Pac-12 Football: USC, Stanford atop Week 1 power rankings
By Dana Becker
The shine on the Pac-12 took a hit when the Huskies were unable to knock Auburn off this past weekend in a Top-10 showdown, falling 21-16.
Jake Browning threw for almost 300 yards, but had just a single touchdown and was only 18-for-32 passing. The Huskies were also held to 102 yards rushing, with returning all-league back Myles Gaskin rushing for 75 on 17 carries.
Aaron Fuller did have a coming out party at wide receiver, catching seven passes for 135 yards to lead the way.
Washington, though, did not force a turnover, allowed 420 yards of total offense and watched as Auburn converted 9 of 18 third-down attempts with 27 first downs.
The push for a spot in the College Football Playoff faces an uphill climb for the Huskies, but it is still doable with the rest of the league slate on the agenda.
Entering the year in your first season as head coach can be difficult. But with a talented quarterback leading the way, that adjustment is always made easier.
That’s the case for Oregon and head coach Mario Cristobal, who was promoted from the staff after Willie Taggart left for Florida State. Cristobal has Heisman candidate Justin Herbert calling the shots, as he racked up six touchdowns and over 300 yards of total offense in a throttling of Bowling Green.
Herbert, who missed time last season with an injury, completed just 10 passes, but five of them went for scores and covered 281 yards. He also had 41 yards on the ground as part of a 212-yard day.
The Ducks did have a few flaws on defense, as Bowling Green threw for 253 yards and ran for another 136. Many of those, though, came after the final score had long been decided thanks to a 30-point second quarter by Oregon.
If you would have told anyone that Bryce Love would run for just 29 yards and Stanford would still win by 21 vs. San Diego State, you might have been laughed at.
But thanks to a career day by K.J. Costello, that’s exactly what happened.
Costello completed 21 of 31 for 332 yards an four touchdowns, as the Cardinal overcame a slow start to the year by Love. The reigning Heisman runner-up had just 29 yards on 18 carries, which included a long of 14.
Costello and J.J. Arcega-Whiteside shined, with Arcega-Whiteside hauling in six passes for 226 yards and three scores.
Stanford found it tough to stop Juwan Washington, as the talented back ran for 158 yards. That will surely excite USC as they await this week in a key early-season showdown between top Pac-12 schools.