Both of the conference’s one-loss teams were beaten on Saturday, leaving the the North and South divisions very much up for grabs. The Bruins are only 4-3 in Pac-12 play, but if they beat Utah this week and USC in the season finale, they win the Pac-12 South. In the past, you could count on OR, Stanford OR USC to carry the conference torch.
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The College Football Committee has promised to reward teams for strength of schedule. There are many outcomes that could be played out and technically anyone can be beat, but the following is one such path for a Pac-12 selection. And even if it plays out exactly as described, there’s no guarantee the committee will follow suit. Clemson may not stay at No. 1, but they’ll be in the playoffs. (John Bazemore/AP Photo) 2. He had a season-low three catches for 66 yards and a touchdown last week at Colorado.
In 2007, back when only two teams made the playoff, two-loss Louisiana State was No. 7 in the Bowl Championship Series standings on the Saturday morning before the final ranking announcement on Sunday.
What the Pac-12 (and Big Ten next year) gets with nine games in addition to the conference title game is a sense of legitimacy. The Trojans usually get a boost in the second quarter, when they average 13.4 points this year.
-DT Delvon Simmons is coming off a big game, with two tackles for loss, a forced fumble and a blocked kick.
Heading into Week 12 of the college football season, the Ducks are 7-3 Straight Up (SU) and 6-4 Against The Spread (ATS).
The injury to Harris didn’t help, and the news that he will be out for Big Game certainly shifts the dynamics of the matchup greatly in Cal’s favor.
The Trojans actually have a better chance of winning the South with a loss to OR instead of UCLA. Baylor, Oklahoma, TCU and Oklahoma State all have to play each other. However, even splitting games, it’s likely the Cowboys don’t have enough to get in. Well two dropped snaps from Kevin Hogan stopped two Stanford drives in the second half.
Teams often have a letdown after a big win such as the one OR had against Stanford last week. Is this flawed logic?
The problem is the top Pac-12 team in both polls is Stanford at No. 15. They must win out against Oregon State and Washington State in order to get them though.
In short, if the Stanford defense can keep a powerful Cal offense off the field, then they should find themselves playing in Levi’s Stadium come December 5. No playoffs for the Gators despite a solid season and turnaround.
UCLA is 5-0 ATS in its last five games on the road in November.
“We’re definitely a different team than at the beginning of the season, ” said Adams, who’s posted a 178.6 rating and thrown for 12 touchdowns over the four games. As soon as she realized that a trip to the Rose Bowl for Utah (and me and my son, Josh) also meant a trip to Disneyland for her (and my wife, Cheryl, and my younger daughter, Sammie), she has become one of the Utes’ biggest fans. The Ducks need a Stanford loss and to win out, while Washington State can’t navigate through the tiebreaker scenarios to play for the Pac-12 title – that missed kick against Stanford was a killer. A MI State loss would also open the door for MI to win the East by beating Penn State and Ohio State to finish the year. The Wolverines, though, will be on the outside looking in on a markedly improved season in Jim Harbaugh’s first year with the program.
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The 22nd-ranked Trojans stand a good chance of holding up their end of that equation if they can take down the red-hot No. 23 Ducks, as USC is back in control of the South Division thanks to a four-game win streak and Utah’s recent struggles.
