California and Colorado will play in 2011 as a non-conference football game, CaliforniaGoldenBlogs.com has reported.
Cal athletics director Sandy Barbour said on Tuesday:
Colorado was just formally signed today (Tuesday, Feb 8th), so that’s official and they will not count as a conference game. We consider them the “A” team for the schedule, and we will absolutely NOT (she was very adamant about this point) schedule TCU. We will play Fresno at a NEUTRAL (again, emphasis) site in Candlestick Park, and consider them to be our “B” level opponent. We will schedule some lower division team as our “C” level opponent.
The Golden Bears and Buffaloes played in Berkeley last season in what was the first game of a 2010-11 home-and-home series signed back in 2004. With Colorado joining the new Pac-12 in 2011, the two teams are now in the same conference.
When the Pac-12 schedules for 2011 were announced last November, California and Colorado were not slated to meet in 2011. But the two schools have decided to go ahead with the game and treat it as a non-conference contest. The result of the game will not be reflected in the Pac-12 standings.
California now only needs one more game to complete their 2011 schedule. The Golden Bears open against Fresno State at Candlestick Park in San Francisco on September 3.
Colorado’s 2011 schedule was complete with 12 games. However, with the addition of the game against Cal, the Buffaloes will now play 13 games. That is allowed under the Hawaii Exemption, which stipulates that teams that travel to face Hawaii may play an extra game to help offset travel costs.