3 Burning Questions Ahead Of Schedule Release

With reports indicating that the Pac-12 will be releasing its schedule in the next day or so, BeaversEdge.com gives three burning questions about the potential layout of the schedule and how it could impact Oregon State.

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1. How will the home/road split shake out?

With the Pac-12 announcing that football would be resumed with a seven-game schedule that features contests against each team from your division, one crossover game, and one game that comes from re-seeding during conference championship week, all eyes are going to be on who the Beavers draw.

Despite not having fans in the stands for any Pac-12 football games in 2020, Oregon State will either have three or four 'home games' depending on how the schedule shakes out.

While home games are somewhat subdued given the fact that there won't be fans in attendance, I believe that the team that doesn't have to travel will have a huge advantage in the current climate.

Given all the protocols around testing and staying in your 'bubble' there's no question that this year more than ever, players will feel far more comfortable in their own building.

We know that Oregon State will play Washington, Washington State, Cal, Stanford, and Oregon for certainty, but beyond that, it's all in the hands of the Pac-12 schedulers. It's worth noting that we know that from last season the Beavers are due to have 'home matchups' with Washington State, Oregon, & Cal while Stanford & Washington will be on the road.

Just how the schedule comes together is anyone's guess, but if the Beavers were able to secure four 'home' contests as opposed to three, it would be a huge plus.

2. What will the final 'conference championship week' look like?

One of the more interesting aspects of this seven-game schedule is that the seventh and final game of the regular season will be a seeded-contest based on the final Pac-12 standings.

Unlike years' past where the other 10 teams were idle on Pac-12 Championship weekend, this year, all 12 teams will be on the field. The winner of the Pac-12 North & South will play each other just as they normally do, but for the other 10 teams, they'll be seeded and will play each other.

On the surface, this seems like a really unique idea that just might stick beyond this season if it ends up going off without a hitch. It could be a one-off given the atypical-year we're in, but imagine if those seeded games in the final week turn out to be must-watch television?

In either case, this is a really cool twist to the conference schedule this season and one that's bound to keep viewers interested and engaged all the way until the final day.

The Pac-12 knew they were up against a wall as far as getting its season in before the conclusion of the calendar year, and yet they were still able to come up with a creative and fun way of wrapping up the conference's regular season.

3. When will the Oregon game be?

Will the Oregon game be restored to its rightful place at the end of the season?

That's the million-dollar question Beaver fans are asking themselves in advance of the release as the reception wasn't positive when the previously released schedule several months ago had the game mid-season.

While it's likely out of AD Scott Barnes & AD Rob Mullens' control as the Pac-12 has been controlling all scheduling, a plea from both of them to the conference should have been made in the last month or so to make every effort to make that contest be one of the last games of the year.

Because of the fact that all teams will play a seeded-game in the final week of the season, the Oregon-Oregon State game won't be the final one of the season. But, it could be the penultimate game of the season and that's what Barnes & Mullens should be pushing for.

There's something about having your rivalry game as the capstone of the regular season and while that won't be possible this season with the way the seeding shakes out, having the game in the second-to-last week of the year would still be far more positively received than midseason or early in the year.

It's entirely possible that we could see the Oregon game any point in the seven weeks, but knowing that they're building this schedule for the TV viewers, having that contest at the near end of the season makes the most sense.