Pac-12 Power Rankings: Regular season culminates with winner-take-all Apple Cup
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Dominic Baciocco
Sports producer
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The Star’s panel of Michael Lev, Ryan Finley, Justin Spears and Dominic Baciocco takes its swing at the latest batch of power rankings, Thanksgiving style. Baciocco compiles the votes below and hashes out the weekly results, including what each program is thankful for.
1. Washington State Cougars (10-1, 7-1; previous rank: 1)
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Washington State quarterback Gardner Minshew II threw seven touchdown passes in a win over Arizona to stay firmly in the Heisman mix.
Last week: Beat Arizona, 69-28
This week: vs. No. 18 Washington, 6:30 p.m. Friday
It took all of 15 minutes for this one to get out of hand; a red-hot Arizona team desperate for bowl eligibility? Ho-hum. Gardner Minshew made it look like a game of backyard football. The Cougars are thankful for their Heisman Trophy candidate — who experts still have ranked third in the trophy’s race despite his (cough, cough) seven touchdowns last weekend — and a head coach, Mike Leach, with a knack for fake mustaches and winning. Washington State’s 36 wins with Leach since the start of 2015 are second in the conference only to the 37 by both Stanford and Washington. We don’t have to hype it up much: The winner of the Apple Cup this week will advance to the Pac-12 championship game and have a shot at a New Year’s Six bowl.
2. Washington Huskies (8-3, 6-2 Pac-12; previous rank: 2)
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Washington's Byron Murphy and the Huskies have their eyes set on the Pac-12 championship game, which they'll play in with a win over rival Wazzu in this week's Apple Cup.
Last week: Beat Oregon State, 42-23
This week: at No. 8 Washington State, 6:30 p.m. Friday
It’s the granddaddy of them all — or at least its prequel. After starting the season with a crushing loss to a then-top-10 Auburn team and stumbling along in the Pac-12 with losses to Oregon and Cal, Washington somehow still has an outside shot at reaching this year’s Rose Bowl. It’ll take a win over No. 8 Washington State on the road this week and a Pac-12 championship game victory over Utah on Nov. 30, but the Huskies could be peaking at the right time. Senior Myles Gaskin has saved his best for last, rattling off 283 yards and three touchdowns in the last two weeks — both Washington wins. The Huskies are thankful for preseason All-American Trey Adams, who returned to the offensive line in the win over Oregon State after tearing his ACL midway through last season and missing every game so far this year with a back injury.
3. Utah Utes (8-3, 6-3 Pac-12; previous rank: 3)
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Utah hasn't missed a beat since quarterback Jason Shelley, right, subbed in for the injured Tyler Huntley. The Utes beat Oregon and Colorado in back-to-back weeks to clinch the Pac-12 South.
Last week: Beat Colorado, 30-7
This week: vs. BYU, 8 p.m. Saturday
No Tyler Huntley? No problem. No Zack Moss? Sigh. The Utes lost their starting quarterback and one of the Pac-12’s premier rushers at the start of the month and haven’t missed a beat. Freshman Jason Shelley stepped in at quarterback and has thrown for 483 yards in two wins, averaging almost 30 more yards through the air than his predecessor. Shelley is a threat with his legs, too, as evident by a pair of scores on the ground against Oregon two weeks ago and a 23-yard scamper in a commanding win over Colorado. Utah inserted Armand Shyne at running back and he is averaging 5.3 yards per carry in two starts. The Utes are thankful for the program’s first Pac-12 South title, which they clinched with last week’s win and Arizona State’s loss to Oregon.
4. Stanford Cardinal (6-4, 4-3 Pac-12; previous rank: 4)
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Bryce Love has failed to repeat his gaudy yardage totals from a season ago while he battles a lingering ankle injury.
Last week: Game at Cal postponed to Dec. 1
This week: at UCLA, 1 p.m. Saturday
Unhealthy air quality from smoke caused by the devastating Camp wildfire in nearby Butte County postponed the rivalry game in Berkeley. The game was rescheduled until the weekend of the conference title game. Stanford is thankful for its schedule, since a game with UCLA this week hardly presents much of a trap game. The Cardinal will try to win consecutive games for the first time since September.
