Around the Pac-12: Week 8

Story posted October 21, 2021 in

The Pac-12 continues to beat itself up, as Utah upset previously No. 18 Arizona State to take control of the southern division.

Elsewhere, the best team in the conference continued to stay alive for the playoff, as No.10 Oregon survived a Friday night showdown against Cal.

Washington State won its third straight game, this time defeating Oregon State. The Cougars then had to fire their coach, Nick Rolovich due to not complying to the state-wide vaccine mandate for employees.

UCLA defeated Washington in Seattle, and Colorado dominated winless Arizona.
Only Oregon remains ranked in the conference, and the conference’s last hope of a playoff team. Here are the biggest upcoming games in the Pac-12.

USC and Notre Dame Renew Rivalry

Due to the coronavirus-shortened season last year, these two rivals were unable to play. However, this year the longtime foes reunite on the field in primetime in South Bend.

The Trojans will try to spoil any remaining chances Notre Dame has at a playoff spot, as the No. 13 Fighting Irish have only one loss at the hands of No. 2 Cincinnati.

USC has already fired its coach, Clay Helton, and has struggled since. However, an upset at Notre Dame will be a great moment in a season filled with very little of those for the Trojans.

USC and No. 13 Notre Dame will kickoff on NBC at 7:30 p.m. in South Bend, Indiana, in this classic rivalry.

College Gameday in the Pac-12

College Gameday will be at UCLA for the matchup of No. 10 Oregon and UCLA.

The Ducks are coming off a goal-line stand against Cal and now have to go on the road to a much better Bruins team. UCLA got a lot of attention after beating LSU in Week 1, but has since suffered two losses.

Oregon remains the Pac-12’s last remaining hope for a playoff spot, as UCLA looks to take away that shot for the Ducks.

UCLA will rely on quarterback Dorian Thompson-Robinson and running back Zach Charbonnet to upset the Ducks. 

UCLA and No.10 Oregon will square off at 3:30 p.m. on ABC in Pasadena, California, for this Pac-12 showdown.

Other Matchups

This upcoming weekend is filled with sub-par matchups in the conference, but some of them are interesting.

Washington State will play its first game without Rolovich as they host previously ranked BYU in Pullman, Washington, in a matchup of Cougars. Washington State will have to lean on quarterback Jayden de Laura in order to upset BYU.

California and Colorado will square off at 3:30 p.m. on the Pac-12 Network in Berkeley, California. Quarterback Chase Garbers of Cal will have to play badly in order for the Golden Bears to lose this game, as they are nine point favorites.

Utah will look to stay atop the Pac-12 South standings as it travels to Corvallis, Oregon, to face off against the Beavers of Oregon State. Utah, who is undefeated in conference play, controls its own destiny in order to reach the conference championship game. It will have to get past a frisky Beavers team, led by quarterback Chance Nolan.



Jack Dempsky is a first-year majoring in business management. To contact him, email jmd7563@psu.edu.

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