Pac-12 Football: Ranking the 10 Most Exciting Games so Far in 2014
The Pac-12 conference no longer has to worry about east coast folks missing out on the late-night contests; they've simply been too competitive to ignore, even if it means an extra cup of dark roast the next morning.
In a year as wild as any in recent memory, the Pac-12 has been involved in a number of games that you have to see to believe. From multiple Hail Marys to an NCAA passing record and last-second (missed) field goals, the thrill factor is at an all-time high.
We're taking a look at the 10 most exciting conference games thus far, though with only 18 head-to-head matchups in the books, we're giving a special nod to a pair of out-of-conference tilts involving Pac-12 teams.
Remember, a close game is not necessarily an exciting one. To put it simply, which games would you pay to have erased from your memory so you could sit down and watch them again?
All stats via cfbstats.com.
Games that just missed the cut: USC-Stanford, Notre Dame-Stanford, Rutgers-Washington State, WSU-Utah.
10) UCLA vs. Texas
1 of 10
In what will ultimately go down as "the Jerry Neuheisel game" in UCLA football lore, the Bruins bested the Texas Longhorns 20-17 in a thrilling, albeit low-scoring, affair.
Star quarterback Brett Hundley left the game early on after injuring his elbow, and the already sloppy UCLA offense figured to be toast at the hands of a strong Longhorns defense.
A 10-3 halftime lead for Charlie Strong's team put the Bruins' undefeated record in serious jeopardy, but backup quarterback Jerry Neuheisel (son of former coach/player Rick) threw a touchdown pass in the third quarter to even up the score.
After Ka'imi Fairbairn kicked a field goal to give the Bruins the lead, Texas answered with a touchdown, and it was up to Neuheisel to help his team escape Texas with a win.
His answer? A beautiful 33-yard touchdown pass to Jordan Payton up the left sideline. It was a marvelous throw that capped off a 178-yard, two-touchdown performance, and it made for one proud papa.
9) Oregon vs. Michigan State
2 of 10
Billed as the best nonconference matchup of the 2014 season, Oregon vs. Michigan State lived up to the hype by delivering a heavyweight fight lasting nearly all 12 rounds. The Ducks, you see, landed a knockout blow before the final bell, winning 46-27 and making this the ninth-most exciting Pac-12 game.
After jumping out to an 18-7 lead, the Ducks then held on tight as the Spartans found a rhythm on both sides of the ball. Quarterback Connor Cook was magnificent and receiver Tony Lippett was free to roam about the secondary whenever he pleased. It meant a 24-18 halftime advantage with plenty of momentum to boot.
But after allowing a field goal, the Ducks, led by Marcus Mariota, flipped the switch and scored 28 unanswered points with a combination of a steady run game and big passing plays. The star signal-caller finished with over 300 yards passing and three scores, and Oregon asserted itself as one of the best teams in the country.
8) Oregon vs. Washington State
3 of 10
One unfortunate aspect of many exciting Pac-12 games is abhorrent officiating, and the Oregon-Washington State matchup was unable to escape a rash of bad calls. Of note was ignoring a blatant pass interference on Oregon cornerback Dior Mathis that would have set Washington State up with a first down inside the 20 and a chance to tie the game late in the fourth quarter.
But despite numerous questionable calls, the battle was as exciting as they come with both teams trading blows until the Ducks found themselves up 38-31 with several minutes to go. After a sack on a fourth down, the offense took over, drove down the field and used up the remainder of the clock.
It was the first real sign of weakness by Oregon, but Washington State has played everyone close this season, with the possible exception of Stanford (which depends on your definition of "close"). The most exciting part of the game was the magnificent quarterback play. Mariota and Connor Halliday completed a combined 64 of 88 passes for 765 yards and nine touchdowns without an interception.
7) Utah vs. UCLA
4 of 10
Up until the Utah game, the UCLA Bruins were perhaps college football's most puzzling team. Close victories over Virginia, Memphis and Texas led many to believe Hundley and Co. were a bit overrated, but a subsequent thrashing of Arizona State quickly squashed that notion.
Against the Utes, it all came crashing down. Utah came out swinging and built a 14-0 lead behind a pick-six and a touchdown pass from Kendal Thompson to Dres Anderson. The Bruins cut it to a 10-point deficit at halftime, and it stayed there throughout the third quarter as the teams traded scores. Then, things really got crazy.
Hundley completed a 93-yard pass to Payton to bring the Bruins to within three, and Utah tacked on another field goal to go ahead by six.
Another long touchdown pass by Hundley put his team ahead late in the fourth quarter for the first time in the game, but Utah would again answer by kicking a field goal with less than a minute on the clock. UCLA quickly drove down the field but missed a potential game-winning field goal as time expired, and the Utes left Los Angeles with a heart-stopping 30-28 victory in tow.
6) California vs. Colorado
5 of 10
You know the football is more exciting than ever when a 59-56 contest only reaches No. 6 on a list of exciting games. That was the final score when California topped Colorado in a double-overtime thriller back on Sept. 27.
