2016 Oregon St. and Pac-12 Schedule

The tentative/initial 2016 football schedule for the Pac-12 is out, and we know where, and on what days (pending any late adjustments) everyone will be playing. Start times of course will be set as the networks set their tv schedules.

Oregon State will have 7 home games in 2016, including 3 (!) in October, all on Saturdays (!), concluding when the Beavers host the Civil War, and that will be on Saturday next year. It's a dramatic change, as Oregon State has not had even 2 home games in October since 2012. In 2014, there weren't any home games in October on a Saturday. And after playing a quarter of the schedule not on Saturdays this past season, there's only 1 week night game in 2016, and that's before Labor Day.

Oregon State starts the season in Minneapolis, with a visit to Minnesota on Thursday, Sept. 1, for another game against a B1G Ten opponent, starting a home and home series that will see the Gophers visit Reser Stadium in 2017. It's 1 of only 5 Pac-12 games on Thursdays, and 2 of those are on opening weekend.

There are also only 7 Friday games this season, and 2 of those are on opening weekend, and 2 the day after Thanksgiving.

The Beavers' other 2 non-conference games are at home, both against teams from Idaho. And both after arguably the worst timed bye ever.

Idaho State, from the FCS Big Sky Conference, visits on Sept. 17, a full 16 days after the opener. That wastes a prime weekend, but the real issue is it sets up a grueling gauntlet, where the Beavers will play 11 straight weeks.

Boise State visits September 24th., completing the non-conference schedule, and the home and home series that started with Oregon State/s visit to Boise back in 2010.

Conference competition starts on October 1, with a visit to Colorado. It's a good chance for one of what will be one of the most winnable games of the season, and the trip comes early enough that weather shouldn't be an issue in or on the way to Boulder. Indeed, it could be one of the best road trips of the season.

The Beavers return home for back to back games against California, on Oct. 8, and then Utah, on Oct.15.

Oregon State heads up I-5 on Oct. 22, to visit Washington. This is the earliest that the Beavers and Huskies have played in years, after playing the weekend before Thanksgiving the last 3 years in a row, and 4 out of the last 5. It might make for a pleasant trip to Montlake this time.

The Cougs come down to Corvallis the following weekend, and though Oregon is also at home that weekend, their visitors are from Arizona State, so the brutal I-5 jams that have ensued when both Washington teams come to the valley on the same weekend will be averted next year.

In fact, after both Oregon State and Oregon played on the same day in 4 different states last season, there will only be 3 such weekends this season (actually, there are 4, but Oregon at USC & Oregon State at Stanford won't be a travel issue). Colorado is at Oregon the same day Boise State visits Oregon State, and Washington visits Oregon the same weekend California comes to Oregon State; at least the visitors will be coming from opposite directions.

November starts with back to back road games, beginning with a trip to Stanford Nov. 5. It won't be the state of Oregon in the Bay Area event we have seen the last couple of trips down though, as its Washington State that will be at California that weekend.

The last road trip of the year is to the Rose Bowl, on Nov. 12. Being in the middle of a 3 day weekend, with Veterans' Day on Friday, travel for Beaver fans will be easier to fit into at least most work schedules.

Oregon State wraps up the season with back to back home games, with Arizona coming up the weekend before Thanksgiving. Late November is often a good time to get one of the desert schools, who frequently have struggled notoriously with bad northwest weather in November.

Two of the conference rivalry games are on the day after Thanksgiving, and next year, it will be the Territorial Cup, back on what has been a semi-traditional date, and the Apple Cup. (That howling you hear are the Huskie fans, who hate to make the trip to Pullman for a day after Thanksgiving game, instead of Saturday).

The Civil War will be one of only 2 of the rivalry games on the final Saturday of the season, with Utah visiting Colorado in the other one. The reason, of course, is the incessant Notre Dame intrusion, as the Irish will visit USC that day next year. The good news, especially for Cal fans, is they actually get the closest thing to a rivalry game to end the season (since they refuse to play the "Big" Game after Thanksgiving), as the Bears will get to host UCLA that day. This after having hosted Stanford the weekend before.

No one will be in the odd position of having to finish the season early due to Notre Dame though, as Stanford, in one of the oddest of scheduling twists, hosts Rice on the final Saturday of the season.

Speaking of Cal, the season actually starts early, on Sat. Aug. 27, when California takes on Hawaii. It will be on the island, but not the one you usually associate with a game against the Rainbow Warriors, or whatever they are these days. This game will be in ANZ Stadium in Sydney, Australia. And note that the noon local time for kickoff in Hawaii means the game will be conveniently at 7 PM PDT on Friday, Aug. 26 for Pac-12 fans not traveling half way around the world.

The Pac-12 got so much ratings mileage this year out of having USC take on Stanford a week before anyone else did in the conference that they have a rematch on the books, with the Cardinal visiting the Trojans on Sept. 15.

