Pac-12 Football: Week 14 power rankings
By Brad Weiss
The final two weeks of the 2016 season were bad ones for Utah, who were eying a spot in the Pac-12 Championship Game prior to their home loss to the Oregon Ducks two weeks ago. Utah lost on a last-second touchdown pass from Justin Herbert to Darren Carrington, essentially ending the Utes hopes for a shot at the title. This past weekend, the Utes had to do battle against ninth-ranked Colorado, who proved to be a little too much for them.
Utah had a chance to win the game late, after a seven-yard touchdown catch by Demari Simpkins with 1:34 left in the game. However, the team missed the two-point conversion try, and then the onside kick, allowing Colorado to head to the Pac-12 title game with a 27-22 victory. Joe Williams, the Utes star running back, had an uncommon mediocre game, losing two fumbles against a tough Colorado defense.
Williams, who came out of retirement earlier in the year, was incredible for the Utes all season long. He ran for over 1,100 yards in a shortened season, while finding the end zone nine times. He rushed for at least 149 yards in five of his six games after returning, helping the Utes make a serious run at the College Football Playoff. The Utes will play in a bowl this season, which will be their 11th bowl game in Coach Whittingham’s 14-year tenure at the school.
Washington State knew their final two games would be tough, but they were white-hot going into their matchup with Colorado two weeks ago. However, the Buffaloes proved to be too much for the Cougars, who had won eight straight since starting the season off 0-2. This past weekend, the team faced No. 5 Washington in the Apple Cup, but this time, they got their doors blown off by one of the best team in college football.
Quarterback Luke Falk had his worst game of the season, throwing three interceptions against a tough Washington secondary. The Huskies got out to a huge lead early on, and not even the Cougars’ Air Raid offense could bring them close. It has been an incredible year for Falk, who threw for over 4,2000 yards for head coach Mike Leach this season. Falk also connected on 37 touchdown passes, and should he return for his senior season, would give the Cougars one of the best at the position in the country.
It was a tough end to the season for a team who had their eyes on a possible Pac-12 North title. The makeup of this team was on full display all season long, as they could have been written off for dead after two bad losses to start the season. Still, the Cougars turned an 0-2 season into an 8-4 record, so the entire program should be very excited about where it is headed in the next couple of years. Hopefully for Cougars fans, Falk comes back for 2017 and they can make another run at a Pac-12 title.
Five straight wins for the Stanford Cardinal, who have completely turned their season around since falling to 4-3 in what seems like forever ago. Star running back Christian McCaffrey has been incredible for the team after a midseason slump, and is once again the best at his position in the country. He had another monster day against a Rice squad that just is not in the same class as the Cardinal. Stanford will now wait to see which bowl game they get invited to, in what could be McCaffrey’s last collegiate game.
In what may be McCaffrey’s final home game, the junior rushed for two touchdowns, as he racked up over 200 yards in the game. Aside from McCaffrey getting back on track, the team has been led by junior quarterback Keller Chryst, who took over for Ryan Burns after the Cardinal fell to 4-3 due to their loss to Colorado. The team has not lost since, and Chryst has proven to be the answer to Kevin Hogan’s departure last season.
If McCaffrey does declare for the NFL Draft, expect head coach David Shaw to turn to Bryce Love to be the team’s next starting running back. Love has shown he can handle the load during McCaffrey’s struggles, and should be able to transition to the starting role easily. If the Cardinal can win their bowl game, it would be the tenth five-win season in Shaw’s six years as head coach. The Cardinal finished the year in third place in the Pac-12 North, behind only Washington and Washington State.