Got off work early today and this is what I did with my time. If the Pac-12 wants to hire me as a scheduling consultant, so be it.
Pod 1: Washington, Wazzu, Oregon, Oregon State
Pod 2: Cal, Stanford, USC, UCLA
Pod 3: Utah, Colorado, Arizona, Arizona State
Pod 4: Texas Tech, Oklahoma State, TCU, UH
Play every team in your own pod, two games each against other pods. Nine conference games total. The inter-pod games are always one home, one away so that every Texas school has the opportunity to play in California every year, and every Cali school has the opportunity to play in Texas every year.
“What about when Pod 2 (Cali schools) is scheduled to play in Stillwater?” That game gets moved to Jerry World. With nine conference games, OKST only has to play at Jerry World when they have four true home games and four true road games to keep things fair. Travel between Lubbock and Pullman or Corvallis would be a nightmare. So we play them in Vegas every year, whether home or away. Sacrifice a home game in Lubbock every now and then (make it up by scheduling a P5 non-con), but ease some travel logistics and get a really fun game in Vegas every year.
Within pods, there are also natural pairs. Could easily be structured where Tech never plays both USC and UCLA in the same year, but always gets one or the other. Same with Washington and Oregon. Same with always playing one of the Arizona schools.
So here’s how it shakes out for those of you worried about kickoff times:
Our three intra-pod games are all central time zone. One away game each against Pods 1 and 2 (pacific time zone) and 3 (mountain time zone). Make an agreement with the Pac-12 that Tech will not play a 7 p.m. local time kickoff on the west coast if it can at all be avoided. So we have MAYBE one 9 p.m. central time kickoff all year when we go to the west coast. If an away game in the mountain time zone kicks off at 7 p.m. local time, that’s 8 p.m. in Lubbock. Not great, not terrible, especially when it’s once per year.
So here’s what your schedule might look like in 2022:
Non-conference:
vs. Texas
@ Rice (NRG Stadium)
vs. UTEP
[Thinking we’d keep a strong in-state presence for future non-conference games and that UT would agree to a non-con game to promote with the networks]
Pac-16 schedule:
vs. Oregon
@ UCLA (kickoff no later than 8 p.m. central)
vs. Stanford
@ Washington State (Las Vegas, kickoff no later than 8 p.m. central)
vs. UH
@ Arizona (kickoff no later than 8 p.m. central)
vs. Colorado
vs. TCU
@ OKST
And this could be 2024’s conference schedule:
vs. Washington
@ USC (kickoff no later than 8 p.m. central)
vs. Cal
@ Oregon State (Las Vegas, kickoff no later than 8 p.m. central)
vs. UH
@ Arizona State (kickoff no later than 8 p.m. central)
vs. Utah
vs. TCU
@ OKST
For 2023 and 2025, just flip home and away. I’d LOVE to be in a pod with OKST and the Arizona schools but that wouldn’t make sense with TCU and UH. With KU/ISU/KSU or someone else that’s a better geographic fit with Colorado and Utah, maybe it works.
Anyway, my point is that pod/pairs scheduling makes for some really cool opportunities and mitigates some of the travel/time zone/kickoff time worries. This guarantees you games every year against one of USC/UCLA, one of Oregon/Washington, one of Arizona/Arizona State, plus all rivalries with OKST, TCU, and UH (if those are the teams).
Benefits central time zone teams going west, making sure they get to play at least one Pac-12 blue blood on an annual basis at home and two blue bloods overall. Benefits west coast schools by ensuring they get exposure in Texas at least once per year. Mitigates travel disaster between Lubbock/Stillwater and Corvallis/Wazzu while also getting those teams in Vegas every year - good for TV, good for recruiting (What college kid doesn’t want a guaranteed annual trip to Vegas with his best friends?).
Who says no? Probably nobody but I bet OKST isn’t thrilled about giving up a game in Stillwater against USC/UCLA and playing it in Dallas instead. Oh well, too bad for them.
