Utes Secure Spot In Pac-12 Title Game While Cougars, Huskies To Play For Other Spot

SALT LAKE CITY, Utah – One ticket has been punched to the Pac-12 Championship Game. For the first time since joining the conference in 2011, the Utah Utes are headed to play for the conference title. They secured a spot there thanks to a convincing win over Colorado and an Arizona State loss to Oregon on Saturday.

Washington State beat Arizona handily, but will still need to defeat Washington to clinch the north spot in the title game.

Here’s how the Pac-12 schools did in the 12th week of play. Teams are listed by division, in order of their KSL Sports Power Ranking.

NORTH

1. No. 8 Washington State (10-1, 7-1)

Result: Defeated Arizona 69-28 at home.

Recap: Garnder Minshew had his most explosive game yet in a Washington State uniform, throwing for 473 yards and seven, that right, SEVEN touchdowns in a crushing victory over Arizona at home.

Previous ranking: 1

Next up: vs. No. 18 Washington, Friday at 6:30 p.m. on FOX.

Check out the highlights of last night’s win over Arizona!#GoCougs | #JoinTheHunt pic.twitter.com/AflN5dYfIm

— WSU Cougar Football (@WSUCougFB) November 18, 2018

2. No. 18 Washington (8-3, 6-2)

Result: Defeated Oregon State 43-23 at home.

Recap: The Huskies quickly took Oregon State out of the game, outscoring the Beavers 28-3 in the first quarter. Jake Browning had a solid outing, completing 17 of 23 passes for 242 yards and 3 touchdowns.

Previous ranking: 2

Next up: at No. 8 Washington State, Friday at 6:30 p.m. on FOX.

3. Oregon (7-4, 4-4)

Result: Defeated Arizona State 31-29

Recap: With the support of Utah fans joining their own fanbase in hoping for a win over the Sun Devils. The Ducks got the job done but nearly gave the game away late with Justin Herbert throwing an interception late to give ASU a chance to take the lead. Fortunately for Oregon, and Utah, the Ducks forced a fumble on Arizona State’s turn with the ball to secure the win.

Previous ranking: 4

Next up: at Oregon State, Friday at 2 p.m. on FS1.

4. Stanford (6-4, 4-3)

Result: Did not play, game against California postponed due to poor air quality in the area.

Previous ranking: 4

Next up: at UCLA, Saturday at 1 p.m. on the Pac-12 Network.

5. California (6-4, 3-4)

Result: Did not play, game against Stanford postponed due to poor air quality in the area.

Previous ranking: 5

Next up: vs. Colorado, Saturday at 5 p.m. on the Pac-12 Network.

6. Oregon State (2-9, 1-7)

Result: Lost at Washington 42-23

Recap: Beaver quarterback Jake Luton threw for 190 yards and a touchdown and running back Jermar Jefferson picked up 115 yards on the ground but it wasn’t enough the Huskies became the eighth team this season to rush for over 200 yards against Oregon State.

Previous ranking: 6

Next up: vs. Oregon, Friday at 2 p.m. on FS1.

SOUTH

1. Utah (8-3, 6-3)

Result: Defeated Colorado 30-7 on the road.

Recap: The game got off to the sluggish start on the road for the Utes. They allowed Colorado to take an early 7-0 lead and lost their star linebacker Chase Hansen to a targeting call in the first quarter. They would recover however and score 30 straight points to do their part in securing a spot in the Pac-12 Championship Game.

Previous ranking: 1

Next up: vs. BYU, Saturday at 8 p.m. on FS1.

WE’RE GOING TO THE SHIP#JustARegularTeam pic.twitter.com/S7SGodfnjX

— Utah Football (@Utah_Football) November 18, 2018

2. Arizona State (6-5, 4-4)

Result: Loss to Oregon 31-29 on the road.

Recap: Arizona State had a chance to stay alive in the race for the Pac-12 south division title. Unfortunately, they fell just short in close loss at Autzen Stadium to the Ducks. The Sun Devils had a chance to score and take the lead, but fumbled on their final possession to allow Oregon to take the win.

Previous ranking: 2

Next up: at Arizona, Saturday at 1:30 p.m. on FS1.

3. Arizona (5-5, 4-3)

Result: Lost to Washington State 69-28 on the road.

Recap: There wasn’t much good to say about Wildcats in a huge loss to Washington State on Saturday. Khalil Tate played well, gathering 294 yards through the air with four touchdowns. Despite Tate’s solid play, the offense gave up four turnovers and the defense allowed 10 touchdowns in the major defeat.

Previous ranking: 3

Next up: vs. Arizona State, Saturday at 1:30 p.m. on FS1.

4. Colorado (5-6, 2-6)

Result: Lost to Utah 30-7 at home.

Recap: In the stormy conditions, Colorado was bested by the Utes, who became the south division champs after the win and the loss by Arizona State later in the evening. The game was really decided in the third quarter when the Utes outscored Colorado 17-0 and allowed just 19 yards by the Buffs.

Previous ranking: 5

Next up: at California, Saturday at 5 p.m. on the Pac-12 Network.

5. USC (5-5, 4-4)

Result: Lost to UCLA 34-27 on the road

Recap: Following USC’s loss to lowly UCLA Saturday, some media speculated that head coach Clay Helton’s job could be in jeopardy. His Trojans struggled in a loss to the Bruins, gaining just 80 yards of offense in the second half in the lowest attended matchup between the two teams since 1950.

Previous ranking: 4

Next up: vs. No. 3 Notre Dame, Saturday at 6 p.m. on ABC.

6. UCLA (3-8, 3-5)

Result: Defeated USC 34-27 at home.

Recap: Chip Kelly got his signature win in his first season with UCLA with a surprising victory over USC. Junior running back Joshua Kelley rushed for 289 yards on 40 carries and found the end zone twice in the win.

Previous ranking: 6

Next up: vs. Stanford, Saturday at 1 p.m. on the Pac-12 Network.