Week 8 of the 2019 Pac-12 schedule is in the books, as the Utah Utes prove to be the class of the South, and maybe even the conference.
The Pac-12 saw some huge matchups this past weekend, as the Utah Utes took on the Arizona State Sun Devils in Pac-12 South action, and Oregon took on Washington in Pac-12 North action. With their wins, the Utes and the Ducks are in first place in their respective divisions, as the season begins to wind down.
Here are our Pac-12 power rankings entering Week 9 of the college football season.
The Utah Utes took on the Arizona State Sun Devils in Pac-12 action on Saturday and came away with not only the victory but first place in the division. Zack Moss set the school record for rushing yards, breaking Eddie Johnson’s mark of 3,219, as he finished the game with 3,264. Tyler Huntley had to leave the game in the third quarter with an injury, but the Utes were still able to come away with the 21-3 victory.
The Oregon Ducks had to come from behind to beat the Washington Huskies on Saturday, but they did it, and in turn, now hold what seems to be an insurmountable lead in the Pac-12 North. Justin Herbert threw for four touchdowns in the game, twice hitting Jaylon Redd, as the Ducks won the game 35-31. For Oregon, they sit on the fringes of the College Football Playoff entering Week 9.
The Washington Huskies had an opportunity to make some noise in the Pac-12 North this past weekend, and early on, it looked like they would come away with the victory over the Oregon Ducks. Unfortunately for the Huskies, the Ducks erased a 14-point deficit, as the short-handed Huskies could not hang in for four quarters. Washington was without backup running back Sean McGrew and star wideout Aaron Fuller for most of the game, though Jacob Eason looked like a first round talent in this one.
The Arizona State Sun Devils football program had scored at least ten points in a game in 125 straight contests, although that record was broken on Saturday against Utah. The Sun Devils scored only three points, as freshman quarterback Jayden Daniels threw for only 25 yards, as he was harassed all game long. Eno Benjamin rushed for over 100 yards in the defeat, as the Sun Devils fell to 5-2 on the season.
A week after looking solid in a loss against the Notre Dame Fighting Irish, the USC Trojans took care of business against Khalil Tate and the Arizona Wildcats. Quarterback Kedon Solvis was stellar under center, throwing for 232 yards and two touchdowns, as he took care of the ball all game. Kenan Christon, pressed into duty due to injury, rushed for over 100 yards and two touchdowns, while Kana’i Mauga had 13 tackles on defense.
The Washington State Cougars put together a solid victory on Saturday, as freshman quarterback Anthony Gordon continues to prove to be one of the better signal-callers in the conference. Gordon threw for 369 yards and four touchdowns against Colorado, as the Cougars tried to keep their Pac-12 North hopes alive. Max Borghi rushed for over 100 yards for the third time this season, and the defense had three interceptions against the Buffaloes.
One of the better stories in the Pac-12 this season has been the play of the Oregon State Beavers, who looked good bouncing back from a blowout loss to Utah the week before. The Beavers were once again led by Jake Luton, their quarterback who has quietly been one of the more consistent signal-callers in the conference this season. On Saturday, he led his team to a 21-17 victory on the road against Cal, and on the defensive side of the ball, the unit tallied nine sacks.
The Cal Golden Bears have fallen on hard times as of late, and on Saturday, they lost to Oregon State in front of the home fans. While the Golden Bears continue to try to find answers at quarterback, one thing is for sure, they have arguably the best linebacker in college football. Evan Weaver tallied 21 tackles in the game, yes, 21, which included two sacks. Cal has now lost three straight and will have to go on the road to face Utah this weekend.
The Stanford Cardinal had not lost to UCLA in football in 11 years heading into this weekend, but all of that changed after their 34-16 loss at home. Stanford could not get anything going through the air, or on the ground, as they averaged under two yards per carry. Star cornerback Paulson Adebo, who is slated for the first round of the 2020 NFL Draft, did have an interception in this one, but he was pretty much the lone bright spot.
The Arizona Wildcats had an opportunity to make a statement against USC this past weekend but struggled to do anything of purpose on both sides of the ball. The only good thing to come out of this game was that Arizona fans got to see touted recruit Grant Gunnell, who tossed two touchdown passes to Brian Casteel in relief of Khalil Tate. This is a program who is on a downward slide, but Gunnell could be a special one in the Pac-12 moving forward.
The UCLA Bruins pulled off one of two big upsets in the Pac-12 this past weekend, beating Stanford in front of the home crowd by the score of 34-16. It was the first time in 11 years that the Bruins have beaten Stanford, thanks to a big night by star quarterback Dorian Thompson-Robinson. It has been a rough season for Chip Kelly in Year No. 2 at UCLA, but he pushed all the right buttons in this one.
It has been rough sledding for the Colorado Buffaloes as of late, as they were throttled by the Washington State Cougars this past weekend. Steven Montez was under pressure all game long, and struggled mightily, throwing for only 129 yards and two touchdowns. Running back Alex Fontenot had over 100 yards on the ground, but the Buffaloes as a whole are ready struggling to put together four quarters right now.