Stanford rebounded from a week one upset loss to Northwestern with an 11-1 record the rest of the season en route to a Pac-12 title a year ago. The Cardinal dealt with substantial turnover this offseason but they return some considerable talent led by star running back Christian McCaffrey and that has them among the favorites to repeat as Pac 12 champions. It won’t be an easy task by any means however as USC, Oregon and UCLA look to shake things up at the top and make sure the Pac 12 is represented in this year’s College Football Playoff. That will mean taking care of business both inside and outside of the conference. Here is a look at the toughest non-conference game for the top Pac 12 teams.
Stanford – 10/15 @ Notre Dame
An extremely difficult schedule will provide several obstacles for the Cardinal this season with a brutal Pac-12 slate. Stanford will host USC and Washington State while travelling to UCLA, Washington, Arizona, Oregon and Cal and if that wasn’t bad enough they also have a tough non-conference matchup at Notre Dame in mid-October. The Cardinal won’t have much room for error if they want to represent the Pac-12 in the College Football Playoff and the fact that they won’t get much relief could come back to haunt them when they travel to face the Fighting Irish.
USC – 9/3 vs. Alabama
Expectations are high for the Trojans based on a roster that is loaded with talent but the problem will be an extremely difficult schedule that includes a non-conference opener against the defending national champion Alabama. USC will be in tough as they attempt to derail the Crimson Tide’s goal of repeating as national champions in week one and while Alabama will be dealing with some substantial turnover once again that won’t make them that much easier of an opponent to beat. Both of these teams has been talked about as legitimate national title contenders but one of them is bound to open the season at 0-1.
Oregon – 9/17 vs. Nebraska
Oregon is coming off a disappointing 9-4 season in which it was the runner-up to Stanford in the Pac-12 North division but they are loaded with talent on both sides of the football and if they can replace graduate transfer Vernon Adams Jr. at the quarterback position they could be a legitimate contender in the conference. The Ducks get Arizona State and Stanford at home but they will have to travel to face Cal, USC and then Utah and Oregon State in back-to-back road games to close out the season. That is a tough slate for any team and Oregon’s non-conference schedule includes another tough road game against Nebraska in the third week of the season. Huskers’ head coach Mike Riley understands what the Ducks are all about from his time as the head coach at Oregon State and with the quarterback position projected to be a concern early on Oregon will be in tough on the road at Nebraska.
UCLA – 9/17 @ BYU
The arrival of quarterback Josh Rosen has changed the complexion for UCLA and there are a number of experts that think he can lead the Bruins to a Pac-12 title in 2016. That will require a level of consistency that Rosen lacked at times last season but another year of experience should help significantly in that department. UCLA also has a tough schedule including a matchup with Texas A&M out of the gate but its most difficult non-conference opponent will be BYU two weeks later. Rosen threw three interceptions in a loss to the Cougars in the Rose Bowl so it goes without saying that he will need to be better as the Bruins shoot for revenge on the road in the rematch on September 17th.
Last year, UCLA took a step back in their standing in the Pac 12 but if they want to show that they’re back with the elites, they’re going to need to win games like this. We’ll see how they measure up against a quality independents.
