Around The Pac-12: Week 2
After a top five upset, Oregon is riding high and is undisputedly the best team in the Pac-12.
As for the rest of the conference? Colorado and California played well in tight losses, meanwhile Oregon State, Stanford and Washington State notched their first wins of the year. USC gave up on their coach after exactly one loss and Washington makes football miserable to watch.
Here’s the latest from the Pacific coast:
Oregon upsets Ohio State; Enter the Top 5
The Oregon Ducks entered Columbus as 14.5 point underdogs and left with a 35-28 upset win. For Oregon, running backs C.J. Verdell, Travis Dye and quarterback Anthony Brown ran for over 250 total yards, gashing the Buckeyes’ normally stout defense. The Ducks never trailed in the game, and their defense did just enough to hold off a late rally by Ohio State. It was a very impressive team win, and it certainly looked like no fluke for the Pac-12’s top ranked squad.
Following the massive road win, Oregon was rewarded with an eight-place leap to No. 4 in the AP Top 25 poll. The Ducks are now receiving far-too-early College Football Playoff projections.
It’s a long season ahead; one that includes a game against No. 13 UCLA, as well as some challenging unranked opponents like Utah, Stanford and Colorado. Nonetheless, Eugene will be rocking following the huge victory.
USC sacks head coach following loss to Stanford
Things got ugly for USC in its annual rivalry game against Stanford. The Cardinals came into the Coliseum and dominated the Trojans on their home turf.
Late in the fourth quarter, Stanford led 42-13, before garbage-time scores by USC made the final tally a bit more respectable at 42-28. Stanford quarterback Tanner McKee looked comfortable under center, guiding an upset-minded Cardinal team to the win. On the other side, USC looked sluggish and uninspired in a game that the Trojan faithful would love to forget.
On Monday, USC fired head coach Clay Helton. Helton was 46-24 as head coach of the Trojans, and despite his overall winning record, the head brass were disappointed in the program and its direction under his leadership. USC athletic director Mike Bohn said, “it is already evident that [our] expectations would not be met without a change in leadership."
It feels like a bit of an overreaction for USC -- it is just one loss, in a rivalry game against a respectable Pac-12 opponent. It’s not like they lost to Montana at home -- sorry Huskie fans.
Regardless, associate head coach Donte Williams will step in as the interim head coach and hopes to live up to Bohn’s lofty expectations. Next week, the Trojans travel to Washington State.
Pac-12 Game of the Week: No. 19 Arizona State @ No. 22 BYU
This is a massive game between two ranked teams looking to earn some serious respect.
For the BYU Cougars, it has been an excellent start to the season. They have two Pac-12 wins under their belt, including an upset win against previously-ranked Utah. They can get a third on Saturday against Arizona State and truly prove themselves as a threat in the College Football world. A week after being announced as one of four new teams to join the Big 12 next season, this would be a great win for this rising program.
The Sun Devils do not plan on making this easy, though. They have looked strong in their first two games, albeit neither Southern Utah nor UNLV posed real threats.
This is absolutely a prove-it game for Arizona State, and the Sun Devils may have the edge as the team on the road. Their biggest advantage is experience, as sophomore quarterback Jayden Daniels is under center, who could have NFL football in his future. They also have a very strong running game and all the tools to rival Oregon as the Pac-12’s top football team.
A win in this game would be huge and certainly prove that Arizona State deserves some hype.
Sam Woloson is a first-year majoring in journalism, to contact him, please email skw5753@psu.edu.
