College Football Rankings 2016: Projected AP Top 25 after Week 12
By Zach Bigalke
On Saturday, Mike Leach’s crew couldn’t keep pace with the Buffaloes as they fell to 8-3 on the season. The Cougars took a 24-21 lead late in the third quarter, but the hosts closed out the game with 17 unanswered points to run away with the win. Luke Falk threw for 325 yards and three touchdowns, but he also gave up both a fumble and an interception that proved costly in the long run. In defeat the Washington State defense gave up over 600 yards of offense and 31 first downs.
It is important to remember that this was Washington State’s first conference loss of the season. The Cougars will still be playing for the Pac-12 North when they host Washington in the Apple Cup on Black Friday, and they could even get the chance to take revenge on the Buffaloes should CU knock off Utah at home next weekend. While the loss probably killed Wazzu’s chances of reaching the College Football Playoff, they’ll remain in the AP Top 25 this week due to the fact that their division chances are still completely alive.