Roundtable Panel Picks Pac-12 Football Winners in Week 9
The Pac-12 had become the Oregon 2 as football play moves toward the final month of reckoning.
Oregon (6-1 overall, 3-1 conference) and Oregon State (5-2, 3-1) have the best records and the most momentum as they work their way to their annual rivalry game likely to determine the North Division champion.
Both teams won last weekend in back-and forth-contests. At the Rose Bowl, the Ducks survived a late comeback by UCLA when the Bruins picked off Anthony Brown in the end zone. Down 34-31, Chip Kelly's offense marched into Oregon territory only to have former Husky quarterback Ethan Garbers, pressed into action by an injury to starter Dorian Thompson-Robinson, throw an interception to end things.
In Corvallis, the Beavers started slow before scoring 28 points in the second half to beat the Utah Utes.
Oregon will host Colorado (2-5, 1-3) while Oregon State travels to California (2-5, 1-3).
In Palo Alto, Stanford (3-4, 2-3) will host Washington (3-4, 2-2) in a matchup of underachieving Pac-12 teams. Normally, they're contending for the North Division title, but this season they're just trying to keep up.
The Huskies had to rally in the second half from a 13-0 deficit to avoid an upset of epic proportions at Arizona (0-7, 0-4).
Stanford comes off a bye. The Cardinal haven't lost to the UW at home since 2007.
Following its coaching change, Washington State dropped a close non-conference game to BYU 21-19 and will have its hands full trying to rebound at Arizona State (5-2, 3-1).
The Sun Devils are tied for the South Division lead with Utah (4-3, 3-1), which will face UCLA (5-3, 3-2).
Finally, USC (3-4, 2-3), coming off a loss at Notre Dame, travels to Arizona to try and give the Wildcats their 20th consecutive defeat over three seasons, longest in the nation.
Kaila Olin, Mike Martin, and Trevor Mueller preview week 9 in Pac-12 football.