After jumping out to a 28-14 halftime lead, Colorado managed "only" 21 points in the second half while quarterback Jared Goff and Cal went nuts, scoring 35 in the final two quarters. The first overtime went much like the fourth quarter with both teams scoring quickly, but it was Cal that came up with the first stop in the second extra session before kicking a game-winning field goal.
If you like quarterbacks at the top of their games, this was a perfect show for you. Both Goff and Sefo Liufau tossed seven touchdowns with one interception. Even crazier was the day had by Buffaloes wide receiver Nelson Spruce, who had a whopping 19 grabs for 179 yards and three scores.
5) USC vs. Arizona
6 of 10
The Pac-12 in 2014 is defined by its unpredictability, as was the case with USC's 28-26 victory Saturday over Arizona. The Wildcats, undefeated and fresh off a victory at Oregon, were supposed to light up the scoreboard and solidify their Top 10 ranking. The Trojans appeared to be in trouble after a heartbreaking home loss to Arizona State (more on that later).
Naturally, it was USC jumping out to a 14-6 halftime lead, tearing apart pregame predictions and then stomping on them by going up 21-6 in the third quarter. Of note was the performance by running back Javorius Allen, who had 205 yards and three touchdowns, perhaps causing the nation to finally take notice of his skills.
But the Wildcats battled back, and after cutting the lead to 28-26 with just over a minute left, it was up to recovering an onside kick to keep hopes alive. Austin Hill did exactly that, and quarterback Anu Solomon quickly put the offense within field-goal range. Unfortunately, kicker Casey Skowron missed a 36-yarder as time expired, putting an end to yet another late-night thriller.
4) Arizona vs. Oregon
7 of 10
Despite the Wildcats showing up and performing well in the first half, the excitement factor was missing during the first two quarters of this one as Oregon took a 7-3 lead into the break.
The third quarter belonged to quarterback Solomon and the Wildcats offense as it put up 21 points to the Ducks' seven, leaving the No. 2 team down by 10 in its own house heading into the final 15 minutes. But Mariota and Co. battled back to tie things up with just over eight minutes to go.
The defense then appeared to have Arizona stopped, but a celebration penalty on Tony Washington set the offense up inside the 10, and it capitalized with a one-yard scoring run by Terris Jones-Grigsby. A subsequent sack-fumble takedown of Mariota by linebacker Scooby Wright ended the contest, and the Wildcats danced out of Autzen Stadium with one of the biggest upsets of the 2014 season.
3) California vs. Washington State
8 of 10
A record-breaking performance, 119 combined points, more offense than you ever thought possible and still, just No. 3 on our list. You'll find out why on the next two slides, but don't let that take away from Cal's incredible 60-59 win over Washington State in Pullman.
Surprisingly, the Cougars took a 24-13 lead into halftime before both teams scored 28 points in the third quarter. Two more touchdown passes by Goff gave the Bears a 54-52 lead with over eight minutes left. Running back Gerard Wicks put Wazzu back on top with just over four minutes left, and Goff answered the bell once more with a 51-yard touchdown pass.
Of course, the Cougars had no trouble driving down the field in the final three minutes, but the trouble was getting the ball into the end zone. Coach Mike Leach settled for a 19-yard field-goal attempt to win the game, which Quentin Breshears promptly missed.
The NCAA record? It was Halliday's 734 passing yards. Goff had "only" 534 yards, and the two combined for 11 touchdown passes without a pick.
2) Arizona State vs. USC
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These final two games are almost impossible to separate partly because they ended in eerily similar fashion, via the most exciting play in football: the Hail Mary.
But aside from the game's final play, Arizona State and USC had everything you could want in a thrilling college football matchup going down to the wire. The two teams traded punches for the first three quarters and the result was a 20-18 Trojans' lead.
After Allen scampered 53 yards to the house with just over three minutes left to give USC a nine-point edge, it appeared over.
But a quick, 73-yard strike by Sun Devils quarterback Mike Bercovici to Cameron Smith gave the defense time to get another stop and get the ball back with just seconds left on the clock. Bercovici drove the offense to midfield before heaving up a prayer on the final play.
Instead of attacking the pass, the Trojans secondary sat waiting for it, and wide receiver Jaelen Strong leaped into the air and grabbed it in front of stunned defenders. It capped off one of the most exciting games of the year.
1) Arizona vs. Cal
10 of 10
How do you top a Hail Mary? With another Hail Mary, of course! Only this time, it's preceded by a miraculous comeback from a team trying to fend off an opponent that won just one game in 2013.
Arizona and Cal squared off in September in each team's first conference game of the season, and the Bears were cruising at the end of the third quarter, taking a 31-13 lead into the fourth and looking to finally earn a conference victory after nearly two years. To give you an idea of just how crazy the final 15 minutes were, note that Cal had an 18-point lead and then scored two more touchdowns. So game over, right?
The only problem for the Bears was that Arizona scored a mind-boggling 36 points, although only 29 of them came with time remaining on the clock. The final score was a desperation heave from the 47-yard line by Solomon which somehow landed in the waiting arms of wide receiver Austin Hill, and the party was on. The 49-45 thriller will go down as one of the best Pac-12 games in recent memory.
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