Pac-12 Football: Week 12 power rankings
By Brad Weiss
The Stanford Cardinal are finally looking like the team that was a preseason favorite to challenge for the Pac-12 title, but it a little too late. Star running back Christian McCaffrey, who struggled mightily for a four-game stretch during the middle of the season, has exploded the last three games for Stanford. The junior has rushed for over 100 yards in each of the last three contests, and he racked up three touchdowns in the Cardinal win against Oregon this past weekend.
After getting out to a 4-3 record to start the season, Stanford has reeled off three straight wins, and are finally getting solid play out of their young quarterback. Keller Chryst, who took over for Ryan Burns as the starter last month, has won all three of his starts, and had his best game of the season against Oregon. Chryst threw for 258 yards and three touchdowns, and unlike previous starts, he did not turn the ball over.
The Oregon and Stanford game lacked the luster of recent years, as the two programs have combined to win every Pac-12 championship since the conference expanded and added a title game. However, if Chryst can continue to develop under center, the team will have found their answer for the graduated Kevin Hogan. McCaffrey will be looking to finish out his college career on a high note, and could actually lead Stanford to a nine-win season despite all the turmoil of the past few months.
The Utah Utes boast one of the best defenses in college football, and this past weekend, they made life a living hell for Arizona State quarterback Manny Wilkins. The Utes sacked Wilkins 11 times as part of their 22 tackles for losses, and came up with big turnovers in clutch situations. The two teams went into halftime with the Utes up 21-20, but Utah was able to pull away in the second half of their 49-26 victory.
Utah once again got a big game from running back Joe Williams, who continues to dominate the Pac-12 since coming out of retirement a month ago. Williams rushed for 181 yards against the Sun Devils defense, finding the end zone twice. Quarterback Troy Williams was just as effective on Saturday, throwing for nearly 300 yards and four touchdowns with zero interceptions.
Wide receiver Raelon Singleton had a huge game against Arizona State, as three of his four catches went for score. Singleton racked up 116 receiving yards in total, giving the Utes a solid weapon on the outside with Tim Patrick out. With the win, the Utes snapped an eight-game losing streak in Tempe, and enabled them to stay one game back of Colorado for first place in the Pac-12 South. The two teams will match up in the season finale for both programs in two weeks.
The magical season for the Colorado Buffaloes continued this past weekend, as they won their fourth straight game. With the win, the Buffs moved to 8-2 on the season, and are now in first place in the Pac-12 South division with a 6-1 conference record. Their only losses this season have come on the road against Michigan and USC, two teams that have been dominant for a better portion of the college football season.
This past weekend, the Buffs got a strong effort from their starting quarterback, who appears to be fully healthy for the final stretch run. Sefo Liufau threw for 213 yards and three touchdowns in the game, while also rushing for a score. Star running back Phillip Lindsay also had a big day, racking up 119 yards on the ground to go along with his three touchdowns.
Colorado has two huge games on deck, as they host Washington State and Utah to finish out the season. The Buffs appear to be peaking at the right time, and if Liufau can stay healthy, he and Lindsay should be able to keep the team rolling. Washington State is one of the hottest teams in college football, so expect a very competitive game this weekend in Colorado. The defense is playing a lot better, but Luke Falk and company are going to be hard to defend for 60 minutes.