Pac-12 Recap: USC Escapes Again as Conference Championship Game Is Set

It took a long time to get here, but the Pac-12 has its championship game matchup set—at least for now.

Week 6 saw two games canceled, but the other four did not disappoint. By virtue of USC’s latest escape act against UCLA and Washington’s canceled game against Oregon, the Trojans and Huskies will face off on Friday night for the conference crown. That is, of course, unless the Huskies don’t receive clearance in time for the game, as Washington is currently dealing with COVID-19 positives within its program. If Washington is unable to play, Oregon would take its spot in the game against USC.

But enough of looking ahead. Let’s dive into the weekend that was in the Pac-12.

Team of the week: Hanging 70 points on your rival is as automatic a case as it gets to earn the illustrious team of the week honors, and that’s exactly what Arizona State did on Friday night. As of this writing, the FCC has yet to issue a statement of apology for airing this obscene Territorial Cup evisceration, which is pretty disgraceful considering there were likely children watching. The Wildcats were laughed out of the stadium in a 70–7 defeat, which unsurprisingly cost Kevin Sumlin his job. The loss was Arizona’s 12th in a row dating back to last season.

For the Sun Devils, the win was their first of the season and fourth straight against Arizona. It’s been a tough road for Arizona State, which has seen three games scrapped due to COVID-19 issues. Beating your rivals in such dominating fashion likely takes the sting out of close losses to USC and UCLA earlier in the year. The win was the most lopsided for Arizona State in the history of the rivalry, which dates back to 1899.

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Game of the week: Somehow, some way, USC continues to find ways to win. This time, the Trojans broke the hearts of their crosstown rivals in an instant classic, 43–38 win at the Rose Bowl. USC trailed, 28–10, early in the third quarter and outscored UCLA 20–3 in the fourth to improve to 5–0 for the first time since 2006.

There were all kinds of momentum turns in this one, but we’ll skip ahead to the end. UCLA took a 38–36 lead on a 43-yard field goal with 52 seconds left, but a 56-yard kickoff return by Gary Bryant Jr. set USC up at the Bruins’ 43-yard line. Two plays later, Kedon Slovis found Amon-Ra St. Brown for the game-winning score with 16 seconds left. UCLA’s Hail Mary attempt fell incomplete, and the Trojans pulled off their biggest comeback win in 15 years to remain unbeaten.

Highlight of the week: There was a lot to choose from this weekend, but we’ll give the nod to USC wideout Tyler Vaughns, who had eight catches for a team-high 128 yards. His biggest grab of the night came one play before USC’s eventual game-winning score: a 35-yard catch over two defenders that put the Trojans in the red zone.

#Pac12AfterDark moment of the week: The whole USC-UCLA game could be its own entry for #Pac12AfterDark status, but we’ll instead shift to Corvallis where Stanford won its third straight game in a 27–24 victory over Oregon State. The Cardinal’s game-winning field goal from Jet Toner with under two minutes to play was set up by a 30-yard completion from Davis Mills to John Humphreys, thanks to some top-class concentration from the freshman receiver.

It was Humphreys’s only catch of the game and just his third of the season, but it couldn’t have come at a better time. Stanford was supposed to be the home team for this game but has been forced to relocate because of local health regulations in Santa Clara County. Four of its five games this season have been away from home, and the team’s Week 7 matchup is scheduled to be on the road against UCLA. Count this late-season resurgence from a team that was largely written off as among the most impressive feats in coach David Shaw’s already stellar career.

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Offensive players of the week: It took some time to develop, but Utah might have found its next stud running back. True freshman Ty Jordan gashed Colorado for 147 yards and two touchdowns on just 17 carries, as the Utes beat the Buffaloes, 38–21, ending Colorado’s perfect season. Other standouts include: USC’s Kedon Slovis, who threw for 344 yards and five touchdowns; Stanford’s Davis Mills, who went 21-for-29 for 292 yards and a touchdown with two rushing scores; Arizona State running back Rachaad White, who had 133 yards and three scores on just 10 carries; and UCLA quarterback Dorian Thompson-Robinson, who went 30-for-36 for 364 yards, four touchdowns and two interceptions and had 50 rushing yards.

Also deserving mention is ASU running back Jackson He, who became the first Chinese-born player to score a touchdown in FBS history. He scored the game’s final touchdown of the night to push the Devils to 70 points, fighting for a tough yard at the goal line.

Defensive players of the week: USC safety Talanoa Hufanga did not have an interception in his first two seasons, but he’s made up for lost time in 2020. He leads the conference with four picks this year, with his most recent coming at a crucial moment in the Trojans’ comeback win.

Hufanga’s return was called back due to a penalty, but USC took the lead six plays later. The junior led the team with 17 tackles and had two tackles for loss. Other worthy players are Utah’s Nephi Sewell, who led the Utes in tackles (11), forced a fumble and had an interception; and Arizona State’s Michael Matus, who had three tackles, one tackle for loss, one forced fumble and two fumble recoveries.

Special teams player of the week: The Territorial Cup was over from the word “go,” so it’s only fitting that ASU’s D.J. Taylor gets credit for delivering the knock-out punch to the Wildcats. Taylor returned the opening kickoff 100 yards for the touchdown, creating an insurmountable lead for the Sun Devils.

“Bless their hearts” team of the week: Somebody give the Beavers a hug. Oregon State’s loss to Stanford dropped it to 2–4 on the season, with three losses coming by six points or fewer. Oregon State has lost in some cruel ways this season—remember the curious fourth-down spot against Washington?—and Saturday night only added to the misery. Backup quarterback Chance Nolan turned in a superb performance, going 17-for-30 for 221 yards and three scores, but his fumble on the Stanford 30-yard line in the final minute killed Oregon State’s comeback attempt. The Beavers have the look of a team on the rise, and there will likely be brighter days ahead. But for now, spare a kind word for the Oregon State fan in your life.

Big picture: The Pac-12 has been a playoff afterthought for essentially the entire season, and we haven’t entertained the notion that an undefeated champion could sneak into the mix for weeks in this space. Which made this late-night graphic from ESPN all the more curious:

These numbers were met with furrowed brows and puzzled looks from the collective college football contingent on Twitter, but the question remains: If USC defeats its Pac-12 title game opponent on Friday, would the Trojans actually get a crack at the playoff? The committee ranked USC at No. 15 in its most recent poll, so there’s a lot of ground to make up. USC and Ohio State’s resumés are eerily similar, though the Buckeyes would likely pass the “eye test” in the view of most pundits (and, most importantly, CFP committee members).

Lookahead: As mentioned above, the Pac-12 championship game matchup is set in sidewalk chalk, with the hose on hand ready to wash away the current plan at a moment’s notice. The Pac-12 set its full slate of Week 7 matchups on Sunday morning, which included having Oregon and Colorado square off in Los Angeles. Should Washington be forced to back out of Friday’s title game, Oregon would be in town already to slot in and play the Trojans instead. That means USC will have to prepare for both teams in a shortened week—such is life during a pandemic.