The Pac 12’s playoff chances are dead. They no longer have any undefeated teams and let’s be real that was the only way this conference was going to sniff the playoff, no offense Cal. Still though this is a week that showed why the Pac 12 is a fun conference. No one knows anything. The favorites can crash and burn any given week and hapless UCLA can suddenly turn it on and look like one of the most potent offenses in the country. So here comes the unenviable task of trying to rank the Pac 12.
1. Washington: Sure it was BYU. That said Washington with all the turnover in the Pac 12 this week re established themselves as the top dogs. Consistency is key and this team has been consistent outside of a weird Cal game.
2. Oregon: Was it the most dominating performance? No. Did it get the job done against a hapless Stanford team? Yes. Justin Herbert looked good against a Stanford defense that just plainly looks nothing like what we have seen out of them for the past five to seven years.
3. Utah: The Utes lost not only there undefeated record but star offensive player Zack Moss for several weeks. This truly was the worst case but also most likely outcome for Utah. This is who they are, a respectable school that will always have stability at head coach but whose head coach will never be able to win the biggest games.
4. Cal: Chase Garber and this Cal offense finally put up a game to get excited about on offense. Carving Ole Miss for 370 yards through the air. It was Cal’s defense in the end though that won this game. The only undefeated in the conference, how long will they keep it that way?
5. USC: Michael Pitman Jr. looks like a first round wide out. No other way to put it. He and almost he alone was responsible for absoloutely wrecking Utah’s so-called great defense. 232 yards and a touchdown are hard numbers to ignore.
6. Washington State: East coasters will never understand the joy of watching the only true air raid scheme in football. Anthony Gordon put up almost 600 yards. 600! He broke a Pac 12 record with nine, yes NINE touchdown passes! Yet this Washington State team lost. The defense is not ideal.
7. Colorado: Steven Montez has always struggled in big Pac 12 matchups. That was not the case against Arizona State. Montez looked like one of the best passers in the league throwing for 337 yards and three touchdowns. Alex Fontenot is a true weapon at RB for this team right now. Meanwhile Laviska Shenault Jr. has yet to take off. On a personal note the Buffs have become one of my favorite teams to track outside of Utah in the Pac 12. This is just a fun team.
8. Arizona State: Eno Benjamin is an absolute weapon. The secondary needs to get it figured out. In two to three years this program might be one of the best in the Pac 12. The blocks are there.
9. Arizona: BYE
10. Stanford: Just a rough day. The defense is no longer the hard hitting Stanford D we have come to expect and KJ Costello just isn’t right at the moment. The next few weeks will be crucial for this team.
11. UCLA: You are no longer the embarrassment of the Pac 12, at least for a week. Where was this for three weeks against variable cupcakes? Perhaps it takes time for this Chip Kelly offense to mature, now’s the time to hit your stride though.
12. Oregon State: BYE