Pac-12: Race for the Championship Game, CFP, and Heisman
As the college football season winds down, the battle to reach the Pac-12 Championship Game is heating up.
Pac-12 teams are down to their final four games of the season. Let’s look at who is still in the hunt to reach the Championship Game and what they have ahead.
Eliminated
Stanford (3-5 overall, 1-5 Pac-12), Colorado (1-7, 1-4), California (3-5, 1-4), Arizona (3-5, 1-4), and Arizona State (3-5, 2-3) are all out of the running to play beyond their regular season schedules.
Eliminated But in Bowl Contention
A current three-game losing streak knocked the Washington State Cougars out of contention for a conference title. But with four wins, the Cougs are two shy of reaching the postseason.
Hanging on (Barely)
Washington Huskies and Oregon State Beavers
The Huskies and Beavers are both 3-2 in the conference and 5-2 overall. Ironically, they face each other at Husky Stadium on Friday night.
Consider this a knockout game. The loser is eliminated from consideration. Even the winner faces an uphill climb because they still have two conference losses.
Contenders
Oregon Ducks, USC Trojans, UCLA Bruins, Utah Utes
Oregon (7-1, 5-0) is the favorite to make their way to the Championship game on December 2. So far, they are undefeated in Pac-12 play.
It will be a hard road to reach the finish line. The Ducks have Utah, Washington, and Oregon State left to play. That’s two Top 25 teams and another that’s just outside.
Next up is UCLA (7-1, 4-1). The Bruins fell victim to Oregon, but the margin of loss was much larger than Southern Cal’s defeat at Utah.
With the exception of USC in the penultimate game of the 2022 season, the Bruins have it fairly easy. Arizona, Arizona State, and California are a combined 4-11 in conference play and 9-15 overall.
USC (7-1 overall, 4-1) would be next. The Trojans are a last-minute Utah 2-point conversion away from being undefeated.
They have the second-easiest schedule left, with only one ranked opponent, UCLA, left to play. Their other two conference games are against teams in the bottom quarter of the standings, Cal and Colorado.
Then there is the defending Pac-12 Champion Utah Utes (6-2, 4-1). Their win over UCLA gives the Utes an important tiebreaker.
Their matchup with Oregon on November 19 will reverberate throughout college football. Not only because it’s a Top 10 matchup, but a Utes win puts them in first place. It won’t be easy; Autzen Stadium is like a coffin for visiting teams. No one gets out alive.
College Football Playoff
No two-loss team has ever made the CFP, so that takes Utah out of the picture. UCLA’s prospects don’t look very good either due to their lackluster non-conference schedule.
That leaves Oregon and USC. To even have a chance to reach the final four, they would have to win out. According to ESPN’s Predictor, should the Ducks run the table, they are 50/50 to make the CFP. If USC does it, they have a 41% chance.
There are currently six undefeated teams, and at least two of them will lose. Tennesse and Georgia play this week, while Ohio State and Michigan meet on November 26.
Heisman Trophy
Right now, the Pac-12 has two candidates for the Heisman trophy. Oregon quarterback Bo Nix and USC quarterback Caleb Williams. Nix is in the Top 5, and Williams is trending in that direction.
UCLA running back Zach Charbonnet should be in the conversation. He is third in FBS for Rushing Yards per Game (137.7) and has 10 rushing TDs.
Check back with us later this week for our Pac-12 Power Rankings.