Arizona coach Rich Rodriguez unloaded on the Pac-12 Monday, accusing the league of not caring about student-athlete welfare because of continued late kickoff times.

The Wildcats, who play 12 straight games without a bye week, have had a 5 p.m. or later kickoff in five of their seven games so far this season. The news that their Oct. 31 game at Washington is an 8 p.m. kickoff, followed by a road trip to USC the following weekend, is what set off Rodriguez during his news conference.

Rich Rodriguez's Arizona team is scheduled to play at Washington at 8 p.m. ET on Oct. 31, then visit USC the following weekend. Kirby Lee/USA TODAY Sports

"I just found out that the game at Washington is at night, so we will get back at 5 in the morning," Rodriguez said. "I just don't understand how this happens when you play 12 straight games, then you play night road games and then we are going to play an 8 p.m. road game at Washington, get back at 5 in the morning and then have to go back on the road again. If the conference is really concerned about student-athlete welfare, I think someone should step in, because when do guys get a chance to get healthy? They are not getting treatments on the plane. They can try to sleep, but they are not getting a whole lot of rest when they are traveling. It is just ridiculous in my opinion."

Rodriguez is the second Pac-12 coach in the last couple of weeks to show displeasure at the league's scheduling. Earlier this month, UCLA coach Jim Mora was frustrated that the Bruins had to play back-to-back Thursday night games, saying, "It's unbelievable that we're calling these kids student-athletes, and yet we're going to force them to miss six days of school so they can play two football games in a row on Thursday nights."

Arizona has suffered extensive injuries to its linebacking corps this season -- specifically the loss of All-American Scooby Wright III, who was injured in the season opener and has appeared just once after sustaining a second injury at the end of September.

Several Arizona backups also have been injured.

"Don't go on your soapbox and talk about student-athlete welfare and then have these kids get back at 5 or 6 in the morning, and then you're going to go back on the road again," Rodriguez said. "If we're in it for that part of it, there's got to be a better way. At some point, the conference has to have a little bit of ability to step in and say: 'Hey, give this team one afternoon road game. Maybe all the rest of them are night, but give them one break so they get home at a reasonable hour.' It's silly. It really is. I'm going to complain about it now, and then I won't have to complain about it again, because the no open date thing is still disturbing. But the late-night road game combined with no open dates is a little bit not being cognizant of what these student-athletes go through. It's not good."

The Wildcats have appeared on the Pac-12 Networks three times, Fox Sports1 twice and ABC and CBS Sports Network once each.

"I understand TV is going to pick the times and they have the right to do it and they're paying us all this money, so they're able to pick the games," he said. "But every road game is a late-night, and you're getting back with no open date, you have to turn around and go back on the road again."