The Pac-12 appears to be the best it has been in years, with Utah and Oregon getting back on the right track after tough Week 1 losses to SEC schools. Washington and Washington State are having great seasons with wins against Big Ten teams and look to be ranked at the end of the season. Oregon State should easily be bowl eligible by the end of the season and Stanford, Arizona, Cal, and Arizona State all could push to be bowl eligible at the end of the season. Then there is Colorado, but that is a whole different story and mess. However, the conference’s worst nightmare lies in the two teams that have not been mentioned: UCLA and USC.
Beginning with UCLA, the Bruins are 5-0 with an offense that can stack up with most teams. Dorian Thompson-Robinson is getting Heisman buzz and the defense appears to be much improved from the beginning of the season. The Bruins have tough matchups against Utah this Saturday and against Oregon on Oct. 22.
Next up are the USC Trojans, who are also 5-0, field one of the most talented rosters in college football, have an experienced coach in Lincoln Riley, and have a defense that leads the entire FBS in turnovers forced. Much like the Bruins, they face a tough test against Utah on Oct. 15, but they do not have to face Oregon or Washington.
The real nightmare comes if both teams are undefeated entering Week 12 when they play each other in the “Battle for LA”. This would mean that there likely would be a rematch in two weeks at the Pac-12 Championship game, seeing both teams are more than likely reaching a New Year’s Six Bowl. At a time when the Pac-12 is at its best, having the two founding schools that will be leaving in 2024 at the top of the conference will be demoralizing. It would serve as validation to the two schools that the competition is just not at the level that they would like to face week in and week out, which is something the Big Ten could offer. Assuming one of the two wins both matchups, that school should be in the playoffs and the other will be in the Rose Bowl potentially beating a top Big Ten school.
The next three weeks may be the most pivotal for the people running the Pac-12 because if UCLA and USC play to their potentials; nightmare becomes reality.