Pac-12 Football Rankings And Reactions, Week 9
Week 9 Pac-12 football rankings and reactions. Stanford survived its trip to the Palouse to take a commanding lead in the North Division. Meanwhile, Utah got back on track by beating Oregon State to remain a step ahead of UCLA and USC, which both won close games.
Pac-12 Player of the Week
Oregon QB Vernon Adams completed 23-of-40 passes for 315 yards and four scores with a pick in the win over Arizona State.
Week 9 Pac-12 Football Rankings
1. Stanford: W, at Washington State 30-28
Survive and advance. The Cardinal hung on to beat Wazzu in Pullman, rallying with help from a late Luke Falk pick and a missed Cougar field goal at the end of regulation. Stanford has won seven in a row and has a two-game lead in the North Division. The program is also eyeing a possible playoff spot if it can continue enduring in upcoming games with Colorado, Oregon, Cal and Notre Dame.
2. USC: W, at Cal, 27-21
The Trojans are beginning to gain some momentum, beating the Bears in Berkeley the week after tagging Utah with its first loss of 2015. At 5-3, USC is still in the Pac-12 South race with games left against Arizona, Colorado, Oregon and UCLA. Troy can win the division if it takes care of its November business and the front-running Utes lose at least one more time.
3. Utah: W, Oregon State 27-12
It was not pretty, but the Utes got the bounce back win it needed to remain atop the South Division. Utah holds a one game divisional lead over USC and UCLA, but its lone loss was to the Trojans in Week 8, and it hosts the Bruins on Nov. 21. Prior to seeing the Bruins, though, the Utes must hit the road to play at Washington and Arizona over the next two weekends.
4. UCLA: W, Colorado 35-31
Much, much harder than it should’ve been, but by rallying to defeat the Buffs at the Rose Bowl, the Bruins control their own destiny in the Pac-12 South. UCLA will be favored to win the next two games at Oregon State and back at home to host Wazzu. The division, though, will come down to the final two weeks of the regular season, road trips to first place Utah and the rivalry game with USC.
5. Washington State: L, Stanford 30-28
The Cougars have grown by leaps and bounds this season, but still must improve at closing out quality opponents. Although Wazzu led No. 8 Stanford throughout, it stumbled in the waning moments to squander a chance to take the North Division lead. The Cougs need one more win to become bowl eligible, with Arizona State, UCLA, Colorado and Washington adorning the November slate.
6. Oregon: W, at Arizona State 61-55
7. Cal: L, USC 27-21
This once-promising season is beginning to slip away from the Bears. After opening with five wins—and making a rare Top 25 cameo—the Bears have lost the least three to Utah, UCLA and USC to fall out of North Division contention. They’re a win away from becoming bowl eligible for the first time since 2011, needing to get past Oregon, Oregon State, Stanford or Arizona State to bowl.
8. Arizona State: L, Oregon 61-55
The offense went wild, yet it still wasn’t enough for the Sun Devils, who’ve lost two straight and three of their last five games. At .500 through eight games, Arizona State is arguably the Pac-12’s biggest underachiever of 2015. And with trips to Washington State and Cal, and visits from U-Dub and rival Arizona still left, bowl eligibility is no longer a foregone conclusion.
9. Washington: W, Arizona, 49-3
The Huskies rebounded from back-to-back losses to deliver their best performance of the season. Disposing of the Wildcats brought U-Dub back to .500 and keeps postseason hopes alive. Chris Petersen desperately wants an additional game and practices with his young kids, but will need to win at least two games against Utah, Arizona State, Oregon State and Washington State.
10. Arizona: L, at Washington 49-3
The Wildcats are fading fast, slipping to 2-4 in Pac-12 games following Saturday’s debacle in Seattle. Arizona has shown no ability to beat decent opponents this season, losing badly to UCLA, Stanford and Washington. If the Cats can’t upset USC, Utah or Arizona State in the next three weeks, they’ll go from South Division champs in 2014 to bowl-less in 2015.
11. Colorado: L, at UCLA 35-31
This loss will haunt the Buffaloes right into the offseason, because they played well enough to beat the Bruins in the Rose Bowl. And that’s the kind of statement moment coach Mike MacIntyre needs. But instead of being a game over .500 and riding back-to-back league wins, Colorado is a game under .500, with three rugged upcoming tests versus USC, Washington State and Utah.
12. Oregon State: L, at Utah 27-12
The Beavers have reached that point in the season when they’re simply playing out the string and laying the bricks for 2016. The Pac-12’s worst program has just a pair of wins this fall, over Weber State and San Jose State. And Oregon State isn’t likely to avoid a winless year in conference play, with UCLA, Cal, Washington and Oregon.
