Pac-12 Football Power Rankings, Week 11: Mike Leach, Wazzu in front
By Dana Becker
Despite losing Tyler Huntley and Zack Moss, Utah remains in control of the Pac-12 South with just two games remaining. Win out, and the Utes will be playing for the conference title.
Utah rebounded from a tough 38-20 loss on the road to Arizona State by topping Oregon, 32-25, this past Saturday. Armand Shyne, a junior from Oakland, stepped in for Moss and ran for 174 yards on 26 carries.
Meanwhile, freshman Jason Shelley made his first career start under center, completing 18 of 31 for 262 yards and sporting a 129 quarterback rating. Shelley’s yardage was the most for a Utah signal-caller over two games, and the fourth-highest total this year.
The Utes finish out their conference schedule this Saturday at Colorado, with a victory putting them one step closer. They would need Arizona State to lose another game, though, as the Sun Devils hold the tiebreaker.
They would need a lot of help, and to be honest, I have no idea what the tiebreaker would be, but Stanford could still claim a share of the Pac-12 North title. The Cardinal need Washington State to lose two more games and Washington one, with two weeks left in the regular season.
Assuming that isn’t likely to happen, Stanford and David Shaw need to worry more about themselves. The Cardinal are 0-3 this year vs. ranked AP teams, and just 2-2 on the road. They have allowed 230 points and scored just 283 in 10 games.
KJ Costello continues to look like a future NFL player, as he threw for 342 yards in a 48-17 victory over Oregon State. That included four touchdown passes to Colby Parkinson, who finished with 166 yards on six receptions.