Pac-12 power rankings – Week 12: USC clinches South as North is wide open
By Brad Weiss
The Pac-12 might have lost any chance of having a team represent the conference in the College Football Playoff this past weekend.
With their loss to the Stanford Cardinal on Friday night, the Washington Huskies erased any chance that the Pac-12 will be represented in the College Football Playoff. However, that will not do anything to dull the excitement of the next few weeks in conference play, where the North is very much up for grabs. The USC Trojans clinched the South with their win against Colorado this weekend, but we have a long way to go in deciding who will play them in the Pac-12 Championship Game.
In other Pac-12 news, Arizona ran all over Oregon State, setting a school record for rushing yards. Washington State took care of business on the road against Utah and now hold the top spot in the coveted Pac-12 North. UCLA got Josh Rosen back, and it mattered in a big way, as he threw for nearly 400 yards in the Bruins win against Arizona State. It was another exciting week in Pac-12 play, and we have a couple weeks still to come.
Here is our latest Pac-12 Power Ranking.
Oregon State Beavers (1-9)
Last week: L 49-28 at Arizona
Last rank: 12
The losses continue to pile up for the Oregon State Beavers, who lost their eighth straight game on Saturday. The Beavers traveled to Arizona to take on the Wildcats, who have been one of the hotter teams in the Pac-12 as of late. Arizona quarterback Khalil Tate ran all over the Beavers, who allowed nearly 50 points in the game, and are still looking for their first conference win.
Star running back Ryan Nall had a decent game for Oregon State, nearly rushing for 100 yards against Arizona. Nall also led the team in receiving yards, but he has really been the only weapon this team has had all season long. Quarterback Darell Garretson threw for 209 yards and four touchdowns in the game, with all of his TDs going to different receivers, but the Wildcats were just too much offensively.
With the loss, Oregon State fell to 0-7 in conference play, and interim head coach Cory Hall would like nothing more than for this team to get one in the win column. They have played hard all season long and will finish out their campaign at home against Arizona State, and then on the road against Oregon in the Civil War Rivalry. Oregon State was able to win that rivalry game last season, and maybe they have some magic left in the tank to repeat.
Colorado Buffaloes (5-6)
Last week: L 38-24 vs. USC
Last rank: 8
The Colorado Buffaloes lost a bad one to the USC Trojans on Saturday and will have to find a way to get back in the win column if they want to be bowl eligible for the second straight season. Colorado surprised everybody in the conference when they won the Pac-12 South last season, but they have played very inconsistent football in 2017. Quarterback Steven Montez has had his ups and downs, but he is a good one, and they have him under center for another two years.
Montez threw for 376 yards against the Trojans, but he did have two big interceptions, one of which was returned for a score. Running back Phillip Lindsay rushed for only 68 yards on the ground, as the Trojans were really the only team to stop him this season. Juwann Winfree caught five passes for over 160 yards receiving, catching both of Montez’s touchdowns in the game.
Bryce Bobo caught ten balls for 113 yards, and while the Buffaloes won the Pac-12 South last season, they had to watch USC clinch the division with their win against them this year. Senior linebacker Trent Headley proposed to his girlfriend before the game, and she said yes, so there was some winning for the Buffaloes on Saturday. Colorado will be off this week, before traveling to play Utah to end the season, as they look to get back to a bowl game.