College Football 2011: The 10 Games That Will Decide the Pac 12 Championship

Say goodbye to the Pac 10 and hello to the newly created Pac 12 Conference.

With the addition of both Colorado and Utah joining the newly structured conference,  the Pac 12 should be one of the most competitive conferences in the nation in 2011. Not to mention, with 12 teams now in the mix, the Pac 12 will be hosting their first conference championship.

The college football schedules have bee released for next season and with top-rated teams like Oregon, Stanford and USC all preparing to take the field. This year's Pac 12 conference has the chance to be more open than ever.

Let's take a look at the Pac 12 schedule and point out 10 games that will decide who plays in the 2011 Pac 12 championship game.

10. Oct. 22: UCLA at Arizona

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TUCSON, AZ - DECEMBER 02: Quarterback Nick Foles #8 of the Arizona Wildcats throws a pass against the Arizona State Sun Devils during the college football game at Arizona Stadium on December 2, 2010 in Tucson, Arizona. The Sun Devils defeated the Wildcat

Yes, Oregon, Stanford and USC are the top favorites heading into the Pac 12 season, but UCLA and Arizona are two teams that have had success recently and could contend for a conference title with a little luck.

Arizona plays Stanford, Oregon and USC back-to-back-to-back early on the season, and then from there on out, they have a realistic shot at going undefeated in the second half of the season. If the Wildcats can win one of those three games, then this Oct. 22 matchup against UCLA should be the biggest test they have for the rest of the season.

Arizona was great in 2010 and don't be surprised to see the Wildcats make a run at the Pac 12 championship game in 2011.

9. Oct. 13: USC at Cal

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LOS ANGELES, CA - OCTOBER 16: Matt Barkley #7 of the USC Trojans reacts at the line during the game against the California Golden Bears at Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum on October 16, 2010 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Harry How/Getty Images)

Other than USC's game at Oregon on Nov. 19, this matchup at Cal could very well be the most difficult away game for the Trojans this season.

These two teams have had a number of good battles over the past couple of years and chances are this one will be much the same. If the Trojans can escape Berkeley with a victory, then that matchup against Oregon could very well have league championship implications.

USC might have the edge on paper heading into this matchup, but chances are it will be another classic.

8. Nov. 5: Stanford at Oregon State

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PALO ALTO, CA - NOVEMBER 27: Andrew Luck #12 of the Stanford Cardinal passes the ball against the Oregon State Beavers at Stanford Stadium on November 27, 2010 in Palo Alto, California. (Photo by Ezra Shaw/Getty Images)

By the looks of it, Oregon State could be an improved group in 2011. With that said, this Nov. 5 matchup is a huge game for Stanford.

The Cardinal very well could be undefeated going into this game, and with Oregon looming the following week, this is a must-win game for Stanford.

Playing away in college football is never an easy task, but Stanford is going to have to go to Oregon State with a trip to the Pac 12 championship on the line, and leave with a victory. It might not look all that close on paper, but this will be a much closer game than the 38-0 rout that Stanford laid on Oregon State this past season.

7. Nov. 5: Oregon at Washington

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SEATTLE - OCTOBER 24: LaMichael James #21 of the Oregon Ducks carries the ball against Nate Fellner #29 of the Washington Huskies on October 24, 2009 at Husky Stadium in Seattle, Washington. The Ducks defeated the Huskies 43-19. (Photo by Otto Greule Jr/

This is another one of those trap games that the Oregon Ducks have to be careful of in 2011.

The bottom line here is that Oregon should win this game, probably pretty convincingly. But with the season winding down, and it being an away game, this game could be closer than most people think. If Washington was to upset the Ducks, it would have major implications on the Pac 12 championship game, and probably make Stanford the favorite.

Like I said, chances are Oregon rolls in this one, but hey, you never know.

6. Oct. 15: Arizona State at Oregon

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GLENDALE, AZ - JANUARY 10: Darron Thomas #1 of the Oregon Ducks looks on against the Auburn Tigers during the Tostitos BCS National Championship Game at University of Phoenix Stadium on January 10, 2011 in Glendale, Arizona. (Photo by Ronald Martinez/Ge

This is a mid-season game for Oregon against Arizona State, so why is this important?

The reason is because people don't realize how dangerous Arizona State could be next season.

Dennis Erickson's club expects to return 21 starters back from a team was just often just a play or two away from a breakout year in 2010. In fact, it might be fair to say that after Oregon, Stanford and USC, Arizona State is the fourth best team in the Pac 12 heading into the season.

