Pac-12 Football Power Rankings 2017: Title race heats up in Week 12

I hate to say I told you so, but I told you so. Washington is a good team, but were overrated coming into this season. The Huskies defense has been stellar all year. Their offense has not been pulling their weight. Washington still has a chance to win the Pac-12 North and their next two games are crucial.

There is just something special about David Shaw. He manages to find a way to will Stanford to 9-10 wins despite the adversity. It surely doesn’t hurt that he has Bryce Love carrying the football for nearly 200 yards per game. This season is already a huge win for the Cardinal considering they got very minimal production from the quarterback position. Cal will put up a fight but if Bryce Love’s ankle holds up he should have a huge game.

Sam Darnold got so much hype coming into this season. He has not quite lived up to it, but he has played well enough to get his team to 9-2. The running game has been the saving grace for the Trojans. Ronald Jones II has let the way in the backfield with huge play after huge play. USC still has an outside shot at the college football playoff top four. They must beat cross town rival UCLA to have an opportunity though.

In addition to being No. 1 in the Pac-12 power rankings Mike Leach has Washington State relevant again. His high powered offense has but the Cougars in a position to play for the Pac-12 championship if they can win the Apple Cup in two weekends. I cannot even imagine what Leach will have drawn up to beat the Huskies defense with two weeks to prepare. I expect craziness and great games in the last two weeks of Pac-12 play.