Pac-12 Football Notes: The L.A. Story and the Squirt
Three issues and one memorable video are the focus of this week's Pac-12 Football Notes.
1. Are the L.A. schools the pride of the Pac-12? Or the Big Ten?
USC and UCLA have been dominating West Coast football headlines ever since they announced they would be joining the Big Ten in 2024. And now they are the only unbeaten teams in the Pac-12.
In fact, USC and UCLA are both 5-0 for the first time since 2005. USC went 12-0 during the regular season that year before losing to Texas in the BCS championship game, and UCLA started 8-0 before finishing with a 10-2 record.
Both are ranked this week, USC remaining at No. 6 and UCLA entering the top 25 for the first time at No. ......
But is either as good as its 5-0 record suggests? The next two weeks will tell us, but more on that a bit later.
UCLA gained national credibility by beating previously unbeaten Washington 40-32 on Friday after beating four patsies to open the season.
"People saying we're the worst 4-0 team in the country," said UCLA quarterback Dorian Thompson-Robinson after Friday's win, obviously carrying a chip on his shoulder regarding the Bruins' reputation.
Thompson-Robinson was magnificent in Friday's game and provided the video highlight of the game, with his subtle step-aside move that led to a cartoonish collision of Washington defenders as DTR walked into the end zone.
But the Washington victory over Michigan State that made the Huskies a team of interest is not as impressive now that Michigan State is 0-2 in the Big Ten with losses to Minnesota and Maryland, neither of whom is ranked this week.
Meanwhile USC has defeated only one team with a winning record, and the Trojans were fortunate to beat Oregon State last week when the Beavers gifted them four interceptions. USC had more trouble than expected in a 42-25 victory over a reeling Arizona State team that was a 26.5-point underdog.
Again it was a quarterback to the rescue, as Caleb Williams dominated things in the second half when USC stretched out what had been a precarious 17-14 halftime lead.
But the most intriguing moment of the game came in the first half. It happened quickly, just a brief moment of television coverage that led to the question, "Did I actually see what I think I saw?"
Yes, you saw it correctly, as Arizona State defensive lineman Nesta Jade Silvera, standing on the sidelines, squirted a chirping Williams with water.
No penalty. No mention of the incident by the TV commentators. Play on. The best moment of the weekend.
Whether the L.A. schools are really as good as their 5-0 records suggest will be determined over the next few weeks as UCLA faces Utah (at home) next week, then Oregon (on the road) after a bye in between those games.
USC hosts tricky a Washington State team that should be 5-0 (but is really 4-1) next week, and handling unpredictable WSU quarterback Cameron Ward may be a chore for the Trojans' suspect defense. The right-handed Ward threw a left-handed pass against Cal that should have been a touchdown, but was dropped, destroying what would have been a precious highlight video. "I practiced it all week," Ward said.
Then, the next week, USC must travel to Salt Lake City to face Utah.
Which bring us to . . . .
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2. Is Utah still the team to beat?
The next two games will tell the tale for Utah, which faces UCLA next week and USC the week after.
Utah's 42-16 victory over Oregon State was not as one-sided as the score suggests. Oregon State trailed 28-16 late in the third quarter, but Oregon had a first down at the Utah 8-yard line. That is when Beavers quarterback Ben Gulbranson, who had replaced injured Chance Nolan, threw the third of Utah's four interceptions that day.
This one was picked off by R.J. Hubert in the end zone, but if he hadn't picked off the pass, Clark Phillips III, who was right behind, might have. That would have given Phillips four interceptions on the day, and each of his three was rather spectacular, as you can see.
Utes quarterback Cameron Rising has a solid game and was by far the team's leading rusher with 73 yards. We can expect him to get eight to 10 planned runs every game, according to head coach Kyle Whittingham.
However, no Utah running back rushed for more than 19 yards, and that has to be a concern heading into the next two pivotal games that will define the Utes' season -- next week against UCLA at the Rose Bowl and the following week against USC in Salt Lake City.
3. Four things to consider as we march ahead
---Five Pac-12 teams are ranked in the AP top 25 released Sunday as UCLA is ranked for the first time this season. No. 6 USC, No. 11 Utah, No. 12 Oregon, No. 18 UCLA, No. 21 Washington.
That gives the Pac-12 more top-25 teams than every other conference except the SEC, which has seven ranked teams. The Big Ten, where USC and UCLA are headed in two years, has three ranked teams.
---Oregon State proved what we already knew -- that quarterback play is essential to success in the Pac-12.
The Beavers have been impressive at every other position, and probably would have defeated Oregon last week and would have given Utah a stern test this week if they had had solid quarterback play. But Oregon State quarterbacks threw eight interceptions over those two game, eliminating any chance for success.
Chance Nolan left Saturday's game with a neck injury after throwing six interceptions over a span of four quarters, and it's unclear whether he'll be ready to play against Stanford.
---Suddenly UCLA's offense is reminding us of Chip Kelly's high-scoring Oregon squads of a decade ago.
Folks were expecting that at UCLA immediately, but it takes time. Never grade a coach's influence in his first season. We see that with Karl Dorrell, who was Pac-12 coach of the year in his first season at Colorado two years ago, but could be fired at any time in Year Three with an 0-5 team that has lost every game by at least 23 points.
Check out the Kelly progression at UCLA:
2018 -- 3-9 (.250 winning percentage)
2019 -- 4-8 (.333 winning percentage)
2020 -- 3-4 (.429 winning percentage)
2021 -- 8-4 (.667 winning percentage)
2022 -- 5-0
---Since the conference expanded to 12 teams in 2011, no team has gone unbeaten in Pac-12 play. It's still early and only Utah, USC, Oregon and UCLA have shots to become the first to go unbeaten in Pac-12 games.
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Top 5 Pac-12 Teams
1. UCLA (5-0, 2-0 Pac-12) -- Bruins' performance against Washington answered a lot of questions, although the interrogation continues in their next two games.
2. USC (5-0, 3-0 Pac-12) -- I'm still not sure why the Trojans are ranked so high in the AP poll, since they have not played a ranked team yet.
3. Utah (4-1, 2-0 Pac-12) -- Utes face UCLA and USC in their next two games.
4. Oregon (4-1, 2-0 Pac-12) -- Ducks have scored more than 40 points in four straight games.
5. Washington (4-1, 1-1 Pac-12) -- Disappointing showing against UCLA does not knock the Huskies out of the top five.
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Player of the Year Standings.
1. Quarterback Dorian Thompson-Robinson, UCLA -- His excellence passing and running in the big win over Washington launches him to the No. 1 spot. He leads the Pac-12 in passer rating and has run for 223 yards.
2. Quarterback Caleb Williamson, USC -- He threw his first interception on Saturday, but he has 12 touchdown passes for No. 6-ranked team.
3. Quarterback Michael Penix Jr, Washington -- One mediocre game against UCLA does not erase four good ones.
4. Quarterback Cameron Rising, Utah -- His rushing numbers will continue to grow, and his performance the next two weeks will define his season.
5. Running back Zach Charbonnet, UCLA -- He's averaging 104.3 rushing yards per game, second in the conference to Cal's Jaydn Ott, but Charbonnet's team is 5-0 and Cal is 3-2.
Ott, Arizona wide receiver Jacob Cowing (7 TD catches), USC wide receiver Jordan Addison (6 TD catches), Utah defensive back Clark Phillips III (4 interceptions) and Washington State linebacker Daiyan Henley (9.5 TFL, 2 forced fumbles, 1 pick) are on their heels.
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Cover photo of Dorian Thompson-Robinsin by Jayne Kamin-Oncea, USA TODAY Sports.
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