For all of the posts in this series, visit the 2019-20 Non-Conference Scheduling Hub.

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Ranking The Teams

While the Pac-12 ended up placing three teams in the 2019 NCAA Tournament, that total required both an Oregon win the Pac-12 Tournament final and Selection Sunday oxygen-deprivation on the part of both Washington and Arizona State. And while all three teams managed to win at least one tournament game, bettering 2018’s goose egg, the heights of 2017 look to be long in the past when looking at these four-year rankings. Note that only four teams improved their standing when compared to 2018-19’s edition, with only the Huskies and Oregon State moving up by double digits. In other words, the Pac-12 really needs a strong year on the hardwood ... and soon.

Ranking The Schedules

Even though the Pac-12 doesn’t have a top 10 non-conference schedule nationally, the league has improved on aggregate when compared to a season ago. Seven slates rank in the top 100 nationally, a modest improvement upon the six of a season ago. However, 10 teams have non-conference schedules that rank in the top half nationally—just four did a season ago. Utah and Colorado, in particular, deserve credit for upping their games in seasons when they’re expected to do well.

While the Pac-12 will play the fewest true road games of the power conferences this season, over two-thirds of these will feature mid-major opposition. Sure, Washington State makes the short trip to Moscow to play neighbors Idaho and Utah meets Coastal Carolina on its home floor in the quarterfinals of the Myrtle Beach Invitational, but there are plenty of Mountain West and WCC opponents on the list, along with a trip to Princeton for Arizona State.

No Pac-12 team will play more than two true road games, with six league members doing so. Five play just one, while Washington isn’t guaranteed one at all. However, the Huskies could meet Hawai’i on day two of the Diamond Head Classic.

No games scheduled or possible against: Big South, Horizon, OVC, Patriot

As you would expect, the Pac-12’s four mid-major neighbors dominate once again. These conferences combine for 60 non-league games in 2019-20, compared to 58 a season ago. However, the Pac-12 more than tripled its number of non-league games against the SWAC, which ultimately damages the conference’s overall metrics. Note that the Pac-12 appears in this table itself because Arizona State and Colorado will play a non-conference game in China to start the season.

Both Long Beach State and San José State will play four Pac-12 opponents in non-conference play, while Big Sky member Montana, SWAC squad Prairie View A&M , and four WCC teams—Pepperdine, San Diego, San Francisco, and Santa Clara—will play three apiece, with both the Dons and Broncos getting two home games. Cal plays both on the road, half of their four-game WCC slate. Stanford plays three teams from that same conference, while UCLA takes on a trio of Big West opponents.

While the Pac-12 collectively cut down on Quad 4 opposition this season, by eight games in total and 10 home contests, Quad 3 teams picked up the bulk of this matchups. The conference’s total number of guaranteed Quad 1 and 2 games even declined by two when compared with 2018-19, from 43 to 41.

Curiously, even though the Pac-12 plays the smallest percentage of road games nationally, their home game percentage doesn’t even crack the top five. That’s because the league leads the country in neutral-site contests by a decent margin.

The Pac-12 By Team

Teams are listed in order of their Average Schedule Ranking. The number in front of an opponent name is its Four-Year Ranking.

Teams that failed to max out their schedules (3/12): Oregon State, Utah (no fourth MTE game), Washington (Hawai’i exemption, but no MTE fourth game)

23. Oregon Ducks

The Ducks closed 2019 well, winning the Pac-12 Tournament and a pair of NCAA games, but Dana Altman will hope his squad gets off to a better, healthier start this fall. This schedule is both home-heavy and largely front-loaded. Oregon starts with a pair of tricky Mountain West opponents before taking on Memphis in the Phil Knight Invitational in Portland. They’ll then meet UT Arlington and Houston before traveling to the loaded Battle 4 Atlantis. If the Ducks can get past Big East favorite Seton Hall, a semifinal matchup with Gonzaga would likely await. Upon their return to Eugene, Oregon should be able to relax, though they did fall to Texas Southern a season ago and a trip to Michigan, a potential day three foe in the Bahamas, is a serious obstacle before Pac-12 play begins.

33. Utah Utes

After several seasons of underwhelming non-conference schedules, Larry Krystkowiak really turned things up a notch this season after 2018-19’s postseason-less 17-14 campaign. The number of sub-300 opponents has been more than halved (halved if you want to count 290th-ranked Central Arkansas), while the Utes will open the season at Nevada, even if the Mountain West power might be heading into a rebuilding season. Minnesota, a 2019 NCAA team, visits the Huntsman Center before Utah heads to the Myrtle Beach Invitational, where a pair of top 40 games might await, provided the Utes can knock off the hosts in the quarterfinals. BYU travels to Salt Lake City for this season’s edition of the hardwood Holy War, while Utah closes non-league play with a trio of neutral-site contests, the middle of which features top-five Kentucky.

40. Arizona State Sun Devils

Bobby Hurley’s Sun Devils will begin their quest for a third straight NCAA bid by taking on plenty of familiar foes. For starters, Arizona State opens with a conference game that’s not a conference game: against Colorado in Shanghai, China. Then, after a pair of Hall of Fame Tip-Off on-campus games, the Sun Devils meet St. John’s, the team they defeated in the First Four last March. After a pair of games in Connecticut, one of which could see ASU face the defending National Champions from Virginia, they’ll hang out on the East Coast with the hopes of avenging a stunning home loss to Princeton. Next up, a trip to San Francisco to take on the Dons in a game that makes up for one canceled because of wildfires last fall. And while Hurley’s team will hang around the Valley of the Sun for their final six non-league contests, visits from Georgia and Creighton and a showdown with Saint Mary’s in downtown Phoenix mean Arizona State won’t be able to take it easy during December.

