[SamuelMcF]

I suppose that makes sense, although I had no problem with Stanford playing @ UCLA on Thanksgiving weekend. USC vs UCLA, like Big Game, is always the weekend before Thanksgiving, so that matchup should be available. Or so I thought.

The problem with that is Pac-12 scheduling happens season-by-season (besides Big Game being locked in). These OOC matchups can be pre-arranged literally over a decade in advance.

Plus I like the way we've split September away games and November home games. An away game against a solid G5/low-to-mediocre P5 type team is a good season opener, especially when students aren't on campus yet. We recruit Utah/LDS frequently, and it's not across the country in 90 degree heat with 100% humidity a la UCF. Might be chilly, but it shouldn't be snowing yet in early September.

[SamuelMcF]

I suppose that makes sense, although I had no problem with Stanford playing @ UCLA on Thanksgiving weekend. USC vs UCLA, like Big Game, is always the weekend before Thanksgiving, so that matchup should be available. Or so I thought.

The problem with that is Pac-12 scheduling happens season-by-season (besides Big Game being locked in). These OOC matchups can be pre-arranged literally over a decade in advance.

Plus I like the way we've split September away games and November home games. An away game against a solid G5/low-to-mediocre P5 type team is a good season opener, especially when students aren't on campus yet. We recruit Utah/LDS frequently, and it's not across the country in 90 degree heat with 100% humidity a la UCF. Might be chilly, but it shouldn't be snowing yet in early September.