LOS ANGELES (AP) — The Pac-12 pushed for legislation allowing conference title games to be played without requiring divisions, and it was the first conference to take advantage of it, deciding to have the two teams with the best records this season play against one another in Las Vegas on Dec.
Bob Bowlsby will step away from his role as Big 12 commissioner later this year after a decade in the Power Five conference that's facing a transition in membership and negotiations over a new media rights deal — like it was when he first took the job.
STANFORD, Calif. (AP) — Notre Dame did its job and now all the Fighting Irish can do is wait.
Jack Coan threw two touchdown passes and ran for another score and No. 5 Notre Dame finished off the regular season with a 45-14 victory over Stanford on Saturday to keep its playoff hopes alive.
STANFORD, Calif. (AP) — The homesickness and depression began to overwhelm Houston Heimuli about four months into his mission for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Away from his family for the first time, the gesture of a stranger in his congregation made all the difference in keeping him going.
STANFORD, Calif. (AP) — All Notre Dame can do for now is prepare for the regular-season finale against struggling Stanford and wait.
The fifth-ranked Fighting Irish have found their groove in November and will be good position for a New Year's Six bowl and a possible spot in the playoff with a win against the Cardinal on Saturday night.
No. 5 Notre Dame (10-1, No. 6 CFP) at Stanford (3-8), Saturday at 8 p.m. EST (Fox).
Line: Notre Dame by 20 ½, according to FanDuel Sportsbook.
STANFORD, Calif. (AP) — Now that California had nearly its entire team back, the Golden Bears delivered a record-breaking Big Game performance.
Chase Garbers returned from a bout with COVID-19 to throw the longest pass in the history of the rivalry against Stanford, leading California to a 41-11 victory on Saturday.
Georgia Tech (3-7) at No. 6 Notre Dame (9-1, No. 8 CFP), Saturday at 2:30 p.m. EST (NBC).
Line: Notre Dame by 16 ½, according to FanDuel Sportsbook.
STANFORD, Calif. (AP) — The level of excitement for Big Game week is always high at California, with the opportunity to beat rival Stanford and win The Axe among the top goals for the Golden Bears.
CORVALLIS, Ore. (AP) — Chance Nolan passed for 257 yards and two touchdowns, and ran for a score, leading Oregon State to a 35-14 win over Stanford on Saturday.
The victory makes Oregon State (6-4, 4-3 Pac-12) bowl eligible for the first time since 2013, and snapped an 11-game losing streak against the Cardinal.
Stanford coach David Shaw won't sugarcoat it: The Cardinal have had four bad weeks.
Stanford hasn't won since its 31-24 overtime upset of Oregon on Oct. 2. Last weekend was especially rough on the Cardinal, who fell 52-7 at home to Utah.
Things to watch in Week 11 of the Pac-12 Conference:
GAME OF THE WEEK
The fifth-ranked Oregon Ducks continue a march toward the Pac-12 title game, and perhaps a playoff berth, at home against Washington State on Saturday night.
STANFORD, Calif. (AP) — Utah got off to fast start and didn't let up.
Tavion Thomas ran for four TDs in the first half, TJ Pledger scored on a school-record 96-yard run and Utah ran past Stanford 52-7 on Friday night.
STANFORD, Calif. (AP) — After seizing control of the race for the Pac-12 South title a week ago, Utah knows one small let up could open the competition back up again.
The Utes can take a big step toward locking up a spot in the Pac-12 title game next month in Las Vegas with a victory on Friday night at Stanford.
STANFORD, Calif. (AP) — Dylan Morris threw a 20-yard touchdown pass to Jalen McMillan with 21 seconds remaining, lifting Washington past Stanford 20-13 on Saturday night.
Sean McGrew ran for 114 yards on 19 carries to pace Washington’s best game of the year running the ball.
STANFORD, Calif. (AP) — Stanford coach David Shaw sees a lot of similarities between his team and Washington, just not the kind of trends to put either team in contention.
Both teams head into Saturday’s matchup with sub-.500 records.
Colorado (2-5, 1-3 Pac-12) at No. 7 Oregon (6-1 3-1), Saturday at 3:35 p.m. EDT (FOX).
Line: Oregon by 24, according to FanDuel Sportsbook.
Here are some things to watch this week in the Pac-12 Conference:
GAME OF THE WEEK: Oregon State at California. Bowl-bound Beavers? Could be. A win would make Oregon State (5-2, 3-1 Pac-12) bowl-eligible for the first time since 2013.
PULLMAN, Wash. (AP) — Max Borghi scored on a 2-yard run with 1:30 left in the game as Washington State came back to beat Stanford 34-31 on Saturday in what was possibly the last game for WSU coach Nick Rolovich because of his refusal to get a COVID-19 vaccination.
EUGENE, Ore. (AP) — Quarterback Anthony Brown shut out the noise to lead Oregon to a fourth-quarter comeback, then let the defense seal a victory over California.
Brown scored on an 11-yard keeper with 4:50 left and the ninth-ranked Ducks held off surprisingly tenacious Cal 24-17 on Friday night.
EUGENE, Ore. (AP) — The ninth-ranked Oregon Ducks got a week off to regroup for the second half of the season after a disappointing loss to Stanford that may ultimately impact their playoff chances.
PULLMAN, Wash. (AP) — It took a little longer than expected, but Washington State seems to be rolling.
The Cougars' defense is proving to be stout as evidenced by their performance the past two weeks.
SALT LAKE CITY (AP) — Arizona State has quietly emerged as the top defensive team in the Pac-12.
The 18th-ranked Sun Devils (5-1, 3-0 Pac-12) head into Saturday’s game at Utah leading the league in several key defensive categories.
