Key conference games for the Pac-12 in 2022

The Pac-12 is gearing up for its 2022 campaign and there’s a handful of new faces heading up some of the more high profile programs in the conference. Everyone is buzzing about the potential return of USC to national prominence with its new head coach while north division powerhouses Oregon and Washington are under new leadership as well.

We’ll go over a few conference games in the Pac-12 you should have circled on your calendar.

USC vs. Stanford, September 10, 7:30 p.m. ET, ABC

Week 2 will feature USC heading north to Stanford in prime time and it will be the first chance for a national audience to see the Trojans under the guidance of first-year head coach Lincoln Riley. The biggest move of the offseason came when Riley left Oklahoma for Southern California and later brought Sooners quarterback Caleb Williams with him. The Trojans have the highest projected win total in the conference at 9.5 so it’ll be intriguing to see if they can pass their first conference road test.

USC vs. Utah, October 15, TIME/TV TBA

If USC is the preseason sizzle of the conference, then reigning champion Utah is the steak and we’ll see these two teams clash in Salt Lake City in the middle of October. The Utes return several pieces from last year’s team that went to the Rose Bowl, including quarterback Cam Rising and running back Tavion Thomas. Given their physical brand of football under longtime head coach Kyle Whittingham, they’d relish in the opportunity to pummel Riley and a USC team gunning for their position atop the Pac-12 South.

Utah vs. Oregon, November 19, TIME/TV TBA

That aforementioned 2021 Utah team won the Pac-12 by physically dominating Oregon twice and effectively running off Mario Cristobal to Miami. We’ll get the rematch in Eugene, OR, in mid-November and new Oregon head coach Dan Lanning will be nearing the end of his first season at the helm. The former Georgia defensive coordinator will try to bring some of the Bulldogs’ defensive dominance to the Pacific Northwest and will have former Auburn quarterback Bo Nix running the controls on offense. If the Ducks can hold up in the trenches, this should be a fun, physical game.

Once we have the final two teams, the Pac-12 Championship Game will be held on December 2 at 8 p.m. ET from Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas.

Here are the latest odds to win the 2022 Pac-12 Conference Championship Game from DraftKings Sportsbook: