CFB: Pac-12 Takeaways at the Midseason Point
The Pac-12, like many of its seasons the past decade, has had an up and down season so far. What has stood out the most so far? Let’s look.
THE DUCKS ARE STRONG, BUT SHAKY AT THE SAME TIME
You can argue that no team in college football had a better win than Oregon had, beating Ohio State on the road a month ago. Fast-forward a month in the future and the Ducks play during the conference schedule has been shaky at best, and don’t look much like the team that took down the Buckeyes on the road. The Ducks played winless Arizona close at home before pulling away in the fourth quarter, then followed that up with a loss on the road at Stanford. The QB concerns with Anthony Brown have been justified after a terrible game in Palo Alto (14/26 186 yards and no touchdown passes). Star RB CJ Verdell is out for the season with an injury, and the defense had been horrendous on third down (97th in the nation). Lucky for them, the Pac-12 North is wide open.
THE SUN DEVILS ARE FOR REAL
ASU is 3-0 in conference play for the first time since 2012, and unlike Oregon, has looked the part of the best team in the conference during Pac-12 play. Jayden Daniels’ game has grown in his second season under Zak Hill, and while he certainly hasn’t been perfect, he still leads the conference in Comp% (70.1%). The Sun Devil Offense has shown balance through the air with Daniels and on the ground with Rachaad White/Chip Trayanum. They are the only team in the conference to be ranked top-three in total yards on both offense and defense. A tough test against Utah in SLC this weekend awaits.
Update: ASU lost to Utah
THE BOTTOM OF THE CONFERENCE IS AS BAD AS IT GETS
Many college football writers like to pick out the worst college football teams as much as they want to pick out the best one. The Arizona Wildcats have a real case for that. They have lost their last 17 games in a row dating back to 2019, including losing to Northern Arizona for the first time since 1932. That’s pretty bad! The Wildcats, along with their opponent Saturday (Colorado) and Cal, have all equally had horrendous and underwhelming seasons, and there’s not much optimism for a quick turnaround for any of these three schools.
JONATHAN SMITH HAS ESTABLISHED HIMSELF AS A TOP-THREE COACH IN THE CONFERENCE
I’m not here to debate coaching rankings within the conference, but not having Oregon State head coach Jonathan Smith in your top three should be a punishable offense. The growth under Smith has been slow, but Oregon State has steadily gotten better each year under Smith, and have finally seen the fruits of that patience paying off with wins over USC and Washington to open Pac-12 play, two teams with significantly more resources and recruiting prowess than OSU. Yet, all Smith and the Beavers have done is produce, especially with a lethal rushing attack that paces the conference (242.5 yds/game) with BJ Baylor and Deshaun Fenwick. The Beavs should be primed for their first bowl appearance since 2013.
THE LA STORYLINES HAVE BEEN FRUITFUL
The USC Trojans finally made the right decision to fire coach Clay Helton after a week two loss to Stanford. While people wonder about the timing of the move, the biggest thing is the decision was finally made. Helton’s USC Trojans were inconsistent, sloppy, and never played up to standards once Sam Darnold left for the NFL. The roster is talented but needs to be remolded under a new coach, shown by being blown out in all three conference home games so far (Stanford, Oregon State, Utah). The offseason coaching search should be entertaining.
Over in Westwood, it seems like UCLA has finally figured out SOMETHING under Chip Kelly. The Bruins are a step behind Arizona State in the Pac-12 South, but the offense has been humming along with senior quarterback Dorian Thompson-Robinson and probable all-conference RB Zach Charbonnet, who anchor a ground game that ranks second in the conference (217.3 yards/game). The Bruins have a really good chance at nine wins, but only time will tell.
Writer
-By: TJ Mathewson