Michael Penix Jr., Washington Huskies.
A pair of upsets highlighted last week’s Pac-12 schedule and shook up the rankings. Pacific Northwest Sports continues our 2022 Pac-12 football power rankings, which run through the last bowl game.
If the conference is dead, someone forgot to tell the Pac-12 teams. There are six conference teams in the Top 25, led by 7th-ranked Southern California. Here are our Power Rankings for the week ending November 15, with a Pacific Northwest twist.
Last Game: USC 55 – Colorado 17
Colorado was crushed by the conference leaders again. The 55 points yielded to USC brings CU’s total points allowed to 188 over the last four games.
This Week: at Washington, 6:00 PM – Pac-12 Networks
The worst-scoring Pac-12 defense travels to face one of the best offenses in college football. This won’t end well.
Last Game: Oregon State 38 – California 10
It was an absolutely awful display of offense by Cal in Corvalis. The Bears offense scored 3 points, gained 156 total yards, and punted 6 times. Meanwhile, the defense couldn’t get off the field, allowing Oregon State to convert 10 of 18 on third and fourth down.
Their lone touchdown came on a scoop six by freshman Jeremiah Earby in the second quarter.
This Week: vs. Stanford, 2:30 PM – Pac-12 Networks
No matter how bad these teams are, this is always must watch because anything can happen. “The Band is on the Field.”
Last Game: Utah 42 – Stanford 7
The Cardinal offense was abysmal, and their defense wasn’t much better. They had 175 total yards, including 155 passing and almost one-third of that came on a 51-yard reception by Elijah Higgins.
This Week: at California, 2:30 PM – Pac-12 Networks
It’s the “Big Game”: California at Stanford. Hopefully, this is the big ending to a pair of lackluster seasons.
Last Game: Washington State 28 – Arizona State 18
It was a disappointing start to the game as the Sun Devils went down by 28 points at halftime. They rallied in the second half but fell short.
This Week: vs. Oregon State, 11:15 AM – ESPN2
Washington State isn’t UCLA, but the Cougs are on a roll after their huge win last week. It will be tough for ASU to defend against the Air Raid.
Last Game: Arizona 34 – UCLA 28
Give it up to the Arizona Wildcats. In the midst of a less-than-stellar season, no one would have known if they mailed it in last week.
Instead, Arizona went to UCLA and crushed the Bruins’ hopes for both the Pac-12 Championship Game and CFP.
Jayden de Laura was outstanding. The Cats quarterback completed 22 of 28 passes for 315 yards and 2 touchdowns.
Running back Michael Wiley had 143 yards from scrimmage and a pair of touchdowns on 27 touches.
This Week: vs. Washington State, 11:00 AM – Pac-12 Networks
Arizona kept themselves alive for the postseason with last week’s upset. The home crowd at Arizona Stadium will be fired up, and the Wildcats can feed off of that emotion.
Last Game: Washington State 28 – Arizona State 18
The Washington State Cougars used a balanced attack to beat the Arizona State Sun Devils 28-18. They ran 35 times and threw 37.
After jumping out to a 28-0 halftime lead, Wazzu had to hold on tight to secure their victory. ASU held the Cougs scoreless in the second half and put up 18 points themselves.
With the win over ASU, Washington State picked up their sixth victory of the season and is now bowl-eligible.
This Week: at Arizona, 11:00 AM – Pac-12 Networks
It’s the Jayden de Laura Bowl. The Cougs travel to Arizona and will face their former quarterback.
Well, Wazzu has a gunslinger of their own, Cameron Ward. He hasn’t lit up the stat sheet over the last two games. But what Ward has done is what it takes to win, manage the offense, and don’t turn the ball over.
In addition, Nakia Watson is back with a vengeance. He returned two games ago and has 353 yards from scrimmage and 4 touchdowns.
No coach in this league knows de Laura better than Dickert. As the Cougs’ defensive coordinator for two seasons, his unit faced JdL in practice every day.
Last Game: Oregon State 38 – California 10
Oregon State rebounded from a disappointing loss a week earlier to destroy Cal 38-10.
