Khalil Tate is healthy and Arizona is tied for the Pac-12 South lead after Utah is upset by Arizona State.
The Pac-12 South is wide open with three teams owning a 4-3 conference record. Following Utah’s loss to Arizona State, Arizona and USC are now back alive after their obituary was written before Halloween.
Washington State almost slipped against Cal before Gardner Minshew threw the game-winning touchdown in the final minute. That’s not the type of performance that will impress the College Football Playoff committee but it does keep them at the top of the North. Mike Leach’s team owns a one-game lead over Washington who travels to Pullman in the season finale.
The Cougs own the top spot in this week’s Pac-12 power rankings but there’s a lot of movement below them.
The Oregon State Beavers were coming off their biggest win of the season this past weekend, as they went into Colorado and beat the Buffaloes in overtime the week before. In that game, the offense was clicking, but against USC on Saturday, the passing game got flowing, but the Trojans were able to corral standout running back Jermar Jefferson, holding him to only 58 yards on the ground.
Jefferson has been one of the standout freshmen in the conference this season and is a big reason Beavers fans can be hopeful for the future. Quarterback Jake Luton threw for over 300 yards against the Trojans, as he really developed a nice rapport with Isaiah Hodgins throughout, connecting eight times for 129 yards in the game.
For the Beavers, the loss drops them to 2-7 on the season, which likely guarantees them another last-place finish in the Pac-12 North Division. They played hard in this game, being down only 21-14 at the half, but another tough test awaits them this weekend, as they travel to play the Stanford Cardinal on the road.
During his time as the head coach of the Oregon Ducks, Chip Kelly put together a strong run, posting a record of 46-7, and making it to a national championship game. His first season in UCLA has not yielded that kind of success, as the Bruins are one of the worst teams in the conference, and are fresh off a terrible loss at the hands of Kelly’s former team.
The Bruins were throttled by the Ducks this past weekend, as they were doubled up in Eugene, and saw their freshman quarterback Dorian Thompson-Robinson benched in favor of Wilton Speight. Sure, running back Joshua Kelley rushed well once again, but this Bruins team is just lost right now, and Kelly has a lot of work to do.
Of course, Kelly is an excellent recruiter, so it is only a matter of time before he starts to get some talented players at the school. With the loss this weekend, the Bruins will guarantee themselves a losing record, but if Kelly has proven anything as a college coach, that could be the last time they finish that way for a long time.