*** The Pac-12 Hotline newsletter is published each Monday-Wednesday-Friday during the college sports season and twice-a-week in the summer. (Sign up here for a free subscription.) This edition, from Sept. 29, has been made available in archived form.

The 2020 Football Schedule: Opportunities Abound

The Hotline has long believed that schedule reveals, if handled properly, can be big deals — opportunities for the Pac-12 to promote teams and players, engage fans and generate headlines.

This season, that goes quadruple.

The Pac-12 will disclose version 3.0 of the 2020 football schedule sometime this week.

We know the seven-game season starts on the weekend of Nov. 6-7 and ends on the weekend of Dec. 18-19.

We know there will be games on Fridays (but not Thursdays) and that the Saturday kickoff times will be released, as usual, six or 12 days in advance.

We know the intrigue resides with the one crossover matchup.

Here’s what we don’t know:

Exactly when the schedule will be released and whether the conference will treat the matter like an event to be promoted.

(The Hotline has argued in the past for the unveiling to occur in early December of the previous year as part of a week-long Pac-12 PR blitz.)

However the Pac-12, ESPN and Fox settle on the broadcast windows, the conference would be well served by pushing for early and late start times.

Fans are prohibited, so kickoffs at 9 a.m. PT/10 a.m. MT won’t inconvenience ticket holders who live hours from the stadium and/or enjoy the tailgating experience.

We suggested the early kickoffs in June ’19 because of the opportunity for national exposure. In particular, the Big Noon Kickoff on the FOX broadcast network gives the conference access to an audience it wouldn’t otherwise reach.

Because stadium capacity will be limited across the country, there will be tens of thousands of additional sets of eyeballs available for the Big Noon game.

The other end of the broadcast spectrum — the 7 p.m. and 7:30 p.m. PT windows — is equally appealing for the conference without the worry of inconveniencing fans.

Never has #Pac12AfterDark been more valuable than it is this season.

Throughout September, fans and media have bemoaned the absence of night kickoffs on the west coast. Once the late afternoon games conclude, there’s nothing to watch.

Our assumption is that ratings for #Pac12AfterDark will jump in 2020 compared to previous years.

Absence makes the college football fix grow stronger, after all.

Naturally, there will be an assortment of Pac-12 games with afternoon kickoffs and, we assume, a bevy of matchups on the Pac-12 Networks.

But given the unprecedented course of the season, the thirst for Pac-12 games and the options made more manageable without fans, the conference needs to maximize its opportunities.

That process should start with the schedule reveal this week and continue for seven Saturdays, from 9 a.m. all the way through #Pac12AfterDark. — Jon Wilner

Hot off the Hotline

• The Hotline believes nine days were lost by the Pac-12 due to lack of urgency following the Sept. 3 announcement of a deal to secure rapid-response antigen tests. Had the conference charged forward, all 12 teams could have been ready to play Oct. 31. A special edition of Saturday Night Five features our blow-by-blow account of the missed opportunity.

• The Big Ten and Pac-12 have changed their plans, the Associated Press has changed its guidelines, and the Hotline has changed its voting strategy. Here’s my latest top-25 ballot. To summarize the state of things: Mike Leach is in the top-10, and Ohio State is nowhere to be found.

• We’ve written numerous times over the years that the Pac-12 needs the Los Angeles schools to help lead the collective, especially with media rights negotiations looming in two years. But the Bruins and Trojans can’t lead externally until they get right internally. That process is underway, based on what we’ve seen from new ADs Martin Jarmond and Mike Bohn.

• The Friday newsletter provided a recap of the published content on the Pac-12’s return, including a blistering view of commissioner Larry Scott’s approach to playoff expansion. Previous editions of the newsletter are available in archived form

Support the Hotline: Several Hotline articles will remain free each month (as will the newsletter), but for access to all content, you’ll need to subscribe. I’ve secured a rate of $1 per week for a full year or just 99 cents for the first month, with the option to cancel anytime. Click here. And thanks for your loyalty.

Key Dates

Nov. 6-7: Pac-12 football opening weekendNov. 18: NBA Draft (New York City)Nov. 25: NCAA basketball season beginsDec. 16-18: NCAA early-signing period (football)Dec. 18: Pac-12 football title game (on campus)Dec. 20: College Football Playoff/bowl selectionsJan. 1: Rose Bowl (CFP semifinal game)

Halls of Academia

• Arizona president Robert Robbins, a cardiologist, was comfortable with fans attending football games but joined the CEO Group in voting for empty stadiums, all in the name of solidarity. “I was a proponent of having limited fans but we all voted unanimously together to not allow fans into the stadium, because the California schools just can’t do it. That’s a third of the schools we have in the Pac-12 so I think for public health reasons and for solidarity in the Pac-12, it was the right choice.”

In the News

(Note: The Hotline newsletter includes links to sites that could require a subscription once the number of free views has been reached.

• Our top story comes from Eugene, where Oregon has lost another defensive back — this time, its best defensive back: Nickel corner Jevon Holland is headed to the NFL Draft.

• Washington all-conference cornerback Elijah Molden plans to play, but the Huskies are unlikely to get edge rusher Joe Tryon or defensive lineman Levi Onwuzurike back after both declared for the draft.

