Pac-12 Power Rankings: Utah, Arizona State turn sights toward conference title game

Last week: Beat Colorado, 31-7

This week: vs. Arizona, 8:30 p.m. Saturday

Saturday’s win wasn’t as glamorous as past ones. The Cougars led just 10-7 at the half, but Gardner Minshew and the country’s No. 20 defense pulled away in the second half. A lot of the focus of late has been on Minshew’s Heisman Trophy surge, and he currently sits pretty decisively in fourth place among ESPN experts. But this Cougars defense can’t be overlooked anymore. WSU’s addition of former Minnesota head coach Tracy Claeys as defensive coordinator could go down as the unsung hire of the year. In his six seasons at Minnesota, the Gophers’ defense jumped from 98th in the country to 21st. He’s having similar success in the Pac-12; Washington state finished last season ranked 59th in total defense.

Last week: Bye

This week: vs. Oregon State, 2:30 p.m. Saturday

Washington finished the 2017 season with the No. 17 offense in football, thanks largely to quarterback Jake Browning and running back Myles Gaskin. When the pair returned this year, it was fair to assume the same kind of success was coming. Instead, the Huskies have scored just 25 touchdowns in 47 red zone trips and have settled for a field goal 13 other times — figures that land them at 89th in the country in red zone efficiency. Browning is missing his favorite target from a year ago in Dante Pettis, whom the 49ers took in the second round of the NFL draft.

Last week: Beat Oregon, 32-25

This week: at Colorado, 11:30 a.m.

Utah lost starting quarterback Tyler Huntley and running back Zack Moss for the remainder of the season, then beat Oregon anyway and perhaps became the favorite to win the Pac-12 South. The Utes did it with an undersized freshman quarterback in 5-foot-11-inch Jason Shelley, and running back Armand Shyne, whose injuries limited him to just five games in his first two seasons. Shelley passed for 262 yards and ran in the game-winning touchdown in the fourth quarter. Shyne took 26 totes 174 yards. Utah can clinch its place in the Pac-12 conference title game by beating Colorado and with an ASU loss to either Oregon and Arizona.

Last week: Beat Oregon State, 48-17

This week: at Cal, 5:30 p.m. Saturday

After losing four of its previous five games, Stanford played Oregon State at the perfect time. Tight end Colby Parkinson caught all four of K.J. Costello’s touchdown passes, and Bryce Love rushed for 90 yards in his best game since September. After clinching a 10th consecutive bowl berth, the Cardinal turns its attention to extending a record streak (currently eight wins) over Cal in the Big Game.

Last week: Beat UCLA, 31-28

This week: at Oregon, 8:30 p.m. Saturday

Herm Edwards’ team saved its season with three straight wins — and with two more, the Sun Devils can play in the Pac-12 championship for the first time since 2013. Up first is an Oregon team that is as cold as ASU is hot. Eno Benjamin has rushed for at least 175 yards in each game during the current winning streak, and receiver N’Keal Harry has rattled off back-to-back games with over 100 yards. Expect a shootout this week in Eugene.

Last week: Lost to Utah, 32-25

This week: vs. Arizona State, 8:30 p.m. Saturday

Sitting three games behind Washington State in the North Division and with six wins overall, the Ducks have little left to play for aside from earning a more respectable bowl game. Since playing in the National Championship Game in 2014, Oregon is 26-22 overall and just 16-18 in Pac-12 play. Washington, Washington State, Stanford, Utah and USC all have had better records during that stretch, as we get further from a time when the Ducks ruled the conference.

Last week: Bye

This week: at No. 8 Washington State, 8:30 p.m. Saturday

Arizona enters the final stretch of the regular season playing its best football of the season, but Khalil Tate and company face a challenging road ahead with hopes of a bowl bid. J.J. Taylor quietly emerged as one of the country’s premier backs when he topped 100 yards for the third straight game this season against Colorado. Taylor rushed for 558 yards during that stretch; he currently ranks second in the country in all-purpose yards and fourth in rushing yards. Tate, meanwhile, will have to keep up his improved play of late if the Wildcats hope to maintain pace with two other potent offenses in Washington State and ASU.

Last week: Beat USC, 15-14

This week: vs. Stanford, 5:30 p.m. Saturday

Even after starting conference play 0-3 this season, Cal has been one of the surprise teams of the conference in 2018. The Golden Bears have won three of their last four games, taking down No. 15 Washington and then USC on the road in the process. Cal has held its opponents to fewer than 20 points in six of 10 games. Second-year coach Justin Wilcox and coordinator Tim DeRuyter have quietly turned Cal into the conference’s second-ranked defense, trailing only Washington. It shouldn’t come as much of a surprise: DeRuyter helped turn Texas A&M into a defensive beast when he elevated it from 104th in scoring defense to 21st nationally in one season when he was the Aggies’ defensive coordinator in 2010. Cal currently ranks 27th in scoring defense after finishing 79th a year ago. Sound familiar? The Bears are bowling for the first time since 2015.

Last week: Lost to Cal, 15-14

This week: at UCLA, 1:30 p.m. Saturday

The Trojans have been a favorite all season to get back to the Pac-12 title game. But three losses in the past month have eliminated the Trojans from title contention and put their bowl streak in jeopardy. Luckily for USC, it gets to close out the Pac-12 slate with UCLA. As No. 3 Notre Dame looms in the final contest of the regular season, Clay Helton can’t afford to let his seat get any hotter. It’s a must-win in every sense for USC this week.

Last week: Lost to No. 8 Washington State, 31-7

This week: vs. No. 19 Utah, 11:30 a.m. Saturday

It wasn’t that long ago when Colorado was 5-0 and sitting atop the Pac-12 South. The Buffaloes haven’t won since, and today sit in a tie for last place with lowly UCLA. Among Pac-12 teams, only the Bruins and Oregon State own worse overall records. Even last week’s return of Laviska Shenault Jr. — who caught at least 10 passes for the fifth time in his seven games this year for 102 yards — couldn’t inspire the Buffs, who put up a season-low seven points against Washington State. It was at least good to see Shenault back on the field to take passes from Steven Montez. How good is Shenault? Despite missing three games with a toe injury, he still ranks third in the conference with 882 receiving yards.

Last week: Lost to Arizona State, 31-28

This week: vs. USC, 1:30 p.m. Saturday

The three-point loss to Arizona State was UCLA’s closest loss of the season. Does that count for anything? The Bruins have at least looked better through the air lately; senior Wilton Speight has completed 65 percent of his passes while throwing for 482 yards and three touchdowns over the last two weeks, and put up 335 yards against ASU. Still, freshman quarterback Dorian Thompson-Robinson exudes little confidence — if he’s the QB of the future, you won’t be hearing much from Chip Kelly’s squad for a while.

Last week: Lost to Stanford, 48-17

This week: at No. 18 Washington, 2:30 p.m. Saturday

Look at it this way: Oregon State boasts one of the conference’s top young running backs in Jermar Jefferson and still has its claim to fame in the form of a Pac-12 win this season. That’s as good as it gets for the Beavers in 2018. Jefferson’s 109 yards against Stanford gave him his sixth game with at least 100 rushing yards, second most among freshman in program history to Jacquizz Rodgers (seven) in 2008.