Twenty FBS teams from outside the Pac-12 would lose at least one non-conference game if the Pac-12 plays a conference-only schedule. Two of those teams have a solution…at least for their own schedules.
The Pac-12 has discussed an 11-game conference-only schedule, USC head coach Clay Helton confirmed during a media call on Monday.
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"That is one of the many structures as we go through this situation and this crisis that is a possibility of an all-conference schedule,” Helton said. “That is one of the structures under discussion, depending on where we are at six to eight weeks from now. Those are viable discussions, and it has been brought up in our meetings.”
If that happens, 28 different teams, including 20 from the FBS, would lose at least one non-conference game. (For BYU and Hawai'i, they'd lose three Pac-12 opponents.) Two of those teams, Alabama and TCU, could fill the void by playing each other.
"Alabama has had talks with TCU in case USC has to be replaced on the Week 1 schedule for the upcoming season according to [Paul Finebaum]," Michael Bratton tweeted on Tuesday. "TCU is scheduled to play Cal on Sept. 5, the same date as Alabama vs. USC is scheduled in Arlington."
Which other teams could, theoretically speaking, do the same?
Some potential notable matchups for the Pac-12 non-conference opponents:
Week 1: Michigan vs. Oklahoma State, North Dakota State vs. Michigan, North Dakota State vs. Oklahoma State, BYU vs. Michigan, BYU vs. Oklahoma State, North Dakota State vs. BYU
Week 2: Houston vs. Ohio State, Fresno State vs. Ohio State, Colorado State vs. Houston, Fresno State vs. Houston
Week 3: BYU vs. Texas Tech, BYU vs. Texas A&M, Texas Tech vs. Texas A&M, San Diego State vs. BYU, San Diego State vs. Texas Tech, San Diego State vs. Texas A&M
Week 13: BYU vs. Notre Dame
As I noted here while constructing sucking tiers, it would suck to lose Oregon-Ohio State and the Pac-12's other non-conference games, but this would be a fair solution.
