTON STATE at UTAH

STANFORD at WASHINGTON

Thurs., Oct. 2

ARIZONA at OREGON

Sat., Oct. 4

ARIZONA STATE at USC

UTAH at UCLA

OREGON STATE at COLORADO

CALIFORNIA at WASHINGTON STATE

STANFORD at Notre Dame

Fri., Oct. 10

WASHINGTON STATE at STANFORD

Sat., Oct. 11

USC at ARIZONA

OREGON at UCLA

WASHINGTON at CALIFORNIA

Thurs., Oct. 16

UTAH at OREGON STATE

Sat., Oct. 18

STANFORD at ARIZONA STATE

COLORADO at USC

UCLA at CALIFORNIA

WASHINGTON at OREGON

Fri., Oct. 24

OREGON at CALIFORNIA (5)

Sat., Oct. 25

ARIZONA at WASHINGTON STATE

ARIZONA STATE at WASHINGTON

USC at UTAH

OREGON STATE at STANFORD

UCLA at COLORADO

Sat., Nov. 1

ARIZONA at UCLA

UTAH at ARIZONA STATE

USC at WASHINGTON STATE

WASHINGTON at COLORADO

STANFORD at OREGON

CALIFORNIA at OREGON STATE

Sat., Nov. 8

COLORADO at ARIZONA

Notre Dame at ARIZONA STATE

UCLA at WASHINGTON

OREGON at UTAH

WASHINGTON STATE at OREGON STATE

Thurs., Nov. 13

CALIFORNIA at USC

Sat., Nov. 15

WASHINGTON at ARIZONA

ARIZONA STATE at OREGON STATE

UTAH at STANFORD

Sat., Nov. 22

ARIZONA at UTAH

WASHINGTON STATE at ARIZONA STATE

USC at UCLA

COLORADO AT OREGON

OREGON STATE AT WASHINGTON

STANFORD at CALIFORNIA

Fri., Nov. 28

ARIZONA STATE at ARIZONA

STANFORD at UCLA

Sat., Nov. 29

Notre Dame at USC

UTAH at COLORADO

OREGON at OREGON STATE

WASHINGTON at WASHINGTON STATE

BYU at CALIFORNIA

Fri., Dec. 5

Pac-12 Football Championship Game (FOX)

(1) CenturyLink Field, Seattle, Wash.

(2) Sports Authority Field at Mile High, Denver, Colo.

(3) Gillette Stadium, Foxboro, Mass.

(4) AT&T Stadium, Arlington, Texas

(5) Levi’s Stadium, Santa Clara, Calif.

Loading...
Loading...