Pac-12 Football Rankings – Week 12
Pac-12 football rankings heading into Week 12 of the 2016 season. Washington's suffers a stunning loss that might've put its Playoff chances in jeopardy.
Pac-12 football rankings heading into Week 12 of the 2016 season. Washington’s suffers a stunning loss that might’ve put its Playoff chances in jeopardy.
The biggest obstacle on Washington’s path to the College Football Playoff was itself. If they won out, the Huskies would be in. USC made the road more difficult.
Washington State now is the only team remaining without a loss in Pac-12 play, making the Apple Cup even more important after Washington fell to the Trojans, 26-13. A victory in that game and the conference title game still could put the Huskies in the Playoff, though.
Now that the dust has settled, here’s a look at the rest of the Pac-12 heading into Week 12.
Week 12 Pac-12 Football Rankings
12. Arizona (Last Week – 12)
That’s seven straight losses for the Wildcats after losing to Colorado, 49-24. Arizona now is 2-8 overall, and one has to wonder if Rich Rodriguez will be in Tucson after this season.
11. Oregon State (11)
Gary Andersen’s team is having a rough year. The Beavers have dropped five straight games to fall to 2-8 and 1-6 in conference play. Their best chance to end their skid will be next week when Arizona visits.
10. Oregon (10)
The Ducks were blown out for the second straight week after a 52-27 loss to Stanford. Mark Helfrich’s job is in jeopardy with Oregon dropping seven of its last eight games.
9. Arizona State (9)
The Sun Devils have gone from a promising 5-1 start down to .500 with four straight defeats. Three of those losses have come by at least 19 points, and they’ll need to beat either Washington or Arizona on the road to be eligible for a bowl game.
8. California (7)
Cal’s bowl hopes have taken a hit with a three-game losing streak, dropping to 4-6 in the process. Each of those losses have coming by at least 21 points after getting crushed by Washington State, and now it’ll have to beat Stanford and UCLA just to have a chance to play in a bowl game.
7. UCLA (8)
The Bruins snapped a four-game losing streak with a 38-24 win over Oregon State, a victory Jim Mora’s team needed badly. UCLA still can become bowl-eligible with wins over USC and California.
6. Stanford (6)
The Cardinal suddenly have won three straight games to move to 7-3, but those struggles early have taken it out of the Pac-12 title race. Closing with wins over Cal and Rice would make for a nice nine-win season, although it’ll still ultimately end up being disappointing given that Stanford entered the season with hopes of reaching the College Football Playoff.
5. Colorado (5)
Colorado has won four in a row after handling Arizona, setting up a fantastic matchup next week. The Buffaloes will host Washington State in what is sure to be an exciting contest between two of the nation’s most surprising teams.
4. Washington State (4)
Few could’ve believed the Cougars would be the last Pac-12 team without a conference loss after it started 0-2 with a loss to an FCS opponent. But Washington State continues to roll and has won its last two games handily. It will play for the Pac-12 title with wins over the Buffaloes and rival Washington.
3. Utah (2)
The Utes got back on track with a win over Arizona State after falling to Washington the previous week. They are one game back of Colorado in the division, and the regular-season finale could ultimately decide which team plays for the conference title.
2. USC (3)
This might seem like a weird position for the Trojans, seeing as they lost to Utah and beat Washington. But this is one of the most odd teams in the country having started 1-3 and now riding a six-game winning streak. It’s still surprising USC was able to go into Seattle and pull out a win.
1. Washington (1)
The Huskies are still the best team in the conference despite the loss. And they still have hopes of reaching the College Football Playoff. A win over Washington State should get them into the Pac-12 title game, and it would be tough for the committee to ignore one-loss Washington after how things have unfolded around the country.
