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TOP OF THE PAC: The penultimate College Football Playoff rankings of the season once again saw the Pac-12 place 6 teams, tied for the most of any conference and the only conference with 6 teams in the Top 17.  This is the first time the Pac-12 has had 6 teams in the poll for 3 straight weeks and first time having 6 teams in the Top 20 the week of the Pac-12 Championship Game.

USC moves up into the coveted #4 spot in the rankings, needing a win in the championship game to secure their first trip to the CFP.  UTAH moved up 3 spots this week and now sit at #11 with WASHINGTON just one spot behind them at #12.  OREGON STATE moved up 6 spots this week to #15, their highest ranking in the CFP era.  OREGON check in at #16, right behind the Beavers and one spot ahead of #17 UCLA.

HELLO AGAIN:  The 2022 Pac-12 Football Championship is sold out and will be a re-match of USC’s lone loss of the season from October 15th in Salt Lake City.  The Utes won 43-42 when QB Cameron Rising scored the game-winning touchdown and 2-point conversion with 48 seconds left in the 4th quarter.

This will be the 8th re-match in the Pac-12 Football Championship Game of a game that happened earlier that season.  In the previous 7 meetings, the team that won the regular season match-up also won the re-match in the championship game.  The lone team to avenge their regular season loss was 2014 Oregon, who lost to Arizona 31-24 in the regular season before beating the Wildcats 51-13 in the re-match.

The Pac-12 Network will have a 90-minute pregame show starting at 3:30pm PT/ 4:30pm MT and a 60-minute postgame show.  Ashley Adamson will host alongside Nick Aliotti, Nigel Burton and Yogi Roth.

FOX will also be doing a special Friday night edition of their pregame from Allegiant Stadium starting at 4:30pm with host Mike Hill alongside USC legends Reggie Bush and Matt Leinart, former Utah and Ohio State head coach Urban Meyer and former Notre Dame QB Brady Quinn.  FOX’s postgame coverage will include a live presentation of the championship trophy and most valuable player award.

END OF AN ERA:  After 12 seasons on The Farm, David Shaw has announced he’s stepping down as Stanford’s head coach.  The only 4-time Pac-12 Coach of the Year in conference history will be leaving as the Cardinal’s all-time winningest head coach.  Shaw won three Pac-12 title, 2 Rose Bowls and was honored as the 2017 Bobby Dodd National Coach of the Year.

DILLY DILLY:  Arizona State found their new head coach, bringing in Oregon offensive coordinator Kenny Dillingham to take over the program.  A former assistant under Todd Graham, Dillingham becomes the first ASU graduate in the modern era to be named the team’s head coach.  Dillingham is a semifinalist for the 2022 Broyles Award, given to the top assistant coach in college football.

HONOR ROLL:  It was a big week for USC QB Caleb Williams after leading his team to a win over Notre Dame to go 11-1 in the regular season.  Williams took home several weekly awards, being named the Water Camp Offensive Player of the Week, Rose Bowl Pac-12 Player of the Week as well as a Manning Award Star of the Week alongside Washington QB Michael Penix, Jr. (who was the Pac-12 Offensive Player of the Week).  The Trojan QB was also named a finalist for the Walter Camp, Davey O’Brien & Maxwell Awards.  Other Pac-12 finalists for national annual awards:

• Jim Thorpe Award:  Clark Phillips III (Utah)
• Bednarik & Bronco Nagurski Awards:  Tuli Tuipulotu (USC)
• Lou Groza Award:  Joshua Karty (Stanford)
• Wuerffel Trophy - Patrick Fields (Stanford)

AROUND THE PAC-12

#11 UTAH (9-3, 7-2) vs. #4 USC (11-1, 7-2)

Fri., Dec. 2 • 5:00 pm PT • FOX

UTAH:  Playing in their 4th Pac-12 Championship Game in the last 5 years.  Looking to become just the 3rd school to win back-to-back Pac-12 Championship Games (Stanford 2012-13 & Oregon 2019-20).  A win would give Utah 10+ wins in consecutive seasons for just the 3rd time in school history (2003-04, 2008-10).    4-2 this season against teams with winning records including 2-2 against teams in the current CFP Top 25.  63 points and 662 total yards last week at Colorado, were both their most in a conference game since joining the Pac-12.  Have scored 30+ points in 9 of 12 games this season and 7 of their 9 wins have come by 20+ points.  QB Cameron Rising  3 pass TD last week at Colorado, had career-high 415 pass yards and 5 total TD (2 pass, 3 rush) in win over USC earlier this season.  TE Dalton Kincaid 102 receiving yards for his 2nd game with 100+ rec yards this season.  Kincaid had 16 receptions for 234 yards (both Pac-12 records for tight ends).  With leading rusher Tavion Thomas out for the rest of the season, former QB turned RB Ja’Quinden Jackson had 117 rush yards on 10 carries with 3 rush TD last week,

