The overall schedule must be coordinated with the Pac-12’s television partners, ESPN and Fox. Only a handful of the 42 games are expected to air on the Pac-12 Networks.
When will the Wildcats start practice?
Aside from a handful of brief stoppages, the Cats have been “practicing” since summer. They’re just going to be able to do more now.
Like other teams in the Pac-12, the UA had been limited to 12 hours per week. That included five hours of on-field instruction with coaches, plus meetings and weightlifting.
Now, starting as early as Friday, the Wildcats can ramp up their preparation. They can shift to 20 hours a week for the next two weeks with an accompanying increase in physical activity.
An even more rigorous training-camp schedule will start 29 days before the first game. So if they’re opening Nov. 7, the Cats will begin training camp Oct. 9. If they’re part of the Nov. 6 slate, they’ll start Oct. 8. Either way, it will be a true “fall camp.”
What obstacles remain for the conference?
Dr. Doug Aukerman – Oregon State senior associate athletic director, sports medicine, and chair of the Pac-12 Student-Athlete Health & Well-Being Initiative – cautioned against assuming everything will go smoothly from this point forward.