No. 1: Stanford (9-0, 7-0)
Still stuck at No. 4, Stanford couldn’t leapfrog one-loss Alabama in the BCS rankings. No. 7 Oregon (sixth in the AP poll, three places behind the Cardinal) getting slighted by a convoluted formula could be a moot point.
A victory at home over the Ducks should vault David Shaw’s squad past the Crimson Tide and into strong contention for a shot at the national title. Lose, and Stanford could fall out of the BCS bowl picture completely; even if Oregon dropped another game, it would hold a tie-break over the Cardinal for the inaugural Pac-12 Championship
— Jack Wang
No. 2: Oregon (8-1, 6-0)
Ever since their season-opening loss to LSU, the Ducks have been unstoppable. Sure there was a 14-point win over Arizona State and a 15-point victory over Washington State, but even in those “close” games, Oregon was in total control and never in serious danger of losing. Saturday’s contest at Washington presented a challenge on paper, as the Huskies’ offense seemed capable of perhaps matching the Ducks’ dynamic attack. Not so much.
A late first-half touchdown throw from Washington quarterback Keith Price narrowed Oregon’s lead to 17-10 at the half. The Ducks opened the third quarter with a 90-yard touchdown drive and cruised to a 34-17 win. LaMichael James seems to be at full speed after his injury, as the junior running back gained 156 yards on the ground. Next week is the de facto Pac-12 championship at Stanford.
— Jonathan Kuperberg
No. 3: USC (7-2, 4-2)
The Trojans are definitively not the best team in the conference, but after Arizona State got bounced by UCLA, USC is quite possibly the top squad in the south. The Trojans have been steady and consistent since their Sept. 24 loss to the Sun Devils. Aside from its triple overtime loss to Stanford, USC has crushed almost every other Pac-12 team it has played, including Saturday’s 42-7 destruction of Colorado on Friday.
This Saturday’s 12:30 p.m. matchup with Washington is sure to be high scoring. A Trojan victory should solidify the squad has the best in the south division.
— Jonathan Kuperberg
No. 4: Washington (6-3, 4-2)
After Washington forced Cal fans into a tearful goodbye by beating the Bears on the final snap before Memorial Stadium was to be renovated, it was the Huskies that could not leave their stadium with a win after losing to Oregon last Saturday. Worse, it was one of Washington’s least impressive offensive showings of the season, scoring only 17 points and subjecting quarterback Keith Price to heavy pressure all game.
Now, Washington gets to face off with one of the hottest teams in the conference, USC, a team that it has beaten in consecutive years. Head coach Steve Sarkisian and defensive coordinator Nick Holt have yet to lose to his former employer, but the Trojans should present a more formidable challenge then they have the past two seasons. Look for a high-scoring affair and a Husky team hellbent on avenging a below-average performance last week.
— Gabriel Baumgaertner
No. 5: Arizona State (6-3, 4-2)
It is not unlike Arizona State to shoot itself in the foot, but losing to UCLA was something that not only embarrassed the promising Sun Devils, but it may have cost them a shot at the Pac-12 Championship Game. If ASU and the Bruins end up with the same conference record (they both currently sit at 4-2), then UCLA shockingly wins the tie-breaker. The Sun Devils have three winnable games ahead of them on the schedule (Washington State, Arizona, Cal), but they are now certainly in a “can’t lose” mode when they should have all but locked up the Pac-12 South last week.
— Gabriel Baumgaertner
No. 6: UCLA (5-4, 4-2)
UCLA is responsible for ruining any semblance of order in the bottom two-thirds of the Pac-12. Many thought coach Rick Neuheisel was all but done for after his team’s embarrassing loss (and six-suspension brawl) at Arizona. Then the Bruins knocked around Cal in the Rose Bowl, a match-up that had the Bears as almost double-digit favorites.
After that, a late drive and defensive stand held off Arizona State — the then-favorite in the Pac-12 South — in a 29-28 victory.
