BOULDER — The Pac-12 Conference released its schedule Tuesday morning for the 2021 season, with the University of Colorado's final slate having four league home games along with seven games in the state of Colorado for the ninth time in 10 seasons.
“I’m just excited that we’re getting a normal schedule, a 12-game schedule,” CU head coach Karl Dorrell said on the Pac-12 Network on Monday morning. “It’s a slate that is telling us that this year we’re shooting for normalcy and we’re planning that way. We’re kind of Jedi mind-tricking ourselves about that’s the process and we’re sticking to it. So I’m excited.”
The Buffs will open the season at home at Folsom Field on Friday night, Sept. 3 against Northern Colorado, which will mark the debut of UNC head coach and former Denver Bronco Ed McCaffrey.
Colorado will then host Texas A & M in Denver at Empower Field at Mile High on Saturday, Sept. 11. The two last met when both were members of the Big 12 Conference in 2009, though the series was scheduled to resume last year in College Station but the game was canceled due to the pandemic.
Non-league play concludes the next Saturday (Sept. 18), when the Buffaloes host the University of Minnesota at Folsom.
The Buffs will open Pac-12 league play on the road, traveling to Tempe to take on Arizona State on Saturday, Sept. 25. CU will then host former Buff KD Nixon and the defending South Division champions, USC on Saturday, Oct. 2
CU's lone bye week of the season falls on Oct. 9, and the Buffs remain at home for the annual Family Weekend affair against Arizona on Saturday, Oct. 16.
It's then off on the Pac-12 road for the next two Saturdays with games at California (Oct. 23) and the defending league champ, Oregon (Oct. 30).
The Buffaloes open November at home against Oregon State (Saturday, Nov. 6) in what will serve as CU's annual Homecoming contest, and then will travel to Pasadena to take on UCLA in the Rose Bowl.
The home finale is set for Saturday, Nov. 20, against defending North Division champion Washington, and will finish the season at rival Utah on Friday after Thanksgiving.
The Buffs will not have to play Stanford or Washington State in 2021, with game times being announced at a later time.
The Pac-12 Championship game is scheduled for Friday, Dec. 3, at Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas.
CU begins spring practice on March 29th.
