Pac-12 Football Power Rankings, Week 11: Mike Leach, Wazzu in front
By Dana Becker
Clay Helton is definitely feeling the heat, and I’m not just talking about that warm California sun. Helton’s Trojans are just 5-5 through 10 games, and must still play Notre Dame to close out the regular season.
College Football Playoff dreams are long gone, as are those involving competing for the league title. USC is just 1-3 over its last four, losing to California and Arizona State by a combined four points. The lone win since an early October victory vs. Colorado came at Oregon State.
Before playing the Irish at home, USC will “visit” UCLA this Saturday and take on Chip Kelly.
Under first-year head coach Herm Edwards, Arizona State has won five of six games at home this year, putting the Sun Devils in complete control of their own destiny. Win the next two, and Arizona State will face either Washington State or Washington for the Pac-12 title.
It took everything from Manny Wilkins, Eno Benjamin and N’Keal Harry this past weekend to hold off UCLA, 31-28, as Wilkins threw for 199 yards, Benjamin ran for 182 and Harry had 100.
The Sun Devils have now won three in a row, topping USC, Utah and UCLA, and scoring over 31 points in all three. They will hit the road, though, where they are just 1-3 with games at Oregon and Arizona to clinch the division title.
The Golden Bears were golden this past weekend, snapping a 14-game losing streak to USC with a 15-14 victory. The win improved California’s record to 3-1 over the past four games and gave them a sixth victory on the year.
After a three-game slide vs. Oregon, Arizona and UCLA in late September and early Oregon, California has played sound defense, holding Washington, Washington State and USC to under 14 points.
The Golden Bears can reach eight wins with victories over Stanford and Colorado, with both games coming at home to close the month.
It’s been an up-and-down season for Oregon and head coach Mario Cristobal, as the Ducks have lost three of their last four after sitting at 5-1 through six games. That includes a 32-25 setback to Utah last week on the road.
Justin Herbert threw for 288 yards, his most in a game since a Week 4 performance vs. Stanford that saw him pick up 346 yards in the air. Herbert has surpassed the 250-yard mark seven times this season.
While Oregon has qualified for a bowl, they can definitely improve the status of said bowl with wins over Arizona State and Oregon State to close the year.