North
1. Washington—It is looking more and more each week like Washington will run the table for the Pac-12 Conference. However, rival Washington State is lurking at the end of the schedule waiting to upset the Huskies.
2. Washington State—Wazzu finally cracked the polls at No. 25 and it gets a tune-up game against Arizona this week. They Cougars could be in a position to beat Washington and win the Pac-12 North after starting the season with a loss to Eastern Washington. Losing to an FCS team and then beating a potential playoff team is what college football is all about.
3. Stanford—Christian McCaffrey is having a down year compared to last year, but he still torched Arizona for three touchdowns. Despite not living up to their lofty expectations, five wins is still more than reasonable for the Cardinal.
4. California—Currently sitting at 4-4, the Golden Bears have both Washington schools, Stanford and UCLA left this season. A record of 5-7 sounds pretty reasonable, but they could upset Stanford in The Game.
5. Oregon—The Ducks season may be over, but you have them messed up if you think they will lose to ASU. Justin Herbert had 489 yards and four touchdowns against a defense that might not even be the worst in its state.
6. Oregon State—At 2-6 just like Arizona, the Beavers are making a solid claim for worst team in the Pac-12. Nov. 19 is shaping up to be a day that will forever be entrenched in Pac-12 infamy when Oregon State and Arizona play.
South
1. Colorado—The Buffaloes keep on rolling as the Pac-12 South looks like the complete opposite from two years ago. Unless USC keeps winning, Colorado’s end-of-the-season matchup with Utah will determine who represents the division in the Pac-12 Championship.
2. Utah—The Utes are coming off of a heartbreaking loss to Washington, but they should rebound this week. They face an ASU team not known for its defense, so there should be an abundance of points for the Utes.
3. USC—Don’t look now, but USC is currently on a four-game winning streak. The Trojans have Oregon this week before traveling to Seattle to take on the Washington Huskies. Would USC losing to Oregon and then beating Washington really surprise anyone?
4. ASU—The Sun Devils’ loss to Oregon was a killer as they are now two games back in the division. Kalen Ballage ran for two touchdowns, threw for one and had 105 receiving yards, and they still lost. Football is a team sport, but Ballage needs his teammates to step up.
5. UCLA—Picked by many to represent the Pac-12 South in the conference’s championship, the Bruins now sit at 3-5. Josh Rosen is also out for the season, so you can put a fork in the Bruins if you have not already. Oregon State is their only winnable game remaining, but at least they are not in the cellar…
6. Arizona—According to quarterback ratings, this team’s most efficient passer is a backup tight end.
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