Pac-12 power rankings: Playoff hopes rest with undefeated Cal
By Brad Weiss
Some of the Pac-12 College Football Playoff contenders took losses this past weekend, hurting the conference’s chances of being represented in the playoff.
Some top-ranked Pac-12 teams fell in Week 4, specifically No. 10 ranked Utah, who came into their game against USC undefeated. With Cal the only Pac-12 team that remains undefeated entering Week 5, are the conference’s College Football Playoff chances already dashed.
Here are our Pac-12 power rankings entering Week 5.
And then there was one. The California Golden Bears are the only remaining undefeated team in the Pac-12 this season, this after a stellar victory on the road against Ole Miss this past weekend. Linebacker Evan Weaver continues to etch his name in the first round of the 2020 NFL Draft talk, racking up 22 tackles, including the game-winning stop at the one-yard line. This is the first time Cal has started 4-0 since 2015 and boasting one of the better defenses in the country, they are going to be hard to beat.
The Oregon Ducks went on the road to take on the Stanford Cardinal this weekend and came away with a close victory against their Pac-12 rival. Oregon was once again led by star quarterback Justin Herbert, who threw for three touchdowns in the game, including two to Jacob Breeland. The next time we see Oregon will be in two weeks when they play host to Cal, who is currently the only remaining undefeated team in the entire conference.
The Utah Utes went into their Week 4 matchup against USC undefeated, aided by the strong play of quarterback Tyler Huntley, and running back Zack Moss. Unfortunately for the Utes, Moss would get injured against the Trojans, and without him toting the rock, the offense looked very pedestrian at times. However, it was not only the lack of weapons on offense, but also the mistakes, as they racked up over 15 penalties, and had a field goal blocked. They take on Washington State this week.
The Washington Huskies had a statement win this past weekend, beating BYU, who had been a Pac-12 killer coming into the game. Quarterback Jacob Eason threw for three touchdowns and was aided by running back Sean McGrew, who was filling in for the injured Ahmed Salvon. McGrew rushed for over 100 yards in the game, as Aaron Fuller made his presence felt in a big way as well, scoring through the air, and in the return game. Washington takes on USC this weekend in a huge conference matchup.
In one of the bigger wins of any team in the Pac-12 this past weekend, the USC Trojans took care of the undefeated Utah Utes inside the Coliseum Friday night. The Trojans were led by third-string quarterback Matt Fink, who was pressed into action when Kedon Slovis was hurt on the second play of the game. Fink threw for 351 yards and three touchdowns against a stout Utah defense, connecting with Michael Pittman Jr. ten times for 232 yards and a score. A big task lies ahead as they hit the road to take on Washington this week.
Going into their game against UCLA as one of the few remaining undefeated teams in the Pac-12, and taking on one of the worst teams in the conference at home, many believed the Washington State Cougars would roll in Week 4. However, even with the magical Gardner Minshew in the house, the Cougars defense could not keep the Bruins out of the end zone, losing a 32-point lead en-route to a 67-63 defeat. Freshman Anthony Gordon broke Minshew’s single-game touchdown record with nine touchdown throws, but it was not enough against the win-less Bruins.
In one of the tougher Pac-12 matchups on the slate in Week 4, the Colorado Buffaloes went to the desert to take on undefeated Arizona State on Saturday. It is safe to say the Mel Tucker Era is off to a good start in Colorado, as the Buffaloes defeated the Sun Devils 34-31, thanks to strong play by quarterback Steven Montez. Montez threw for 337 yards and three touchdowns to lead a Colorado team missing two stars in edge rusher Mustafa Johnson and wide receiver Laviska Shenault Jr.
Herm Edwards has been the perfect coach for the Arizona State Sun Devils since taking over last season and had his team out to a 3-0 start before hosting Colorado this past weekend. However, the Sun Devils came up short against the Buffaloes, losing by three points, in a game that was close throughout. Freshman quarterback Jayden Daniels continued his strong season, throwing for 345 yards in a losing effort, while star running back Eno Benjamin had 83 yards and two touchdowns. They head to Cal to take on the Golden Bears in a huge Pac-12 South matchup next Saturday.
After losing their opener against Hawaii on the road, the Arizona Wildcats reeled off two straight victories before heading into their Bye week in Week 4. Quarterback Khalil Tate is still one of the more dynamic players in the entire conference, and the next time we see him, it will be against a UCLA team that just pulled off the biggest upset on the Pac-12 slate in Week 4. Look for a lot of points in that one.
Incredibly, a UCLA team that was left for dead through the first three weeks of the college football season finally stood up, putting together the biggest upset on the slate this past weekend. Chip Kelly and his Bruins went on the road to beat the Washington State Cougars, who many felt were one of the best teams in the conference. Quarterback Dorian Thompson-Robinson threw for five touchdowns, rushed for two more, all the while leading the Bruins back from a 32-point deficit. They take on Arizona this week.
The rough season that has been for the Stanford Cardinal continued this past weekend, as they were beaten by a very good Oregon squad by the score of 21-6. The Cardinal defense hung tough in this one, but Ducks quarterback Justin Herbert was just too much, torching them for three scores. They will look to snap their three-game losing streak on the road this weekend, as they travel to Oregon to take on the Oregon State Beavers, who are fresh off a bye week.
The Oregon State Beavers had the week off in Week 4, but the last time we saw them, they were putting up an impressive victory against Cal Poly. Quarterback Jake Luton has been more than reliable in 2019, and if they can get a healthy running back Jermar Jefferson back in the fold, they should be able to compete with the likes of Stanford and UCLA over the next two weeks.