Storyline: Without question the PAC-12 Game of the Week is USC at Washington. But don’t overlook an important Thursday night match-up between Utah and ASU.
(all times EST)
Thursday, November 10th
(FS1) Utah vs. Arizona St., 9:30 – Arizona St. +5.5
Saturday, November 12th
(PAC-12 Network) Stanford vs. Oregon, 4:00 – Oregon +2.5
(FOX) USC. vs. Washington, 7:30 – Washington -7.5
(PAC-12 Network) Oregon St. vs. UCLA, 9:00 – UCLA -13.5
(FS1) Colorado vs. Arizona, 10:00 – Arizona +14
(ESPN) California vs. Washington St., 10:30 – Washington St. -16
Byes: NONE
Week #10 in the PAC-12 might be best described as “Blow Out Saturday” because all five conference games were decided by 10 points or more. Boring? Not really. The cream has risen to the top in the PAC-12.
Courtesy: 5280.com
Last Thursday night Colorado continued to show that it’s ‘The Little Engine That Could.” The Buffalo defeated lethargic UCLA, 20-10, and CU continues to give its fan base a reason to believe the PAC-12 South title is within reach. For UCLA, though, the season looks very different…and it went from bad to worse. The Bruins will play the rest of the year without starting quarterback, Josh Rosen, who was shut down by injury.
Stanford wasn’t overly impressive against Oregon St. at home last week, but the Cardinal won, 26-15. With the win Stanford clinched yet another bowl berth.
The Washington teams continue the journey to a head-on crash at season’s end. Washington St. smashed Arizona, 69-7, and Washington pounded California, 66-27.
Finally, USC is still in the hunt for the South title. The Trojans dominated Oregon, 45-20, with tailback Ronald Jones running for four touchdowns.
This week’s schedule features a Thursday night game with Utah traveling to Arizona St. On Saturday, Oregon hosts Stanford, Colorado heads to Tucson, OSU travels to UCLA, WSU plays Cal in Pullman, and the Huskies and USC square up for what should be a very entertaining–and meaningful–game.
Trojans are back in the PAC-12 conversation (photo, wikipedia.com)
Calm Before The Storm? Only one game this week–USC v. UW–looks to be a mouth-watering match-up. The rest of the games seem mediocre. That’s because in those games every team in the upper half of its respective PAC-12 division will be playing a team in the bottom half of said division. That situation could set up an outcome just like we had last week–with blowouts. Who knows, though? The great thing about college football is that the unexpected often happens. Let’s see if an underdog can spring an upset. But, at the very least, this week will be ‘the pause that refreshes.’ That’s because the final two weeks in the PAC-12 will be full of drama, to say the least.
Where’s The Love? The PAC-12 has done itself no favors this year when it comes to the national spotlight. The league did not play well in non-conference games and typical powerhouse programs (e.g., Oregon, UCLA haven’t been up to snuff. So when the first CFP rankings came out last Tuesday it wasn’t surprising that undefeated Washington was on the outside looking in at #5. I know, I know, the first rankings are never the way things end up come December. But the committee still made a loud and clear statement about the PAC-12: We don’t think you’re that good! Things changed this week (the Huskies replaced TAM at #4), but UW has literally no room for error. The Huskies know exactly what they need to do–keep winning.
Courtesy: Dean Rutz/The Seattle Times
Great Individual Performances. Look no farther than QBs who guide teams from the State of Washington. WSU’s Luke Falk completed an amazing 32-35 passes for 311 yards and four touchdowns against ASU. Falk became the first and only quarterback in the nation this year to complete an unthinkable 90% of his passes and score four TDs in a single game. Not to be outdone, a few hours later UW’s Jake Browning threw six TD passes–yes, 6–and gained 378 yards through the air v. Cal. With quarterback performances like those, the Apple Cup seems more and more likely to feature one of the most entertaining and meaningful contests in years.
Game Of The Week, USC vs. Washington: This may be the easiest GOW to pick in the PAC-12 this season. Two hot teams will tangle in Huskie Stadium. USC comes into this game having won five games in a row. Without question the Trojans are clicking on all cylinders. But let’s be clear about something important: four of those five wins have come against the underbelly of the conference (save CU). The Trojans need to win out–and also get help–to win the PAC-12 South. But the pressure on USC is nothing compared to the challenge before UW. Washington is 9-0 with a CFP birth in mind and rival Washington St. breathing down its neck. While USC is coming on, Coach Pederson is the perfect coach for the Huskies during a season like this. I believe UW has too much talent for the Trojans. So I say, Washington, 35-27.
Underrated Game of The Week, Utah vs. Arizona St.: Don’t forget about Utah in the PAC-12 South! The Utes control their own destiny. On the other side of this coin, ASU is 5-4, and needs one more win to become bowl-eligible. While the Sun Devils have lost lost three games in a row, they’re still a very dangerous team, capable of putting up points, especially at home. With so much on the line for both teams, this game shouldn’t fly under the radar! How will it turn out? I think Utah will take another step toward a year-ending showdown with Colorado for the PAC-12 South title. ASU will qualify for a bowl game, but not this week. I say, Utah, 38-30.
Can Oregon spring an upset at home? (photo, The Danegeld)
Upset Of The Week, Stanford vs. Oregon: I’m going to talk about this game with Oregon as the underdog. While UO’s defense looked pathetic again last week against USC, I did see positive play from the Ducks’ true freshman quarterback. Stanford, on the other hand, is coming into this game on a two-game winning streak. But wait! Those wins came against the two worst teams in the conference…and the Cardinal didn’t look impressive against either foe. The situation is crystal clear for Oregon: it needs to win out to be bowl-eligible. While I’m not sure Oregon will win out to go 6-6, I do think the Ducks will get to 4-6 this week and pull off a minor upset in Eugene. I say Oregon, 31-27.
Lock Of The Week, California vs. Washington St.: It’s a special year in Pullman. The Cougars have won seven games in a row and are 6-0 in the PAC-12. The Cougars end their season with two huge games–against Colorado (on the road) and Washington in The Apple Cup. With those games looming, this week’s contest could be a trap game for WSU. That’s saying something because Cal is the opposition. The Bears can score, but they can’t stop anyone from scoring. Case in point: Cal just gave up 66 points at home against Washington. How will they fare against Luke Falk and the Cougs? Well, I think a back-to-back 60-point defensive performance for Cal isn’t out of the question. I say WSU, 55-35.
