Sending out an SOS. USC's SOS is 10th in the conference. Oregon's SOS is 4th in the conference. Yet, USC has the 39th-ranked overall toughest schedule in 2023, 20 spots ahead of the Ducks. No comprendo.

 

SC has two lay-ups OOC. SC plays Utah and UW at home. I guess playing Notre Dame in South Bend is a super-human task.

 

Oregon has 5 games versus preseason-ranked teams (Texas Tech is preseason ranked in many of the mock rankings that are out there) with 3 of these games on the road. 59?

 

I was happy to see UCLA on the bottom rung for both OOC games and conference games. I won't bother to ask why the Pac-12 schedulers (Merton Hanks) gave this bon voyage gift to the Bruins. This simply fits into the conference's decade-plus dysfunction.

 

This ranking was done before Oregon picked up a quality O-line player from East Carolina. 

SOS is based on last years records, so just like preseason rankings, don't mean much at this point.  However, they seem to be giving a ton of credit to Notre Dame and none to Texas Tech.  Notre Dame was 9-4, Texas Tech 8-5.  Ducks are on the road for Utah and UW, while USC gets them both at home. 

 

I don't seem much of a difference between Portland St./Hawaii and San Jose St. and Nevada.  I guess San Jose is just that much better than Portland St.  20 spots seems like a lot, but it is all based on math, so I wonder if the actual math difference is all that much.

Gold: The 5 easiest Pac-12 nonconference schedules of 2023

SATURDAYOUTWEST.COM

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Forget a gauntlet. Some Pac-12 teams have front-loaded their schedules with cakewalks. Which conference squads are in store for the softest Septembers?

 

Gold: 5 toughest Pac-12 nonconference schedules

SATURDAYOUTWEST.COM

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Sorry Coach Prime, there will be no easy entry into the 2023 season for the Buffs. Colorado is one of many Pac-12 teams with a daunting nonconference slate.

 

Oregon should be here over ASU. Playing at texas Tech is more difficult than playing OK State at home.