The Pac-12’s future beyond 2023 is in major doubt, with ten of its members departing for greener pastures at season’s end. While this is likely the last year we will have a power conference representing the western part of the United States, the Pac-12 is going out with a bang.
Oregon and Washington both look the part of a playoff contender; however, only one could leave Saturday’s matchup undefeated. The Huskies edged out a win after Camden Lewis’ field goal attempt to send the game to overtime sailed just a bit right.
Michael Penix Jr. put on a clinic, throwing for over 300 yards and four touchdowns, including the game winner. Penix may have very well had his Heisman moment on Saturday, and now, the Huskies have an inside track to the College Football Playoff.
Washington would be the first Pac-12 team to make the CFP since, well, Washington back in 2016. I want to give credit to Kalen DeBoer for returning this program to relevance overnight. The Huskies were reeling in the post-Chris Petersen era, and DeBoer took over a team that went 4-8 in 2021.
DeBoer is off to a 17-2 start to his tenure in Seattle, with the nation’s most explosive offense catapulting them to the top of the conference. Should the Huskies manage the rest of their conference slate, they could be dangerous come playoff time.
The biggest question surrounding Washington as a National Championship contender is its pass defense. The Huskies have looked like one of the best teams in the nation in spite of their pass defense, which ranks 106th nationally.
The combination of Penix under center and a stacked receiver room headlined by Rome Odunze gives this team the ability to hang with anyone. Their season will boil down to their secondary’s ability to hold up against more elite competition.
As for the team on the losing end of this weekend’s thriller, the Ducks still have everything to play for despite drawing the short end of the stick on Saturday. For the second year in a row, their matchup with Washington came down to a controversial fourth down attempt that didn’t work.
I had no issue with Dan Lanning’s decision to roll the dice on a fourth-and-three just past midfield. If Oregon converted, it would have sealed the win. Even if Oregon punted, there is a strong chance Penix would have led a go-ahead touchdown drive with two minutes to work with.
If I’m Lanning, I’d rather put the game in the hands of Bo Nix instead of the Heisman frontrunner on the other sideline.
This is still one of the most complete teams in the nation, and they’ll have plenty of opportunities to impress the CFP committee with Utah, USC and Oregon State still on their schedule. I mentioned last week how Texas still controls its destiny despite a close loss to Oklahoma. The same can be said for Oregon, who would be all but a lock to make the top four should it run the table.
A team I’m not as confident about in regards to making a playoff push is USC. The Trojans faced their first test of the season in South Bend, and it’s safe to say they flunked. Caleb Williams had the worst game of his otherwise remarkable career, throwing three picks in a blowout loss.
I never fully bought into this squad; I know Williams is amazing, and they can hang 50 on a whim. With that being said, you can’t be this bad defensively and expect to make a playoff run in a loaded Pac-12.
While the Trojans could still sneak in if they won out, I just don’t think they are capable of doing so. Lincoln RIley and his team have to turn right around and face a Utah team that swept them last year. They also still have Washington, Oregon and UCLA on hand, and even if they make it through that stretch without a second loss, they still have to win the Pac-12 Championship.
Does Riley keep defensive coordinator Alex Grinch after this season? Grinch did show progress year-to-year when working under Riley at Oklahoma, and they had to start from scratch on that side of the ball when they got to Los Angeles.
The issue is this defense isn’t showing any signs of improvement from a year ago despite some solid portal additions. Riley is one of the best coaches in America and recruits the most valuable position better than anyone. However, he may never fully capitalize on his offensive dominance if he can’t find consistent reliability on defense.
The nation turns its attention to Columbus, Ohio this Saturday for the first showdown between two of the big three contenders in the Big Ten. Michigan, Ohio State and Penn State have navigated the season without any problems to this point, but only two of them can remain undefeated after Saturday.
James Franklin has had a successful tenure in State College. However they haven’t broken through to the next level. That can change this Saturday when his Nittany Lions take on Ohio State in the Horseshoe. Penn State is 1-8 against the Buckeyes under Franklin and are 0-9 on the road against top five opponents.
The Nittany Lions will have to buck that trend if they want to live up to their potential this season. While there is a path for an 11-1 Penn State to make the playoff, their schedule outside of Ohio State and Michigan is pretty soft, so there is no guarantee they would make it.
Ohio State has been tested this year after surviving by the skin of their teeth against Notre Dame. While that win was a statement for Ryan Day’s program, Saturday begins their run at redemption after falling short of Indianapolis the last two seasons.
What really intrigues me about this game is the fact you have two first-year starting quarterbacks in Drew Allar and Kyle McCord playing in the biggest games of their careers to this point against two of the top defenses in FBS.
How each young signal-caller responds to the pressure will go a long way in determining the result Saturday afternoon.
Chris’ College Football Top 25 Rankings:
1.Georgia Bulldogs (7-0) W vs. Vanderbilt 37-20, last week-1
2.Michigan Wolverines (7-0) W vs. Indiana 52-7, last week-2
3.Ohio State Buckeyes (6-0) W vs. Purdue 41-7, last week-3
4.Florida State Seminoles (6-0) W vs. Syracuse 41-3, last week-4
5.Penn State Nittany Lions (6-0) W vs. UMass 63-0, last week-5
6.Washington Huskies (6-0) W vs. Oregon 36-33, last week-6
7.Oklahoma Sooners (6-0) BYE, last week-8
8.Texas Longhorns (5-1) BYE, last week-9
9.Oregon Ducks (5-1) L vs. Washington 36-33, last week-7
10.Alabama Crimson Tide (6-1) W vs. Arkansas 24-21, last week-10
11.Oregon State Beavers (6-1) W vs. UCLA 36-24, last week-13
12.North Carolina Tar Heels (6-0) W vs. Miami(FL) 41-31, last week-15
13.Notre Dame Fighting Irish (6-2) W vs. USC 48-20, last week-16
14.Ole Miss Rebels (5-1) BYE, last week-14
15.LSU Tigers (5-2) W vs. Auburn 48-18, last week-17
16.Duke Blue Devils (5-1) W vs. NC State 24-3, last week-18
17.Utah Utes (5-1) W vs. California 34-14, last week-19
18.USC Trojans (6-1) L vs. Notre Dame 48-20, last week-11
19.Tennessee Volunteers (5-1) W vs. Texas A&M 20-13, last week-22
20.Missouri Tigers (6-1) W vs. Kentucky 38-21, last week-24
21.Louisville Cardinals (6-1) L vs. Pitt 38-21, last week-12
22.Air Force Falcons (6-0) W vs. Wyoming 34-27, last week-unranked
23.Iowa Hawkeeys (6-1) W vs. Wisconsin 15-6, last week-unranked
24.UCLA Bruins (4-2) L vs. Oregon State 36-24, last week-20
25.Tulane Green Wave (5-1) W vs. Memphis 31-21, last week-unranked
Dropped out of rankings – Washington State, Kentucky, Wyoming