North
1. Washington—The Huskies’ football team lost its undefeated season and their basketball team lost to Yale. Both the football and basketball team might miss their respective tournaments in 2016 if they don’t bounce back quick.
2. Washington State—Wazzu does not get to ruin Washington’s season, but it now leads Washington by one game. The Cougars face off against Colorado in a top-25 matchup nobody predicted in the preseason. Wazzu throws all the time and has a receiver named River Cracraft, so it is hard to root against the Cougars.
3. Stanford—After hitting a mid-season blip, the Cardinal has feasted on Arizona, Oregon State and Oregon. Stanford is still 1-3 against ranked opponents, so don’t let the team’s record fool you. The Cardinal will finish the season 9-3—with games against California and Rice—but Stanford will struggle in its bowl game.
4. California—Losing the game to Stanford would eliminate Cal from bowl contention, so they have extra motivation. Bay Area fans have the Giants, Sharks, Warriors and Raiders, so they will be just fine with the Golden Bears suffering.
5. Oregon—The Ducks have lost as many games this season (7) as they did in Chip Kelly’s four-year tenure. Their school is now a national contender in basketball instead of football, so there is that.
6. Oregon State—The Beavers will host the Arizona Wildcats in a historical display of ineptitude. The loser of this game should be demoted like in the English Premier League and forced to earn their spot back.
South
1. Colorado—Picked to finish last in the conference in the preseason, the Buffaloes are now the kings of the South Division. They could be playoff contenders had they not blown a two-touchdown lead against Michigan, but a Pac-12 championship game is still within reach.
2. Utah—The Utes get a tune-up game against Oregon before they battle Colorado for a Pac-12 championship berth. 2016 has been a weird year in every aspect of life.
3. USC—Since their championship hopes were dashed in week one, the Trojans decided to ruin Washington’s. USC really is the troll of the Pac-12 with how it started poorly and has looked dominant as of late. Now, the Trojans have the chance to end rival UCLA’s bowl chances on the Bruins’ field.
4. ASU—With Washington next on their schedule, the Sun Devils might have to beat Arizona to earn a bowl berth. With how Arizona is playing, the Sun Devils could just rest against Washington this week and beat Arizona the next.
5. UCLA—At 4-6, the Bruins have to beat USC just to keep their bowl chances alive. Judging by their 0-4 record against ranked opponents, there will be no bowl season in Pasadena, California. At least UCLA has a top-25 basketball team they can ignore now, too.
6. Arizona—Arizona’s most efficient passer is still a backup tight end. Incoming freshmen have no idea that this team was actually in the playoff hunt just two years ago.
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