A stunning comeback by the Huskies keeps them atop the Pac-12.
Photo: Husky Athletics
Article by Nick Battey
1. Washington
What a comeback in Seattle, after looking dead in the water in the first half the Huskies came roaring back to beat Utah and take sole possession of the Pac-12 North. UW has been the most impressive team in the conference so far and now they have a clear road to the Championship if they beat their rivals down south in Eugene.
2. USC
After a week off due to positive cases within the program, it looks as if the Trojans will be able to play this week against Washington St. After the cancelation it looks as if the playoff hopes are gone for USC and the Pac-12 in general, but an unbeaten season would still be a great success considering the circumstances and USC is favored in their remaining games to do just that.
3. Colorado
The first non-conference game of the Pac-12 season is a successful win over San Diego St. Colorado very quietly is still undefeated and while they don’t have the tiebreaker in the South currently, they look to be a formidable opponent for anyone in a potential Pac-12 Championship game.
4. Oregon
Oregon falls after the stunning loss in Corvallis to the rival Beavers. All is not lost as the Ducks still control their destiny for a Pac-12 North title as long as they win the next two games. Oregon has major issues, as the team is putting up numbers similar to the dismal 2016 season defensively. Cal is on the schedule next as the Ducks try and get back on track.
5. UCLA
The Bruins get back on track with an easy win at home vs Arizona. Things are finally trending up in the Chip Kelly era. With ASU, USC and another TBD game left it’s a tough road, but the Bruins have looked good and have Dorian Thompson-Robinson likely back this week too.
6. WSU
We are cautiously optimistic that Washington State will get back on the field this week, and a tough welcome back it will be against USC in Los Angeles. This will be their first action since a promising showing vs Oregon in Week 2 of the Pac-12 season. Watch out USC, this Cougar offense is more than capable of causing problems.
7. Oregon State
A program changing win finally comes for Jonathan Smith and Oregon State with a rivalry win over Oregon coming down to the final minute. For a team that lost 11 of 12 to Oregon and hasn’t been to a bowl game since 2014, this is a moment in which Beaver fans will cherish for while and will also give RB Jermar Jefferson the attention he deserves as one of the top backs in college football.
8. ASU
It’s been four weeks since the season opening loss to USC at 9:00am local time but it is looking promising that we will finally see the Sun Devils again this weekend vs UCLA. It will be very interesting to see how ASU will play after such a long layoff especially vs a very hot offense in UCLA.
9. Utah
You can’t have a tougher start to a season in the Pac-12 than playing USC and Washington but unfortunately for Utah they’re 0-2 because of it. Turnovers proved incredibly costly vs the Huskies as they let a 21-0 halftime lead slip away to fall 24-21. The Utes try for their first win of the year Saturday vs Oregon St.
10. Stanford
What an incredible ending for Stanford as they take the axe back home after a one year absence. The blocked PAT will go down in Big Game history and we will see if a relocated Cardinal team can continue this momentum to take down the Huskies in Seattle.
11. California
Cal has been the biggest disappointment in the conference thus far. 0-3 with a Big Game loss and Oregon coming up next off a loss of their own will be a tall ask for a struggling offense in Berkeley.
12. Arizona
After giving USC everything they could handle Arizona has now been completely uncompetitive in two straight games vs Washington and UCLA. Maybe a little home cooking will do the trick vs unbeaten Colorado. Either that or Kevin Sumlin’s time in Tucson might be running short.