BOULDER, Colo. (AP) — Here are some things to watch this week in the Pac-12 Conference:
GAME OF THE WEEK
No. 10 Oregon (9-2, 7-1 Pac-12, No. 9 CFP) at No. 22 Oregon State (8-3, 5-3, No. 21 CFP), Saturday.
CORVALLIS, Ore. (AP) — No. 10 Oregon (9-2, 7-1 Pac-12, No. 9 CFP) at No. 23 Oregon State (8-3, 5-3 Pac-12, No. 21 CFP), 3:30 p.m. EST, Saturday (ABC)
FANDUEL SPORTSBOOK COLLEGE LINE: Oregon by 3 1/2.
CORVALLIS, Ore. (AP) — Former Alabama high school star Bo Nix didn’t spend much time focused on the annual rivalry game between Oregon and Oregon State.
But he was familiar with the passion surrounding a game that was first played in 1894.
BOULDER, Colo. (AP) — The Utah Utes comprehend the complexity of what needs to happen to get into the Pac-12 championship game.
The convoluted equation all starts with the 14th-ranked Utes knocking off a struggling Colorado team Saturday at Folsom Field.
BOULDER, Colo. (AP) — No. 14 Utah (8-3, 6-2 Pac-12, No. 14 CFP) at Colorado (1-10, 1-7), 4 p.m. ET (Pac-12 Network)
FANDUEL SPORTSBOOK COLLEGE LINE: Utah by 29 1/2.
Moving toward the latest monumental matchup between Michigan and Ohio State, the Big Ten rivals share another Associated Press college football poll milestone.
Michigan became the second school, joining Ohio State, to appear in at least 900 rankings since the media poll started in 1936.
EUGENE, Ore. (AP) — Bo Nix started the week as a hobbled spectator sitting in the training room getting rehab. He ended it still hobbled, but celebrating on the field after helping keep alive Oregon's hopes of getting back to the Pac-12 championship game.
PASADENA, Calif. (AP) — Caleb Williams passed for a career-high 470 yards, Austin Jones rushed for a season-high 120 yards and No. 7 Southern California beat No. 16 UCLA 48-45 on Saturday night to reach the Pac-12 Championship game.
TEMPE, Ariz. (AP) — With Saturday's business taken care of, Oregon State can finally talk about next week's rivalry game against Oregon.
Led by Damien Martinez’s 138 yards and two touchdowns, the 25th-ranked Beavers easily handled Arizona State 31-7 on Saturday.
No. 10 Utah (8-2, 6-1 Pac-12, No. 10 CFP) at No. 12 Oregon (8-2, 6-1 Pac-12, No. 12 CFP), Saturday, 10:30 p.m. EST (ESPN)
FANDUEL SPORTSBOOK COLLEGE LINE: Oregon by 3.
Dan Lanning had regrets. That should be expected after the coach watched Oregon’s chances of making the College Football Playoff slip away because of decisions he'd like to have back and mistakes on the field a week ago.
Here are some things to watch this week in the Pac-12 Conference:
GAME OF THE WEEK
No. 7 USC (9-1 overall, 7-1 Pac-12, No. 7 CFP) at No. 16 UCLA (8-2, 5-2, No. 16 CFP), Saturday.
The Pac-12's big weekend turned out to be not quite as big as it could have been after some upsets last week.
Still, the conference's marquee matchups are the highlights of this weekend's schedule, with four top-16 teams that could determine who plays in the league championship game.
No. 1 Georgia led an unchanged top five in The Associated Press college football poll Sunday, while the rest of the Top 25 was shuffled after eight ranked teams lost — including two big upsets in the Pac-12.
COLUMBUS, Ohio (AP) — Miyan Williams rushed for 147 yards and a touchdown before leaving with an injury late in the first half, C.J Stroud threw five TD passes and No. 2 Ohio State buried Indiana 56-14 on Saturday.
No reason to hedge anymore: Alabama is out of the College Football Playoff race.