5. Oregon Ducks (7-4, 4-4; previous rank: 6)
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Oregon quarterback Justin Herbert throws as the pocket collapses during the first quarter against the Arizona Wildcats in Tucson on Oct. 27, 2018.
Last week: Beat Arizona State, 31-29
This week: at Oregon State, 2 p.m. Saturday
The Ducks played the part of spoiler last week, beating Arizona State despite turning the ball over four times. It wasn’t pretty: Quarterback Justin Herbert threw two picks in a game for the first time since Week 3 and Oregon nearly blew a 28-13 lead in the second half. Oregon, as oddly as it sounds, should be thankful for Herbert’s recent struggles. The junior is widely considered to be the best quarterback available for next year’s NFL draft, should he choose to leave school early. Without a couple of big games to close the year, though, it wouldn’t at all be surprising to see Herbert return to Oregon for his senior season. In the meantime, the Ducks will turn their attention to the Civil War — and the rival Beavers — in hopes of winning eight games for the first time since 2015.
6. Arizona State Sun Devils (6-5, 4-4; previous rank: 5)
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Frank Darby (84) and his teammates proclaim the Sun Devils are back under new head coach Herm Edwards.
Last week: Lost to Oregon, 31-29
This week: at Arizona, 1:30 p.m. Saturday
Manny Wilkins was a two-point conversion away from leading the Sun Devils all the way back from a two-score deficit in Eugene. Instead, Arizona State is left wondering what could have been in Herm Edwards’ first season. All five of its losses this year have come by a touchdown or less. The season could have unfolded two drastically different ways for ASU: It could have won all five games that were within shouting distance, which would have all but wrapped up a New Years Six bowl at 11-0; but it just as easily could have lost three games which it won, each by a field goal. Losses in those three games would have ASU outside of the bowl picture at 3-8. It’s much more difficult to imagine the former, but it’s been a season of tough breaks for Edwards and company nonetheless. Chalk up Year 1 under Edwards to be a success, and for that, the Sun Devils are thankful for the most surprising hire of the offseason. They’ll try to finish on a high note by knocking rival Arizona out of a bowl game with a win in the Territorial Cup.
7. Cal Golden Bears (6-4, 3-4; previous rank: 7, tie)
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California QB Chase Garbers, left, and the Golden Bears became bowl-bound when they knocked off USC in Los Angeles two weeks ago.
Last week: Game vs. Stanford postponed to Dec. 1
This week: vs. Colorado, 5 p.m. Saturday
When smoky air postponed the Big Game, Cal players Lone Toailoa and Alonso Vera spent their unplanned bye week handing out turkeys in Oakland with Raiders running back and Cal legend Marshawn Lynch. Maybe that’s even better mojo for a team that’s won three out of four and is bowl-bound for only the second time in seven years. A few more wins would be reminiscent of the Jeff Tedford days in 2008, when Cal finished 9-4 by winning three straight at the end of the year including in the Emerald Bowl. The Bears are thankful for second-year coach Justin Wilcox, who they hope will help snap an eight-game skid to Stanford in which they’ve lost by an average of 19.5 points. Think Wilcox is ready to rewrite the script?
8. Arizona Wildcats (5-6, 4-4; previous rank: 7, tie)
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Arizona quarterback Khalil Tate runs with the ball while pursued by Washington State safety Skyler Thomas, right, and safety Jalen Thompson during the first half of an NCAA college football game in Pullman, Wash., Saturday, Nov. 17, 2018.
