Pac-12 power rankings: Will Oregon, Utah get upset before Pac-12 Championship?

With the 2019 college football season entering Week 12, the Pac-12 still has two teams very much alive in the College Football Playoff race.

The top two teams in the Pac-12 showed out on Saturday, as both Oregon and Utah kept their College Football Playoff hopes alive. While the Utes still have some work to do to nail down the Pac-12 South division, the Ducks have already clinched their spot in the Pac-12 Championship Game.

Here are our latest Pac-12 power rankings entering Week 12 of the college football season.

The Utah Utes took on a rising UCLA Bruins team on Saturday night, as they continue to keep not only first place in the Pac-12 South but also their College Football Playoff hopes alive. Utah holds the lead in the division, but has lost to USC this season, and will need to win out to represent the South in the Pac-12 title game. On Saturday, running back Zack Moss accounted for 200 all-purpose, leading the Utes to a blowout victory over the Bruins, 49-3.

The Oregon Ducks are the Kings of the North, as they clinched first place in the Pac-12 North on Saturday, and punched their ticket to the Pac-12 Championship Game. Star quarterback Justin Herbert continues to solidify himself as an early pick in the 2020 NFL Draft, throwing for 333 yards and four touchdowns against the Arizona Wildcats. Oregon’s defense was also on point in this one, notching six sacks while holding a potential explosive Arizona offense in check.

All of a sudden, the USC Trojans are a top team in the Pac-12, and still have an outside shot to win the Pac-12 South title in 2019. The Trojans have been getting outstanding play from quarterback Kedon Slovis, who once again threw for over 400 yards this past weekend. Slovis led a Trojans offense that put up 41 points, as he threw four touchdown passes. They have now won two straight games, and with a victory over South-leading Utah on the docket, they are one Utah loss away from representing the South in the title game.

Most seasons, the Oregon State Beavers are considered a guaranteed victory on the schedule, but not in 2019. The Beavers have been playing solid football this season, led by quarterback Jake Luton, who tossed four touchdowns in a Senior Day victory over Arizona State on Saturday. Of course, it was the Beavers defense who get the headline in this one, as they stopped a Sun Devils two-point conversion to seal the one-point victory. With one more win, Oregon State clinches its first bowl game since 2013.

The Washington Huskies had their bye week this past weekend, and it could not have come at a better time. While the Huskies did come away with a victory in their last game, a 19-7 win over Oregon State, they had struggled to put wins together. Heading into the home stretch, the Huskies have clinched a bowl game, but changes are coming next season, with quarterback Jacob Eason possibly headed to the first round of the 2020 NFL Draft.

The Washington Huskies make a huge jump in our latest Pac-12 power rankings, thanks to another incredible effort from freshman quarterback Anthony Gordon. In their victory over Stanford, Gordon threw for over 500 yards and five touchdowns, as head coach Mike Leach stated he could be playing the best at his position in the country. The Cougars dominated the second half in this one, especially on offense, as they did not notch a single punt in the game.

The Arizona State Sun Devils continue on their downward trend, as their play over the last four games has erased a blazing 5-1 start to the 2019 season. Fortunately for the program, they have a star at quarterback, as freshman Jayden Daniels continues to show that he could eventually turn into a Heisman Trophy candidate. In their loss to Oregon State, Daniels had 334 passing yards, and three touchdowns, including one to Brandon Aiyuk, who hauled in ten catches. Aiyuk, one of the more explosive players in the conference, also returned a punt for TD.

The UCLA Bruins were a team on the rise as they entered one of the bigger games in recent program history against the Utah Utes on Saturday night. With a real chance to make a statement in the Pac-12 South, the Bruins flat-out laid an egg against the Utes, losing 49-3 on the road against a team that could be headed to the College Football Playoff. The big story in this one for the Bruins were the turnovers, as they coughed the ball up in the red zone on numerous occasions, and will now have to win out to secure a bowl game.

The Cal Golden Bears got quarterback Chase Garbers back this weekend, and just in time, as they were slated to take on the charging USC Trojans. While Garbers looked good early, leading Cal to a touchdown on their opening drive, another shoulder injury would knock him out later on. Without Garbers, the offense stalled, which has been the case all season long. First round linebacker Evan Weaver had another monster game, notching 14 tackles.

The Stanford Cardinal is another Pac-12 team that has had quite the season, as they look so good one week, and so bad the next. On Saturday, the Cardinal was once again without star quarterback K.J. Costello, though junior Davis Mills stepped in and threw for a school-record 504 yards through the air. Stanford will have to win out to secure their 11th straight bowl game appearance, but they will need to figure out the ground game to do so, as they had only six rushing yards against Washington State.

The Colorado Buffaloes had their bye week this past weekend and will look to close out a roller coaster of a season over the next few weeks. After starting the year out at 3-1, the Buffaloes lost five straight games, before finally getting back on the winning track two weeks ago against Stanford. Mel Tucker Jr. was a fantastic hire at head coach and should have this program pointed in the right direction, but the injuries to stars like Laviska Shenault Jr. really hurt them this season.

It has been a lost season for the Arizona Wildcats, as they will have to win out to just become bowl eligible in 2019. This is a team that came into the year with high expectations, as quarterback Khalil Tate was seen as a potential Heisman candidate, and they had a stellar running back in J.J. Taylor. He did his part on Saturday, leading the team in rushing and receiving, but the Wildcats lost their fifth straight game, and round out our power rankings.

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