USC:  Playing in their 4th Pac-12 Championship Game and 2nd in the last 3 years.  USC won their only Pac-12 Championship Game in 2017, defeating Stanford 31-28 behind MVP Sam Darnold.  5-1 against teams with winning records this season and 4-1 in games decided by 8 points or less.  First 11-1 start since 2008 and Lincoln Riley ties the school record for most wins in a head coaches first season at USC.  +7 win improvement from last year ties the largest turnaround in USC history (1961-62).  436 total yards last week, becoming the first team to gain 400+ yards on Notre Dame this season.  QB Caleb Williams 3 rush TD and 1 pass TD last week, becoming 1st USC QB since at least 1996 to have 3 rush TD in a game.  Williams has 44 total TD this season, tied for most in FBS and is also the most ever by a USC QB.  After losing leading rusher Travis Dye for the season, Austin Jones has had back-to-back games with 100+ rush yards including 154 against Notre Dame last week.  USC defense has 19 interceptions this season, their most since 2012 and the Trojans have an FBS best +23 turnover margin.  DL Tuli Tuipulotu leads FBS with 12.5 sacks this season.

BOWL ELIGIBLE TEAMS

#12 WASHINGTON (10-2, 7-2):  First season with 10+ wins since 2018 and first time with 10+ wins in regular season since 2017.  End regular season with 6-game winning streak.  703 total yards against Washington State, their 3rd most yards in a game in program history.  11-13 on 3rd downs at Washington State, 3rd time this season with 10+ 3rd down conversions in a game.  QB Michael Penix Jr. leads FBS in both passing yards (4,354) and pass YPG (362.8).  WR Rome Odunze 6 games this season with 100+ rec yards and along with WR Jalen McMillan becomes first pair of 1,000 yard receivers in the same season in UW history.

#15 OREGON STATE (9-3, 6-3):  Scored final 21 points last week to overcome 34-17 4th quarter deficit to defeat in-state rival Oregon.  9 wins for the first time since 2012 and a bowl win would give them 10+ for just the 3rd time in program history.  5-3 against teams with winning records this season.  RB Damien Martinez 6 straight games with 100+ rush yards, ties school record (Steven Jackson, 2003).  6-1 this season with Ben Gulbranson as their starting quarterback.  Defensive coordinator Trent Bray received a contract extension this week through 2024.

#16 OREGON (9-3, 6-3):  A win in a bowl game would give them 10+ wins in back-to-back seasons and 3 of the last 4.  3-1 this season against teams that were in the Top 15 at the time of the game.  Last 3 games all decided by 4 points or less.  Scored 34+ points in 10 of their 12 games this season.  QB Bo Nix 14 rush TD, 1 short of Oregon record by a QB in a season (Marcus Mariota, 2014).

#17 UCLA (9-3, 6-3):  Bowl eligible in back-to-back seasons for 1st time since making a bowl in 5 straight seasons from 2011-15.  9+ wins in a season for first time since 2014 and a win in bowl game would match school record with 10 wins.  QB Dorian Thompson-Robinson 10,424 career pass yards, 2nd most in UCLA history (Cade McNown - 10,7078).  RB Zach Charbonnet 1,359 rush yards this season, 7th most in a season in UCLA history.

WASHINGTON STATE (7-5, 4-5):  Bowl eligible for their 7th straight non-COVID season (excludes 2020).  All 5 losses this season are to teams currently ranked in the CFP Top 25.  QB Cameron Ward 3,094 pass yards, gives WSU a 3,000 yard passer 8 times in the last 10 years.  RB Nakia Watson has a rush TD and a receiving TD in the same game 3 times this season.

