Two more teams earn bowl spots, bringing the conference up to 6 eligible teams (7 if you include USC who are unable to go do to asinine NCAA sanctions). Who goes where is a much murkier picture. We know the game will be host by either Stanford or Oregon. Ducks only need one wni to earn their spot, Cardinal need them to lose both to take back 1st place in the north. The South is a bit messier. UCLA needs to finish ahead of ASU and Utah to go. A three way tie or a two way tie between the Bruins and Sun Devils means ASU goes. A tie between UCLA and Utah goes to Utah. Hopefully things will be a little clearer after this weekend.
1. Oregon (9-1, 7-0)
LW: 2
Oregon earned its spot atop the conference with a decisive win over Stanford. One more victory and they will host the innaugural Pac-12 championship game and be the favorite for the Rose Bowl berth.
2. Stanford (9-1, 7-1 Pac-12)
LW: 1
Stanford’s dream season upended by Oregon two years running. Defense was unable to stop Oregon’s ground game. Still a shot at the title if Oregon loses two and Cardinal beat Bears on Saturday. Win out and Fiesta Bowl berth also a possibility.
3. USC (8-2, 5-2)
LW: 3
Dominant win over Washington after dropping the last two to the Huskies on last second field goals. No bowl game? No problem for these Trojans. #KiffinHatersForKiffin
4. Utah (6-4, 3-4)
LW 7
Utes Capture third conference win in a row and bowl eligibility. Good turn around for a team that started out 0-4 in conference play. Games against WSU and Colorado remaining make an 8-4 season a very real possibility for the newbies.
5. Washington (6-4, 4-3)
LW: 4
No last minute heroics for the Huskies this time, the score wasn’t even close. Huskies have beaten ok and bad teams, but lost poorly to the top teams they have faced. Washington will need to finish strong to avoid a dissapointing end to what started as a promising season. Defense continues to be a problem, and O-line is not helping either.
6. Cal (6-4, 3-4)
LW: 8
Bears join the Utes in earning a bowl spot this week with win over struggling Oregon State team. Can Cal pull the upset in this years edition of the Big Game or will Stanford take out its frustrations on them following the Oregon loss?
7. UCLA (5-5, 4-3)
LW: 5
Bruins were unable to make it three in a row, losing soundly to Utah in a cold, windy game in Salt Lake City. Not exactly what the sons of Westwood are used to weather wise. One thing not cooling off is the hot seat Rick Neuheisal is sitting on. Bruins have two more shots to make the post season.
8. Washington State (4-6, 2-5)
LW: 11
Stunning upset and spectacular QB outting by freshman Connor Halliday. Win out and Cougs will be playing in the post season for first tiem in years, might even save Paul Wulff’s job if they are competitive in final games.
9. ASU (6-4, 4-3)
LW: 6
Turns out the UCLA loss wasn’t a fluke after all. Arizona State, once the Pac-12 South presumptive champion is in a free fall after a strong start. Giving up 500 yards through the air is a tough way to win football games. Maybe the frigid, snowy Pullman weather got to the Sun Devils.
10. Colorado (2-8, 0-6)
LW: 12
Another upset, Buffs climbing out of the cellar with win over Arizona and earning Colorado’s first Pac-12 victory. Arizona State is going to be pulling for another upset win for the Buffs over UCLA.
11. Oregon State (2-8, 2-5)
LW: 10
This season has been nothing short of a disaster for the Beavers starting with the opening weekend loss to Sacramento State. Only where to go from here is up, but likely not soon as the remaining games are against Washington and Oregon.
12. Arizona (2-8, 1-7)
LW: 9
Arizona didn’t just lose to Colorado, they lost bad. Wheatever spark they had in the UCLA game following former coach Mike Stoops firing has dissipated. Rivalry game tommorow and then non-conf matchup against Louisianna Lafeyette to end the season for the Wildcats who get to “enjoy” the bottom for while.