The 10th-ranked Crimson Tide beat No. 11 Mississippi, but all that did was clinch the SEC West for No.
EUGENE, Ore. (AP) — Peyton Henry got his redemption kick.
The senior made a 43-yard field goal with 51 seconds left and No. 24 Washington snapped No. 6 Oregon's eight-game winning streak with a 37-34 victory Saturday, dealing a blow to the Ducks' chances for a spot in the College Football Playoff.
Bo Nix is everywhere.
He's passing for touchdowns, running for some more, and even catching a score. About the only thing left is to kick a field goal.
There's one thing he's definitely not doing: Taking credit for the No.
No. 24 Washington (7-2, 4-2 Pac-12, No. 25 CFP) at No. 6 Oregon (8-1, 6-0, No. 6 CFP), Saturday, 7:10 p.m. EST (FOX).
FANDUEL SPORTSBOOK COLLEGE LINE: Oregon by 13 1/2
Colorado (1-8, 1-5 Pac-12) at No. 8 Southern California (8-1, 6-1; No. 8 CFP), Friday, 9:30 p.m. EST (FS1)
Line: USC by 34 1/2, according to FanDuel Sportsbook.
Here are some things to watch this week in the Pac-12 Conference:
GAME OF THE WEEK
No. 24 Washington (7-2, 4-2 Pac-12, No. 25 CFP) at No. 6 Oregon (8-1, 6-0, No. 6 CFP), Saturday. Behind transfer quarterback Michael Penix Jr., the Huskies have the most proficient air game in the nation at 370.2 yards passing.
No. 4 TCU has a chance to wrap up a spot in the Big 12 Conference championship game, but who would play the Horned Frogs for the title could remain very much in question.
BOULDER, Colo. (AP) — Dan Fouts is a big fan of Oregon quarterback Bo Nix. Big fan of new coach Dan Lanning, too.
Big fan, in general, of this version of the sixth-ranked Ducks, especially the way they rebounded from a disastrous start.
BOULDER, Colo. (AP) — Bo Nix and the Oregon offense tried out some new and creative wrinkles. Not that they really needed to as a heavy favorite, but it sure was exciting.
BOULDER, Colo. (AP) — Dan Lanning doesn’t talk in code. The Oregon coach just prefers the direct, no-hidden message approach.
On assessing his team after a 42-24 win over Cal last weekend: “We could have played better.”
No. 8 Oregon (7-1, 5-0 Pac-12, No. 8 CFP) at Colorado (1-7, 1-4), 3:35 p.m. ET (ESPN)
Line: Oregon by 31 1/2, according to FanDuel Sportsbook
EUGENE, Ore. (AP) — Bo Nix is fitting right in at Oregon with flashy plays and gaudy stats.
The transfer from Auburn is even getting some Heisman buzz with 31 touchdowns so far this season -- 20 via pass and 11 more on the ground.
STATE COLLEGE, Pa. (AP) — J.T. Tuimoloau had a strip sack to set up No. 2 Ohio State for a touchdown and then had a pick-6 for the Buckeyes, who scored 28 points in the fourth quarter to erase a deficit and beat No.
BERKELEY, Calif. (AP) — Once Oregon shook off a sluggish start, there was no stopping the Ducks' high-powered offense.
Bo Nix threw three touchdown passes and ran for three more scores to lead No.
BERKELEY, Calif. (AP) — The talk about Oregon has changed quite a bit since the season-opening 46-point loss to Georgia cast doubt about how good the Ducks would be in the first year under coach Dan Lanning.
No. 8 Oregon (6-1, 4-0 Pac-12) at California (3-4, 1-3), Saturday, 3:30 ET (FS1)
Line: Oregon by 17 1/2, according to FanDuel Sportsbook.
Here are some things to watch this week in the Pac-12 Conference:
GAME OF THE WEEK
Stanford (3-4, 1-4 Pac-12) at No. 12 UCLA (6-1, 3-1), Saturday. The Cardinal have won two straight and snapped their 10-game conference losing streak with a 15-14 victory last week over Arizona State.