In before “TLDR”
Pod 1: Washington, Wazzu, Oregon, Oregon State
Pod 2: Cal, Stanford, USC, UCLA
Pod 3: Utah, Colorado, Arizona, Arizona State
Pod 4: Texas Tech, Oklahoma State, TCU, UH
Play every team in your own pod, two games each against other pods. Nine conference games total. The inter-pod games are always one home, one away so that every Texas school has the opportunity to play in California every year, and every Cali school has the opportunity to play in Texas every year.
“What about when Pod 2 (Cali schools) is scheduled to play in Stillwater?” That game gets moved to Jerry World. With nine conference games, OKST only has to play at Jerry World when they have four true home games and four true road games to keep things fair. Travel between Lubbock and Pullman or Corvallis would be a nightmare. So we play them in Vegas every year, whether home or away. Sacrifice a home game in Lubbock every now and then (make it up by scheduling a P5 non-con), but ease some travel logistics and get a really fun game in Vegas every year.
Within pods, there are also natural pairs. Could easily be structured where Tech never plays both USC and UCLA in the same year, but always gets one or the other. Same with Washington and Oregon. Same with always playing one of the Arizona schools.
So here’s how it shakes out for those of you worried about kickoff times:
Our three intra-pod games are all central time zone. One away game each against Pods 1 and 2 (pacific time zone) and 3 (mountain time zone). Make an agreement with the Pac-12 that Tech will not play a 7 p.m. local time kickoff on the west coast if it can at all be avoided. So we have MAYBE one 9 p.m. central time kickoff all year when we go to the west coast. If an away game in the mountain time zone kicks off at 7 p.m. local time, that’s 8 p.m. in Lubbock. Not great, not terrible, especially when it’s once per year.
So here’s what your schedule might look like in 2022:
Non-conference:
vs. Texas
@ Rice (NRG Stadium)
vs. UTEP
[Thinking we’d keep a strong in-state presence for future non-conference games and that UT would agree to a non-con game to promote with the networks]
Pac-16 schedule:
vs. Oregon
@ UCLA (kickoff no later than 8 p.m. central)
vs. Stanford
@ Washington State (Las Vegas, kickoff no later than 8 p.m. central)
vs. UH
@ Arizona (kickoff no later than 8 p.m. central)
vs. Colorado
vs. TCU
@ OKST
And this could be 2024’s conference schedule:
vs. Washington
@ USC (kickoff no later than 8 p.m. central)
vs. Cal
@ Oregon State (Las Vegas, kickoff no later than 8 p.m. central)
vs. UH
@ Arizona State (kickoff no later than 8 p.m. central)
vs. Utah
vs. TCU
@ OKST
For 2023 and 2025, just flip home and away. I’d LOVE to be in a pod with OKST and the Arizona schools but that wouldn’t make sense with TCU and UH. With KU/ISU/KSU or someone else that’s a better geographic fit with Colorado and Utah, maybe it works.
Anyway, my point is that pod/pairs scheduling makes for some really cool opportunities and mitigates some of the travel/time zone/kickoff time worries. This guarantees you games every year against one of USC/UCLA, one of Oregon/Washington, one of Arizona/Arizona State, plus all rivalries with OKST, TCU, and UH (if those are the teams).
Benefits central time zone teams going west, making sure they get to play at least one Pac-12 blue blood on an annual basis at home and two blue bloods overall. Benefits west coast schools by ensuring they get exposure in Texas at least once per year. Mitigates travel disaster between Lubbock/Stillwater and Corvallis/Wazzu while also getting those teams in Vegas every year - good for TV, good for recruiting (What college kid doesn’t want a guaranteed annual trip to Vegas with his best friends?).
Who says no? Probably nobody but I bet OKST isn’t thrilled about giving up a game in Stillwater against USC/UCLA and playing it in Dallas instead. Oh well, too bad for them.
In before “TLDR”
