Pac-12 Football Power Rankings, Week 12: The end of the Mike Leach era?

If you told me a month ago that the UCLA Bruins could climb into the top five of a PAC 12 Power Rankings, I would say that you’re crazy. But Chip Kelly has his first opportunity to turn this season into a success.

Three wins in a row have the Bruins two wins away from a bowl game, which seemed inconceivable after their 0-3 start, but this is a different team. Their biggest test is on the road at Utah this weekend, with the Utes vying for a playoff spot.

Utah’s defensive line is one of the best in the country, however, and it should be tough sledding for Joshua Kelley, the catalyst for this UCLA turnaround. This, and USC, is Kelly’s last chances at a marquee win to take a positive out of 2019.

Rumors circulated that Mike Bohn took the USC job under the stipulation that he could replace Clay Helton this season. While time will tell if that is true, the Urban Meyer to USC talks have continued to heat up. The biggest decision Meyer will have to make in the offseason if he is the new head coach is simple: Who is the starting quarterback?

After JT Daniels won the job in the offseason, many people said he was poised for a big season, until he went down with an injury game one, and is out for the season. Since then, true freshman Kedon Slovis has been sensational, and looks the part of not only a starting quarterback, but a future number one overall pick.

Arizona State’s defense is really tough, and Slovis made it look like a JV team that first half. He finished the game with 432 yards and four touchdowns, and has nearly a 70% completion percentage this season. To me, he’s the answer for USC at quarterback for at least two years.

We over-exaggerate the year of the quarterback at the NFL draft time year after year, and are hyping this season up again as the year of the quarterback, we see great prospects every year. But after his first half season, I can confidently say that after the “Tank for Tua” and “Tank for Trevor” campaigns we’ll see in the NFL the next two seasons, a lot of teams will be “Krapping for Kedon” when his time comes. His ability is that high.

Speaking of quarterbacks who are top prospects, Jacob Eason continues to befuddle me. I think he will be a very good NFL quarterback, but I’ve never seen such a talented player look so bad against mediocre competition.

Eason has been as inconsistent as the Huskies have this season, and he truly is the embodiment of their team this year. Washington dominated all fronts against Oregon State besides passing the ball, and this team really looks like it should be a 9-3 or 10-2 team that laid a few bad performances throughout its schedule. Despite the down year, Chris Petersen has this program rolling and I expect a big bounce back to end the season heading into next year.