Colorado University Athletics
CU, Pac-10 Announce 2011 Football Schedule
November 05, 2010 | Football
BOULDER - The University of Colorado received its first schedule as one of two new members of the soon-to-be renamed Pacific-10 Conference Friday, and the Buffaloes initial slate in 2011 in their new home has two current top 15 schools with a third perennial member set to visit Boulder.
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No. 1-ranked Oregon, No. 13 Arizona, Southern California and an old nemesis in Washington State will all travel to Folsom Field next year. CU's first official Pac-12 game will be against the Cougars on Oct. 1, the featured attraction on Family Weekend; WSU last visited Boulder in 2003 and dealt No. 17 CU its first loss of that season and knocked the Buffs out of the rankings. Oregon waltzes in for Homecoming on Oct. 22 for the school's first meeting since the 2002 Fiesta Bowl, with USC, ranked just outside the top 25 at present, to travel in on Nov. 5.  Arizona wraps up the home schedule on Nov. 12.
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The Buffs will travel to Stanford, Washington, Arizona State and UCLA before closing the year with their new Thanksgiving week rival, Utah, resuming a series which went dormant in 1962. Other than last facing Arizona in 1986 and Stanford in 1993, Colorado has played the other six schools on its 2011 schedule at least once since 1999.
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As previously announced, the Buffs will open the season at Hawai'i on Sept. 3. CU will then play its home opener at Folsom Field on Sept. 10 against an opponent to be determined.Â
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The one downside to the 2011 schedule is that the Buffs will only play five games at Folsom Field, though will also play Colorado State at Invesco Field at Mile High the third Saturday of the season on Sept. 17. CU then closes out non-league play with a game at Ohio State on Sept. 24, which was added last spring prior to CU joining the Pac-12. That game came about as Colorado can play a 13th game next year because of an NCAA rule permitting so for schools who play at Hawai'i.
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"We're excited about our inaugural Pac-12 schedule and have some very attractive games in Boulder right from the start," said Mike Bohn, CU's athletic director. "The reverse schedule in 2012 will be just as attractive with Stanford, Washington, Arizona State, UCLA and Utah coming to Folsom."
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"However, we recognize that having only five home games in Boulder is an anomaly, as we have always strived to have six for several reasons," he continued. "While there is a virtual sixth down the road in Denver, we want to play in Folsom six times annually and are working to secure that number of games as we schedule forward for the long term. Every school is making what to them is some kind of sacrifice to get the Pac-12 up and rolling, and as for us, we were faced with having only five home games in either 2011 or 2012."Â
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CU has traditionally scheduled as far ahead as a decade, but now must retool many seasons as there were home-and-home contracts with Arizona State, Oregon, Utah and Washington and tentative dates with UCLA. School officials can now proceed with future scheduling knowing CU will host five Pac-12 league games in even-numbered years and four in the odd-numbered ones.Â
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CU is joined in the league's South Division by Arizona, Arizona State, USC, UCLA and Utah, and will always play those five teams as a part of its Pac-12 schedule. The conference also released the future scheduling model for the next eight years. For 2013-14, the Buffs will still play Oregon and Washington State, but California and Oregon State will replace Stanford and Washington. The 2015-16 schedules will be similar to 2011-12 except with Oregon State subbing for Washington State, and for 2017-18, the four non-division games will be Cal, Oregon State, Washington and WSU. Thus the Buffs will play each member of the North Division six times over the eight-year span. Other than for 2012, home teams have not been designated for future seasons.
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The 2011 schedule (*?Pac-12 game; HC?Homecoming, FW?Family Weekend):
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 2011 COLORADO FOOTBALL SCHEDULE
Date                             Opponent                                                                         Site                       Â
Sept.      3       at Hawaii                                            Honolulu                                                                 Â
SEPT. 10Â Â Â Â Â Â Â HOME TBAÂ Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â BOULDERÂ Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â
Sept.    17       Colorado State                                   Denver                                                                     Â
Sept.    24       at Ohio State                                      Columbus   Â
OCT.     1       *WASHINGTON STATE (FW)      BOULDER                                                                  Â
Oct.       8       *at Stanford                                       Palo Alto                                                                 Â
Oct.     15       *at Washington                                 Seattle          Â
OCT.   22       *OREGON (HC)                               BOULDER  Â
Oct.     29       *at Arizona State                               Tempe         Â
NOV.     5       *SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA          BOULDER  Â
NOV.  12       *ARIZONA                                        BOULDER  Â
Nov.    19       *at UCLA                                             Pasadena     Â
Nov.    26       *at Utah                                              Salt Lake City
Dec.       3       Pacific-12 Championship Game    Campus Site TDB      Â
