PAC-12 Football Power Rankings – Final 2020 Edition
6. Utah Utes (3–2)
Last Game: For the second week in a row, Utah fell behind by double digits in the third quarter. And for the second week in a row, the Utes came back with a vengeance. This time it was a 38–0 second half rout that propelled them to victory.
Ty Jordan ran for 154 yards and three scores on 22 carries, to lead the offense. Mr. All-Purpose, Britain Covey had 170 combined yards, including a 91-yard second quarter TD.
Parting Words: It’s hard to keep a good team down. The Utes may have started their season two weeks late and then with a pair of losses, but the cream rose to the top. Kyle Whittingham is a good coach who runs a fantastic program.
5. Stanford Cardinal (4–2)
Last Game: There were some great games during the Pac-12’s limited 2020 run. This might have been the best one. Stanford pulled out to an early 17-point lead only to get blown away by an avalanche of UCLA scoring. Following a Davis Mills pick-six, which put his team down 14 with 5:39 left, The Cardinal went to work.
They scored a pair of touchdowns sandwiched around a late UCLA turnover to tie the game and send it into overtime. Stanford scored two more TD in the extra periods, winning on a failed two-point conversion. Final score 48–47 in Stanford’s favor.
Receiver Simi Fehoko was Stanford’s offensive superstar with 16 receptions for 230 yards and three touchdowns. Malik Antoine and Levani Damuni combined for 26 tackles to lead the defense.
Parting Words: Stanford looked like roadkill in their opener against Oregon. Then a close loss to Colorado seemed to cement the Cardinal’s status as a conference also-ran. To their credit, the team rallied and won four straight, some in dramatic fashion. All of their wins this year were by less than a touchdown with only “W” by more than a field goal (31-26 over Washington).