Pac-12 announces 2023 football early season & special date television schedule

SAN FRANCISCO – The Pac-12 Conference announced today the television schedule for the first three weeks of the 2023 football season, in addition to kickoff times and television selections for all "special date" games, covering all Friday matchups throughout the coming year. 

Pac-12 television partners ESPN, FOX Sports and Pac-12 Networks will provide complete coverage of the entire Pac-12 home football schedule during the 2023 season. Pac-12 Networks is set to air 35 Pac-12 home games, while ESPN and FOX Sports will combine for 45 games from Pac-12 home and neutral sites, including the 2023 Pac-12 Football Championship Game, presented by 76®, on Friday, Dec. 1, on ABC.  This includes eight games on broadcast networks over the first three weeks.

Week Zero and Week One Highlights

• HEISMAN HYPE GETS EARLY START:  The lone Pac-12 game during Week Zero matches USC and the reigning Heisman Trophy winner Caleb Williams in their home opener against San Jose State (5:00 p.m. PT) on Pac-12 Network.  Williams, the first Pac-12 Heisman winner to return to campus since USC's Matt Leinart in 2005, looks to join Ohio State's Archie Griffin (1974-75) as the only repeat Heisman winner.  It's the first ever Week Zero game on Pac-12 Network.
• SEC RE-MATCH: Week One kicks off with one of the most anticipated non-conference games in the country when two-time defending Pac-12 champion UTAH hosts Florida (5:00 p.m. PT/6:00 p.m. MT on ESPN) in a re-match of the 2022 thriller in The Swamp.  The Utes have won 28 straight non-conference home games while this will be Florida's first non-conference road game outside the state of Florida since 1991 and first true road game west of Texas since 1983 at USC.
• "PRIME TIME" IN THE MORNING:  FOX's Big Noon Kickoff launches its 2023 campaign alongside the debut of Deion "Coach Prime" Sanders with COLORADO as the Buffaloes visit 2022 national runner-up TCU (9:00 a.m. PT/10:00 a.m. MT on FOX).  Sanders played five seasons in Dallas with the Cowboys including as a member of the Super Bowl XXX championship team.
• TWO MORE DEBUTS: The Kenny Dillingham Era officially begins in Tempe on Thursday, August 31 with ARIZONA STATE hosting Southern Utah at 7:00 p.m. PT on Pac-12 Network.  The next day will see STANFORD open under Troy Taylor for the first time on the road as the Cardinal visit Hawaii (8:00 p.m. PT on CBS Sports Net).
• YEAR TWO:  Kalen DeBoer's second season with WASHINGTON gets underway with a visit from Boise State at 12:30 p.m. PT on ABC.  The Huskies are led by quarterback Michael Penix, Jr., who finished eighth in the Heisman voting last year after leading the country in passing yards during the regular season.   Quarterback Bo Nix also returns for Dan Lanning's second year with OREGON as the Ducks open at home against Portland State (12:00 p.m. PT on Pac-12 Network).  WASHINGTON STATE opens their second full season under Jake Dickert at Colorado State at 4:00 p.m. PT on CBS Sports Net.
• SUNDAY SPECIAL:  Coming off back-to-back bowl appearances including a 30-3 win over Florida in the Las Vegas Bowl, OREGON STATE opens their 2023 season on the road with a special Sunday game on network television at San Jose State (12:30 p.m. PT on CBS).
• ESPN PLATFORMS:  Including the openers for UTAH and WASHINGTON, the Pac-12 has four games on ESPN platforms over the first week of the season.  Chip Kelly and UCLA get the season started under the lights at the Rose Bowl in a match-up of teams that both won nine games last season as the Bruins host Coastal Carolina (7:30 p.m. PT on ESPN).  CALIFORNIA opens their seventh season under Justin Wilcox on the road at North Texas (1:00 p.m. PT on ESPNU) who will have former Washington State offensive coordinator Eric Morris making his debut as head coach of the Mean Green.
• BACK THE PAC:  Pac-12 Network will have four games in total over the first week of the season.  ARIZONA opens its 2023 campaign with a home game against Northern Arizona (7:00 p.m. PT) while USC appears on Pac-12 Network for the second straight week, hosting Nevada at 3:30 p.m. PT.