SEASON COMPLETED

ARIZONA (5-7, 3-6):  Most wins since 2018 (also 5-7) and as many wins as the previous 3 seasons combined.  Scored 31+ points in a game 8 times this season, did it 6 times from 2019-21 combined.  QB Jayden de Laura 3,685 pass yards this season, 3rd most in Arizona history. Dorian Singer (1,105) and Jacob Cowing (1,034) become first pair of Arizona WR to each have 1,000 receiving yards in same season.  WR Tetairoa McMillan leads all FBS true freshmen this season with 702 receiving yards and 8 rec TD.

CALIFORNIA (4-8, 2-7):  4-3 at home this season.  27+ points in each of the final 2 games, had 27+ points only 3 times in first 10 games.  RB Jaydn Ott 897 rush yards this season, 5th most among FBS true freshmen.  Redshirt freshman WR J Michael Sturdivant leads all FBS freshman this season with 65 receptions and 755 receiving yards.  QB Jack Plummer 3,095 pass yards this season, the 6th most in Cal history and most since Davis Webb in 2016.

ARIZONA STATE (3-9, 2-7):  6 games this season against ranked opponents, tied for 2nd most in FBS.  Finish with 9 losses for the first time in school history.  RB X Valladay leads Pac-12 with 16 rush TD, the same amount he had the previous 3 seasons combined.  Valladay 3rd career season with 1,000+ rush yards and finishes with 4,473 career yards.  TE Jalin Conyers over the final 5 games had 30 receptions for 346 yards and 5 touchdowns.

STANFORD (3-9, 1-8):  4th straight season without a bowl berth following 10 straight bowl appearances (2009-18).  Lou Groza finalist K Joshua Karty 18-18 FG, 1 of only 4 FBS kickers since 1996 to make every FG with at least 18 attempts.  QB Tanner McKee career-high 2,947 pass yards, the 9th most in Stanford single-season history.

COLORADO (1-11, 1-8):  First season with 11 losses since 2012.  Used 4 different starting quarterbacks, most in program history.  Freshman WR Jordan Tyson had back-to-back games with 100+ receiving yards before suffering a season-ending injury.

PAC-12 ALUMNI SPOTLIGHT

LA STYLE: Chargers QB Justin Herbert (OREGON) threw for 270 yards and 3 scores in a win over the Cardinals.  Not even through his 3rd NFL season, Herbert has 88 career TD passes and 12,354.  In NFL history, only 1 player has more TD passes through 3 full seasons (Dan Marino, 98) and only 1 player has more passing yards through 3 seasons (Andrew Luck (12,957).

One of Herbert’s 3 TD passes was to WR Keenan Allen (CALIFORNIA).  It was the 1st TD of the season for Allen, who has been limited to just 4 games this season due to injury.

NO TURKEYS: There was a lot to be thankful for on Thanksgiving Day for a pair of former Pac-12 stars.  In the first game of the day, Lions WR Amon-Ra St. Brown had 9 receptions for 122 yards a score (1 of 2 TD on the day for former Cal QB Jared Goff) but the Lions lost to Buffalo.  It was the 3rd 100-yard game of the season for St. Brown and 2nd in the last 3 weeks.

In the 2nd game of the day, Cowboys TE Dalton Schultz (STANFORD) had 2 TD catches in a win over the Giants.  It was the 3rd multi-TD game of his career (all against NFC East rivals) and has 3 TD in the last 3 games.

FIN-TASTIC:  A pair of Pac-12 alums helped the Dolphins defense shut down the Texans.  Safety Verone McKinley III (OREGON) had his first career interception in his rookie season while fellow safety Eric Rowe (UTAH) forced a fumble that was returned by teammate Xavien Howard for a TD.

DEVIL GETTING HIS DUE:  Buccaneers RB Rachaad White (ARIZONA STATE) had a career-high 9 catches for 45 yards while adding another 64 yards on the ground in a loss to the Browns.  It was the 2nd straight game that White had topped 100 total yards in a game.

SAM I AM:  Panthers QB Sam Darnold (USC) got the win in his first start of the season.  Darnold had a pass TD and a rush TD in the 23-10 win over the Broncos.

FULL NELSON:  Patriots WR Nelson Agholor (USC) had 6 catches for 65 yards and a score in a loss to the Vikings.  It was the first TD for Agholor since Week 2.  He had has many catches in this game as he did his previous 5 games combined.