The Pac-12 season will conclude on Friday, December 2, with the Conference Championship game. It will again be at Levi's Stadium in Santa Clara, and will be televised by FOX.

Notably, with the visit from Boise State being so late, and the resulting early bye, Oregon State and Washington State will be the last teams to play a conference game, as all the other teams in the conference play conference games on the last weekend in September, and both USC and Stanford will have 2 conference games in the books before the Beavers or Cougars even play one.

Other than that twist, and being one of only 2 teams (with the Cougs) without a break of some sort in the conference schedule, its a much better schedule than some that the Beavers have faced in recent seasons.

Boise State (the Broncos host the Cougs Sept. 10) plays 2 Pac-12 teams, and BYU 3, with a game against Arizona, not in Tucson, but Glendale, at Utah, and home against UCLA the first 3 weekends of the season.

The LA schools have a big Labor Day weekend Texas roady planned, with USC taking on Alabama in Arlington, TX, and UCLA visiting Texas A&M.

Here's the complete Oregon State schedule:

Sept. 1 at Minnesota (Thursday)  (non-conference)

Sept. 10 Bye

Sept. 17 Idaho State (non-conference)

Sept. 24 Boise State  (non-conference)

Oct. 1 at Colorado

Oct. 8 California

Oct. 15 Utah

Oct. 22 at Washington

Oct. 29 Washington State

Nov. 5 at Stanford

Nov. 12 at UCLA

Nov. 19 Arizona

Nov. 26 Oregon

Here's the complete Pac-12 Conference schedule:

Sat., Aug. 27

Hawai'i vs. California at ANZ Stadium, Sydney, Australia (Fri., Aug. 26 in North America)

Thurs., Sept. 1

Southern Utah at Utah

Oregon State at Minnesota

Fri. Sept. 2

Colorado State vs. Colorado at Sports Authority Field at Mile High Stadium, Denver, Colorado

Kansas State at Stanford

Sat., Sept. 3

Arizona vs. BYU at University of Phoenix Stadium, Glendale, AZ

Northern Arizona at Arizona State

USC vs. Alabama at AT&T Stadium, Arlington, TX

UCLA at Texas A&M

UC Davis at Oregon

Rutgers at Washington

Eastern Washington at Washington State

Sat., Sept. 10

Grambling at Arizona

Texas Tech at Arizona State

Utah State at USC

UNLV at UCLA

Idaho State at Colorado

BYU at Utah

Virginia at Oregon

Idaho at Washington

Washington State at Boise State

California at San Diego State

Fri,. Sept. 16

Arizona State at UT-San Antonio

Sat,. Sept. 17

Hawai'i at Arizona

USC at Stanford

UCLA at BYU

Colorado at Michigan

Utah at San Jose State

Oregon at Nebraska

Idaho State at Oregon State

Portland State at Washington

Idaho at Washington State

Texas at California

Fri., Sept. 23

USC at Utah

Sat., Sept. 24

Washington at Arizona

California at Arizona State

Stanford at UCLA

Colorado at Oregon

Boise State at Oregon State

Fri., Sept. 30

Stanford at Washington

Sat., Oct. 1

Arizona at UCLA

Arizona State at USC

Oregon State at Colorado

Utah at California

Oregon at Washington State

Sat., Oct. 8

Arizona at Utah

UCLA at Arizona State

Colorado at USC

Washington at Oregon

California at Oregon State

Washington State at Stanford

Sat., Oct. 15

USC at Arizona

Arizona State at Colorado

UCLA at Washington State

Utah at Oregon State

Stanford at Notre Dame

Fri., Oct. 21

Oregon at California

Sat., Oct. 22

Washington State at Arizona State

Utah at UCLA

Colorado at Stanford

Oregon State at Washington

Thurs. Oct. 27

California at USC

Sat., Oct. 29

Stanford at Arizona

Arizona State at Oregon

Washington at Utah

Washington State at Oregon State

Thurs., Nov. 3

UCLA at Colorado

Sat., Nov. 5

Arizona at Washington State

Oregon at USC

Oregon State at Stanford

Washington at California

Thurs., Nov. 10

Utah at Arizona State

Sat., Nov. 12

Colorado at Arizona

USC at Washington

Oregon State at UCLA

Stanford at Oregon

California at Washington State

Sat., Nov. 19

Arizona at Oregon State

Arizona State at Washington

USC at UCLA

Washington State at Colorado

Oregon at Utah

Stanford at California

Fri., Nov. 25

Arizona State at Arizona

Washington at Washington State

Sat., Nov. 26

UCLA at California

Utah at Colorado

Oregon AT Oregon State

Rice at Stanford

Notre Dame at USC

Fri. Dec. 2

Pac-12 Championship Game at Levi's Stadium, Santa Clara, CA

Andy_Wooldridge@yahoo.com