PAC-12 Football Power Rankings week ending 12/6
8. Washington State Cougars (1-2)
Last game: It was an ugly first quarter for the Washington State Cougars. After canceling games against Stanford and Washington the past two weeks, it’s understandable that Washington State would be a little rusty. Further, the Cougs group of defensive backs was painfully thin due to COVID-19 concerns. Even with those factors, USC’s four Kedon Slovis to Amon-Ra St. Brown was totally unexpected.
After another Trojans touchdown in the second quarter, something kind of wonderful happened. Wazzu stood up for themselves. They started hitting as hard as USC was hitting them. Then the Cougs defense said no more. The unit held Southern Cal to only a field goal the rest of the way.
This week: Bear hunting season comes to the Palouse. Wazzu hosts Cal, who is coming off of a huge upset win over Oregon last week. If the Cougars want to have a winning record in Nick Rolovich’s first season, they must take this one.
Throw last Sunday’s game out the window. Despite the lopsided loss, Wazzu showed toughness and heart in the second half. Their offense does a little bit of everything, and they do it well. If the Cougs can keep Garbers in check, they can win the game. Washington State’s coronavirus depleted secondary could use some reinforcements this week.
.@GunnerCruz throws his first career TD to @RenardBell_ from 6 yards out. WSU 13, USC 38 with 1:37 remaining. #GoCougs #Wazzu pic.twitter.com/EhBLswCsN8
— COUGFANcom (@CougfanCOM) December 7, 2020
7. Oregon State Beavers (2-3)
Last game: All the makings were there for a true underdog story. Oregon State was on the road at Utah. They played with a backup quarterback and trailed by 20 points less than 30 seconds into the fourth quarter after Covey’s punt return TD.
OSU could have packed it in at that point. Instead, they fought their way back. The Beavers scored touchdowns on two of their next three possessions to pull within six points. Oregon State was on the move again with less than a minute to go in the game. They made it as far as Utah’s 36-yard line before turning it over on downs with 30 seconds left in the game.
This week: Oregon State can get back to five-hundred on Saturday with a home win over Stanford. The Cardinal, for their part, are riding high after upsetting UW in Seattle last week. Chance Nolan starts at quarterback again in place of injured Tristan Gebbia.