As the number of unbeaten teams in major college football was whittled to six, Clemson emerged as the best bet to reach the playoff — even though the Tigers don't appear to be a serious threat to win a national championship.
CLEMSON, S.C. (AP) — Freshman quarterback Cade Klubnik rallied No. 5 Clemson to two fourth-quarter touchdowns after replacing mistake-prone starter DJ Uiagalelei and the Tigers won their ACC-record setting 38th straight game at home, 27-21, over No.
EUGENE, Ore. (AP) — Bo Nix made Oregon's win over UCLA look nearly effortless. He said it felt that way, too.
Nix threw for 283 yards and five touchdowns and No. 10 Oregon handed No. 9 UCLA its first loss of the season with a 45-30 victory Saturday in a highly anticipated showdown for the top of the Pac-12 standings.
EUGENE, Ore. (AP) — Usually when UCLA plays Oregon a lot of attention falls on Chip Kelly, the current Bruins coach and former Ducks coach.
This year, not as much. When No. 9 UCLA visits No. 10 Oregon on Saturday, there are more compelling storylines — like two quarterbacks who are among the Pac-12's best this season.
No. 9 UCLA (6-0, 3-0 Pac-12) at No. 10 Oregon (5-1, 3-0), Saturday, 3:35 p.m. ET (FOX)
Line: Oregon by 5 1/2, according to FanDuel Sportsbook.
UCLA coach Chip Kelly is facing his former school this weekend.
Never have the stakes been this high.
No. 9 UCLA plays at No. 10 Oregon this Saturday in a game that will likely narrow the Pac-12's College Football Playoff chances to two teams.
Here are some things to watch this week in the Pac-12 Conference:
GAME OF THE WEEK
No. 9 UCLA (6-0, 3-0 Pac-12) at No. 10 Oregon (5-1, 3-0), Saturday. The winner moves into sole possession of first place in the Pac-12.
The Pac-12 has not had a game like UCLA-Oregon in four seasons, and only two of them over the last nine.
The ninth-ranked Bruins visit the No. 10 Ducks on Saturday in the first regular-season meeting of Pac-12 teams ranked in the top-10 of the AP poll since 2018.
LOS ANGELES (AP) — Atonio Mafi understands No. 9 UCLA’s long, slow road to success under coach Chip Kelly better than most.
“All I know is we started off 0-5 my freshman year, and now we’re 6-0, so definitely, like I took the time to realize how far we’ve come as not just my class but the program in general,” Mafi said.
Utah's win over Southern California has muddled the Pac-12's hopes of getting to the College Football Playoff for the first time in six seasons.
Beating Oklahoma has been a way to get ranked in the Big 12 — which is odd considering how poorly the Sooners have played lately.
No. 22 Texas became the third Big 12 team in the last three weeks to defeat Oklahoma on Saturday and end up in the AP Top 25 presented by Regions Bank on Sunday.
TUCSON, Ariz. (AP) — Noah Whittington surveyed the field while running to his right, making a quick cut to evade a tackle before sprinting up the field.
Then the Oregon running back reached a speed no one else on the field could match, bursting past a half-dozen Arizona defensive players on the way to the end zone.
Arizona's Jayden de Laura had one of the best passing games in school history against one of the Pac-12's worst teams last week.
Now he'll try to duplicate the feat against a team that's among the league's best.
No. 12 Oregon (4-1, 2-0 Pac-12) at Arizona (3-2, 1-1), Saturday, 9 p.m. ET (Pac-12 Network)
Line: Oregon by 12 1/2, according to FanDuel Sportsbook.
EUGENE, Ore. (AP) — When Oregon quarterback Bo Nix took off running in the third quarter, teammate Chase Cota was cheering for him to keep going.
Nix indeed kept going, and going — all the way for an 80-yard touchdown.