Pac 12 Football Notebook: Week Fourteen
Amidst a time of growth and optimism in the future Pac-12 Conference, this weekly series explores compelling stories & quotes from each Pac-12 member school.
Boise State
Right now, the Mountain West Conference standings are a mess, with three schools tied for second place, and three more schools just one win behind them. Wading through the clutter, here is the Broncos' straightest path to next week's conference championship game: if Boise State and San Diego State both win Friday, they will battle in San Diego for the title. If either of those results change, the Broncos are at the mercy of the league's tiebreaker procedures.
On the way there, the smurf-turfers need to clear a glaring obstacle: six starters, including this season's QB1 Maddux Madsen, were ruled out for Friday's matchup with Utah State. The two schools will face off Friday at 1 PM (PST) on CBS.
Colorado State
The Rams will enter a new era with a new coach: Jim Mora. Few candidates in this cycle have comparable connections - Mora has helmed two FBS programs and two NFL teams in all four corners of the continental United States during his forty year career - or his current momentum. As UConn's head coach, one of the hardest jobs in all of FBS, Mora went 27-23 with three bowl appearances.
Colorado State's final Mountain West Conference game kicks off Friday at noon (PST) against Air Force, on Fox Sports 1.
Fresno State
Unlike Colorado State, Fresno State enters the Pac-12 with serious doubts about its future. Who will start at quarterback? Earlier this season, the Bulldogs swapped starting quarterback EJ Warner for backup Carson Conklin. Ahead of last week's matchup with Utah State, Bulldogs coach Matt Entz plugged Warner back in. In the second half, Utah State's defense shut Warner and the Bulldogs out of the end zone, as Utah State went on a 21-0 run and stormed out of the Central Valley with an emphatic upset.
Fresno State's regular season finale at San Jose State is slated for Saturday night at 7:30 PM (PST) on Fox Sports 1.
Oregon State
Robb Akey's team has it's eyes on a rare in-season rematch with its' rivals on the Palouse. Beaver Nation's eyes are on the school's search for its' next head coach. On Tuesday morning, the Beavers had three finalists: North Dakota State head coach Tim Polasek, Montana State head coach Brent Vigen, and Alabama co-offensive coordinator JaMarcus Shephard. Now forty-eight hours later, only Shephard remains. Will the top recruiter in Tuscaloosa take his talents to Corvallis?
Before the next episode of that soap opera airs, there is a football game to be played. Oregon State and Washington State square off Saturday evening at 3:30 PM (PST) on The CW.
San Diego State
The Aztecs are about to trek the simplest course towards the Mountain West Conference championship game: just win. With a victory over New Mexico on Friday, San Diego State would clinch a berth in the title game, and host the matchup in America's Finest City.
At 6-1, this season's San Diego State vintage is already their second best Mountain West start in school history. They get a chance to add to it Friday against New Mexico, beginning at 12:30 PM (PST) on CBS Sports Network.
Texas State
Somehow, someway, after dropping five consecutive Sun Belt games earlier this season, the Bobcats are one win away from a bowl game. At 5-6 overall, 2-5 in the Sun Belt's western division, Texas State has a sixty minute matchup with South Alabama to potentially extend its season. The game will stream Saturday at noon (PST) on ESPN+.
Utah State
The Aggies are likely out of the conference title picture, but their game features the biggest stakes of the week: an upset win over Boise State would unleash an epic multiple-team tie for second place in the Mountain West Conference standings. From there, the arcane luck of tiebreaker math could potentially spark regime change in Boise, jubilation in Las Vegas, and confusion nationwide. If you root for chaos, root for star quarterback Bryson Barnes and Utah State on Friday.
Utah State battles Boise State on Friday at 1 PM (PST) on CBS.
Washington State
Jimmy Rogers spelled out his team's unique opportunity Saturday: win a rare in-season rematch with rivals Oregon State, and clinch a bowl berth. The Beavers stunned Wazzu 10-7 near the start of the month.
Washington State welcomes Oregon State to the Palouse, Saturday evening at 3:30 PM (PST), on The CW.
Matt fell in love with radio during his college days at Oregon Tech, and pursued a nine year career in sports broadcasting with Klamath Falls' and Medford's highest-rated sports radio stations. He currently lives in McMinnville wine country and is excited to talk about the Beavers again.