Pac-12 Football: 15 Most Anticipated Games for 2015 Season
Last year saw the Pac-12 establish itself as a true challenger to the SEC's reign as the best conference in college football. A deep pool of strong teams from one division and a national championship game participant from the other had the league earning praise from all over.
That strong performance in 2014 has made the upcoming season as highly anticipated as ever, and with less than three months until the 2015 campaign gets going, we're getting you prepped by highlighting the most anticipated games that involve Pac-12 teams.
This list includes conference and nonconference games, and they're ranked based on their overall importance to both the league race and the national championship picture as well as the likelihood they'll be close, competitive games.
Just Missed the Cut
1 of 16
The Pac-12 slate is so loaded for 2015 that we couldn't get every big game onto the list, so some had to be left out. Here's a look at some of the great matchups involving Pac-12 teams this year that weren't good enough to make the top 15:
- Washington at Boise State (Sept. 4)
- BYU at UCLA (Sept. 19)
- California at Texas (Sept. 19)
- Colorado vs. Colorado State in Denver (Sept. 19)
- Arizona at Stanford (Oct. 3)
- Arizona State at Utah (Oct. 17)
- Utah at USC (Oct. 24)
- Arizona at USC (Nov. 7)
- Utah at Arizona (Nov. 14)
- Notre Dame at Stanford (Nov. 28)
15. USC at Notre Dame
2 of 16
When: Oct. 17
Notre Dame's agreement with the ACC to play a handful of that league's teams each year has eliminated some of its series with Midwestern teams, but the Fighting Irish have held on to their two regular meetings with Pac-12 foes Stanford and USC.
Stanford is the one that gets to host Notre Dame over Thanksgiving weekend, while USC has to step away from the conference slate in the middle to visit South Bend. The Trojans lost there in 2013, ending a five-game road win streak over Notre Dame, but steamrolled the Irish in Los Angeles last November.
Both Notre Dame and USC should be in the hunt for a national championship, and with the heavy importance of schedule strength, being able to take down a strong nonconference opponent can only help the push. If USC can win in South Bend, it could offset having a loss (or two) in Pac-12 play if it also wins the conference title.
14. Michigan at Utah
3 of 16
When: Sept. 3
We'd like to say this game is getting national attention because of how Utah played last season, breaking through to win nine games after a few losing records before that. But the Utes are the undercard to the main attraction: new Michigan coach Jim Harbaugh.
The former Wolverines quarterback, who left the NFL to coach his alma mater, makes his debut with this Thursday night trip to Salt Lake City. It's the second half of a home-and-home series that began last year with Utah winning a rain-soaked game in Ann Arbor that signaled the beginning of the end for Michigan coach Brady Hoke.
While most of the people tuning in to this game on Fox Sports 1 will be doing so to see the khaki-wearing, social media-ruling Harbaugh roam the sidelines, the biggest impression made on them could come from Utah running back Devontae Booker. Booker's coach is hyping him as a Heisman candidate, and being able to put up a big game on such a huge stage would serve as a great springboard into early award conversation.
.jpg?w=256 "Ohio State Team Doctor")
13. USC at Arizona State
4 of 16
When: Sept. 26
Steve Sarkisian's first season at USC was more memorable for the ones that got away than the victories he was able to claim. The last-second home loss to Arizona State was as humbling as any of those defeats.
The Trojans gave up three touchdowns in the final four minutes, the last coming on a 46-yard Hail Mary pass from Mike Bercovici to Jaelen Strong in which Strong went uncovered down the field and untouched as he hauled in the catch just before the goal line and strolled in. Several USC defenders could be seen standing around, unsure of what they were supposed to be doing on a play that every team practices countless times during the season.
"Coaches called one play, and then they switched it," USC safety Gerald Bowman told Gary Klein of the Los Angeles Times. "I don't think everyone knew the call was switched. I don't think everyone was on the same page."
That game also served as the first win for Bercovici, who was filling in for the injured Taylor Kelly. Now ASU's starter, he no longer has Strong at his disposal, as the wideout went pro after last season.
12. UCLA at Utah
5 of 16
When: Nov. 21
UCLA had playoff buzz after a 4-0 start to last season. Then, the Utah game happened. Ten sacks of Brett Hundley and some late field goals later, the Bruins had been upset at home while the visiting Utes were getting plenty of buzz of their own.
The Bruins have to wait until almost the end of this season to seek revenge, and they'll have to do it at the start of a season-ending two-game road trip.
