The stage is set for the Pac-12 Championship Game, as the Utah Utes will battle it out against the Washington Huskies for the title.
The Pac-12 divisional champions have finally been decided, as the Washington Huskies punched their ticket to the Pac-12 Championship Game this past weekend. The Huskies had to go to Pullman to beat the Washington State Cougars, who were ranked in the top-10, and the conference’s last chance to be represented in the College Football Playoff.
Here are our latest Pac-12 power rankings following the end of the regular season.
The Oregon State Beavers lost their tenth game of the season in Week 13, as they were rolled by the Oregon Ducks in the Civil War game. It was the first season at the helm for Jonathan Smith, and while the record was not what anybody would have liked, there are some bright spots for the program moving forward.
The biggest bright spot for the program has to be freshman running back Jermar Jefferson, who took the Pac-12 by storm in his first season of college football. Jefferson finished his freshman campaign with nearly 1,400 yards, finding the end zone 12 times on the ground. In total, Jefferson went over 100 yards six times, while eclipsing 200 yards twice.
Oregon State began our rankings as the No. 12 team, and they will finish there, as they were the only two-win team in the conference in 2018. Jake Luton could be back for a sixth year, as he has had to battle injuries, but as of right now, it looks like his career at Oregon State is over. Luton passed for 282 in the season finale.
The Colorado Buffaloes were one of the hottest teams in college football to start the season, as they got out to a 5-0 start. However, by the time the season ended this weekend, they had already fired head coach Mike MacIntyre, and have not won a game since the hot start, losing seven straight.
Where it all went downhill for Colorado is hard to pinpoint, but the program is now in a state of turmoil as they look towards 2019. Not only do they have to replace their head coach, but also 25 graduating players, which means this Buffaloes team is going to look a lot different the next time they take the field.
Laviska Shenault Jr. was a bright spot for the team this season, but there was very little outside of his play that turned heads in 2018. He is going to be a player to keep an eye on in 2019, as the has the overall talent to be a Heisman candidate, and can make plays happen on the ground, and through the air. Colorado’s offseason begins now.