Merton Hanks: Pac-12 has 'never wavered' on eight-game conference schedule

Pac-12’s Head of Football and Senior Associate Commissioner Merton Hanks is in favor of a shortened conference schedule, reducing the current slate from nine conference matchups per season to eight, according to Oregon Ducks radio host John Canzano on Twitter.

“It’s difficult to get through a nine-game schedule unscathed,” Hanks said.

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If the Pac-12 were shorten its conference schedule, each opponent would be responsible for finding another out-of-conference opponent to play each season. Canzano has a solution, however, suggesting that a scheduling partnership with another Power Five league – the ACC – could help combat the Big Ten and SEC’s reign on terror on college football following their respective conference realignments, allowing fresh matchups for fans and a win-win for both divisions.

JD PicKell predicts participants, winner of 2022 Pac-12 championship

The Pac-12 experienced quite a bit of turbulence this offseason. However the same group of teams that played Pac-12 football last year will be playing it again in 2022. However, the schools recognized in the conference championship game may be a little different this time around, according to On3 analyst JD PicKell. 

PicKell broke down the conference title race over on the On3 YouTube channel. Where he predicted one program with a new coach to make it while the other is more of an established brand in Pac-12 play. You can watch his comments in the video right here or read what he had to say in full below.

“I think you see Utah and USC in the Pac-12 Championship game,” PicKell said. “USC just has so much firepower. Like if they rolled the ball out tomorrow and just cut the rest of fall practice short. Said okay, you know, that’s enough time, go play. USC has so many playmakers, to where I think they’d still be able to score 30 a game, if not 40. Like they have that much firepower. 

“Now, the issue with USC is the toughness and the trenches. It’s not a knock on USC. It’s just a matter of getting your guys in. So they could do it. I’m not saying they can’t do it, but I think USC gets the Pac-12 championship game.