Utah's Rice-Eccles Stadium isn't an easy place to play at, what with the Mighty Utah Student Section providing the home team with plenty of support from the bleachers. And with UCLA very likely going with a freshman—phenom Josh Rosen—at quarterback, the challenge will be even harder.
11. Stanford at USC
6 of 16
When: Sept. 19
Because of their annual games against Notre Dame later in the season, Stanford and USC get their conference schedule going earlier than the rest of the Pac-12 for the second year in a row. Last season, that saw USC squeak out a 13-10 win at Stanford, setting the tone for each team's 2014 campaign.
Both teams should be 2-0 when they meet in Los Angeles, with USC hosting Arkansas State and Idaho, while Stanford visits Northwestern and hosts a rebuilt UCF squad.
This game will also pit the two most experienced quarterbacks in the league against each other in fifth-year seniors Kevin Hogan (Stanford) and Cody Kessler (USC). Between them, they have 59 starts, more than 13,300 passing yards and 107 touchdowns.
10. Arizona State at UCLA
7 of 16
When: Oct. 3
Arizona State and UCLA ended up tied for second place in the Pac-12 South last season, but there was a clear separation between the teams when they met in person in 2014. In fact, it was the biggest blowout involving teams with winning records in the conference throughout the regular season.
UCLA wiped the floor with ASU, 62-27, in Tempe in a battle of 3-0 teams that featured a quarterback coming back from injury (Hundley) and one replacing an injured starter. Bercovici was making his first career start for ASU. While he threw for 488 yards and three touchdowns, he was also intercepted twice, with Ishmael Adams returning one of those picks 95 yards for a TD just before halftime.
Now, it's the Sun Devils with the experienced passer, as Bercovici takes over the job full time, while UCLA has a newcomer in there following Hundley's departure to the NFL.
9. Oregon at Michigan State
8 of 16
When: Sept. 12
It was one of the most hotly anticipated nonconference games of the 2014 season, and it did not disappoint. Can we be so lucky to have another good one when Michigan State and Oregon meet again, this time in East Lansing instead of Eugene?
Last year's game saw visiting MSU control the first half and lead by nine points in the third quarter before eventual Heisman trophy winner Marcus Mariota took off and carried the Ducks to victory. That win carried so much value that Oregon was able to shake off a loss to Arizona a few weeks later and still make the playoffs, eventually reaching the national championship game.
That could be Michigan State's road to the semifinals this season, as it has a veteran quarterback in Connor Cook who returned for his senior year specifically for games such as this. If the Spartans can hold serve at home, that could negate a potential loss later in the season (such as at defending national champion Ohio State) and keep them in the playoff hunt.
But Oregon's new quarterback—either Jeff Lockie or transfer Vernon Adams—will have plenty to say about that.
8. UCLA at Arizona
9 of 16
When: Sept. 26
Arizona coach Rich Rodriguez has made great strides in his three seasons with the Wildcats, claiming the Pac-12 South title last year and beating nine different teams in the conference. UCLA hasn't been one of them, as he's 0-3 against the Bruins, and each loss has been in a different manner.
The first meeting, in 2012, was a blowout loss of 66-10. A year later, UCLA unleashed Myles Jack on Arizona's defense, and he ran over it to a win in Tucson. Last season was a defensive struggle, with the Bruins claiming the 17-7 victory.
The Wildcats managed to shake off that loss in 2014 to still win the division, but this year, the game serves as the conference opener for both teams. Dropping one right off the bat, and to a team that has had the Wildcats' number under Rodriguez, won't bode well for being able to repeat as division champions.
7. Oregon at Arizona State
10 of 16
When: Oct. 29
Arizona State and Oregon have avoided each other the past two years because of the Pac-12's scheduling rotation, which means ASU has had to wait for an opportunity to end its longest active losing streak against any conference opponent.
The Sun Devils last beat the Ducks in 2004, losing the last seven meetings.
This game was pulled off the weekend schedule for a Thursday kickoff, though we'd imagine the Ducks and Sun Devils would be able to put together some pretty sweet Halloween costumes had it remained on Saturday. We'll have to settle for some scary-good offenses slinging it all over the place.
6. UCLA at Stanford
11 of 16
When: Oct. 15
Though California and USC are their true in-state rivals, respectively, there's still plenty to the series between Stanford and UCLA—even if it's been one-sided for the past six years.
