Pac-12 Football: Possible Trap Games for Each Ranked Team
Is there such thing as a trap game anymore in the Pac-12? Outside of Colorado, every team can win on any given Saturday against any opponent. We've seen Washington State topple Utah, Arizona win at Oregon, Arizona State win at USC and then those same Trojans win in Tucson.
But even amidst all the craziness, a pecking order has been established with the help of the latest AP Poll. You might be able to argue for Washington to be included—with the Huskies at 5-1 with just a close home loss to Stanford—but the rest of the rankings seem fair.
The Ducks appear to be back on track after a thorough beatdown of UCLA in Pasadena, and the Cardinal once again boast an elite defense that should keep the team in every game they play. Teams like USC, Utah and Arizona State, while sometimes inconsistent, are also very dangerous.
Let's take a look at possible trap games for every ranked Pac-12 team.
All stats via cfbstats.com.
AP rankings in parentheses.
Stanford Cardinal (23)
1 of 6
Biggest remaining trap game: Saturday, Oct. 25th vs Oregon State
Trap games often occur when a team is distracted for one reason or another. The key to an undefeated or one-loss season is to stay focused even during the weeks with a so-called "weak" opponent to look forward to.
Oregon State has just one loss, although no objective viewing of the Beavers' play thus far can leave one considering Mike Riley's team to be a serious threat in any way. However, the defense plays tough, and with Sean Mannion at quarterback, anything is possible on offense.
The Beavers are the biggest potential trap game left on Stanford's schedule because the game takes place between what should be a difficult road contest at Arizona State and a visit to Autzen Stadium to take on the Ducks. Needless to say, the Beavers are the odd one out in the three-game stretch, and no one would be shocked to see the Cardinal sleepwalk through the contest a bit.
If that happens, Mannion and company could jump out to an early lead and force Stanford into a battle it hopes to end rather early. And as zany as college football is, close games that stay that way late into the fourth quarter are completely unpredictable. A loss to Oregon State would be devastating for David Shaw's team, but it could happen if the Cardinal get caught looking ahead.
USC Trojans (22)
2 of 6
Biggest remaining trap game: Saturday, Nov. 1st at Washington State
Every time it seems like USC is figuring things out, the Trojans make a boneheaded play or two, manage to lose a game and everyone moves their game piece back to the beginning of the map.
After beating Stanford, USC flexed its muscles by getting trampled on the road at Boston College. After a dominant performance against Oregon State in which Sean Mannion had perhaps his worst game in recent memory, a Hail Mary pass went undisturbed into the hands of wide receiver Jaelen Strong in a last-second loss to Arizona State.
Currently, we're on a positive note of the cycle, as Coach Sarkisian and company are riding high following a win at Arizona, handing the Wildcats their first loss of 2014. Remaining games against Utah, UCLA and Notre Dame will obviously be tough, while Colorado and California shouldn't give the Trojans much to think about.
Ah, but in the middle of it all is a tricky trip to Pullman, where the Cougars have been scary to say the least. If USC arrives out of sync and unprepared for Connor Halliday and Mike Leach's deadly passing attack, it could leave the Palouse with another loss in tow.
Utah Utes (20)
3 of 6
Biggest remaining trap game: Saturday, Nov. 29th at Colorado
The opening slide mentioned Colorado as a team that no upper-tier Pac-12 team should really have to worry about, but that notion doesn't apply to Utah.
Let's not forget the year 2011, when the Utes headed into the final weekend of the regular season with only a home game against the measly Buffaloes standing in the way between them and a trip to Eugene for the conference title game. Never mind the fact that Utah would have stood zero chance of winning at Autzen, because Kyle Whittingham's team lost 17-14 to Colorado, giving UCLA the division crown instead.
Thursday's matchup with Oregon State is potentially tricky, but the Utes then take on a murderer's row of USC, Arizona State, Oregon, Stanford and Arizona. None of those teams will be able to sneak up quietly, but should Utah escape the rough stretch with a decent record intact, it will leave Colorado standing in the way of the finish line.
Not only will the Utes be physically beat up after such a grueling stretch of games, the Buffaloes seemingly provide easier competition to round out the schedule. But if they're treated that way, they could help everyone remember the 2011 matchup by knocking off the Utes once more.
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Arizona State Sun Devils (17)
4 of 6
Biggest remaining trap game: Saturday, Nov. 22nd vs. Washington State
If there's one aspect of Arizona State's team we still have major questions about, it's the defense. If there's only one thing we are sure about with Washington State, it's that the Cougars can throw the ball at will against almost any team not named Stanford.
That little bit of knowledge could spell doom for the Sun Devils when they play host to Washington State in late November, just six days before facing rival Arizona on the road in Tucson. The defense gave up well over 500 yards to Colorado before allowing 62 points and 34 points to UCLA and USC, respectively.
The tackling has been dreadful and the defense is notching just two sacks per game, which won't be good enough to knock Connor Halliday out of his usual rhythm.
All of which isn't to say Washington State will be a favorite, but the Cougars are much better than their record might indicate and will put up a fight against anyone. If Arizona State isn't ready for a shootout, it may take on a late-season loss.
Arizona (16)
5 of 6
Biggest remaining trap game: Saturday, Oct. 25th at Washington State
It's no coincidence that this is now the third time Washington State has appeared as a potential trap game for the Pac-12's ranked programs. The Cougars have a deadly passing attack that can destroy anyone when it clicks, meaning they'll always have the ability to pull an upset like they already did at Utah.
Arizona should come back down to earth a bit after getting beat by USC, and perhaps that's a good thing. A loss can sometimes help a team refocus—as we saw with Oregon on Saturday—and the Wildcats are still in great position to make a run in the South.
The game against the Cougars will take place after this week's bye, so you'll be looking at a healthy team hungry to get a bad taste out of its mouth. Still, going to Pullman is never fun for opposing football teams, and bye weeks don't necessarily offer up an advantage, as we also saw with Oregon when it lost to the Wildcats after having the previous weekend off.
Arizona should have little trouble putting up points on Leach and company, but the Cougars will stay in it until the end.
Oregon Ducks (9)
6 of 6
Biggest remaining trap game: Saturday, Nov. 8th at Utah
Two of the unranked teams remaining on Oregon's schedule—Washington and Oregon State—are rivalry games and thus have little possibility of catching the Ducks by surprise (which is not to say they'll definitely win, either). Matchups with Colorado and California don't seem particularly dangerous.
That leaves just Stanford and Utah, and after the past two seasons, Oregon may just want to beat the Cardinal more than it wants a shot at a national title. Yes, that was an exaggeration, but the Ducks will be locked in for the matchup with Stanford.
So we're left with a road trip to Utah as the biggest remaining trap game on the schedule, despite the Utes also holding a spot in the Top 25. The contest comes just a week after the Ducks play Stanford, so they might not be physically ready for another slugfest.
It also takes place at Utah, where the crowd will be rocking and willing their team to pull another major upset. Oregon seems refocused, so it's hard to see another loss coming due to a lack of effort. But the game at Utah is probably the trickiest bump left in the road.
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