Business & Finance
Pac-12 introduces final-week flex schedule to boost college football playoff chances
The rebuilt conference will match up teams based on playoff implications six days before the regular season concludes.
The short version
- The newly rebuilt Pac-12 will use a "flex" schedule in the final week of the regular season to help its member teams secure College Football Playoff (CFP) bids.
- Matches will be set six days in advance and will not count toward conference standings, allowing the league to create high-profile rematches to boost teams' strength-of-schedule resumes.
- The Pac-12, formerly a Power Five conference, has transitioned to a Group of Six conference where only one guaranteed CFP spot is shared among the six leagues' top-ranked teams.
Key facts
- The Pac-12 has added Boise State, Colorado State, San Diego State, Utah State, Texas State, and Fresno State for football, alongside remaining members Oregon State and Washington State.[Associated Press]
- The final-week flex games will be hosted by Colorado State, Utah State, Fresno State, and Washington State to ensure all conference teams receive four home league games.[Associated Press]
- The flex matchups will be determined six days in advance and will not count toward the conference standings.[Associated Press]
- Pac-12 Commissioner Teresa Gould stated the scheduling arrangement will allow the conference to maximize CFP and bowl game access for its teams.[Associated Press]
- The Pac-12 championship game is scheduled for December 4 at the home stadium of the highest-seeded team.[Associated Press]
What remains uncertain
- It remains to be seen whether the experimental scheduling format will successfully increase the Pac-12's representation in the 12-team CFP field.[Associated Press]