The Pac-12 football season begins in earnest on Saturday. The schedule takes us from such places as Hawaii to Arlington, Tx. The latter location is the site of one of college football's best early season games between No. 3 Oregon and No. 4 LSU.
Here's a quick rundown of the best on schedule:
Minnesota Golden Gophers vs. No. 25 USC Trojans, 1:30 p.m. MT, ABC/ESPN2/ESPN3 - Lane Kiffin enters his second year at the helm for the Trojans after an 8-5 record in 2010. For the Gophers, the Jerry Kill era starts after Tim Brewster's time resulted in one winning season in four attempts.
UCLA Bruins vs. Houston Cougars, 1:30 p.m. MT - Bruins coach Rick Neuheisel will look to set things right for UCLA. In his fourth year, Neuheisel will want to do better than the 4-8 record he had last season, especially since the Bruins had a 7-6 record the year before. Houston quarterback Case Keenum returns from a knee ligament tear that he suffered last year against the
San Jose St. Spartans vs. No. 7 Stanford Cardinal, 3:00 p.m. MT - Even with new head coach David Shaw, Stanford is the Andrew Luck show.
No. 3 Oregon Ducks vs. No. 4 LSU Tigers, 6:00 p.m. MT, at Arlington, Tx., ABC - Oregon lost to Auburn in the championship game back in January and is now involved in the Willie Lyles scandal. LSU is dealing with its own issues following quarterback Jordan Jefferson's suspension for alleged battery of a person at a bar. But now is the time for football to take center stage.
Colorado Buffaloes vs. Hawaii Warriors, 8:15 p.m. MT, ESPN2 - Follow our coverage here.
Best of the rest:
Sacramento St. Hornets vs. Oregon St. Beavers, 2:00 p.m. MT
Idaho St. Bengals vs. Washington St. Cougars, 3:00 p.m. MT
Fresno St. Bulldogs vs. California Golden Bears, 5:00 p.m. MT, at Stan Francisco
Eastern Washington Eagles vs. Washington Huskies, 5:00 p.m. MT
Northern Arizona Lumberjacks vs. Arizona Wildcats, 8:00 p.m. MT
For more on the Pac-12, visit Pacific Takes.