Stanford has claimed the last seven meetings, including the 2012 Pac-12 Championship Game, with those wins over the Bruins coming by an average of nearly 18 points per game. And two of the last three contests have seen the Cardinal deny UCLA a championship—the conference title game in 2012 and last year's South Division title, when Stanford rolled into the Rose Bowl and thumped the Bruins, 31-10.
Unlike last season, when the teams met to end the year, this time around, it's right in the middle of the schedule. And both teams will have extra rest before meeting on The Farm, as each has a bye the week before this Thursday night tilt.
5. Arizona State vs. Texas A&M in Houston
12 of 16
When: Sept. 5
The Pac-12 and SEC were considered the two best conferences in the country last season, but without any head-to-head meetings between the leagues, it was difficult to accurately compare them. Thankfully, we get a big-time interconference battle during opening weekend to help settle this debate.
Arizona State and Texas A&M will kick things off in Houston's NRG Stadium, each hoping it can get 2015 off to a hot start with a key non-league win that would serve as a great resume boost later in the season. It will be the first Pac-12/SEC contest since Auburn edged Washington State at home to open the 2013 season.
ASU hasn't faced an SEC opponent since 2012, losing to Missouri, while A&M's last game against a Pac-12 foe came in 2006 when it was blown out by California in the Holiday Bowl.
4. Oregon at Stanford
13 of 16
When: Nov. 14
Since expanding to 12 teams and forming two divisions in 2011, the Pac-12's North has been won by either Oregon or Stanford. Even in the 2010 season, when every team in the league still played each other, the Oregon-Stanford game determined the conference championship.
This burgeoning rivalry has featured some of the best games the conference has produced, with the exception of last year when Oregon handily beat the Cardinal en route to the North Division title and eventually a spot in the national championship game. The previous two years, Stanford wins prevented the Ducks from having a shot at the title.
We're expecting this game to once again be the de facto Pac-12 North championship, though that assumes Oregon won't have any backslide in the post-Marcus Mariota era and Stanford is able to fix the problems it had in the red zone from last season that caused it to slip to 5-4 in league play.
3. Arizona at Arizona State
14 of 16
When: Nov. 21
With UCLA falling at home to Stanford on the same afternoon, Arizona and Arizona State knew as they played last year that the winner would be the Pac-12 South champion. That ultimately led to Arizona claiming its first championship of any sort since joining the conference in the late 1970s, and both it and ASU should be in the hunt for the division title again.
Normally held on Thanksgiving weekend, the battle for the Territorial Cup is a week earlier, but it will still serve as Arizona's regular-season finale since the Wildcats play 12 consecutive weeks before having an ill-timed bye at the end of their schedule. ASU gets to close with a trip to California, somewhat of a letdown after what is sure to be a heated matchup between in-state rivals in Tempe.
Arizona lost by 37 points the last time it played at Sun Devil Stadium, but very few of the team's key offensive stars were a part of that 2013 unit.
2. USC at Oregon
15 of 16
When: Nov. 21
Because of the Pac-12's unbalanced schedule, there are some potential major interdivision games that don't happen each year. We won't see UCLA and Oregon for the next two seasons. Instead, we get a renewal of what had been a great series of games between Oregon and USC, which has been on hiatus since 2012.
Their last meeting nearly broke the scoreboard in the Los Angeles Coliseum, with Oregon racing to a 62-51 victory. The year before, USC went to Eugene and built a 24-point lead before holding on for a 38-35 win, and the visitors have actually won the last three meetings in the series.
This will be the tail end of a two-game road trip for the Trojans, who eight days earlier will have played a potential Friday night trap game at Colorado. For Oregon, it will be coming off the big matchup at Stanford but likely wouldn't overlook a team as potent as USC.
1. UCLA at USC
16 of 16
When: Nov. 28
The Victory Bell trophy has stayed in Westwood for the past three years, since UCLA hired Jim Mora, and he began resurrecting that program. He's since surpassed crosstown rival USC, which had won 14 of the previous meetings under Paul Hackett, Pete Carroll and Lane Kiffin.
It's been a while since both UCLA and USC have been this good at the same time, and that lifts this rivalry game to the top of the list among Pac-12 games. The fact that it could very well determine who wins the South Division just adds to the hype.
This regular-season finale could also be a make-or-break game for each team in its quest to get into the playoffs, since the Bruins and Trojans are both expected to be on the short list of title contenders heading into 2015.
Follow Brian J. Pedersen on Twitter at @realBJP.
.jpg?w=480 "Ohio State Team Doctor")