Not only did the Beavers dominate on the scoreboard, but they also held their visitors to 156 yards of total offense, which includes only 9 on the ground. That’s not a type-o; Cal finished the game with single digits for rushing yards on 16 attempts.
Meanwhile, freshman running back Damien Martinez had his fourth consecutive 100-yard game, with 23 carries for 105.
This Week: at Arizona State, 11:15 AM – ESPN2
A road game against a team with nothing to play for is good news for the Beavers. OSU wins and possibly makes the Top 20.
Last Game: Washington 37 – Oregon 34
The Washington Huskies ended Oregon’s 23-game home winning streak and undefeated Pac-12 season. The game looked like it would come down to the end, which is what exactly happened. UW Kicker Peyton Henry connected from 43 yards out with 51 seconds left in the game to put the Huskies up for good.
For the second week in a row, Washington Huskies quarterback Michael Penix Jr. rallied after throwing an interception. In the fourth quarter, instead of running out of bounds when Washington had the ball on UO’s 11 yard line, he threw an ill-advised off-balance pass that was picked off and led to an Oregon field goal.
Penix regrouped and hit wide-open Taj Davis down the left sideline for a 62-yard touchdown strike. That tied the game at 34-34.
This Week: vs. Colorado, 6:00 PM – Pac-12 Networks
Washington needs to be very careful this week. After beating Oregon last week and facing Wazzu in the Apple Cup next week, this is the very definition of a “trap game.”
The ideal scenario is for UW to get an early lead and then work on a few things. At the top of that list is running the ball to control the clock. Not far behind that is tackling. The defense has to get off the field.
Number three is getting comfortable with more change in the defensive backfield. This game is a golden opportunity for Washington to get playing time for their young corners and safeties.
At his Monday presser, head coach Kalen DeBoer said Davon Banks needs surgery for an unspecified injury. He joins cornerback Julius Irvin and safety Vincent Nunley as UW defensive backs that are out for the year.
Starting cornerback Jordan Perryman only made it five plays before getting hurt last week. He may be back to face Colorado. It would be nice if the Huskies could get him an additional week of rest.
Last Game: Arizona 34 – UCLA 28
UCLA needed to win this game and didn’t. Maybe they got caught looking ahead.
It’s almost hard to fathom that Zach Charbonnet ran for 188 yards and 3 TDs, plus caught 9 passes for 38 yards, the Bruins A) lost the game, and B) lost time of possession by a wide margin (34:20-25:40).
Add “find guys who can play defense” to Chip Kelly’s offseason to-do list.
This Week: vs. USC, 5:00 PM – FOX
It’s long and convoluted, but UCLA can still make the Pac-12 Championship Game. Beating USC is a must. How many times have opposing teams said that?
Last Game: Washington 37 – Oregon 34ado 10
The gut-wrenching loss broke Oregon’s eight-game win streak this season and 23-game home winning streak. It also eliminated them from the College Football Playoff.
This Week: vs. Utah, 7:30 PM – ESPN
Get ready for college football’s version of “Angry Birds.”
After last week’s loss, a very ticked-off Oregon Ducks squad hosts Utah with Championship implications. This is, in effect, a knockout game.
Last Game: Utah 42 – Stanford 7
Another dominating victory by Utah. They controlled both lines of scrimmage to both rack up points and keep their opponent’s offense in check.
This Week: at Oregon, 7:30 PM – ESPN
This should be a great matchup for Pac-12 After Dark. Both teams are playing for a spot in the championship game two weeks from now.
This game looks slightly less daunting than it did before last Saturday. Washington proved the Oregon Ducks can be beaten at Autzen Stadium. But what are the odds of UO losing two straight on their home field?
Last Game: USC 55 – Colorado 17
The good news is that USC destroyed Colorado to stay alive in the College Football Playoff Picture. Unfortunately, the Trojans lost lead running back Travis Dye, who was carted off the field with a leg injury and is done for the season.
This Week: at UCLA, 5:00 PM – FOX
It’s as simple as this: UCLA wins, and they go to the Pac-12 Championship Game and keep their slim hopes alive for the CFP.
The task became much harder without Dye to take handoffs.
Check back with us next week for our updated Pac-12 power rankings.