California (1-4, 0-2 Pac-12) at No. 9 Oregon (4-1, 1-1), Friday at 10:30 p.m. EDT (ESPN).
Line: Oregon by 13 1/2, according to FanDuel Sportsbook.
CINCINNATI (AP) — Desmond Ridder threw for 259 yards and three touchdowns and No. 5 Cincinnati routed Temple 52-3 on Friday night for its 23rd straight home victory.
Jerome Ford ran for a career-high 149 yards and two scores to help the Bearcats (5-0, 1-0 American) avoid a letdown after their big victory at Notre Dame last week.
TEMPE, Ariz. (AP) — Jack Jones stepped in front of the receiver, caught the ball and held it out with one hand. Just before he hit the ground, the Arizona State defensive back caught a glimpse of Deandre Pierce and tossed it to his teammate for a spectacular touchdown.
TEMPE, Ariz. (AP) — Arizona State picked up one of its biggest wins under coach Herm Edwards last weekend, knocking off then-No. 20 UCLA on the road.
Stanford (3-2, 2-1 Pac-12) at No. 22 Arizona State (4-1 2-0), Friday, 10:30 p.m. (ESPN).
Line: Arizona State by 13 1/2, according to FanDuel Sportsbook.
Here are some things to watch this week in the Pac-12 Conference:
GAME OF THE WEEK: Stanford (3-2, 2-1 Pac-12) at No. 22 Arizona State (4-1, 2-0). Both teams are coming off impressive wins. The Cardinal took down No.
SOUTH BEND, Ind. (AP) — Desmond Ridder threw two touchdown passes and ran for score late in the fourth quarter as No. 7 Cincinnati capitalized on its big opportunity and beat No. 9 Notre Dame 24-13 on Saturday in a game the Bearcats hope can be the centerpiece of College Football Playoff resume.
STARS
—Brian Robinson Jr., Alabama, rushed for career highs of 171 yards and four TDs and the top-ranked Crimson Tide shut down the nation’s top offense in a 42-21 victory over No. 12 Mississippi.
STANFORD, Calif. (AP) — Stanford's comeback victory that stunned Oregon was enough of a roller-coaster that coach David Shaw felt the need to apologize to his parents and any other fans older than 70 for the emotional toll.
No. 3 Oregon (4-0, 1-0 Pac-12) at Stanford (2-2, 1-1), Saturday at 3:30 p.m. EDT (ABC).
Line: Oregon by 7 1/2, according to FanDuel Sportsbook.
STANFORD, Calif. (AP) — No. 3 Oregon has thrived early this season by capitalizing on quarterback mistakes. Stanford QB Tanner McKee has done an impressive job avoiding them in his first year as a starter.
Oregon's Bennett Williams said there's nothing better for the Ducks' secondary than a takeaway. In fact, it's something of a competition among the defensive backs.
The No. 3 Ducks have nine interceptions this season, tied with Kent State and Notre Dame for most in FBS.
STANFORD, Calif. (AP) — When the game was on the line, Dorian Thompson-Robinson wasn't going to allow UCLA to lose.
Thompson threw a tiebreaking 75-yard TD pass early in the fourth quarter and came back from a banged-up shoulder to throw a clinching touchdown late that helped No.
No. 24 UCLA (2-1, 0-0 Pac-12) at Stanford (2-1, 1-0), Saturday at 3 p.m. EDT (Pac-12 Networks).
Line: UCLA by 4 1/2, according to FanDuel Sportsbook.
STANFORD, Calif. (AP) — For the first time in about 10 months, a football weekend for Stanford will start with a relaxing night at a hotel near campus instead of a flight.
After finishing last season with four straight road games and starting this season with three more, the Cardinal are finally coming home when they host No.
Here are some things to watch this week in the Pac-12 Conference:
GAME OF THE WEEK: Stanford (2-1, 1-0 Pac-12) will be playing in front of fans at Stanford Stadium for the first time in more than 660 days when it hosts No.
NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) — The Stanford Cardinal finally are heading home to play in front of fans in their own stadium, and they're taking a two-game winning streak with them.
Tanner McKee ran for a touchdown and threw for two more as Stanford beat Vanderbilt 41-23 Saturday night in the first meeting between the programs best known for their academics.
NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) — First-year Commodores coach Clark Lea is the latest attempting to build a football program at Vanderbilt.
He admires what David Shaw has accomplished at Stanford, marrying football success with academic excellence.
Southern California is wounded. It's smarting after losing at home to Stanford, watching any College Football Playoff hopes evaporate, and finally dismissing Clay Helton as head coach after years of conjecture about his job security.
LOS ANGELES (AP) — Clay Helton's unlikely tenure as the head football coach at Southern California began bizarrely and lasted far longer than almost anybody expected.
The folksy Southerner won a Rose Bowl and a Pac-12 title early on, but he never won over most of the Trojans' fans.
LOS ANGELES (AP) — After Nathaniel Peat broke a tackle and turned the corner, the Coliseum collectively gasped as the speedy Stanford tailback sprinted all the way down his sideline.
“I just saw green grass, and I had to put the wheels on,” Peat said with a grin.
Stanford (0-1) at No. 14 Southern California (1-0), Saturday at 10:30 p.m. EDT (FOX).
Line: USC by 17 1/2, according to FanDuel Sportsbook.
LOS ANGELES (AP) — For the first time in many years, Stanford's annual way-too-early meeting with No. 14 Southern California actually feels overdue this month.
That's because the Pac-12's two California private schools didn't face each other at all last year, thanks to the coronavirus pandemic.