BYU-Utah Off For 2020? USC Coach Hints Pac-12 Might Skip Non-Conference Games
May 11, 2020, 4:06 PM | Updated: 5:46 pm
Head coach Clay Helton of the USC Trojans watches practice in the rain prior to their game against the Utah Utes at Rice-Eccles Stadium on September 23, 2016 in Salt Lake City, Utah. (Photo by Gene Sweeney Jr/Getty Images)
(Photo by Gene Sweeney Jr/Getty Images)
SALT LAKE CITY, Utah – USC head football coach Clay Helton told the media on Monday in a conference call that the Pac-12 has discussed playing an all-conference schedule in 2020.
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According to Helton, that would mean that all 12 teams will play 11 games this season and not have any games outside of the conference.
Normally, Pac-12 teams rotate every two seasons where they don’t play two Pac-12 schools from the opposing division. The Utes are in their second and final season of not playing Stanford and Oregon.
“That’s been one of the many structures of our discussion depending on where we are 6-8 weeks from now,” Helton said.
USC head coach Clay Helton and Stanford head coach David Shaw talked about the possibility of the Pac-12 playing a conference-only schedule in 2020.#Pac12FB pic.twitter.com/69IunYYRFL
— KSL Sports (@kslsports) May 11, 2020
How This Would Impact Utah
If all Pac-12 schools played each other in the 2020 season, this would have an impact on three non-conference opponents that are currently scheduled to face the Utes. One of those games has a significant interest in the state of Utah.
This would mean that Utah would not open the season against rival BYU at Rice-Eccles Stadium on September 3. It would also mean that the Utes won’t travel to Wyoming or host Big Sky opponent Montana State.
This could be a positive thing for the Utes because they would face two good football teams in the Pac-12 that they normally would not play this season in Stanford and Oregon. It would give Utah a chance to get revenge on the Ducks who beat the Utes in the Pac-12 Championship game last season.
Clay Helton: All-conference schedules have been discussed. In the @pac12 that would mean 11-game schedule against the other conference schools.
— Dennis Dodd (@dennisdoddcbs) May 11, 2020
How This Would Impact BYU
BYU has three Pac-12 schools on their schedule for the 2020 season. They are scheduled to open the season on the road against Utah on Thursday, September 3.
They are also scheduled to travel to Arizona State on September 19 and wrap up the season at Stanford on November 28.
What does that mean for the Cougars if the Pac-12 goes to a conference-only schedule? That would take three games off the 2020 slate for BYU. Would they reach out to other teams in other conferences with openings?
Another option is playing all of the FBS independent schools and maybe add some FCS independent programs to fill the holes in their schedule if this happens.
But, this is all up in the air right now. More clarity should come in the next month about the future of the 2020 college football season.
Trevor Allen is a Utah Utes Insider for sports.ksl.com and host of the Crimson Corner podcast. Follow him on Twitter: @TrevorASports. You can download and listen to the podcast, here.
