BOULDER — During his first season as Colorado’s football coach, Jon Embree had to play one of the toughest schedules in the country. Thirteen games, only five at Folsom Field, and no bye week for the Buffaloes.
CU’s 2012 schedule, announced Wednesday, is less daunting. Six of the 12 games will be played at Folsom Field, and the Buffs get a bye week. Counting their Sept. 1 season opener against Colorado State in Denver, the Buffs will play seven games on the Front Range.
CU will start the season with three consecutive nonconference games. After playing CSU, the Buffs will host Sacramento State and play at Fresno State. CU’s nine-game Pac-12 schedule includes five home games, all against 2011 bowl teams (UCLA, Arizona State, Stanford, Washington and Utah). The Buffs’ conference opener is Sept. 22 at Washington State. They also will play road games against Southern California, Oregon and Arizona.
Pac-12 members California and Oregon State aren’t on CU’s schedule this year.
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CU was 3-10 last season, its first in the Pac-12.
“We’re a program that’s trying to build,” Embree said. “We’re in a situation every week we have to play well or we’ll get beat. It doesn’t really matter who we’re playing. You’ve got to go out and compete. We have to learn how to play at our own standard.”
For the first time in Pac-12 history, every game will be nationally televised.
“The one thing we heard loud and clear from fans across the conference is they want to see their teams play every week,” said Pac-12 commissioner Larry Scott. “Starting in 2012, fans can see all games throughout the country.”
CU’s schedule includes a Thursday night, Oct. 11 game in Boulder against Arizona State. CU will have more than a week to prepare for its next game, against USC in Los Angeles.
“I think our schedule is beneficial to us in a few ways,” Embree said. “We’re having basically two byes with the Thursday night game and also the normal bye. I also think it’s exciting that we get to play another (prime-time) marquee game (against Arizona State).”
Embree also likes knowing that CU will play three of its four November games at home, including the last two.
“That’s important,” he said. “Hopefully at that time of year you’re playing for a bowl game or division title … and you’d like to be playing as many games as you can later in the year at home.”
The Pac-12 championship game will be played Nov. 30 at the home field of the team with the best conference record overall.
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