Last week: Lost to Washington State, 69-28
This week: vs. Arizona State, 1:30 p.m. Saturday
There’s always a silver lining, right? If you watched Khalil Tate ravage the record books a year ago in a stretch of games when he set the FBS quarterback record for rushing yards in a game and won four straight Pac-12 Offensive Player of the Week honors, you probably don’t think much of his latest three-game run. But consider this: Tate has scored more total touchdowns in his last three games (12) than in any stretch last season, ranks third in the Pac-12 this year in passing yards per attempt (8.5), second in passing efficiency rating (152) and third in passing touchdowns (23). He’s set career-highs in passing yards three different times this season, most recently with 350 against Colorado, and twice has passed for five touchdowns in a game. Even through the debacle in Pullman, Tate is playing some of the best football of his career, and the numbers don’t lie. The Wildcats are thankful for ASU’s suspect pass defense, since its rush ‘D’ allows just 3.9 yards per carry. Arizona will need Tate to maintain his success through the air this week when it vies for bowl eligibility in the first chapter of the Territorial Cup under Kevin Sumlin and Herm Edwards.
9. UCLA Bruins (3-8, 3-5; previous rank: 11)
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UCLA 's Joshua Kelley (27) and the Bruins put some life into Chip Kelly and the program when they stunned USC in the Victory Bell rivalry game.
Last week: Beat USC, 34-27
This week: vs. Stanford, 1 p.m. Saturday
UCLA is thankful for Chip Kelly, who picked up his biggest win in Bruins blue when his team took home the Victory Bell last week. Outside of the rivalry, the feat was trivial. UCLA will finish at best 4-8, which still would match its worst season in almost three decades. But the win provided a light at the end of the tunnel and gave UCLA some hope about the direction of the program under first-year head coach.
10. USC Trojans (5-6, 4-4 Pac-12; previous rank: 9)
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USC head coach Clay Helton, right, and the Trojans lost consecutive games to Cal and UCLA to put their bowl destiny in peril. At 5-6, USC has to beat Notre Dame to become eligible.
Last week: Lost to UCLA, 34-27
This week: vs. No. 3 Notre Dame, 6 p.m. Saturday
Rivalry games often can make or break a coach’s tenure. Such was the case last week when Clay Helton and the Trojans were stunned by their lowly rival. USC now must upset the No. 3 team in the country to salvage a bowl berth. For USC football, a losing record should be inconceivable; it’s unacceptable; it just shouldn’t happen. Even with an upset for the ages this week, we’re guessing Helton will never see the inside of the home locker room again — and for that, the Trojans should be thankful.
11. Colorado Buffaloes (5-6, 2-6; previous rank: 10)
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Colorado head coach Mike MacIntyre, right, congratulates his son, wide receiver Jay MacIntyre, during a senior day ceremony before their game against Utah. The Buffs fired MacIntyre this week after a sixth straight loss.
Last week: Lost to Utah, 30-7
This week: at Cal, 5 p.m. Saturday
Colorado fired sixth-year coach Mike MacIntyre after the team’s sixth consecutive loss. The MacIntyre-coached Buffaloes since 2013 were a lousy 30-44 with only one appearance in a bowl game — also a loss. That’s a résumé that can get any coach in the country fired. Colorado is thankful for the talent MacIntyre helped recruit: He leaves behind star receiver Laviska Shenault Jr., quarterback Steven Montez and linebacker Nate Landman. But Colorado, after the sky seemed to be the limit just a short time ago, is now far from respectability.
12. Oregon State Beavers (2-9, 1-7; previous rank: 12)
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Oregon State running back Jermar Jefferson (22) has rushed for 100 or more yards eight times in 11 games this season — as a freshman.
Last week: Lost to Washington, 42-23
This week: vs. Oregon, 2 p.m. Saturday
Run Jermar, run. Oregon State’s star running back leads the Pac-12 in rushing after his eighth 100-yard outing of the season. To put things in perspective, his 115 yards against a stout Washington front ranked as his sixth highest total of the season. Jefferson’s 1,316 yards lead ASU’s Eno Benjamin by 21 entering the final week of the regular season. Oregon State can be thankful for rival Justin Herbert’s struggles of late. The Ducks might try to pound the ball with CJ Verdell, so that type of game flow should result in more opportunities — and yards — for Jefferson.
Dominic Baciocco
Sports producer
