Pac-12 rewind: Washington and Utah escape while Oregon and UCLA roll

A late Pick Six propelled the Huskies past Arizona State

The best and worst of the Pac-12 in Week 8…

Week 1’s theme is CFP scenarios.

Because no two-loss team has ever made the College Football Playoff, the Pac-12 was almost certain to lose a contender with the USC-Utah matchup featuring one-loss teams. The end result? The Trojans (6-2) are out of the Pac-12 playoff picture as of Oct. 22, but the Pac-12 is not: Four teams have only two losses. How does that stack up? The SEC has four, as do the Big Ten and ACC, and the Big 12 has two.

II. Theme of the Week: Quiet Quartet

In Week 8, four teams were idle, resulting in a relatively light lineup of four games. But the byes are over: every team is in action for the next four weeks. USC has the only remaining week off on Thanksgiving weekend.

This week’s news: Utah

Following the win at USC, coach Kyle Whittingham revealed the conference’s worst-kept secret: Quarterback Cam Rising and tight end Brant Kuithe have been suspended for the rest of the season. They will both take medical redshirts, giving them the opportunity to play for Utah next season. We won’t speculate on their intentions, but it would complete the circle for Rising, whose career began in the Big 12 (with Texas) and could end there.

Week’s game: Utah 34, USC 32

Another nail-biting encounter between the former South Division rivals was also their final scheduled meeting. And we believe the Trojans will refuse to play a non-conference game as long as Whittingham is in charge in Salt Lake City. The Utes led 28-14, but USC rallied for a 32-31 victory, thanks in part to a Pick Six (by Calen Bullock). With no time remaining, the Utes had the ball last and made the most of it, as Cole Becker kicked the game-winning field goal.

Utah is this week’s team of the week.

The two-time defending champions sent a message that, despite an early loss to Oregon State and a long list of injuries, they are not out of the race for a conference title game berth. The victory at USC was all about Whittingham’s program’s pillars: resilience, resolve, accountability, and mental and physical toughness. And the schedule provides a golden opportunity to influence the race: Utah hosts Oregon and travels to Washington.

Kenny Dillingham of Arizona State is this week’s coach of the week.

The first-year coach persuaded his team that they had a chance to beat Washington, and the Sun Devils were on the verge of pulling off the upset of the year in college football. In a 15-7 loss, ASU limited the Huskies’ high-octane offense to just one touchdown — a defensive score. Despite the bowl ban, the Devils give it their all every week.

Kyle Whittingham of Utah was named Coach of the Year.

He just defeated USC for the third time in 13 months, and he did it with a backup quarterback, Bryson Barnes, who hadn’t even been on scholarship until this summer, and a tailback, Sione Vaki, who normally plays safety. Whittingham announced another major injury after the game: star linebacker Lander Barton will miss the rest of the season. Anyone else thinks this makes the Utes even more dangerous?

Bryson Barnes of Utah was named offensive player of the week.

The former walk-on was unfazed by the atmosphere at the L.A. Coliseum or competing against Heisman Trophy winner Caleb Williams. Barnes completed 14-of-23 passes for three touchdowns and one interception (a fourth-quarter Pick Six). He also made the game-winning play, a 26-yard run with 16 seconds remaining that put Utah in field goal range.

Washington cornerback Mishael Powell was named defensive player of the week.

With an 89-yard Pick Six, the junior from Seattle helped save his hometown team from a major upset, propelling UW to a 15-7 victory over Arizona State. Powell stepped in front of Trenton Bourguet’s fourth-down pass midway through the fourth quarter and dashed down the left sideline to give UW the lead.

Washington has the year’s worst hangover.

According to our calculations, UW’s post-Oregon hangover lasted seven days, six hours, and about 15 minutes. It wasn’t until late in the third quarter of a surprisingly close game against Arizona State that the Huskies mustered enough urgency and efficiency to defeat the Sun Devils and keep their undefeated record intact. UW would have lost its first game if that sloppy performance (four turnovers) had occurred against any other opponent.

UCLA is this week’s switch.

The Bruins benched freshman quarterback Dante Moore, who had struggled on the road, and returned to Week 1 starter Ethan Garbers. He performed admirably against a shaky Stanford defense, completing 20 of 28 passes. Garbers will face Colorado’s turnstile defense next.

Stanford is this week’s statistic.

The Cardinal converted 1-of-11 third downs and failed on all four fourth down conversion attempts for a total of… wait for it… Conversion rate of 1/15. It was only one negative point in a 42-7 loss to UCLA.

Washington State is the state of the month.

In three October games, the Cougars have scored four offensive touchdowns. WSU’s postseason prospects have been hampered by ongoing issues and mounting losses. Nonetheless, the schedule is favorable, with ASU, Stanford, Cal, and Colorado coming before the season finale against Washington.

Washington Statue of the Century

The Huskies had scored at least 31 points in each of their first six games, but only managed 15 against ASU, with the defense scoring on a Pick Six. Washington won a regular-season game without scoring an offensive touchdown for the first time since 2001.

Oregon quarterback Bo Nix has a forever stat:

The former Auburn transfer set an NCAA record with his 54th career start, breaking the previous mark shared by Boise State’s Kellen Moore and Texas’ Colt McCoy. Nix was extremely efficient in the win over Washington State, completing 64% of his passes for 293 yards and two touchdowns (and rushing for a third).

Next week’s game: Oregon vs. Utah

The brawls just keep on coming. The one-loss teams meet in a playoff elimination game one week after the Utes’ 34-32 victory at USC and two weeks after the Ducks’ 36-33 loss at Washington. In any Pac-12 tiebreaker scenario, the winner will have the crucial head-to-head advantage. Kickoff is set for 12:30 p.m. on FOX, and ESPN’s ‘College GameDay’ will broadcast live from Salt Lake City, marking the network’s third trip to Pac-12 territory this season.