Recapping the best and worst of Week 12 in Pac-12 football …
Theme of the week I: Division clarityUtah has won the South for the third consecutive full season (2018-19 and 2021), while Oregon remains the frontrunner in the North. If the Ducks beats Oregon State in Autzen, they win advance to a rematch with the Utes in Las Vegas. If they lose to OSU, it could get complicated.
Theme of the week II: Scheme over talentIn three instances Saturday, teams that have a clear schematic identity — and recruit to that identity — defeated teams that perform better in the recruiting rankings: Oregon State over ASU, Utah over Oregon and UCLA over USC.
Theme of the month: BlowoutsFive of the six games were decided by at least two touchdowns, with Colorado’s 20-17 victory over Washington as the only tense finish. Through three weeks of a lopsided November, 12 of the 16 games have been decided by more than one touchdown.
Theme of the half-decade: No CFP (again)For the fifth consecutive season, the Pac-12 will be on the outside of the College Football Playoff. Oregon’s 38-7 loss eliminated the Ducks, and the conference, from the sport’s marquee event. The result also decreased the likelihood that the Pac-12 could send a second team to a New Year’s Six bowl.
Utah fans hold signs during the second half of an NCAA college football game against Oregon Saturday, Nov. 20, 2021, in Salt Lake City. (AP Photo/Alex Goodlett)
Game of the week: Category left vacant
We could have selected Colorado’s three-point win over UW, but it was so difficult to watch — the Huskies committed four turnovers and nearly won because CU couldn’t move the ball — that the Hotline simply refuses to make the call. We have standards, after all.
Team of the week: Washington State
The Cougars blasted Arizona on Friday night to record their sixth overall win and their second since the midseason termination of Nick Rolovich. They are bowl-eligible for the sixth consecutive non-COVID season.
Coach of the week: Utah’s Kyle Whittingham
The entire Utah staff deserves the honor, given the near-perfect tactics devised to offset Oregon’s strengths and expose Oregon’s weaknesses. Most of all, the Utes forced Anthony Brown to win the game from the pocket, a task he was wholly incapable of performing.
Player of the week: UCLA’s Dorian Thompson-Robinson
The senior quarterback threw for 349 yards and four touchdowns and rushed for 46 yards and two touchdowns in the blowout victory over USC. (He also took a few seconds to sign an autograph during the game.) It was Thompson-Robinson’s first win over the Trojans as UCLA’s starter.
Play of the year: Utah’s Britain Covey
His 78-yard punt return on the final play of the first half provided the knockout punch, giving the Utes a 28-0 lead over Oregon and more momentum than one team could ever need. For Covey, who began his Utah career in 2015, it was a moment six years in the making. For the 150,000 Utah fans who will one day claim to have witnessed the return in person, it was a moment to remember forever.
Gaffe of the week: Oregon
The decision to punt to Covey was a gigantic whiff. But so, too, was the Ducks’ game management on the series that led to the punt. They took possession with 27 seconds left, threw two incomplete passes, called a timeout and appeared to presume that Utah would simply let the clock expire. Instead, Kyle Whittingham turned aggressive and called time with 11 seconds left, forcing Oregon to punt. They did exactly as he hoped and punted to Covey. The double-whammy of bad decisions doomed the Ducks. Colossal blunders by Mario Cristobal and his staff.
Recovery of the season I: Cal
Remember when the Bears were 1-5 and seemingly headed nowhere? Well, they have won three of their last four — the loss was the COVID-impacted game at Arizona — and are victories over the Los Angeles schools away from becoming bowl-eligible.
Recovery of the season II: Colorado
The Buffaloes are eliminated from the postseason but determined to make something of the regular season. After winning two of their past three, they have four overall wins and a morsel of momentum headed into the winter — even if they get walloped at Utah.
Streak of the season: Stanford
The Cardinal has lost six consecutive games since toppling Oregon, the program’s longest losing streak since the 2006 season (before Jim Harbaugh’s arrival). David Shaw doesn’t believe in firing assistant coaches. We think he should reconsider that position.
Stat of the week: Oregon State
Not only are the Beavers 6-0 at home for the first time since the 2000 season, they have three more victories than both USC and Washington. Of note: Oregon State has two wins (over the Huskies and ASU) in which quarterback Chance Nolan threw for less than 100 yards.
Stat of the season: USC
The Trojans have allowed 225 points in five conference games in the Coliseum, an average of 45 per game. That includes Arizona’s 34-point performance, which is twice the Wildcats’ season average.
UCLA quarterback Dorian Thompson-Robinson runs for a touchdown during the Bruins' 62-33 win over rival USC on Saturday.
Stat of forever I: Cal
The Bears gained 636 total yards against Stanford, the most in the 124-game history of the rivalry. More than half (352) came on the ground.
Stat of forever II: UCLA
The Bruins scored more points against USC (62) than they had in any of the previous 88 matchups in their storied rivalry.
Game of next week: Oregon State at Oregon
Plenty at stake for both teams: Oregon wins the division with a victory. Oregon State wins the division with a victory and a loss by WSU. How will Oregon respond to the playoff elimination? Will Oregon State’s defense finally play well on the road? Which team will establish superiority at the line of scrimmage? The Ducks are a 13-point favorite.
