Pac-12 Football: Week 13 power rankings

Bad loss for the Utes this past weekend, as they saw their hopes of earning a trip to the Pac-12 title game dashed at the hands of the lowly Oregon Ducks. It looked as if the Utes were going to be able to escape with the victory, as Troy Williams hit Evan Moeai for a touchdown with a little over two minutes left to play. However, Oregon drove the length of the field and scored a touchdown of their own with two seconds left in regulation.

Utah has had an incredible season and has really overcome adversity throughout. Starting running back Joe Williams had to come out of retirement during the year and has since become one of the better backs in the conference. Quarterback Troy Williams has played very good football as of late and has shown the ability to lead the team on big drives over the past few weeks.

With their loss, and wins by Colorado and USC, the Utes are now eliminated from playing in the Pac-12 Championship Game. However, they are still in line to play in a big bowl game and can actually strip the Pac-12 South title away from Colorado with a win this week. There is still plenty on the line for Utes, who should be right in the mix for a conference title next season.

Christian McCaffrey is back at it, running all over defenses week in and week out. This past weekend, McCaffrey broke his own single-game rushing record, rushing for 284 yards against the California Golden Bears. He also set the Big Game record for yards in a single game, breaking Cal’s Joe Igber’s 14-year record of 226. He currently is the only player in the country with over 2,000 all-purpose yards, and has put his midseason slump far back in the rearview mirror.

In the last four games, McCaffrey has rushed for 787 yards and 10 touchdowns, leading the team to four straight wins. McCaffrey has been aided by the play of freshman quarterback Keller Chryst, who has played very well since taking the reins from Ryan Burns. Chryst won his fourth straight start this past weekend, throwing for 198 yards and two touchdowns against Cal. Stanford has finally found an answer for the departed Kevin Hogan at the position.

With the win, Stanford has now won seven straight Big Games against Cal. The Cardinal will finish off their up and down season against Rice this week. They have really finished strong since their loss to Colorado moved their record to 4-3. They should be able to take care of business against the Owls and should finish the season ranked in the top-25.

The Cougars came into their matchup with Colorado as one of the hottest teams in college football, as they had won eight streak games after starting the season 0-2. Quarterback Luke Falk had been making a mockery of the college football landscape, throwing for tons of yards and touchdowns during the winning streak. He played well once again on Saturday, but the Cougars fell to the Buffaloes 38-24.

Washington State led 17-14 at the half, as Falk was distributing the ball all over the field. The Cougars were without star wideout River Cracraft, who tore his ACL the week before. Ten different Cougars caught passes in the game, though it was not enough to keep up with Sefo Liufau and the Buffaloes offense.

Falk and company can still win the Pac-12 North with a win this week against Washington. That should definitely be a good one, as the Huskies have only one blemish on their record this season. It will be a battle of the top two quarterbacks in the conference, as Falk will take on Washington star Jake Browning. Expect a ton of points in that one.