CFP rankings and Pac-12 football teams as Halloween candy: It’s that time of year

The conference should place six teams in the initial top 25

With the release of the College Football Playoff rankings and an excuse to eat copious amounts of candy, Tuesday is one of the most anticipated days of the season.

We’ll get to the candy in a minute. Let us begin with the CFP: What can Pac-12 fans expect from the selection committee’s preliminary rankings, which will be released on ESPN on Tuesday at 4 p.m.?

That’s what I mean by a lot of representation.

Washington and Oregon should be in the top 10, with the undefeated Huskies possibly in the top five and the Ducks close behind.

Although Oregon has been far more impressive in recent weeks, the committee will lean on Washington’s head-to-head victory. In fact, the rivals could be right next to each other.

Oregon State, UCLA, Utah, and USC are also likely to make the cut, albeit in the bottom half.

And keep in mind that, while the rankings spark lively debate and help ESPN fill airtime, nothing matters until the final top 25 is revealed on December 1st.

Let us now turn our attention to the other notable event scheduled for Tuesday.

The Hotline rated each Pac-12 team as a Halloween candy two years ago. Our inspiration, then and now, was the late, great Washington State coach Mike Leach, who detailed his preferences in 2021.

Nerds Gummy Clusters and Almond Joys were favorites of Leach. In our world, those are a hard pass, but the spirit of his post-game assessment inspired us to find just the right candy for each team.

Many things have changed in the last two years, and our breakdown has been updated to reflect current on-field trends.

Butterfinger, Arizona. It doesn’t sound or look particularly good, but it performs better than you might expect.

Arizona State’s flavor is black licorice. What were the executives of the company thinking?

Milk Duds, Cal. Not bad, not bad, but it takes a lot of effort to get through.

Candy Corn in Colorado. Some people adore it, but it is not for everyone.

Skittles in Oregon. So many colors, so much sugar, and so difficult to ignore.

Oregon State University: 100 Grand. Frequently overlooked and enormously satisfying.

Stanford is full of smart people. The name is appropriate, but how about the taste? No, thank you.

Candy canes at UCLA. In the winter, one of the all-time greats.

Kit Kat at USC. Beautiful wrapper, delicious filling, but easily broken.

Reese’s Peanut Butter Cups are popular in Utah. No flash, but so damn good year after year.

Clark bars in Washington, D.C. Classic that vanished but has recently resurfaced.

Hershey’s Kisses in Washington State. Always better than the size implies.