The Pac-12 is the most competitive it’s been in the last four years. The last time they sent a representative to the College Football Playoff was 2017, where Alabama dominated Washington 24-7. The last time a Pac-12 team won the National Championship? Try Pete Carrol’s USC Trojans in 2004.
This may come as a shock to many of you, but the Pac-12 likely won’t be winning the title this year. That being said there are a couple of teams that analysts are predicting could make a run and wind up with the #4 seed in the CFP. Here’s a recap of what you might’ve missed, especially if you feel that the Pac-12 is inferior to the rest of the Power 5.
Utah Utes: Defeated BYU 30-12
The Utes defense is as good as advertised. The spent the majority of the night flying around the field, terrorizing Zach Wilson into throwing two pick-sixes. Zach Moss showcased the start of what could be a special year for him, rushing for 187 yards and a TD on 29 carriers.
The Cougars will have to wait one more season to try to defeat Utah in the Holy War. The Utes stretch their winning streak to nine games.
Utah will face Northern Illinois next Saturday on the Pac-12 Network.
Arizona Wildcats: Lost to Hawaii 45-38
With 10 seconds to go and the Wildcats down 7, Khalil Tate took off from the 31 yard line. As he weaved in and out of defenders the Rainbow Warriors eventually took him down at the one yard line as time expired.
Tate had himself a game, and threw for 361 yards and three touchdowns. He also added 108 yards on thirteen carries for good measure.
The star of the night was Cedric Byrd II who caught 14 passes, four of which were touchdowns for 224 yards. The Hawaii receiver made up for the fact that his quarterback threw four interceptions in the game.
Arizona looks to bounce back as they face Northern Arizona on the Pac-12 Network.
Oregon Ducks: Lost 27-21 to Auburn
Another heartbreaking loss for the Pac-12. True freshman for the Auburn Tigers threw a touchdown late in the game to take down the Ducks.
The Ducks scored a touchdown to push the game to 21-6 with 9:23 left in the third quarter, and didn’t score after that point.
A six point loss to Auburn obviously wouldn’t look too bad on a CFP resume, but an inconsistent, sputtering offense, could be a sign of things to come.
Oregon will look to get back on the winning track as they face Nevada next week on, you guessed it, the Pac-12 Network.
Washington State: Beat New Mexico State University 58-7
Anthony Gordon’s first night as QB of the Cougars, according to Mike Leach, was “ok”. He threw for 420 yards and 5 touchdowns, and played half of the third quarter before Leach decided to call it quits and send in the second team.
Washington State will likely face another cakewalk next week as they take on Northern Colorado.
Oregon State: Lost to Oklahoma State 52-36
No point in spending a lot of time with this one. Oregon State’s defense was horrendous last year, and it looks to be more of the same.
Next week they will take on Hawaii, and their streak (1 game) of allowing 50+ points will continue.
Stanford: Beat Northwestern 17-7
The most impressive victory for the Pac-12 this week. They defeated a fringe AP top 25 team in a game that wasn’t all that exciting to watch.
There is a bit of concern with KJ Costello, the Cardinals signal caller. He left the game towards the end of the first half. After throwing a touchdown, Costello took a forearm to the head and did not return.
Stanford will face off against USC on ESPN next Saturday night.
Washington: Defeated Eastern Washington 47-14
Riding the arm of heavily touted Georgia transfer Jacob Eason, the Huskies made quick work of their FCS opponent. Eason threw for 349 yards and four touchdowns.
This game doesn’t give us a true taste of what Washington is capable of accomplishing. They’ll face off against Cal next week to give us a taste of what they’re capable of against Pac-12 competition.
Cal: Defeated UC Davis 27-14
The Golden Bears rode the back of their RB, Christopher Brown Jr. He had 36 carrier for a career high 197 yards in his first start for Cal. They struggled to move the ball in the first half, and only led by three going into halftime. Chase Garbers struggled as well, completing only 16 of his 28 passes against a less than talented UC Davis squad.
Cal may need another game like this one from Christopher Brown Jr. as they go on the road to face Washington.
Arizona State: Beat Kent State 30-7
The Herm Edwards led Sun Devils extended their streak of home opener victories to 21. Jayden Daniels was the first true freshman to start for Arizona State since freshman were allowed to play. Their defense was on display as they forced five fumbles and sacked the quarterback 3 times.
This game wasn’t all to exciting to watch. Not only were the teams less than premier D1 teams, they also combined to score 10 points in the first half.
They’ll face off against Sacramento State this coming Friday night.
Colorado: Defeated Colorado State 52-31
Laviska Shenault Jr. is without a doubt the most talented player on the Buffaloes, but Alex Fontenot was the star of the night. He rushed for 125 yards on 19 carries, and added three touchdowns for good measure.
The defense struggled to contain the Rams offense as they allowed 31 points and 505 yards. They made plays went they had to, forcing two fumbles and snagging two interceptions.
They’ll face a much tougher task next week as the Nebraska Cornhuskers travel to play the Buffaloes next Saturday.
UCLA: Lost to Cincinnati 24-14
Even Chip Kelly’s fancy offense wasn’t enough to stifle the Bearcats. The Bruins had 217 yards of total offense and four turnovers. Even with that they were only down 3 with six minutes to go in the fourth quarter. Cincinnati threw a 21 yard touchdown pass to but the game on ice.
UCLA will hopefully find their identity (and offense) over this next week, as they’ll face San Diego State University. The game will be broadcasted on the coveted PAC-12 Network.
USC: Beat Fresno State 31-23
After losing starting QB J.T. Daniels to a right leg injury, the Trojans withheld an offensive onslaught from the Bulldogs to win the game. Vavae Malepeai rushed for 134 yards and a score.
It appears to be a battle of the backup quarterbacks as USC will face off against KJ Costello-less Stanford Cardinals.
Week Recap
The Pac-12 struggled to beat the teams that mattered, posting an 8-4 overall record, but facing a 1-2 record against Power 5 teams. They’ll look to bounce back with a couple of key conference and out of conference games to watch.