Pac-12 Recap: Utah Climbs Arizona State for South Division Lead
It's a conference that probably does deserve to play after dark.
Another week has come and gone in the world of Pac-12 football, and we've still yet to find a team that has truly stepped up as the conference's top dog. As weeks continue to pass and resume's from other power five schools grow greater, it appears less and less likely the Pac-12 will have a representative in the College Football Playoffs later this season.
Who's ready for a star-studded lineup of bowl games including the Holiday Bowl, Sun Bowl, Las Vegas Bowl and the illustrious Jimmy Kimmel Bowl?
Week Seven Pac-12 Recap
Utah Utes 35, Arizona State Sun Devils 21
Just when we finally believed the Pac-12 may have found their frontrunner, Arizona State proceeds to allow 28 unanswered points to Utah in the second half of their largest loss since … you guessed it … 2019's trip to Utah. The Sun Devils are now 0-2 in the state of Utah this season. Try not to play another game there if you can help it, ASU.
Oregon Ducks 24, California Golden Bears 17
The road victory at Ohio State looks more and more like an anomaly each week for Oregon, as they've consistently struggled against lesser competition this season. The Ducks still sit at the top of the Pac-12 North and will likely find their way into the Pac-12 title game with their future top-five pick in the NFL draft. We've seen this movie before.
UCLA Bruins 24, Washington Huskies 17
A UCLA win keeps the Bruins very much in the hunt for the Pac-12 South title, and a road trip to Utah in the coming weeks now becomes a very big matchup for both squads. The days of Washington being a perennial conference powerhouse seem so long ago, although it was a tie game going down to the wire before the Bruins pulled one out of Seattle.
Washington State Cougars 34, Stanford Cardinal 31
What a better send off for WSU head coach Nick Rolovich than a comeback win during the game's final minutes over Stanford. Rolovich, the only unvaccinated head coach in the Pac-12, has until Monday (Washington's public employee deadline to be vaccinated) until the clock likely runs out on his time coaching the Cougars.
We're not quite sure if he'll actually be fired, but at least both sides of the vaccine debate can say "it's worth a shot!"
We'll see ourselves out.
Colorado Buffaloes 34, Arizona Wildcats 0
There's really nothing to say here. This game, played at 3:30 pm ET and airing on Pac-12 Network, was placed in the perfect time slot so nobody could watch it even if they wanted to. Like a wise man once told us, "Bet the under and don't look back."