There will be a must-see game in Seattle, an enticing brawl in Autzen and a host of teams trying to stay afloat in the title race. Pac-12 Conference championship.
Welcome to week 11 of college football season.
It’s possible, maybe even likely, that at least two teams will drop out of the Pac-12 championship race as two of this week’s most enticing matchups — No. 13 Utah vs. No. 5 Washington and USC and No. 6 Oregon — feature four of the six teams still in contention to reach the title game next month in Las Vegas.
The fun starts early Saturday, when the Utes visit the Huskies at 12:30 in one of the best games of the week in any conference. The marquee matchup is surpassed only by two top-10 outings in the Big Ten and SEC, where No. 2 Michigan visits No. 9 Penn State and No. 10 Ole Miss visits #1 in Georgia. Washington looks to maintain its undefeated season and improve its standing in the College Football Playoff rankings, while the Utes try to keep their tenuous hopes of winning a third straight Pac-12 championship alive.
It’s a panel discussion for a busy day that ends with a Pac-12 After Dark blockbuster between USC and No. 6 Oregon at Autzen Stadium. In between, two ranked Pac-12 teams will look to avoid upsets and a few mid-major programs will look to create a little late-season mojo.
Now let’s move on to the games.
Here’s a look at Saturday’s schedule, courtesy of the Freeman Fun Meter, from most fun to least fun:
1. No. 13 Utah at No. 5 Washington (12:30 p.m. PT, FOX): I came thiiiiiis close to predicting an upheaval in this as part of our weekly staff choices. I chickened out at the last second, but I have a feeling it will be close. The Utes fell short in their last prime-time game, suffering a 35-6 shellacking to the Ducks, but how often does a Kyle Willingham-coached Utah team fail twice in three weeks ? The Huskies are coming off a shootout victory in an emotional matchup at USC and have looked vulnerable since toppling Oregon last month. You can’t trust the Utes’ offense…but you can certainly trust their defense, which will pose perhaps the biggest test yet for Michael Penix Jr. and the Huskies’ prolific offense . This game should be a lot of fun.
2. USC at No. 6 Oregon (7:30 p.m. PT, FOX): Before the season, this looked like the biggest game on the Ducks’ home schedule. But the Trojans enter the weekend hurt and shaken, having lost three of their last four games – all against ranked teams – to fall out of the top 25 for the first time under coach Lincoln Riley. Oh, and Riley just fired his defensive coordinator, too. That said, it’s still USC. And last time I checked, the Trojans still have Heisman Trophy winner Caleb Williams at quarterback, one of the deadliest offenses in college football, and a team technically still in contention to play for a conference championship. As for the Ducks, well, I imagine Bo Nix will be looking to put on a show (and boost his Heisman chances) in front of an electric Autzen Stadium crowd looking to pack it in. Oregon’s championship race during this Pac-12 After Dark showdown. The Freeman Fun Meter beeps with excitement.
3. No. 23 Arizona at Colorado (11 a.m. PT, Pac-12 Networks): Early-season conference darling meets late-season conference darling in a matchup between two teams going in completely opposite directions. This is Arizona’s first game against an unranked team since early October, a daunting five-game series that has seen it win its last three outings to move into the top 25. Colorado, meanwhile , faded faster than Deion Sanders. keeping receipts, losing five of six games since opening the season with that headline-grabbing three-game winning streak. Can Arizona continue to have good times? Will Sanders demote another coordinator? Grab some popcorn.
4. Stanford at No. 12 Oregon State (2:30 p.m. PT, Pac-12 Networks): Stanford has proven to be a tough nut to crack in recent games, stunning Colorado with a wild second-half comeback, pushing Washington to the brink of defeat and beating Washington State in a snoozefest. Oregon State bounced back from its loss of bruises in Arizona by beating the Buffaloes, and it could certainly use an easy victory Saturday as it prepares to face two grueling games against Washington and Oregon to close out the season. If the Beavers can avoid looking ahead to next week, they should go on a cruise. Otherwise, Stanford could be a surprisingly stingy test.
5. Arizona State at UCLA (6 p.m. PT, Pac-12 Networks:): After earning their first conference victory two weeks ago against Washington State, the plucky Sun Devils came back to reality with their most lopsided loss in conference history, a 55-3 loss to Washington State. Utah. Things will only be moderately easier this weekend against the Bruins, who are undoubtedly hurting from last week’s embarrassing three-point loss to Arizona. The Sun Devils and Bruins have the worst and fourth worst offenses in the conference…might be a good idea to grab dinner during this one and wait for Oregon-USC to start.
6. Washington State at Cal (1 p.m. PT, ESPN2): It seems like just yesterday that the Cougars were one of college football’s feel-good stories. But since toppling Wisconsin and Oregon State in the first four games, Washington State has lost five in a row and is limping toward the end of the Pac-12 as we know it. Cal was manhandled by the Ducks last week, losing for the fourth straight time and fifth time in six conference games. My question is, why the hell is this being shown on ESPN2 instead of being buried on the Pac-12 Networks?
Now, let’s take a look around the Pac-12:
• Bill Connelly reviews “the next round of the Pac-12 challenge”, offering his odds and betting tips for the week’s two marquee matches, among other information, in his look at Week 11.
• The Ducks are the Pac-12 “Best hope to reach the playoffs”, according to ESPN’s playoff spotlight. A win Saturday would increase Oregon’s chances to 45 percent.
• A glance Sports Illustrated Week 11 Game Picks, where an expert calls for a Pac-12 shake-up. The Athletic also has two writers – Bruce Feldman And Stewart Mandel – predict this week’s matches.
• Williams shown with tears That money isn’t everything, writes Dan Wetzel.
• This games will decide the College Football Playoff field over the final three weeks of the season, according to Yahoo Sports.
• Mandel’s Mailbag looks at questions about Sanders’ decision-making and Arizona’s money woesamong other topics.
• Colorado’s Shedeur Sanders is beaten as the nation’s most sacked QB and painkillers may be its best blockerswrites USA Today.
• USA today games of the week have a little Pac-12 flair.
• Washington is prepare for a physical exam against the defending champion Utes, writes the Seattle Times. Safer What to watch headlining this week’s conference.
• Utah looks to keep game against Washington to be a repeat of Oregonwrites the Salt Lake Tribune.
• Also from The Tribune: Utah’s top wide receiver starting to gain momentum when the Utes need it most and the team’s secondary is gone from a question mark to a force in just a few months.
• USC faces a the season advances by one gamewhich begins this week in Oregon, writes the Los Angeles Times.
• Eager to serve, retired Navy Capt. Bryce McDonald continues a legacy at UCLA, according to the Los Angeles Times.
• Here is five scenarios and predictions from the Denver Post before the Buffaloes’ game against Arizona.
• It might be fun to think about it, but Arizona State football can’t stopwrites the Arizona Republic.
— Joe Freeman | [email protected] | 503-294-5183 | @BlazerFreeman | Subscribe to The Oregonian/OregonLive newsletters And podcasts for the latest news and top articles.
