Forget about the Kardashians; the Pac-12 has been the most incredible reality show on television this year. Between thrilling upsets, heroic comebacks, a legendary coach abruptly resigning and Deion Sanders possibly coming out west, I don’t know how you can’t anoint the Pac-12 as the world’s best reality show.
While it was challenging to keep up with the craziness from this past weekend, don’t worry — I have you covered in my Week 13 edition of “Unpack The Pac.”
Utah 63, Colorado 21
Utah came sprinting out of the game and never slowed down. The Utes even led by 42 at one point in the second quarter. Despite only playing the first half, junior quarterback Cameron Rising posted an unbelievable stat line, as he was 17-for-19 with 234 passing yards and three touchdowns. Moreover, the blowout victory for Utah was their second most meaningful win of the day. Utah clinched an appearance in the Pac-12 Championship Game as Oregon State defeated Oregon 38-34. Utah has a date with USC for a Pac-12 title in Las Vegas this weekend.
USC 38, Notre Dame 27
Coming off the program’s biggest win in recent memory at UCLA, USC didn’t slow down as they beat their arch-rival Notre Dame. Sophomore quarterback and Heisman favorite Caleb Williams had a signature game as he continued his historic season. Williams was 18-for-22 with 232 passing yards and four total touchdowns. Senior running back Austin Jones also gave the Trojans’ offense a powerful spark as he rushed for 154 yards.
On the other side of the ball, USC’s passing defense struggled as Notre Dame sophomore quarterback Drew Payne was 23-for-26 and threw for 316 yards and three touchdowns. However, Notre Dame’s two turnovers were crucial, and they eventually lost them the game. The Trojans finish the regular season 11-1 as they look to get into the College Football Playoff if they can beat Utah in the Pac-12 Championship Game.
Washington 51, Washington State 33
The Apple Cup will be with the Huskies this year, as they just had too much offensive firepower for the Cougars to endure. After a back-and-forth first half, Washington led 28-27, but the Huskies came sprinting out of the gate in the second half and outscored the Cougars 23-6. Junior quarterback Michael Penix Jr. continued his spectacular season as he threw for 485 yards and had five total touchdowns. The Huskies’ offensive line has been one of college football’s best units in the entire country. They didn’t allow a single sack the whole game, which allowed Penix Jr. to deliver a dazzling performance.
Despite scoring 33 points, Washington State had severe offensive struggles during the game. They were very inefficient on third down conversions, as they went a dreadful 8-for-20. The Cougars also managed 2.1 yards per rush and had 75 rushing yards.
It was a promising season for Washington State in their first full season with head coach Jake Dickert. As for Washington, with a 10-2 record, they are very much looking at a New Year’s Six bowl game after a terrific regular season.
Arizona 38, Arizona State 35
In a battle for the best team in Arizona, the Wildcats found a way to squeak out a win at home. Sophomore quarterback Jayden de Laura had one of his worst outings of the entire season, as he was 12-for-23 with 200 yards and an interception. However, junior running back Michael Wiley put the team on his back and had 214 yards and three touchdowns on a ridiculously efficient 12 carries. Arizona’s defense was also able to force five Sun Devil turnovers.
With a 5-7 record, Arizona finished one win short of being eligible for a bowl game. While it is disappointing for Wildcat fans to miss out on a bowl game, they should be highly optimistic about the future of Arizona football. They have potential to be a sleeper team next year, assuming they get some defensive players in the transfer portal next year. And as for Arizona State, they hired 32-year-old Kenny Dillingham over the past weekend, making him the youngest Division I coach in the country. His awful experience should pay dividends to the Sun Devils in the future.
Oregon State 38, Oregon 34
Oregon State was down 34-17 at one point in the fourth quarter but managed a heroic 17-point comeback in one of the most thrilling Pac-12 games in the past decade. After a solid first quarter from Oregon State, in which they led 10-7, they completely fell apart in the second and third quarters. Oregon State redshirt freshman quarterback Ben Gulbranson immensely struggled as he was 6-for-13 with 60 yards and two interceptions. His opposing quarterback, senior Bo Nix, was excellent in the game but couldn’t deliver a play to seal the game and kept giving Oregon State chances to come back. They capitalized on every opportunity they got. Oregon State’s last three touchdown drives consisted of no passing plays, which made their comeback even more impressive.
The loss stings for Oregon as they entered the fourth quarter looking almost sure to win this game and clinch their ticket to the Pac-12 Championship Game. However, now they will be looking at a high/mid-level bowl game which is a disappointment for a team with such big hopes for the year. On the other hand, Oregon State fans should be very proud of their team, who wildly succeeded expectations this year.
UCLA 35, Cal 28
Cal has had a strange trend of losing to lousy football teams but playing outstanding teams down to the wire. That trend continued on Friday night as they missed a chance to upset UCLA. Cal even led by 11 at one point in this contest. UCLA continued its successful recipe of winning the game in the trenches as the Bruins rushed for 352 yards and three touchdowns. Senior running back Zach Charbonnet continued his superb season by leading the team in rushing yards with 119.
It would be a good morale boost for Cal to finish a below-average season with a massive upset over one of their rivals. However, if redshirt senior quarterback Jack Plummer elects to use his extra year of eligibility to return to Cal next season, I expect a much-improved team. With the mix of young players and a solid recruiting class coming in, I expect at least a bowl game appearance next year for Cal. UCLA finishes with a 9-3 regular season record, their best since 2014.
BYU 35, Stanford 26
What a disaster of a season for Stanford. After losing to BYU, they finished the season 3-9 with only two wins over FBS opponents. BYU was able to exploit Stanford’s horrid run defense, which has been exposed almost every weekend. It became apparent early on that Stanford lacked talented personnel across the board. It will be a massive rebuild to bring a historic program back to national relevance after beloved head coach David Shaw resigned this weekend. Shaw had been with the team since 2011 and it will be a tall task to replace the charisma he brought to the table.
“Unpack the Pac” runs every Wednesday.