Pac-12 Football: Week 13 power rankings
By Brad Weiss
As we look towards Week 13 of the Pac-12 schedule, there are five Pac-12 teams ranked in the AP Poll. Here are our Pac-12 rankings after Week 12.
Week 12 of the Pac-12 schedule saw a pretty big upset, as the Oregon Ducks went into Utah and beat the Utes at the last second. The loss eliminated the Utes’ chance at a shot in the Pac-12 title game, but there are numerous teams still alive. Washington continued its run towards the College Football Playoff by dominating Arizona State, and USC ran its win streak to seven games.
Here are our Pac-12 Power Rankings after Week 12 of the 2016 college football season.
The Arizona Wildcats’ disastrous season continued this past weekend, as they ran their record to 0-8 in conference play. Arizona took on Oregon State this past Saturday, who has won only one conference game this season. Oregon State destroyed the Wildcats to the tune of 42-17, effectively guaranteeing a winless season in Pac-12 play.
Quarterback Anu Solomon made his first start since the season opener, but he did not last long. Solomon injured his toe in the first quarter, and the team had to turn to Brandon Dawkins the rest of the way. Dawkins threw for 106 yards and a touchdown, while leading the team in rushing with 88 yards. The game was actually close at the half, but the Beavers dominated after the break.
The loss was the eighth straight for the Wildcats, who may have to turn the page on head coach Rich Rodriguez after the season. There are some talented pieces on the roster, and the team is sure to be fired up for Senior Day this weekend. Arizona will take on Arizona State in a rivalry game on Friday, which should be a closely contested game considering how bad both teams have played as of late.
Arizona State raced out to a 5-1 record to start the 2016 season, and since then, it has been all downhill. With their loss this past weekend, the Sun Devils are now below .500 on the season, and are in danger of missing a bowl game. Luckily for them, they will take on an Arizona team on Friday that is clearly the worst team in the conference.
This past weekend, the Sun Devils took on a Washington team hungry to get back on the winning track. The Huskies raced out to a 24-0 lead and never looked back against an Arizona State team that struggled to get anything going on offense. Arizona State gained only 48 yards of total offense in the first half, and had accumulated only 84 going into the fourth quarter.
Running back Demario Richard played poorly after a stellar effort the week before. Quarterback Manny Wilkins threw for two touchdowns in the game, both to Jay Jay Wilson, but it was far too little too late. Wilkins was harassed all afternoon, getting sacked six times in the game. As a team, Arizona State rushed for only 15 yards, in what was one of their more disappointing efforts of the season.
Cal’s struggles continued on Saturday, as they lost the Big Game to the Stanford Cardinal for the seventh straight year. The Golden Bears hung tough for a half of football, as they went into the locker room at halftime down three points. However, Cardinal star running back Christian McCaffrey proved to be too much for four quarters, as Stanford won the coveted Axe once again.
Quarterback Davis Webb had a nice day throwing the ball, as he nearly tossed for 400 yards in the contest. He was able to connect with his favorite target, Chad Hansen, on several occasions, as Hansen hauled in seven balls for 114 yards and two scores. Cal beat two ranked teams early in the year, but they have now lost five of their last six games.
The biggest issue this season for the Golden Bears has been the play of their defense, which has allowed over 50 points per game over their last six contests. With the loss, Cal assured themselves a losing season for the fifth year in their last six. Webb and Hansen have been fun to watch all season long, but it has to be frustrating for them seeing the defense look like a leaky faucet every game.