USC vs. OR 2015: Early Prediction, Preview for Pac-12 Game

Here are last week’s power rankings.

The Pac-12 has cannibalized itself right out of the college football playoffs. With four top 10 teams remaining undefeated, and a bevy of very good one-loss teams waiting in the wings, I just can’t imagine a scenario in which a two loss Pac-12 champion makes the playoffs.

“We forget how resilient college kids are”, Shaw said. But even at 5-2 in conference play, the Ducks have been outscored 270-268, thanks mostly to Utah. And even if it plays out exactly as described, there’s no guarantee the committee will follow suit.

The Pac-12 may not get anyone in the College Football Playoff, but its division races are coming down the wire. (John Bazemore/AP Photo) 2. We’ll see. Smith-Schuster would need to average 141 yards over four games to pass Marqise Lee’s season record of 1,721 set in 2012. Auburn could cause a few problems for the rivalry’s sake, but it’s not likely to happen. The Trojans might need a repeat of that game and they have to start fast. (3) celebrates after the game against the Stanford Cardinal at Stanford Stadium. The loss will be enough to keep the Irish out the playoffs and an integral step for Stanford.

Parity creates an exciting level of unpredictability from week to week, but the lack of a playoff team is another blow to a league that already struggles to gain adequate attention from the national media, many of whom are already in bed when its games conclude. The Cornhuskers finish the season with bowl eligibility, but ruin Iowa’s dream of the playoffs.

What the Pac-12 (and Big Ten next year) gets with nine games in addition to the conference title game is a sense of legitimacy.

Put it all together and the losses of the top two middle inside linebackers is on par, if not more damaging than the losses of Max Tuerk and Toa Lobendahn at center. The Cowboys have less than a 40 percent chance of winning its final two games. As far as Utah goes, Utah plays the Colorado Buffaloes. With the all-important sixth win under their belt, the rivalry game against the Sun Devils will be the last game of the regular season for Arizona. Is this flawed logic?

But it also was the Pac-12’s absolute worst nightmare.

Florida will easily win its next game against Florida Atlantic (FCS) and will get a win over Florida State (8-2).

Since Adams’ return, OR has won four in a row, including Saturday’s thriller at Stanford, and you wouldn’t be alone in wondering what might have been. No playoffs for the Gators despite a solid season and turnaround.

UCLA is 5-0 ATS in its last five games on the road in November. – Oregon wins with wins over USC and Oregon State AND a Stanford loss to Cal. If there’s a three-way tie between Oregon, Stanford and Washington State, Oregon wins because it’ll have the most North victories among the three teams. As soon as she realized that a trip to the Rose Bowl for Utah (and me and my son, Josh) also meant a trip to Disneyland for her (and my wife, Cheryl, and my younger daughter, Sammie), she has become one of the Utes’ biggest fans.

Stanford is one win away from clinching the Pac-12 North, so whichever team comes out of the South will have to face a very good Stanford team. The Cardinal will jump Ohio State simply because the Buckeyes will not be in a championship game. The Wolverines, though, will be on the outside looking in on a markedly improved season in Jim Harbaugh’s first year with the program. Stanford, USC and UCLA all control their own fates in their respective divisions, while Wasington St., Utah and OR would need a little bit of help to reach the conference championship.