51. Colorado Buffaloes

While the Buffaloes entered the NIT with 21 wins and finished with 23 after falling to Texas in that event’s quarterfinals, they could have earned a bid to the four-letter tournament had 2018’s non-conference schedule been a bit stronger. Tad Boyle got the hint and upgraded Colorado’s November/December slate for 2019-20. While the bulk of the quality comes early, thanks to the trip to China to play Arizona State, a trio of decent Main Event matchups, and a December 7th trip to former Big 8/12 rival Kansas, the Buffs will also close well, thanks to a Chicago Legends matchup with Atlantic 10 contender Dayton and the late addition of a home game against perennial MAAC champ Iona.

55. California Golden Bears

Mark Fox replaces Wyking Jones in Berkeley, following a pair of eight-win campaigns. And even though the Golden Bears will only leave the Golden State once before Pac-12 play, for a pair of games in New York as part of the Empire Classic, this schedule might be a bit overly ambitious for a team that has struggled since Cuonzo Martin left for Missouri. The home slate isn’t all that straightforward, as UNLV is expected to be improved, while Fresno State, Saint Mary’s, and Harvard are all capable of winning in Berkeley. And while Cal plays a pair of WCC road games, those will come not long after what’s likely to be an 0-2 trip to Manhattan. With this schedule, it could be a long November and December in the Bay Area.

64. USC Trojans

Andy Enfield’s Trojans took a major step back in 2018-19, following up a pair of NCAA appearances and a disappointing 2018 NIT trip with a 16-17 campaign. Oddly enough, Enfield’s former employer, FGCU, closes USC’s non-conference slate in a season when he enters on the hot seat. And there’s plenty of intrigue on this schedule beyond that contest, as the Trojans visit Nevada and host Summit power South Dakota State before playing four games as part of the Orlando Invitational. After visiting Mickey Mouse, USC visits Dickies Arena for a semi-road contest against TCU. And before Dunk City heads to L.A., the Trojans make the short trip to Staples Center for a semi-home game with LSU. Enfield will hope his team gets off to a good start, as last season’s 7-6 non-conference run doomed the Trojans to further mediocrity.

79. Arizona Wildcats

The Wildcats missed the postseason for the first time since Sean Miller’s first season in Tucson, way back in 2009-10. Despite the presence of a home game with Gonzaga and trip to Baylor, this schedule looks to be extremely manageable as Arizona looks to rebound. Sure, early home games with Illinois, New Mexico State, and South Dakota State could be tricky, but the Wildcats will be heavily favored to win the Wooden Legacy, with Providence looking like their most serious obstacle on the way to the crown. A game at the new Chase Center against St. John’s adds further intrigue to a December schedule that already includes games with the Bulldogs and Bears.

120. Washington Huskies

While the Huskies won the Pac-12 regular-season title, there was a little bit of trepidation heading into Selection Sunday, due to a lack of quality wins. And even though Mike Hopkins’ squad ended up getting into the field with room to spare—as a nine seed—that was more due to the “quality” of the bubble than Washington’s non-conference slate. This schedule is rather similar to last season’s, but a bit more challenging. And indeed, Washington there’s little breathing room right out of the gate, as they’ll take on both Baylor and Tennessee in neutral-site contests before Thanksgiving. After those, the Huskies won’t leave Seattle again until heading to Hawai’i for the Diamond Head Classic over Christmas week. If they struggle in the season’s opening weeks, the Dawgs might need to take care of business there and top Gonzaga at home to have some decent non-league wins on their profile..

126. UCLA Bruins

After an annus horriblus that saw Steve Alford dismissed before the New Year, the Bruins still managed to finish with a winning record and .500 mark in the Pac-12. However, new coach Mick Cronin will hope UCLA gets off to a better start than the 7-6 November and December of 2018 that cost Alford his job. Even with three games in Maui, a road trip to Notre Dame, and a CBS Sports Classic matchup with North Carolina on tap, the home games alone should get the Bruins off to a great start, as long as they don’t replicate last fall’s performances.

162. Stanford Cardinal

Jerod Haase begins his fourth season in charge on the Farm in search of his first NCAA bid, with last season’s four-win decline being a significant disappointment following 2018’s NIT trip. As a result, the Cardinal’s 2019-20 non-conference schedule is a significant step back after 2018-19’s top 10 effort. Stanford leaves the Bay Area just once before Pac-12 play, to play a pair of games in Kansas City. The one true road game, against San José State, is nothing to write home about, while Haase’s alma mater, Kansas, provides the biggest challenge aside from the Hall of Fame Classic and Chase Center showdown with San Diego.

265. Oregon State Beavers

Despite finishing 18-13, Wayne Tinkle’s Beavers didn’t earn an NIT invite, likely because of a mediocre showing in non-league play. And while Oregon State should win plenty of games this fall, thanks to a weak exempt event and seven total sub-200 games, the Beavers will likely need to grab a pair of Big 12 wins, over Iowa State in Corvallis and Oklahoma in the Phil Knight Invitational in Portland, to enter Pac-12 play with at-large hopes.

317. Washington State Cougars

After five seasons without a single winning campaign, Ernie Kent was let go in Pullman, with former San Francisco coach Kyle Smith taking over. While the Cougars won just 11 games a season ago, seven of those victories came in non-league play. And with a soft schedule featuring nine teams rated 198th or worse in the four-year rankings, including five sub-300 teams, Washington State should be able to better that total this time. Also, did the NCAA pass a rule that requires Wazzu and New Mexico State to meet as often as possible when no one was paying attention? Last season, the Aggies defeated the Cougars twice, once in Las Cruces, and later in the consolation game of the Las Vegas Classic. This time, NMSU is the guest for Washington State’s annual Spokane game, which will be held 10 days after the pair could meet on day three of the Cayman Islands Classic.

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