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.