North
1. Washington — The class of the Pac-12 Conference had its bye last week and is back at dominating the rest. Jake Browning is a hipster Heisman pick if Lamar Jackson is too mainstream.
2. Washington State — Wazzu is tied atop the Pac-12 rankings with Washington in what will be an Apple Cup for the ages. Washington has four games before they play Wazzu, but just imagine the Cougars ruining Washington’s perfect season.
3. Stanford — The Cardinal showed it is not just Christian McCaffrey and some other guys as they beat Notre Dame last weekend. Ten wins are still a possibility for the former class of the Pac.
4. California — It was bye week in Berkeley, but the Bears battle Oregon this week. This is the easiest game remaining for Cal this season, so blowing this could ruin the Golden Bears’ bowl odds.
5. Oregon State — The Beavers blew the upset against Utah and fell to 2-4 on the season. They still have Arizona on the schedule, so all is not lost for the season.
6. Oregon — The Ducks fell from top-10 in the country to not mentioned at all in just a matter of years, while their in-state rival now has a better team than the Ducks’ squad. At least they will compete in the Pac-12 for basketball.
South
1. Utah — The Utes withstood Oregon State’s upset attempt to remain atop the Pac-12 South. Often overlooked in the South the past few years, Utah is grabbing the division by the throat and refusing to let up.
2. Colorado — The Buffaloes rolled over ASU last week en route to a 40-16 win. They better not look ahead to Washington next week and get knocked off at the Rose Bowl by UCLA this weekend. A win this week could set up a Pac-12 Championship preview if Utah collapses late in the season.
3. ASU — Sun Devil fans laughed at Arizona getting destroyed by USC, only to watch their team get destroyed by Colorado. They need the Utah game on Nov. 10 to have any shot at the division as the Sun Devils currently lose most of the tiebreakers.
4. USC — Clay Helton’s hot seat cooled off a little as USC dismantled Arizona last week. Do not let this win fool you, because the Trojans love to draw you in only to disappoint you again. Seven wins looks like a solid estimate for the Trojans, though it is still not assured.
5. UCLA — Josh Rosen was out last Saturday against Wazzu and the Bruins fell 27-21. Their bowl game chances are on life support with Utah and Colorado as their next two opponents. Winning out against Oregon State, USC and Cal is doable, but they did not go into this season hoping to sneak into a bowl game.
6. Arizona — To the delight of Arizona fans everywhere, the Wildcats have an open date this week. Vegas has not released odds for it yet, but the open date actually figures to be favored over the Wildcats in this matchup. Arizona’s visits to the conference cellar went from short stays to a permanent home, and the Wildcats could lose every game remaining.
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