Pac-12 Pickings: Ranked teams tested in conference openers

(Photo: Nicholas Badders/WCSN)

For the first time this season, this weekend provided a full slate of Pac-12 action. The return of conference play was accompanied by a splattering of competitive games, especially for the league’s ranked members.

Aside from Washington, the Pac-12’s top contenders were tested in their conference openers.

It started on Friday night, when Utah found themselves needing Arizona quarterback Brandon Dawkins to fumble the ball late in order to escape Tucson with a 6-point win.

On Saturday afternoon, Cal continued to defy all of its preseason expectations, going toe-to-toe with USC before a couple late turnovers extinguished its upset bid.

Oregon was ranked for the first time this year entering week four, but failed to beat a rejuvenated ASU squad on the road.

UCLA also continued to succumb to its road struggles, dropping back-to-back away games after losing to Stanford, a team already with two losses on its ledger.

Washington looks like the only real playoff contender at the moment, especially after handling Colorado with ease to improve to 4-0 on the year.

After that, the lines get blurred when distinguishing the conference’s pecking order.

Pac-12 leaders have often trumpeted the league’s parody and top-to-bottom quality as an indicator of its overall strength. During the opening week of conference play, that exactly what its teams provided.

It might cost them a chance at a national championship, but the Pac-12 has been nothing if not entertaining in 2017. Expect that to continue as we inch closer to the finish line.

 

Weekly Awards

GOAT of the Week: Bryce Love (RB, Stanford)

Stanford running back Bryce Love was already having a career night. The junior had taken over 25 carries for the first time in his career, and was closing in on a personal-high for yards in a game as his team was closing in on an important win over UCLA.

Not until then did he add his signature moment:

With the 69-yard explosion, Love capped his night career-best 263 yard night with the game-sealing touchdown. His effort got his Cardinal back to 2-2, and solidified his place as Stanford’s next great power back.

There is no easy way to replace an Heisman candidate tail back like Christian McCaffrey, but Love looks to have the same combo of speed and physicality to thrive in Stanford’s run-heavy offense.

With the win over UCLA and Love’s breakout game under its belt, the Cardinal might still have a shot at a Pac-12 North title fight.

 

Scape-GOAT of the Week: Marquise Blair (DB, Utah)

The targeting rule in college football has become a controversial one since its introduction a few years back. It is the only penalty in the game that can see a player immediately ejected or that can be overturned through replay review.

Sometimes, deciphering what was a hit to the head and what was a hit to the shoulder or upper chest is a trivial task, but one that comes with big consequences.

In Tucson on Friday night however, Marquise Blair displayed the exact type of hit the rule is meant to eliminate. There was no gray area on his flying head-shot.

Coming full speed at Arizona quarterback Brandon Dawkins, Blair made zero effort to make a clean tackle.

He didn’t go for the “strike zone” between the chest and waist. He didn’t keep his head up to make the play with his eyes facing forward. There was no effort made to wrap up Dawkins with his arms. He didn’t really even try to make a tackle at all.

Instead, Blair made the kind of play that seriously hurts somebody; the kind of play that is killing the sport.

There just isn’t room for players to try and level opponents anymore. Especially not the way Blair tried to annihilate the defenseless ball carrier. Like it or not, the targeting rule is here for a reason. You can thank players like Marquise Blair for that.

 

Play of the Week: Arizona State’s Surprise Onside Kick

The best way to stop a dynamic offense is to keep it off the field. ASU coach Todd Graham took that message literally in the first quarter of his team’s upset win over Oregon on Saturday.

After his Sun Devils opened up an unexpected 14-7 lead, Graham made one of the riskier decisions of his coaching career. He called for a surprise onside kick.

The ploy worked, as it set up ASU for a field goal and 10-point lead. The Sun Devils wound up winning by just two. It could have been a one-point loss if not for the gutsy move.

Graham said after the game that he thought his team needed the aggressive tactics to bounce-back from two non-conference losses. He was right.

For a coach sitting on one of the hottest seats in college football, risking the onside could have been a disaster. But it worked, and ended up playing a key role in ASU’s 37-35 win.

 

 

Pac-12 Power Rankings

1. WASHINGTON (Last week: 1) – On paper, the Huskies trip to Boulder looked like a tough test. But Washington breezed past Colorado in a 37-10 win, intercepting Buffaloes quarterback Steven Montez three times to secure a seventh straight Pac-12 road win for the school.

2. USC (Last week: 2) – Another week, and another less-than-desirable win from the Trojans. This Friday’s trip to Washington State will tell the country a lot about USC’s toughness. They have eeked out four wins so far, but it seems like only a matter of time before they suffer a losing setback.

3. STANFORD (Last week: 4) – The Cardinal looked like their old selves in a 58-34 thrashing of UCLA. The Bruins have a bad defense, but Stanford made sure to take advantage. It has taken a few weeks to break in new playmakers on the offensive side of the ball, but David Shaw’s group might have rediscovered their identity this week.

4. OREGON (Last week: 3) – Oregon shouldn’t have lost to ASU this week. They were exposed along the offensive line, struggling against a physical Sun Devils front seven. But the Ducks still had two chances to win the game late, and shot themselves in the foot with 9 penalties and several missed deep shots.

5. WASHINGTON STATE (Last week: 5) – The Cougars made easy work of Nevada, routing the winless Wolf Pack 45-7. Beating a lowly Mountain West school only means so much though. Beating USC this coming week would be a different story.

6. UTAH (Last week: 6) – The Utes win at Arizona was closer than it should have been, as Kyle Whittingham’s defense labored to contain the Wildcats’ unique rushing attack. But, Utah is off to an undefeated start once again this year, even if their four wins have been less impressive than in seasons past.

7. CALIFORNIA (Last week: 9) – Maybe this is too high for Cal, but everything the Golden Bears have done so far this year signifies they are one of the better schools in the Pac-12. Their inexperience in big moments showed against USC and a brutal stretch against the Pac-12 North’s best awaits them in coming weeks. But there is no reason to think that Cal, with an improved defense and effective offense, can’t be competitive against the conference’s other power programs.

8. COLORADO (Last week: 7) – Colorado finally faced a tough defense. It’s new-look offense failed. There is no shame in giving up 37 points to a Jake Browning-led attack, but the Buffaloes continue to look unreliable when it comes to moving the ball. They are playing in the wrong conference to be suffering from that kind of problem.

9. ARIZONA STATE (Last week: 11) – ASU put it all together against Oregon, earning a key victory in its battle to become bowl eligible. Quarterback Manny Wilkins is looking like one of the better passers in the west, and receiver N’Keal Harry could wind up being the best go-to target in the conference. Reaching 6 wins is still a tall order, but Saturday’s upset of Oregon made that victory total a lot more realistic.

10. UCLA (Last week: 8) – How quickly the shine has come off Jim Mora’s team. Losing to Memphis was bad enough, but surrendering almost 60 points to Stanford is impossible t0 overcome. Josh Rosen can only do so much, and if not for his miracle night against Texas A&M, the Bruins would already be 1-3.

11. ARIZONA (Last week: 10) – The Wildcats again looked sharp in a losing effort, pushing Utah to the wire. The Wildcats are averaging better than six yard per carry, and seem to have begun to master their true option scheme. Arizona will have the chance to upset somebody this year; it could be the surprise result that decides a division title.

12. OREGON STATE (Last week: 12) – At least the Beavers didn’t lose this week (they had a bye). They’ll need the rest. They host Washington next week.

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