Pac-12 power rankings – Week 12: USC clinches South as North is wide open
By Brad Weiss
California Golden Bears (5-5)
Last week: Off
Last rank: 9
It has been a roller coaster of a year for the California Golden Bears, who have looked so good on occasion, and so bad on others. They had the week off this past weekend, and will now hit the road twice to end their regular season. Cal is sitting at 5-5 on the season, so they need to win at least one more to be bowl eligible, and will have to find that win against either Stanford or UCLA.
During their last game, Cal looked good, although they were playing the worst team in the conference in Oregon State. Quarterback Ross Bowers has been stellar at times and has thrown for 17 touchdowns against 11 interceptions in his first season as a starter. Running back Patrick Laird is rushing for over 5.5 yards per carry, and Vic Wharton III has been solid in the passing game.
The truth is, it is going to be tough for them to get win No. 6, as both Stanford and UCLA, looked very good last weekend. Cal had their chances to make a move early in the season, but could never get both sides of the ball working at the same time. There is a lot to build on, but this could wind up being a 5-7 season before all is said and done.
Oregon Ducks (5-5)
Last week: Off
Last rank: 10
The Oregon Ducks looked like world beaters early in the year, as their offense was firing on all cylinders. However, then the worst happened, as star quarterback Justin Herbert broke his collarbone. From there, the offense sputtered, despite getting incredible efforts from Royce Freeman, and the Ducks find themselves struggling to get to six wins and become bowl eligible in Willie Taggart’s first season.
The loss of Herbert has been huge, as freshman Braxton Burmeister has been pretty awful in his first season under center. It really is not his fault, as he is a freshman, and the team has not allowed him to take any shots downfield. The real surprise has been how productive Freeman has continued to be, as defenses are really only keying on stopping him at this point.
The Ducks have won only one of their last five games, and while Herbert has a shot to return, the odds are he is done for the season. Heading into their bye week, the Ducks lost 38-3 to the Washington Huskies, but at least they have two home games to put one in the win column. Oregon will play host to Arizona and Oregon State to close out the year, and that Civil War Rivalry game against the Beavers may be their only real chance to get to six wins.