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The champion and worst of Week Two successful Pac-12 shot …
Theme of the Week: Strong top, anemic middle
The Pac-12 was 1 of the deepest conferences successful the state successful erstwhile years but lacked an elite, playoff-caliber squad — a atrocious premix successful an epoch defined by CFP participation. But a switcheroo whitethorn beryllium astatine hand: In Oregon and possibly UCLA and possibly adjacent Arizona State, the league appears to person amended prime astatine the top.
The mediate connected the different hand, looks soft. Extremely soft.
There person been excessively galore atrocious losses to judge the extent this play volition lucifer what it was successful 2017-19. (We can’t glean overmuch from past season.) And if that proves the case, we’ll ticker competing dynamics unfold: The buoyancy gained from wins implicit Ohio State and LSU against the harm incurred from intra-conference losses.
In different words, the Pac-12 desperately needs the Buckeyes and/or Tigers to person first-rate seasons. If those wins suffer luster and the conference’s apical teams are beaten successful round-robin play, the instauration for a playoff tally could crumble.
Game of the Week: Oregon 35, Ohio State 28
An awesome triumph successful truthful galore ways, but we’ll item one: The show of the Ducks’ violative and antiaircraft lines — the areas that person undermined Pac-12 occurrence truthful often successful large intersectional matchups. Oregon ran the shot consistently and stopped the tally with acold greater occurrence than we anticipated fixed its showing connected the interior against Fresno State and the lack of Kayvon Thibodeaux.
Game of the Week (non-Oregon division): TCU 34, Cal 32
We were a spot mystified by Cal’s two-point attempts early, which near the Bears chasing points the remainder of the game. And their defence appears to person regressed substantially. And they blew a double-digit pb for the 2nd consecutive game. But it was an entertaining matter with 4 touchdowns successful the 4th quarter.
Close Call of the Week: Colorado
The Buffaloes were oh-so-close to toppling No. 5 Texas A&M and signaling their archetypal triumph implicit a top-five squad successful 14 years. They led 7-3 precocious successful the 4th fourth but allowed a rookie backmost to pb the Aggies 77 yards connected 11 plays for the winning touchdown. Next up is Minnesota — a cardinal crippled for making CU’s vessel mathematics work.
Coaches of the Week: Oregon’s staff
Mario Cristobal is paid to instrumentality the vigor and gain the praise, and successful this case, helium deserves immense praise. But the Ducks’ coordinators — Joe Moorhead connected discourtesy and Tim DeRuyter connected defence — out-coached their Ohio State counterparts and warrant a bully chunk of credit. Oregon won the crippled connected some sides of the ball, and the crippled plans were masterful.
Coach of the Week (non-Oregon division): Stanford’s David Shaw
One week aft a hapless showing against Kansas State — 1 of the worst of his tenures, truly — Shaw had his squad good prepared tactically and mentally arsenic a immense underdog successful a rivalry game. The power to Tanner McKee was an evident move, but the Cardinal was amended successful each respect.
Hot Seat of the Week: USC’s Clay Helton
The 42-28 nonaccomplishment to Stanford wasn’t the worst of his era, due to the fact that determination person been truthful galore atrocious ones, but it’s connected the abbreviated list. The mode it unfolded, with the Trojans getting out-played, out-coached and blown out, made it acold much damaging to Helton’s lasting internally.
Holy Reversal of the Week: Utah
The Utes mislaid to Brigham Young for the archetypal clip since 2009. Far much concerning for their long-haul prospects was the sub-standard play up front. The Cougars rushed for 231 yards, a atrocious motion for a squad that has UCLA, ASU and Oregon connected its schedule.
Player of the Week: Oregon TB CJ Verdell
We considered Washington State backmost Jayden de Laura and Arizona State backmost Jayden Daniels, but their exploits came against brushed competition. Verdell rushed for 161 yards and 2 touchdowns and caught a touchdown pass, and his contention was not soft. (Although Ohio State’s defence is intelligibly not playoff-caliber.)
Stat of the Week I: Oregon
The triumph successful Columbus marked the Pac-12’s archetypal regular-season roadworthy triumph implicit a top-three hostile (non-conference) since Stanford stunned No. 1 Notre Dame … successful 1990. It was besides the Ducks’ archetypal non-conference roadworthy triumph implicit a top-five opponent.
Stat of the Week II: Pac-12
The league is 11-11 successful non-conference action, which looks atrocious successful a vacuum and adjacent worse connected a comparative basis: The SEC is 23-3 extracurricular of league play, portion the Big Ten is 17-3.
Stat of the Week III: Washington
The Huskies are No. 128 successful the state successful full points scored (17), up of lone Louisiana Monroe (10) and Navy (10). Except Louisiana Monroe has lone played 1 crippled and Navy’s discourtesy is consecutive retired of the 1950s. Then again, truthful is … err, ne'er mind. On the agleam side, the Huskies scored 3 much points against Michigan (10) than they managed against Montana — progress!
Reality Check of the Week: Arizona
The Wildcats were embarrassed by San Diego State successful the hyped location opener for manager Jedd Fisch, trailing by 4 touchdowns astatine halftime earlier the Aztecs eased to a 38-14 win. (You inquire Steve Kerr to beryllium honorary skipper and past play similar that? Yikes.) Fisch is large successful the assemblage and large connected societal media. Now we’ll find retired if helium tin coach.
Back to Basics Move of the Week: Oregon State
The Beavers haven’t won a crippled successful which they rushed for less than 100 yards successful 7 years. They struggled connected the crushed astatine Purdue but recovered their crippled astatine location Saturday nighttime arsenic BJ Baylor rushed for 171 yards and 3 touchdowns portion doing his champion Jermar Jefferson impersonation.
Bowl Math Win of the Week: Washington State
The Cougars (1-1) couldn’t spend to suffer different crippled they should triumph and inactive scope the benchmark for a vessel berth — not with BYU lasting arsenic the last non-conference hostile and a wicked Pac-12 roadworthy schedule. The triumph implicit Portland State provides the smallest of cushions: Win 5 of 10 and they’re in.
Game of This Week I: Arizona State astatine BYU
The Cougars person beaten Arizona and Utah, and a 3rd triumph would beryllium rather damaging to the Pac-12, which needs its 3 remaining undefeated teams to stay cleanable arsenic agelong arsenic possible. We fishy the Sun Devils person been bored by their creampuff opponents. BYU’s triumph successful the Holy War should person their attention.
Game of This Week II: Fresno State astatine UCLA
Everything we conscionable said astir the Pac-12 needing its undefeated teams to stay cleanable arsenic agelong arsenic possible.
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