• The status of USC linemen Jay Tufele and Alijah-Vera Tucker, who declared while the conference was on hiatus, is uncertain. (Tufele has signed with an agent.)

• There’s a way to configure the crossover games to help teams that seemingly stand the best chance of winning the conference, writes Oregonian columnist John Canzano.

• Meanwhile, the Denver Post’s Sean Keeler blasts key Pac-12 officials for claiming the return of football isn’t about the money. “For a bunch of smart guys, how dumb do they think we are?”

• UCLA has reversed course and will publicly disclose results of Covid tests given to athletes. Good for the Bruins, but the move also highlights the flawed justification the school used initially for keeping the test results private.

• Speaking of testing, Arizona could spend $250,000 on Covid-19 antigen tests before Thanksgiving, and it would be well worth the price, writes Daily Star columnist Greg Hansen.

• As if Colorado weren’t facing enough challenges with a new head coach and no spring practice, the Buffaloes now must deal with a two-week delay in conditioning because of health restrictions.

• UCLA coach Chip Kelly is preparing for an abbreviated but vital season while in his ‘happy place.’

• Utah needs a locker room on game day.

• Arizona State used video games as a substitute for on-field competition.

• Oregon is slotted for the College Football Playoff in the latest projections from CBS Sports analyst Jerry Palm.

• Ex-Stanford quarterback K.J. Costello had a decent debut in the SEC, while another former Pac-12 quarterback, JT Daniels, is expected to start for Georgia this week.

• Finally: The Pac-12 is among the September winners in college football, according to Sports Illustrated’s Pat Forde.

ADs Corner

• Washington State athletic director Pat Chun discussed a variety of topics with reporters following the return-to-play vote, including the timeline for the Quidel testing ramp. Per Chun, the machines were delivered to the campuses last week. “The league moved fast, we have the certifications we need, so we’re going to start operating them really on Monday.” (Meaning, yesterday.) Chun also indicated the Cougars will take a pass on playing at 9 a.m.

• Utah previously announced furloughs for all athletic department employees, and the Utes are sticking to that plan despite the football restart. Why? Because as AD Mark Harlan said, there is no guarantee all seven games will be played. “We have to go in with the assumption that that’s a great unknown and as such, we need to stay the course as it relates to our budget management.”

• There’s no way for the Bay Area and Los Angeles teams to play each other in the traditional crossover format, but they might not meet at all, according to Cal athletic director Jim Knowlton hints.

On the Hardwood

• CBS Sports columnist Gary Parrish writes for many when he observes: “I’ll still never understand why the Pac-12 announced what it announced back on Aug. 11. Listen, all’s well that ends well, I guess. But the fact that the Pac-12 announced on Thursday that its member institutions will be allowed to play basketball games before January 2021 is a reminder that announcing such would not be the case 44 days earlier was utterly ridiculous and unnecessary.”

• Arizona is reportedly withdrawing from the NIT Season Tip-Off, partly, but not entirely, because of costs.

• Could Arizona State be a top-10 team by the time the regular season begins? The Sun Devils have support from the pollsters.

• Summary of the state of affairs for Oregon State basketball, both men and women: “We’ll be ready to go no matter what the situation is.”

• In Seattle, the UW men’s and women’s teams are actively registering students to vote. “We’ve been having talks with the team with what’s been going on in the world right now,” men’s coach Mike Hopkins explained.

Legal Affairs

• What happens if the Pac-12 gets sued for playing during a pandemic? Michael McCann, the terrific sports law writer for Sportico, addressed that very topic last week: “The conference’s reversal also comes at a more legally advantageous time than when it and the Big Ten postponed their seasons on Aug. 11. Should the Pac-12 (or its member schools) be sued at some point for negligence in deciding to play, its leaders can correctly highlight that the other Power 5 conferences had already reached the same decision, casting their course-correction as a reasonable, industry-standard move in light of precedent and known scientific developments. The Pac-12’s decision also helps to insulate the SEC, ACC, Big 12 and Big Ten from potential liability. Power 5 conferences that proceeded with their seasons would have been more vulnerable to legal arguments that the decision was unsound if at least one had determined that it was, in fact, unsafe. That’s all changed with the Pac-12’s move. Now, if the determination to play proves unwise, one conference’s reasoning can’t be used against the others.”

Looking Ahead

What’s coming on the Pac-12 Hotline:

• We’ll have a full breakdown of the football schedule, which is expected to be released this week.

• Please note: It has been a busy few months and a ridiculous few weeks. As such, the Hotline is planning to take a few days to recharge before the six-month blast that begins with training camp and ends with the NCAA tournament. December, in particular, is going to be ridiculous.

The next newsletter is scheduled for Tuesday. Enjoy it? Please forward this email to friends (sign up here). If you don’t, or have other feedback, let me know: pac12hotline@bayareanewsgroup.com.

*** Follow me on Twitter: @WilnerHotline

*** Pac-12 Hotline is not endorsed or sponsored by the Pac-12 Conference, and the views expressed herein do not necessarily reflect the views of the Conference.