By Jack Follman, SuperWest Sports

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We already ranked the 2022 Pac-12 conference and non-conference slates. What’s more important than that?

The combination of the two slates and how they factor into the overall schedule.

With nine conference games, making teams have either one more home or away game, and with teams missing two other teams from the other division, the luck of the draw in scheduling can really shape a Pac-12 season.

This year is no different as teams that miss Oregon and Utah catch breaks and teams that get that extra home game likely have a slightly easier path to either a division title or bowl eligibility.

Here’s how the 2022 Pac-12 overall schedules line up in difficulty from most difficult to least difficult.

It always seems like the Cardinal have a really difficult schedule. They play at Notre Dame and BYU out of conference and then have four home games to five road games in-conference.

Oh, and they avoid Arizona and Colorado from the South and play Oregon and Utah on the road. Just getting to bowl eligibility will be a challenge for the Cardinal in 2022.

Utah plays at Florida and hosts San Diego State in the first three weeks of the season and then heads into conference play where they have four home games to five road games.

The Utes get a ton of difficulty points by probably having the toughest conference game on the entire schedule for the conference, playing what should be an out-for-revenge Oregon team in Eugene in the second-to-last weekend of the season.

The Buffs get five home games in-conference but they have a tough non-conference slate with TCU at home and road games at Air Force and Minnesota.

They avoid Stanford and Washington State from the North and have to play Oregon and Utah, but at least they get them at home.

The Ducks easily have the toughest non-conference slate, playing Georgia in Atlanta and then hosting BYU two weeks later.

In-conference they have five away games to four at home and have to play Utah, though at least at home. They avoid Arizona State and USC from the South, which could be a decent draw.

The Beavers have a solid non-conference slate, playing Boise State and at Fresno State.

In-conference they have five home games but avoid Arizona from the South and have to play at Utah.

The Wildcats have a strong non-conference schedule playing at San Diego State and hosting Mississippi State in back-to-back weeks.

In-conference they miss playing Oregon State and Stanford and get Oregon and Utah (on the road). They do get five conference home games.

The Cougars have a non-conference challenge playing at Wisconsin in week two. In-conference they get five home games and get Oregon and Washington in Pullman.

They do miss Colorado though and have to play Utah (though at home).

The Bruins have one of the easiest non-conference schedules you will ever see.

In-conference, they get five home games but miss Oregon State and Washington State and get Oregon on the road.

The Trojans have a tough non-conference slate with Notre Dame and Fresno State on the schedule. In-conference isn’t bad other than only having four home games.

They get a good pull, avoiding Oregon and Washington from the North. Having to play at Utah is probably their hardest draw.

The Huskies host Michigan State in Seattle in non-conference for their one big challenge.

In-conference they have tough road games with Oregon and rival Washington State, and they only get four home games. However, they get a great draw from the South, avoiding USC and Utah.

The Sun Devils get their lone non-conference challenge playing Oklahoma State at Stillwater.

In-conference they only have four home games but they get to avoid Oregon and get Utah at home.

Honestly, there’s not a lot of difference between a lot of these bottom schedules, but here’s why Cal has the easiest schedule.

Their non-conference game at Notre Dame gives them some points, but in-conference they get breaks. They get five home games and they avoid Arizona State and Utah in the South.

They also get division rivals Oregon, Stanford, and Washington at home.