Unlike the B-10 (14 teams) or the B-12 (10 teams) the PAC 12 thinks numbers matter, evidenced by their history of having the number of teams in their league be reflective in what they call themselves. The conference was formed on December 2, 1915 in Portland, Oregon’s Imperial Hotel and until 1959 was known as the Pacific Coast Conference (PCC). The four founding members were University of California (Berkeley), University of Washington, University of Oregon, & Oregon Agriculture College (now Oregon State) and began competition in 1916. In 1917, Washington State College (now Washington State University) joined the League followed by Stanford in 1918. In 1922 the conference grew again when USC & Idaho signed up, in 1924 Montana entered the league and UCLA was brought into the fold in 1928. In 1950 Montana left the PCC to join the Mountain States Conference and the PCC remained a nine team league until 1958. Then in 1959, the Pacific Coast Conference disbanded after the “Pay for Play” scandals involving Cal, USC, UCLA & Washington. From 59 through 68 it was known as the Athletic Association of Western Universities (AAWU). In 1968 it renamed itself, yet again, this time to the PAC 8 ( 4 California Schools, two Universities in Oregon & 2 in Washington)! In 1978, the conference added Arizona & Arizona State and became the the PAC 10! Finally, in 2011, we arrived at its current name , PAC 12, with the additions of Utah & Colorado!
One thing to remember, the PAC 12 plays nine conference games, the Big 10 (moving to 9 in 2016), SEC, & ACC currently play 8. Further, the ACC, B-10, & SEC have 14 teams in their respective conferences, 7 in each of their divisions to the PAC 12’s, 12 teams with 6 placed in each division. Like the other FBS conferences, the PAC 12 is limited to 12 total games (unless they schedule Hawaii, in Hawaii, … if they do, they may add a 13th game to cover travel costs), since they play 9 conferences games, they may only schedule 3 NC opponents. Simply put, the PAC 12 out of conference match-ups are limited to 3, not 4, like the other divisional PC Conferences! The P-12’s North & South play all five teams on their respective sides of the league and play 4 crossover divisional games (not 2 walk-over tilts, like the ACC, B-10, & SEC)! Please Note, The PAC 12’s structure is different than the other three Power Conferences with divisions, due to fewer teams in the league & a greater number of conference games!
Let’s begin with the South Division: They play 9 conference games for a total of 54 dates & battle 18 NC opponents. Alright, let’s look at their Power Conference opponents in 2014. UCLA: plays at Virginia (ACC) & Texas (B-12) at a neutral site, Arlington, TX; USC battles the Catholics, @ Boston College (ACC) & hosts ND (IND); (Please Note, their are only 2 Catholic Universities playing in the FBS & the Trojans are playing both schools); Arizona: has elected not to schedule an opponent from a PC; Arizona State welcomes the Irish to Tempe; Utah: travels to the ‘Big House’ to take on Michigan (B-10); while Colorado: does not have a PC opponent on their slate for 2014! The South Division will compete against 6 Power Conference teams (ACC 2; ND 2; B-12 1; & B-10, 1) in the coming season, with UCLA & SC accounting for 4 of the 6 games!
In 2013, the South Division went 3-2 against PC opponents, UCLA beat Nebraska, 41-21; SC beat BC, 35-7 & lost to ND, 14-10; Arizona did not play a NC team from a Power Conference, Arizona State beat Wisconsin, 32-30 & lost to the Irish, 37-34; Utah did not play a NC team from a PC; Colorado did not schedule a Power Conference opponent!
North Division: Oregon: Plays Michigan State (B-10) in Eugene on Sept. 6th, a must see game; Stanford: travels to South Bend to battle Notre Dame, Washington: hosts the Illini (B-10); Oregon State: has elected not to schedule a Power Conference team in O14; Washington State: battles Rutgers (B-10) @ home; & Cal plays @ Northwestern (B-10). The North Division of the PAC 12 takes on 5 PC foes, four from from the Big Ten!
In 2013, the North Division was 4-3 vs a Power Conference line-up, Oregon beat Virginia, 59-10 & Tennessee, 59-14; Stanford beat ND 27-20; Washington outscored the Illini, 34-24; Oregon State did not play a PC last season; Washington State lost to Auburn, 31-24; Cal lost to Northwestern, 44-30 & Ohio State, 52-34.
In 2014, the PAC 12 plays 11 NC games against PC opponents. They play 5 on the road, 5 at home, and one at a neutral site. ‘The West Coast Guys’ take on the B-10 five times, the Irish on 3 occasions, the ACC twice, & the B-12 once!
Up Next: The Big 12 vs Power Conferences
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