The Pros and Cons of Oregon’s Six-Game Conference Schedule

On Saturday, the PAC-12 released their revised 2020 schedule. The six-game conference-only schedule will consist of each team playing their entire division, plus a divisional crossover game.

The PAC-12 Championship game will take place Friday, Dec. 18, and will be accompanied by five cross division games determined by divisional ranking. Perhaps the best news of the day is that all games will not be hosted by the PAC-12 Network, and will instead be televised on ABC, ESPN, ESPN2, ESPNU, FOX and FS1.

Week Four will be the North’s rivalry week, and Week Six will be the South’s. And the first game of the PAC-12 season will take place just before Fox’s “Big Noon Kickoff” at 9 AM PT between Arizona State and USC.

Oregon Football’s 2020 Schedule 3.0

Nov. 7 - Stanford

Nov. 14 - @ Washington State

Nov. 20 (Friday) - UCLA

Nov. 27 (Friday) - @ Oregon State

Dec. 5 - @ Cal

Dec. 12 - Washington

December 18-19 is PAC-12 Championship Weekend

Photo by Kevork Djansezian/Getty Images

Pros

• Gone are the days when Oregon vs Stanford decided the fate of the PAC-12 North. The Cardinal are coming off of a 4-8 season and an especially brutal offseason filled with trips to the transfer portal, and with David Shaw being David Shaw it’s safe to say that there wont be any drastic changes made to save Stanford from their downward slope.
• A surprise visit from Chip Kelly and the UCLA Bruins is a gift from the PAC-12 Gods! Larry Scott and his cronies weren’t subtle in their favoritism towards the conference elite: Oregon plays UCLA, USC plays Wazzu, and Utah plays Oregon State. I know I’d be pissed if I was a UCLA fan considering they were supposed to miss out on Oregon this season.
• Our three away games are tough, but overall it could’ve been worse. @Washington State, @Oregon State and @Cal is a progressively harder slate, but even with the craziness of 2020 the Ducks should have a talent advantage against all these teams, and empty stadiums will help.
• It’s tough to say whether the Week Six game against Washington is a pro or con. Both teams have new offensive coordinators, however, the Ducks now need to install an entirely new offensive line, so later in the season would give the new line time to gel.
• The same could be said for Oregon’s secondary, which lost three of its best players to the 2021 NFL Draft. Suddenly Oregon’s depth isn’t as much of a strength as it was heading into Spring Camp, so particular losses to the roster could prove disastrous.
• There’s something nice about having the intensity ramp up at the end. Last season, Oregon peaked at the perfect moment by beating the Beavers and then taking down two quality teams to earn a PAC-12 Championship and a Rose Bowl victory. They have the opportunity to replicate that impressive run by beating the top-tier of the PAC-12 North and taking on the best in the South.

Photo by Christian Petersen/Getty Images

Cons

• We’re likely not making the College Football Playoffs. That would require us winning all seven games in dominating fashion; And that would require no cancellations from Oregon or an Oregon opponent; And even if the Ducks end up with an impressive 7-0 record, they’ll have to beat out other conference standouts that’ll have higher win totals.
• After a road trip to Washington State, Oregon plays consecutive Friday games: the first at home against UCLA and the second at Oregon State. The lack of fans in the stands helps ease the pain of Friday games, but it’s worth complaining about if you’re bored.
• There are only seven games. Not enough Duck football.

Overall, the schedule is favorable for the Ducks! What are your thoughts on this upcoming Odd-Duck season?