Pac-12 announces 2016 football schedule
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SAN FRANCISCO – The Pac-12 Conference announced today its 2016 football schedule that pairs a competitive nine-game Conference schedule with a non-conference slate that includes four contests against teams currently ranked in the CFP Top 15 – No. 2 Alabama, No. 8 Notre Dame (2), and No. 14 Michigan. In all, more than a third of the Pac-12’s non-conference schedule pits the league against a Power 5 conference opponent, as well as independents Notre Dame and BYU.
“Not only is the nine-game Conference schedule demanding for each of our teams, but they continue to test themselves with an array of impressive non-conference opponents too,” said Pac-12 Commissioner Larry Scott. “These are the types of big-time matchups Pac-12 fans will enjoy watching next season.”
In addition, traditional rivalry games will be played over the last two weeks of the season, followed by the Pac-12 Football Championship Game at Levi’s Stadium in Santa Clara, Calif., on Friday, December 2.
The 2016 season is scheduled to get under way on Saturday, August 27, as CALIFORNIA travels to Sydney, Australia to take on Hawai’i. While California received a waiver from the NCAA to begin the season a week early, the actual season-opening games for the rest of the Conference will take place Thursday, September 1 through Saturday, September 3 where a couple of Saturday showdowns with the SEC loom when UCLA visits Texas A&M and USC meets Alabama at AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas.
In a rematch of the Pac-12 Football Championship Game, USC opens up league play at STANFORD during the third week of the season. That weekend also features several marquee road non-conference contests as UCLA travels to BYU, while COLORADO visits Michigan and OREGON heads to Nebraska in a couple of Big Ten matchups.
Every football game played at Pac-12 sites will be televised. A combination of the ESPN channels, ABC, FOX and FOX Sports 1 will broadcast 44 games nationally and Pac-12 Networks will offer 35 games to national and international audiences. Exact broadcast schedules will be determined at a later date.
The 2016 Conference schedule features five games on four Thursday night dates that includes three key league matchups between CALIFORNIA at USC on October 27, UCLA at COLORADO on November 3, and UTAH at ARIZONA STATE on November 10. In addition, the schedule’s seven games on five Friday dates is highlighted by a pair of Friday, November 25 rivalry games featuring ARIZONA STATE at ARIZONA in the Territorial Cup and WASHINGTON at WASHINGTON STATE in the Apple Cup.
The decision was made to schedule the cross-division UCLA at CALIFORNIA game on the final week of the 2016 season in keeping with the terms of scheduling commitments approved by the Pac-12 Directors of Athletics to maintain the late-season games between Stanford/USC and Notre Dame.
2016 Pac-12 Football Schedule
| Sat., Aug. 27 | Hawai’i vs. CALIFORNIA (1) |
| Thurs., Sept. 1 | Southern Utah at UTAH |
| OREGON STATE at Minnesota | |
| Fri., Sept. 2 | Colorado State vs. COLORADO (2) |
| Kansas State at STANFORD | |
| Sat., Sept. 3 | ARIZONA vs. BYU (3) |
| Northern Arizona at ARIZONA STATE | |
| USC vs. Alabama (4) | |
| UCLA at Texas A&M | |
| UC Davis at OREGON | |
| Rutgers at WASHINGTON | |
| Eastern Washington at WASHINGTON STATE | |
| Sat., Sept. 10 | Grambling at ARIZONA |
| Texas Tech at ARIZONA STATE | |
| Utah State at USC | |
| UNLV at UCLA | |
| Idaho State at COLORADO | |
| BYU at UTAH | |
| Virginia at OREGON | |
| Idaho at WASHINGTON | |
| WASHINGTON STATE at Boise State | |
| CALIFORNIA at San Diego State | |
| Sat,. Sept. 17 | Hawai’i at ARIZONA |
| ARIZONA STATE at UTSA | |
| USC at STANFORD | |
| UCLA at BYU | |
| COLORADO at Michigan | |
| UTAH at San Jose State | |
| OREGON at Nebraska | |
| Idaho State at OREGON STATE | |
| Portland State at WASHINGTON | |
| Idaho at WASHINGTON STATE | |
| Texas at CALIFORNIA | |
| Fri., Sept. 23 | USC at UTAH |
| Sat., Sept. 24 | WASHINGTON at ARIZONA |
| CALIFORNIA at ARIZONA STATE | |
| STANFORD at UCLA | |
| COLORADO at OREGON | |
| Boise State at OREGON STATE | |
| Fri., Sept. 30 | STANFORD at WASHINGTON |
| Sat., Oct. 1 | ARIZONA at UCLA |
| ARIZONA STATE at USC | |
| OREGON STATE at COLORADO | |
| UTAH at CALIFORNIA | |
| OREGON at WASHINGTON STATE | |
| Sat., Oct. 8 | ARIZONA at UTAH |
| UCLA at ARIZONA STATE | |
| COLORADO at USC | |
| WASHINGTON at OREGON | |
| CALIFORNIA at OREGON STATE | |
| WASHINGTON STATE at STANFORD | |
| Sat., Oct. 15 | USC at ARIZONA |
| ARIZONA STATE at COLORADO | |
| UCLA at WASHINGTON STATE | |
| UTAH at OREGON STATE | |
| STANFORD at Notre Dame | |
| Fri., Oct. 21 | OREGON at CALIFORNIA |
| Sat., Oct. 22 | WASHINGTON STATE at ARIZONA STATE |
| UTAH at UCLA | |
| COLORADO at STANFORD | |
| OREGON STATE at WASHINGTON | |
| Thurs. Oct. 27 | CALIFORNIA at USC |
| Sat., Oct. 29 | STANFORD at ARIZONA |
| ARIZONA STATE at OREGON | |
| WASHINGTON at UTAH | |
| WASHINGTON STATE at OREGON STATE | |
| Thurs., Nov. 3 | UCLA at COLORADO |
| Sat., Nov. 5 | ARIZONA at WASHINGTON STATE |
| OREGON at USC | |
| OREGON STATE at STANFORD | |
| WASHINGTON at CALIFORNIA | |
| Thurs., Nov. 10 | UTAH at ARIZONA STATE |
| Sat., Nov. 12 | COLORADO at ARIZONA |
| USC at WASHINGTON | |
| OREGON STATE at UCLA | |
| STANFORD at OREGON | |
| CALIFORNIA at WASHINGTON STATE | |
| Sat., Nov. 19 | ARIZONA at OREGON STATE |
| ARIZONA STATE at WASHINGTON | |
| USC at UCLA | |
| WASHINGTON STATE at COLORADO | |
| OREGON AT UTAH | |
| STANFORD AT CALIFORNIA | |
| Fri., Nov. 25 | ARIZONA STATE at ARIZONA |
| WASHINGTON at WASHINGTON STATE | |
| Sat., Nov. 26 | UCLA at CALIFORNIA |
| UTAH at COLORADO | |
| OREGON AT OREGON STATE | |
| Rice at STANFORD | |
| Notre Dame at USC | |
| Fri., Dec. 2 | Pac-12 Football Championship Game (5) (FOX) |
- ANZ Stadium, Sydney, Australia
- Sports Authority Field at Mile High, Denver, Colo.
- University of Phoenix Stadium, Glendale, Ariz.
- AT&T Stadium, Arlington, Texas
- Levi’s Stadium, Santa Clara, Calif.