Week Two Highlights

• CONFERENCE OPENER ON FOX:  STANFORD and USC will once again open up Pac-12 play against each other under the lights of the Coliseum at 7:30 p.m. PT on FOX.
• POWER 5 MATCHUPS: Seven of the 10 Pac-12 non-conference matchups in Week Two feature Power 5 opponents.
• #PAC12BeforeDawn:  Week Two has a pair of games starting at 9:00 a.m. PT/10:00 a.m. MT.  COLORADO makes its second straight appearance as FOX's Big Noon game as Nebraska, one of their biggest non-conference rivals, comes to Boulder for Coach Prime's home debut.  UTAH will face their second straight Power 5 opponent with a trip to Waco for their first ever game with Baylor on ESPN.
• 2022 RE-MATCHES:  Three games in Week Two feature re-matches from 2022.  After winning at Camp Randall last year for their first non-conference road win against a ranked opponent since 2003, WASHINGTON STATE welcomes Wisconsin to the Palouse (4:30 p.m. PT on ABC), the first Power 5 non-conference opponent to come to Pullman since 1998.  ARIZONA STATE welcomes Oklahoma State to Tempe (7:30 p.m. PT on FS1) where the Sun Devils have won six straight home games against Power 5 non-conference opponents.  ARIZONA heads to SEC country for the first time since 2006 when they visit Mississippi State at 4:30 p.m. PT on SEC Network.
• BEAR NECESSITY:  CALIFORNIA opens the home portion of their season with Auburn at 7:30 p.m. PT on ESPN.  The Bears have won their last three meetings with SEC schools including 2-0 under Justin Wilcox and 9-1 at home against all non-conference opponents under Wilcox.
• HELLO AGAIN:  While OREGON will be facing Texas Tech for the first time since 1992 (4:00 p.m. PT on FOX), the Ducks will likely face-off against their former quarterback Tyler Shough, who is 8-1 as a starter since transferring from Oregon after the 2020 season.
• CALIFORNIA LOVE:  UCLA plays their first road game of the season but won't have to travel far to take on San Diego State at 4:30 p.m. PT on CBS.  It will be the Bruins first non-conference road game since 2019 at Cincinnati and UCLA will be looking to avenge their first ever loss to the Aztecs (21-1-1), also in 2019 in the Rose Bowl.
• DOUBLE DUTY:  Pac-12 Network will broadcast two games in Week Two.  OREGON STATE will host UC Davis in their home opener in the fully renovated Reser Stadium at 6:00 p.m. PT with WASHINGTON hosting Tulsa in the first ever meeting between these schools at 2:00 p.m. PT.

Week Three Highlights

• "BIG" RE-MATCH:  After a big victory for the Huskies on Montlake last season, WASHINGTON and Michigan State battle in East Lansing for the first time since 1969 at 2:00 p.m. PT on Peacock, the first game involving a Pac-12 school to be exclusively aired on the streaming service. 
• KINGS OF THE MOUNTAIN:  Pac-12 schools face off with four members of the Mountain West Conference in Week 3 after going 7-2 against the MWC last season.  ARIZONA STATE hosts Mountain West champion Fresno State at 7:30 p.m. PT and San Diego State visits OREGON STATE at 12:30 p.m. PT, both on FS1.  COLORADO hosts Colorado State in Boulder for the first time since 2009 at 7:00 p.m. PT/8:00 p.m. MT on ESPN.  OREGON welcomes Hawaii to Autzen Stadium at 5:00 p.m. PT on Pac-12 Network.
• PAC-12 NETWORK 7-UP:  There will be a season-high seven games across the Pac-12 Networks this Saturday.  The action kicks off with Weber State at UTAH at 11:00 a.m. PT/12:00 p.m. MT followed by UNC Central at UCLA and Northern Colorado at WASHINGTON STATE both starting at 2:00 p.m. PT.  Following the OREGON game at 5:00 p.m. PT is UTEP at ARIZONA at 8:00 p.m. PT.  Additionally, Idaho at CALIFORNIA kicks off at 1:00 p.m. PT on Pac-12 Now/Pac-12 Bay Area and Sacramento State at STANFORD for the Cardinal's home opener at 5:00 p.m on Pac-12 Now/Pac-12 Bay Area.

Special Date Highlights

• #PAC12FCG ON ABC: The 2023 Pac-12 Football Championship Game, presented by 76®, will take place on Friday, Dec. 1 at 5:00 p.m. PT from Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas for the third straight year.  The game will once again feature the teams with the two highest conference winning percentages.
• ESPN FRIDAY NIGHT ACTION: Throughout the remainder of the 2023 Pac-12 football season, ESPN platforms will televise one more Friday game with STANFORD at COLORADO on Friday, October 13 at 7:00 p.m. PT/8:00 p.m MT.
• FOX SPORTS FRIDAYS: FOX Sports is set to televise three Pac-12 weekday games, with UTAH visiting OREGON STATE on Friday, September 29th at 6:00 p.m. PT/7:00 p.m. MT on FS1, COLORADO at WASHINGTON STATE on Friday, November 17th at 7:30 p.m. PT/8:30 p.m. MT on FS1 and finally the in-state showdown with OREGON STATE and OREGON in Eugene on the day after Thanksgiving at 5:30 p.m. PT on FOX.

In total over the first three weeks of the season, Pac-12 Networks will televise 14 games, all of which are available anywhere to Pac-12 Networks subscribers via the Pac-12 Now app. Of the 14 matchups, 11 will be carried nationally on Pac-12 Network while three games will be available locally in the home team’s market on the appropriate Pac-12 Networks regional channel and Pac-12 Now app. 

ESPN will televise Pac-12 football on ABC, ESPN, ESPN2 or ESPNU, while FOX Sports will air its games on FOX or FS1. Both network partners will simulcast select games on ESPN Deportes and FOX Deportes.

While television selections for the first few weeks of the 2023 season have been made, as well as all Thursday and Friday games throughout the season, all remaining television game selections and start times, starting with week four (Sat., Sept. 23) and running through the final week of the regular season (Fri., Nov. 24 - Sat., Nov. 25) will be made 12- or six-days in advance.

The following is the television schedule for the 2023 Pac-12 football season: