So excuse Jim Mora if he’s a little underwhelmed by it all. He’s still working on winning the first conference title in 16 years at UCLA. Much less the first national title in 60 years.
“We’ve really just gotten started,” Mora said. “It’s two years. That’s nothing.”
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Just in case you need further proof, understand this: If the Bruins do reach the College Football Playoff, it won’t be because of an easy road. Not only is the Pac-12 conference schedule brutal — UCLA gets three North Division heavyweights (Oregon, Stanford, Washington) in addition to the South schedule — the Bruins must play at Texas and Virginia in non-conference games.
If UCLA makes it out of September unbeaten — at Virginia, Memphis, at Texas, at Arizona State — we can start looking at a potential CFP run. Until then, in Mora’s words, it’s just two years.
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A breakdown of the Pac-12 non-conference schedule:
From first to worst
UCLA: at Virginia, Memphis, at Texas
USC: Fresno State, at Boston College, Notre Dame
Utah: Idaho State, Fresno State, at Michigan
Oregon: South Dakota, Michigan State, Wyoming
California: at Northwestern, Sacramento State, BYU
Stanford: UC-Davis, Army, at Notre Dame
Arizona State: Weber State, at New Mexico, Notre Dame
Washington State: Rutgers, at Nevada, Portland State
Washington: at Hawaii, Eastern Washington, Illinois, Georgia State
Colorado: Colorado State (Denver), at UMass, Hawaii
Arizona: UNLV, at UTSA, Nevada
Oregon State: Portland State, at Hawaii, San Diego State
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Scoreboard
Games against Power 5 teams: 11 of 37 (30 percent)
Games against Group of 5 teams: 18 of 37 (48 percent)
Games against FCS teams: 8 of 37 (22 percent)
Keeping score (four of five Power 5 conferences analyzed):
Games against Power 5 teams: Big Ten (30 percent); ACC (30 percent); Pac-12 (30 percent); SEC (20 percent)
Games against Group of 5 teams: SEC (55 percent); Big Ten (52 percent); Pac-12 (48 percent); ACC (45 percent).
Games against FCS teams: ACC (25 percent), SEC (25 percent); Pac-12 (22 percent); Big Ten (18 percent).
Road Map to Playoffs: Week 1 | 2 | 3
Five best games
Michigan State at Oregon
UCLA at Texas
Notre Dame at Arizona State
Notre Dame at USC
Stanford at Notre Dame
Five worst games
South Dakota at Oregon
UC-Davis at Stanford
Portland State at Oregon State
Sacramento State at California
Weber State at Arizona State
Quick hits
— The Pac-12 once was far and away the best conference at scheduling non-conference games — when it was the Pac-10. Expansion added another conference game, and suddenly, everyone needs two payday games to make budgets. Instead of Oregon State vs. Penn State, we get Oregon State vs. Portland State. Instead of Arizona vs. Oklahoma State, we get Arizona vs. UTSA. Without the Notre Dame connection to USC and Stanford, the combined non-con sked would be much worse than it already is.
— If both Stanford and UCLA play to their championship potential, we could have a repeat of the 2012 season, when the two teams played on back-to-back weeks — once as a regular season matchup, and once in the Pac-12 Championship Game. Now, consider this tantalizing — and terrorizing for the Pac-12 — possibility: Unbeaten UCLA and unbeaten Stanford play on Nov. 28. Whoever wins that game, loses the following week in the Pac-12 championship game — and knock each other out of the College Football Playoff.
— Colorado was once the king of non-conference scheduling as a Big 12 member, annually loading up on BCS schools — sometimes two or three in one season. This time around, it’s Colorado State, at UMass and Hawaii. The Buffs are desperate to get back to the postseason, and those three gimmes are critical, but that doesn’t make it any easier to swallow. It’s no better in 2015: The same three opponents from 2014, and FCS Nicholls State. Woof.
