The best finish of the day unfolded just before midnight in classic #Pac12AfterDark fashion. The Huskies were shredded by ASU backup quarterback Trenton Bourguet and are 0-2 on the road after the hot home start. Washington’s defense isn’t just bad, it’s inverted: The secondary, long the strength of the program, is now the weak link. Oregon State gets more out of its personnel than any team but must solve the quarterback situation in order to remain in contention deep into November. It’s tough to play under back-to-the-wall pressure week after week. Washington State’s defense is arguably the best in the Pac-12, but the unit needs help from the offense to avoid wearing down over the course of the season. USC’s offense is a half-step behind UCLA’s attack - it was hardly an indomitable force against Washington State or Oregon State - but the defense possesses a higher ceiling, along with the most disruptive force in the conference in lineman Tuli Tuipulotu. (How would the national media respond to the Pac-12 producing a champion that owns a 49-3 loss to Georgia? Take one guess.) Don’t be deceived by the score of the Georgia game the Ducks have an excellent chance to win the Pac-12 title.
#A link to the past free#
Oregon might have the best all-around team, especially when quarterback Bo Nix is comfortable and free of turnovers.
Utah’s defense isn’t nearly as dominant as it was last year - we lost track of the missed tackles in the Rose Bowl on Saturday - and the offense desperately needs a downfield component to stretch opponents and create running lanes.
UCLA’s offense is the best in the conference - yes, better than USC’s attack - because of the immaculate run-pass balance and the way Kelly’s pieces fit together. Our thoughts on the seven Pac-12 teams with records of 4-2 or better: With that schedule, their resume would get picked apart by the talking heads on ESPN. Not only do the Bruins need to keep winning, but they must do so impressively. UCLA’s non-conference lineup this season consists of Bowling Green, South Alabama and Alabama State. The Buckeyes reached the CFP in 2014 with wins over Navy and Kent State and a loss to Virginia Tech.Īnd they made it in 2019 with wins over Florida Atlantic, Miami-Ohio and Cincinnati, which itself was an 11-game winner that year.Įach of the other 30 playoff teams claimed at least one out-of-conference victory over a Power Five foe. The Hotline examined the resumes of all 32 teams that have participated in the CFP and found two instances in which a semifinalist did not own a non-conference victory over a Power Five opponent:
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If the Trojans lose in Salt Lake City or the Bruins lose in Eugene, only their margin for error will have vanished.įinish with a 12-1 record and Pac-12 title in hand, and a CFP berth will be within reach. It’s important to note that neither USC nor UCLA faces a must-win situation in its next game, at least in the context of a CFP berth.Īny one-loss Power Five champion stands an excellent chance of participating in the semifinals. USC visits Utah next weekend, while the Bruins have a bye, then head to Oregon.īy late October, the Pac-12’s hierarchy might look quite different.īut for now - and for the first season in eons - the center of gravity is in Los Angeles. (If we had to choose, the Hotline would opt for UCLA’s triumvirate.)Īlso, both teams will face their most challenging assignments of the season when they return to the field. Both head coaches, USC’s Lincoln Riley and UCLA’s Chip Kelly, are among the college game’s most creative offensive minds of the past 10-12 years, and both have made expert use of the transfer portal.īoth defenses are more opportunistic than they are stout.Īnd both offenses claim three superb playmakers: USC’s combination of quarterback Caleb Williams, tailback Travis Dye and receiver Jordan Addison and UCLA’s equivalents in quarterback Dorian Thompson-Robinson, tailback Zach Charbonnet and receiver Jake Bobo.
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