As incredible as it sounds, UCLA technically has a chance to end its season in its home stadium — and on Jan. 1 instead of Nov. 26.
— Jack Wang
No. 7: Cal (5-4, 2-4)
As expected, the Bears bounced back from their nightmarish trip to Pasadena. Quarterback Zach Maynard was efficient and did not throw a pick, while running back Isi Sofele had a career outing, rushing for 138 yards. If Cal wants to get back to the postseason, it will need to have the same kind of performance this Saturday against Oregon State. With their final two regular season tilts at Stanford and Arizona State, the Bears’ matchup with the Beavers has a become a must-win game. Oregon State quarterback Sean Mannion has thrown 13 picks this season, three more than Maynard.
— Jonathan Kuperberg
No. 8: Utah (5-4, 2-4)
Utah does not have an exciting football team. It can beat bad teams — Oregon State, Arizona — and lose to middling ones — a 34-10 at Cal. It has a strong running back and a stronger defense, but lost its starting quarterback weeks ago — a death knell for most seasons.
In former Nebraska-Omaha commit Jon Hays, the Utes have arguably the Pac-12’s worst quarterback. Ineptitude under center generally does not make for consistent teams.
With five wins, coach Kyle Wittingham is still taking aim at his seventh straight bowl berth, a task that will be made easier by an upcoming schedule of UCLA, Washington State and Colorado.
— Jack Wang
No. 9: Arizona (2-7, 1-6)
While the Wildcats appear to be playing better under Tim Kish, but it’s hard to think that most fans in Tucson are not looking forward to the end of the season in what has been a train wreck for Nick Foles, Juron Criner and one very vulnerable pass defense.
The Wildcats go heads up in a battle of the bottom-feeders when they visit Colorado this Saturday, a game that should provide some entertainment just because of how victory-starved both squads are. Foles will likely torch a Colorado secondary composed of converted offensive players (most of the Buffs’ defensive backs are either injured or have been suspended), but there is no guarantee that Arizona will be able to stop the Buffaloes’ sometimes competent offense.
— Gabriel Baumgaertner
No. 10: Oregon State (2-7, 2-4)
Mike Riley has a 6-2 record against Jeff Tedford. This does not mean the seven-loss Beavers will earn their third win of the season at AT&T Park this Saturday, but it’s history that still makes Cal fans a bit nervous.
Oregon State showed off some clever and well-executed playcalling against Stanford last week, and nearly held a second-quarter tie against one of this year’s national powerhouses. A penalty erased what was a touchdown return after a Cardinal fumble, but it was still an encouraging sign for what might be the Pac-12’s most disappointing team.
— Jack Wang
No. 11: Washington State (3-6, 1-5)
Paul Wulff has done an admirable job trying to right a lost Cougars’ ship, but bowl eligibility now looks like a major longshot and his team is in the midst of a rather ugly five game losing streak. Washington State may have hit the bottom after a toothless 30-7 loss against Cal last Saturday, and now it will welcome a likely angry Arizona State team into the Palouse this weekend.
The Cougars have had bad luck with injuries and have not had their starting quarterback for almost the entire season, but this may be the opportunity to pull off a notable win and convince the fans that in fact Cougar football is on its way back to the days when Ryan Leaf and Jason Gesser took them to Rose Bowls. Put an upset alert on in Pullman.
— Gabriel Baumgaertner
No. 12: Colorado (1-9, 0-6)
Well, against USC on Friday, the Buffaloes managed more than the two points they totaled against Oregon two weeks ago. They even bested the 14 they put up against Arizona State last week. Alas, 17 points was not enough to beat the Trojans, who lit up Colorado’s defense for 42. The Buffaloes gave up 561 total yards of offense to USC, including six touchdown throws from Matt Barkley.
Colorado has a shot this Saturday for that elusive first Pac-12 win, as the Buffaloes host fellow bottom-of-the-conference dweller Arizona in a game meant to be straight-to-video.
— Jonathan Kuperberg
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