(For those looking for this week's schedule, click here. Gameday did end up in Tallahassee.)
If the Pac-12 is hoping to make a deal with DirecTV in September, it's probably going to have to come this week, because the September 29th selections are probably not going to force the satellite company to the table. Neither of the games on the Pac-12 Network look like appointment television.
Thursday, September 27
Stanford at Washington, 6 PM PT/9 PM ET, ESPN: This was pre-determined a long time ago. The Cardinal get ten days off to prep for a critical Pac-12 North contest with the Huskies.
Saturday, September 29
Arizona State at Cal, 1 PM PT/4 PM ET, F/X: Fox skips this week with no marquee matchups from the Pac-12 on TV, so F/X gets a potentially decent contest between two powerful offenses.
UCLA at Colorado, 3 PM PT/6 PM ET, Pac-12 Networks: 3 PM seems to be the default start time for in-conference games on the Pac-12 Network, which is really nice compared to the noon kickoff. Too bad this has all the makings of a brutal contest.
Oregon State at Arizona, 7 PM PT/10 PM ET, Pac-12 Networks: This could be a real good game, as pro-style meets spread. The Beavers and Wildcats already have marquee upsets, and the winner of this game moves one step closer to challenging for their respective division.
Oregon at Washington State, 7:30 PM PT/10:30 PM ET, ESPN: This looked like a huge marquee matchup going into the season. But the Ducks have rolled and the Cougars have struggled with low-level competition. This could get ugly.
If I had to guess who had the selection order this week, it'd be something like ESPN (Oregon vs. Leach), FOX/F/X (Cal is still a big draw), then the Pac-12 Networks.