Storyline: It’s down to the final weeks, fans. “Win Out!” is the battle cry. Who’ll do that? USC? Colorado? Washington State? Utah?
Saturday, November 18th
(NO TV) Oregon vs. Utah – 2:00 -Utah -7
(ABC) Washington St. vs. Colorado – 3:30- Colorado -3.5
(PAC-12 Network) Stanford vs. California – 5:30 – California +11
(FOX) Arizona St. vs. Washington – 7:30- Washington -25.5
(NO TV) Arizona vs. Oregon St. – 10:30- Oregon St. -7
(ESPN) USC vs. UCLA- 10:30 – UCLA +10.5
Byes: NONE
Week #11 in the PAC-12 was eerily similar to week #10. No game was close. Each contest was decided by at least 13 points. But fans still learned a lot about conference directions heading down the stretch.
Utah showed its muscle last week in Tempe (photo, PAC-12)
Utah and Arizona St. got the week started on Thursday. After falling behind by 13 points Utah showed its grit, outscoring the Sun Devils 49-13 over the last three quarters. With the win the Utes stayed in the hunt for a PAC-12 South championship.
UCLA defeated Oregon St., 38-24, and the two touchdown difference was the second closest contest of the weekend. Stanford, Washington St. and Colorado all won by 20+ points. Colorado and Washington St. continue to play at a high level.
Finally, the GOW of the week took place at Husky Stadium between USC and Washington. Both teams came into the match-up red hot. The Trojans played excellent defense. holding the high-powered Huskies to 13 points. USC won, 26-13, and extended their winning streak to six games.
All action this week will take place on Saturday with Arizona traveling to Oregon St., USC taking on UCLA in a battle of LA, Oregon visiting Utah, Stanford renewing its rivalry with California, and Arizona St. taking the trip to Seattle to play an angry Washington squad.
Oh, there’s one more game. The PAC-12 division leaders, Washington St. and Colorado, square off in Boulder. (Yes, I said PAC-12 leaders).
I have a feeling the games this week will be competitive and full of drama.
UW has to bounce back against ASU (photo, College Football News)
Now What Washington? Washington’s game against USC was hyped. A national audience would see a talented and worthy (of a CFP berth) Washington team. But someone forget to tell the Trojans. The Trojans beat UW soundly. Now these 18-22-year olds in Seattle have to rebound. They have to realize that UW has plenty to play for. They still control their destiny in the PAC-12 North and could represent the conference in the Rose Bowl. And with all the turmoil in the CFP rankings, a 11-1 Washington team (if it wins out) could get a birth in the national championship tournament. So there’s plenty of motivation for UW to play hard against ASU.
Rivalry Week Part I: Rivalry games used to be played on the season’s last weekend. But the PAC-12 has decided to start a week early this year with Stanford vs. California and USC playing UCLA. While the Stanford/Cal game will not have a major impact on the PAC-12 race, the Trojans-Bruins battle means a whole lot to the Trojans: USC still has a shot to win the PAC-12 South. At issue is whether UCLA can provide any resistance. But please keep in mind that this game can produce very interesting results. (More about that later….)
Don’t Forget About Us! Everybody has been talking about the breakout seasons at Colorado and Washington St. (deservingly so) and the resurgence of Trojan football. A fourth team–the Utah Utes–have been lying in the weeds, quietly going about their business. Even though Utah slipped up at home two weeks ago against Washington, they’re still in a position to win the PAC-12 South. What makes this story really intriguing is how the Utes go about their business: they are the epitome of a lunch pail team. They show up and impose their will on both sides of the line. They want to run the ball down your throat and stop you from being able to establish your ground game. If Utah can take care of business this week against Oregon at home and next week versus Colorado on the road we’ll have quite a story: a program that flies under the radar while others get all the hype.
Can The Buffalo keep it going against WSU? (photo, PAC-12.com)
Game Of The Week, Washington St. vs. Colorado: How incredible it is that we’ve reached Week 12 of the PAC-12 season and the GOW pits these teams–the current leaders in the PAC-12 North and South, respectively. But this isn’t about Cinderella times two. These squads are REALLY good! The difference may be at quarterback. Colorado has yet to see a QB like Luke Falk. WSU is red-hot, having won 8 games in a row. The fly in the ointment is that they haven’t had to experience a road test like they’ll have this week in Boulder. But no matter what happens this week, both teams will need to recover quickly and prepare for rivalry games next week. While I feel this game could go in either direction I like the Buffalo in a nail bitter…and only because they’re at home. I say Colorado, 34-31.
Underrated Game of The Week, USC vs. UCLA: In a normal season this game would’ve ended up in the GOW section. USC is living up to its end of the bargain. UCLA is not. The season unraveled quickly for Jim Mora’s Bruins and now all they have left is ruining the Trojans’ season. UCLA enters the game without the services of starting quarterback, Josh Rosen, who’s out for the season. USC enters the game riding sky high after their upset win in Washington. With the PAC-12 South title hanging in the balance, all signs point to the Trojans winning this game against a banged-up Bruin team. But rivalry games have a way of evening the playing field, providing motivation to the underdog. Keep an eye on this game, especially early on. If the Bruins can hang around, well…I’ve seen stranger things happen. Still, though, I say USC, 35-20.
Will the Cardinal beat Cal? (photo, Pinterest)
Upset Of The Week, Stanford vs. California: Last week I went against Stanford in my Upset Of The Week and got burned big time. So I figured: Why not go to the well again this week and pick California against the Cardinal? Stanford comes into the game having won three games in a row, while California has lost three games in a row (giving up up over 50 points per game during that stretch). Seems like a mismatch, doesn’t it? But here’s the thing: Cal has played well at home this year and needs to win its final two games to qualify for a bowl. The Bears can score points. We know it can. While Stanford’s defense is playing better, they haven’t taken on an explosive offense like Cal’s since the Washington St. game — and the Cardinal lost that one, 42-16. Stanford would love nothing more than put a bowl dagger into California. But I just don’t see that happening. In a shocker, I say Cal, 38-30.
Lock Of The Week, Arizona St. vs Washington: My LOW picks have been solid this year and that continued last week with Washington St. over California. This week I’m going to keep it simple and also use common sense: I’m taking Washington at home over Arizona St. A big reason is that ASU is coming into Husky Stadium at the wrong time. Washington is angry, wounded, and determined to wash a sour taste out of its mouth (the USC loss). To boot, this is the final home game for Washington. After a win this week, Washington can focus on the Cougars and the Apple Cup. A trip to the PAC-12 title game will be at stake. Sorry, Sun Devils, but you’ll have to wait your chance (a VERY GOOD CHANCE at that) to become bowl eligible next week against rival Arizona. I say Washington BIG, 52-17.
