What were the odds that every Pac-12 South team would have 3 conference losses before we turned the clocks back last night?? Last week, the wisest of talking heads were saying that Utah was the class of not only the South but the entire conference. FPI was literally orgasming over Utah. Yesterday, the Utes were pretty helpless and hopeless against both N’Keal Harry and his 3 TD grabs (not a surprise since Harry will be a 1st round draft pick) and Arizona State’s 251 yards rushing (an absolute shocker since the Utes had been stout against the run). The combination of ASU’s 38-20 upset and the broken collarbone of Ute QB Tyler Huntley have thrown the South into utter chaos.
Let’s look at the conference records and future schedules of each pretender:
Pretender 11/10 11/17 11/24
Arizona (4-3) bye @WSU ASU
ASU (3-3) UCLA @Oregon @Arizona
Colorado (2-4) WSU Utah @Cal
USC (4-3) Cal @UCLA Notre Dame
UCLA (2-4) @ASU USC Stan
Utah (4-3) Oregon @Col BYU
This early on a Sunday, it is way too early to figure out all the possible tiebreaker scenarios if there is a 3-way tie for the Pac-12 South crown at 5-4. Could UCLA actually win the title with a potential 5-7 mark?!?! If so, Chip Kelly will need a full week to stop laughing at his critics. We would think this next to impossible but, then again, UCLA throttled a good Cal team in Berkeley by a hard-to-fathom 37-7 count.
We might think the heated Territorial Cup rivalry would be likely to decide if not for their tough, looming road tilts.
We would think USC might be the most likely to wind up with a 6-3 mark. If so, they must also hope for a Utah loss after the Utes embarrassed the Trojans in Salt Lake City.
The only team we cannot imagine winning the South is Colorado. When you blow a 4-TD lead at home in the second half to doormat Oregon State, how could you possibly win the South, especially with the toughest remaining schedule? Which, if this race maintains its current level of insanity, means the Buffs are a lock to win out!!