Pac-12 Football: Week 14 power rankings
By Brad Weiss
Coming off an impressive road win against No. 11 Utah last weekend, the Oregon Ducks came into their Civil War Game against Oregon State flying high. However, the Beavers quickly took the wind out of their sails, beating the Ducks by a score of 34-24. The loss marked the end of a loss season in Eugene, and ultimately spelled the end for head coach Mark Helfrich at Oregon.
Heading into the season with high expectations, the Ducks actually finished last in the Pac-12 North Division. Dakota Prukop was named the starting quarterback prior to the season, though it was the man who ended the year under center that has Ducks fans hopeful for the future. True freshman Justin Herbert played unbelievable football for Oregon down the stretch, establishing himself as a future star in the Pac-12.
With the loss this past weekend, the Ducks saw their eight-game Civil War winning streak come to an end. The game could also be the last for star running back Royce Freeman, who may opt for the NFL draft next April. Freeman picked up the 22nd 100-yard game of his career, as he moved past Napoleon Kaufman for ninth place all-time in the Pac-12 in rushing. The season was a dramatic fall for an Oregon team that played in the first College Football Playoff only two years ago.
Though he played only one season for the California Golden Bears, Davis Webb will go down in history as one of the best quarterbacks to ever play the position at the school. Webb led Cal to a huge victory over UCLA this past weekend, becoming only the second player in school history to throw for over 4,000 yards in a season. The graduate senior transfer from Texas Tech finished the regular season second in the nation in passing yards, as his 4,295 only trailed current Texas Tech quarterback Patrick Mahomes II.
The Golden Bears also got a huge season out of junior Chad Hansen, who may bolt to the NFL now that the season is over. Hansen caught ten balls for 156 yards this past weekend, putting a cap on an incredible year. The speedy wideout finished the season with 92 receptions for 1,249 yards, while hauling in 11 of Webb’s 37 touchdowns. Despite the breakout seasons for Webb and Hansen, the Golden Bears ended up finishing the year with only three Pac-12 wins.
Coming into this past weekend’s tilt with UCLA, Cal had lost four straight games, so finishing on a high note will give the program some solace heading into 2017. The biggest issue for the team will be replacing Webb, who stepped right in for Jared Goff this season, as the offense did not skip a beat. They will finish the year without a bowl game, but this year’s squad definitely were fun to watch at times during the season.
The rise of the Oregon State Beavers continued this past weekend, as they snapped an eight-game Civil War losing streak against rival Oregon. The Beavers have played much better football this season, the second for head coach Gary Andersen at the school, and have some nice pieces in place to continue their growth in 2017. They finished the year with two straight wins, and with the win against the Ducks this past weekend, assured they would not finish the year in the cellar in the Pac-12 North Division.
Ryan Nall punctuated his huge sophomore season by running for four touchdowns against the Ducks this past weekend. When healthy, Nall has proven to be one of the better running backs in the Pac-12, and should enable the Beavers to run the ball consistently next season if he can stay out of the trainer’s room. A toe injury forced him to miss time this season, but in his last four games, Nall rushed for over 100 yards in three of them.
The win against the Ducks gave the program their first back-to-back Pac-12 wins since 2013. Rallying around dynamic receiver Seth Collins, who was hospitalized around Thanksgiving, the Beavers definitely ended their season on a high note. If they can get consistent play from quarterback Marcus McMaryion next season, who played very well down the stretch in his first year as the team’s starter, they could have a jump like Colorado did from last year.