Emerald City Swagger: PAC-12 Football Power Rankings week of 10/23

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Dezmon Patmon, Washington State football. (Photo by William Mancebo/Getty Images) /

3) Oregon (5-2, 2-2) – Ranked #19

Last Week: The Oregon Ducks saw their dreams of a conference title, and a spot in the college football playoff spot disappear in Pullman, Washington last week. They went to Washington State on an emotional high and left in despair after a 34-20 loss. The Ducks got behind early and went into the locker room down 27-0 at the half. Oregon didn’t get their offense rolling until the third quarter, but by then it was too little too late.

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This Week: at Arizona.

Note: The Ducks head to Tucson, to begin the easy part of their schedule. They still have a chance to go to a good bowl game, so they can’t play down to the competition.

2) Washington (6-2, 4-1) – Ranked #15

Last Week: U-Dub had a huge bounce-back win, at home, over Colorado 27-13. The Huskies offense wasn’t spectacular but got the job done. Quarterback Jake Browning was a very pedestrian 15 of 25 for 150 yards with a touchdown, and a pick. Despite the absence of starting tailback Myles Gaskin, Washington ran for over 200 yards and 5.0 YPC against the Buffs.

Defensively, the Huskies took full advantage of wide receiver Laviska Shenault’s absence, by stacking the box and stopping Colorado running back Trevon McMillian. On the day Washington only yielded 263 yards of total offense. Linebacker Ben Burr-Kirven was once again a hitting machine, making 15 tackles. He also added an interception.

This Week: at California.

Note: On paper, this should be an easy win for Washington, but nothing has been easy for Chris Petersen’s team in 2018.

1) Washington State (6-1, 3-1) – Ranked #14

Last Week: It was a day of pandemonium in Pullman, that culminated with a 34-20 victory over the Oregon Ducks. The win put Wazzu in control of the PAC-12 North division. Quarterback Garner Minshew threw for 323 yards and four touchdowns (to four different receivers). Washington State running backs James Williams and Max Borghi proved themselves to be dual-threats combining for 93 yards and a touchdown both on the ground and via pass receptions.

Oregon came into the game with a vaunted power running attack but left Martin Stadium with a total of 58 rushing yards. Ducks quarterback Justin Herbert finished 25 for 44 for 270 yards and a TD pass. He got hot from the start of the second half through the middle of the fourth quarter but looked outclassed for much of the game by Minshew.

This Week: at Stanford

Note: The Cougs go from an elimination game at home against Oregon, to an elimination game on the road against the Stanford Cardinal. While the Air Raid offense gets the glory, its WSU’s defense that might bring them a conference title.

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