Pac-12 Football Power Rankings, Week 12: Apple Cup to decide it all
By Dana Becker
It’s been a very difficult season for Oregon State and new head coach Jonathan Smith, as the Beavers had no answer for Myles Gaskin and Washington this past week. The 42-23 loss was the third consecutive setback for the team, dropping them to just 2-9 overall.
Jermar Jefferson, the sensation freshman running back, did record his second straight 100-yard game, going for 115. On the year, Jefferson has seven games with over 100 yards rushing and two more where he has broke through the 200-yard barrier.
The Beavers will try to secure win No. 3 when they close things out this year with the Civil War vs. Oregon.
Snow hit Boulder hard this past weekend, but not as hard as Utah did. The Utes put a pounding on Colorado, posting a 30-7 victory to send the Buffaloes to their sixth consecutive loss.
It’s difficult to remember, but Colorado was once 5-0 and all the talk of the Pac-12. They have since dropped games by one possession to Oregon State and Arizona, but have scored just 14 points in back-to-back losses at home vs. Washington State and Utah.
Colorado tries once more to get bowl eligible when they head to California this week to conclude the regular season. They’ll need the old Steven Montez to return, as he was held to just 84 yards passing vs. Utah, with Travon McMillian running for only 41.
Chip Kelly found himself a superstar in running back Joshua Kelley, now he just needs to keep him around for another season. Kelley, a junior, carried the ball 40 times for 289 yards and two touchdowns to lead the Bruins past rival USC inside the Rose Bowl, 34-27.
It’s been a difficult first year at UCLA for Kelly, but with a player the caliber of Kelley, he has a strong building block. The 34 points scored by the Bruins were the most since a 37-7 victory over California back in the middle of October.
UCLA can make it two in a row with an upset at home this Saturday against Stanford. They also had a two-game win streak last month around a five-game losing streak and a three-game slide.
Coming in hot after picking up wins over Oregon and Colorado at home, Kevin Sumlin and Arizona were unable to keep the momentum going, falling hard at Washington State.
Khalil Tate continued his strong late-season surge, throwing for 294 yards, as J.J. Taylor added 69 on the ground. Tate has thrown for 294 and 350 in the last two games, and also has a pair of 300-yard performances from back in September.
The Wildcats, who were just 3-5 at one point this year, take on in-state rival Arizona State needing a victory to secure a sixth win and be eligible for the postseason.