Around the Pac-12: Week 11 Football Schedule

The race to the Pac-12 championship has been reduced to six team with three weeks left in the regular season. Washington and Washington State are on course to make the Apple Cup a play-in game for the North Division. Stanford is hanging around, but will need to win out in the final two games and have Washington winning the Apple Cup to secure the North.

USC is riding high in the South and can clinch the Division with a win on Saturday at Colorado. If the Trojans can’t close out and drop the last two games of the season, the Territorial Cup between Arizona and Arizona State will decided who advances from the South to Santa Clara.

Here’s a look at the action in the Pac-12 for week 11 with Oregon and California on a bye week.

No. 9 WASHINGTON HUSKIES (8-1, 5-1 Pac-12) vs. STANFORD CARDINAL (6-3, 5-2 Pac-12)

Friday, Nov. 10 | 8:30 pm MT | TV: FOX Sports 1

Washington can move up in the College Football Playoff rankings with a win due to two guaranteed losses from teams above them with No. 3 Notre Dame taking on No. 7 Miami and No. 6 TCU heading to No. 5 Oklahoma. A loss for the Fighting Irish would be the best outcome for the Pac-12 to potentially have a team in the top four at the end of the season. Stanford needs help and wins, but aren’t mathematically out of the hunt. Bryce Love will face a good challenge against the Huskies No. 1 ranked defense. The Cardinal running back averages 182 yards per contest and is arguably the front-runner for the Heisman Trophy (ed note: Baker says hi).

No. 11 USC TROJANS (8-2, 6-1 Pac-12) vs. COLORADO BUFFALOES (5-5, 2-5 Pac-12)

Saturday, Nov. 11 | 2:00 pm MT | TV: FOX

Colorado can accomplish some firsts with Southern Cal coming to Folsom Field for Senior Day. The Buffaloes could be the ones in the wooden horse, setting a trap for the Trojans. CU has yet to defeat USC in a streak spanning over the past 90 years and it has been a decade since the last upset of a top 25 opponent. A win could break both streaks and make Colorado bowl eligible for a second straight season. USC will go as far as their 99th ranked defense will carry them, as they’re currently allowing opponents 26.7 points per game.

No. 19 WASHINGTON STATE COUGARS (8-2, 5-2 Pac-12) vs. UTAH UTES (5-4, 2-4 Pac-12)

Saturday, Nov. 11 | 3:30 pm MT | TV: PAC12N

“Staying alive” will be the Cougars motto going forward as they head into a key matchup in Salt Lake City. The Utes have seen better days this season, but remain a threat to pull off an upset. The key to this game will be how consistent Utah is on defense against the prolific Washington State passing attack. Luke Falk set the Pac-12 all-time passing mark last week and is currently seventh in the nation with 2,913 yards and 26 touchdowns. If the Cougars can continue to take care of business, the rest of the season could be very interesting.

ARIZONA STATE SUN DEVILS (5-4, 4-2 Pac-12) vs. UCLA BRUINS (4-5, 2-4 Pac-12)

Saturday, Nov. 11 | 7:30 pm MT | TV: Pac12N

Both the Sun Devils and Bruins are likely entering a bowl eligibility elimination game on Saturday. A season filled with highs and lows for Arizona State could end better than many people are predicted in Tempe. Manny Wilkins continues to impress during his sophomore season by showing he’s able to take care of the ball. He’s tallied seven games without throwing an interception, reducing the number of picks from nine to three compared to last season. Wilkins will once again be facing a top 25 passing defense. The Bruins have allowed 16 touchdowns to opposing quarterbacks for a completion rate of 56 percent. Win or lose, Jim Mora’s search for a new job could be coming early.

OREGON STATE BEAVERS (1-8, 0-6 Pac-12) vs. ARIZONA WILDCATS (6-3, 4-2 Pac-12)

Saturday, Nov. 11 | 8:00 pm MT | TV: ESPN2

History means very little in this year’s game between the Beavers and Wildcats. Oregon State has dominated six of the last seven meetings in Tucson and 13 of the last 16 meetings overall, but don’t expect the Arizona to fall apart just yet. It’s hard not to recognize what Wildcats QB Khalil Tate has done lately. Over the last five games, Tate has accumulated 1,890 yards of total offense. In that span, he’s rushed for 1,001 yards/9 TDs and completed 55-of-90 passing for 889 yards/8 TDs. He’s also posted a run of at least 50 yards in five consecutive games. At this point it’s possible for the dual-threat runner to pick up some fringe consideration for player of the year awards.