The fact that this game is in Eugene should mean that the Ducks will come away with a victory. But it should be closer than people might expect.

5. Nov. 19: Cal at Stanford

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MIAMI, FL - JANUARY 03: Andrew Luck #12 of the Stanford Cardinal celebrates after he threw a 38-yard touchdown pass in the fourth quarter against the Virginai Tech Hokies during the 2011 Discover Orange Bowl at Sun Life Stadium on January 3, 2011 in Miam

To say that this game is a big one might be a bit of an understatement.

In the final conference game of the season for Stanford, they will host Cal in a contest that should have huge implications on the Pac 12 final standings.

Remember, this is the game that will follow the big matchup between Stanford and Oregon. If Stanford wins that game, this could be a trap game if the Cardinal have a mental lapse.

But in all reality, with Andrew Luck calling the shots, all should be all good in Palo Alto.

4. Oct. 29: Stanford at USC

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PALO ALTO, CA - OCTOBER 09: Chris Owusu #81 of the Stanford Cardinal catches a ball over the outstreched arms of Jawanza Starling #29 of the USC Trojans at Stanford Stadium on October 9, 2010 in Palo Alto, California. (Photo by Ezra Shaw/Getty Images)

This game here should be Stanford's toughest road test in 2011.

The interesting thing about this game is that it comes right in the middle of the college football season, so for whatever team loses, they will have plenty of time to make up some ground in the race.

When looking at the Pac 12 picture as a whole, it might be fair to say that the winner of this game, should have a good chance at reaching the conference championship, assuming they don't slip up somewhere else along the way.

Welcome to the big leagues David Shaw, here is your first huge road test.

3. Nov. 26: Oregon State at Oregon

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CORVALLIS, OR - DECEMBER 4: Brandon Hanna #44 and Talmadge Jackson III #37 of the Oregon Ducks close in on Jacquizz Rodgers #1 of the Oregon State Beavers in the second quarter of the game at Reser Stadium on December 4, 2010 in Corvallis, Oregon. The Duc

Oregon State vs. Oregon? Why is this game so high up on this list?

Well, the reason is that this is the final conference game of the season for both of these teams, and chances are that the Ducks will have to win this game in order to secure a spot in the conference championship game.

Remember, we are breaking down the games that will decide the Pac 12 championship. Well, being the final game and an in-state rivalry, I think it's fair to say that this game will play a huge role into the Ducks making it to the conference championship.

2. Nov. 19: USC at Oregon

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LOS ANGELES, CA - OCTOBER 30: Darron Thomas #1 of the Oregon Ducks passes in front of Michael Morgan #17 of the USC Trojans during the second quarter at Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum on October 30, 2010 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Harry How/Ge

How fitting is it that this game comes late in the season and most likely will play a huge role as to which team makes it to the Pac 12 championship game in 2011.

This game features two of the top quarterbacks in the nation in Matt Barkley and Darron Thomas, so with those two on the field, this one should not disappoint.

You would have to say that Oregon has the slight edge here being at home, but it is possible that both of these teams might either be undefeated or have just one loss in conference play coming into this game.

Like mentioned earlier, it is likely that this Pac 12 race will come down to these two teams and Stanford. Either way, this game should set the stage for that Dec. 3 conference title game.

1. Nov. 12: Oregon at Stanford

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EUGENE, OR - OCTOBER 2: Quarterback Andrew Luck #12 of the Stanford Cardinal sets to throw a pass in the third quarter of the game against the Oregon Ducks at Autzen Stadium on October 2, 2010 in Eugene, Oregon. Oregon won the game 52-31. (Photo by Steve

This game would be worthy of a National Championship matchup, so the fact that fans get to see this one in Mid-November is certainly special.

It is no secret that these are the two teams that everyone expects to see on top of the Pac 12 this season. But, keep this in mind—the conference has been divided into two divisions and if the winners from each division meet each other in the conference championship game, then only one of these schools will be playing in that game because they are both in the Pac 12 North Division.

With that said, this game takes on even more meaning, because the winner of this game, will likely represent the North in the conference championship.

Stanford returns QB Andrew Luck, while Oregon returns RB LaMichael James. These two players should be the Heisman favorites coming into the season and will likely play huge roles as far as which team makes it to perhaps not only the conference championship, but the National Championship game as well.

Sit back and enjoy folks, this one should be a beauty.