Ranking the Best Pac-12 Football Matchups of Week 3
The Pac-12 Conference has had an up-and-down start to the 2016 season, suffering a handful of high-profile losses in the opening week but making up for it with some quality wins in Week 2. The league has another chance to make a splash on the national scene in Week 3 with a few more major nonconference clashes, while last year's Pac-12 title game participants open conference play in prime time.
The 11 games involving Pac-12 teams on Friday and Saturday all have their merits, and we've ranked them in order of how big the matchup is and how likely you'd be to watch.
11. Idaho State at Oregon State
1 of 11
When: Saturday, Sept. 17; 5 p.m. ET
Oregon State (0-1) has the nation's longest active losing streak at 10 games, but before having a bye last week, it showed spunk in a 30-23 loss at Minnesota. The key for the Beavers is being able to carry that over into their season opener.
Idaho State (1-1) lost 56-7 last week at Colorado and has been outscored 118-15 by FBS schools the last two seasons—just the kind of opponent OSU can break through against. Darell Garretson threw for 228 yards and three touchdowns at Minnesota, more passing TDs for the Beavers than in any game in 2015 and the second-most yards under coach Gary Andersen.
10. Idaho at Washington State
2 of 11
When: Saturday, Sept. 17; 2 p.m. ET
It's been a rough start to 2016 for Washington State, which is 0-2 for the second time in three seasons after losing at home to Eastern Washington and then falling 31-28 at Boise State on Saturday. Coach Mike Leach isn't happy with how his team is playing, something he hasn't been shy in sharing with the media.
During a rant earlier this week, Leach said his team has “receivers running routes that don't even resemble anything we teach” and “we don't like to run and hit, and this is a game for running and hitting.”
This should be a get-healthy game for WSU, as Idaho (1-1) just lost by 45 at Washington and has lost 31 consecutive games against Power Five conference teams. These schools are separated by just nine miles along the Idaho-Washington border, with the Cougars winning the last eight meetings.
9. Portland State at No. 8 Washington
3 of 11
When: Saturday, Sept. 17; 8 p.m. ET
Washington received some immense hype this offseason, earning its highest preseason Associated Press ranking since 2002. And so far the Huskies (2-0) have lived up to expectations, via lopsided wins over Rutgers (48-13) and Idaho (59-14).
A third blowout win could be on tap against Portland State, an FCS school that gave up 66 points at San Jose State a week ago. The Vikings won at Washington State and North Texas last season, though, so anything is possible.
Washington's schedule to this point ranks as the 156th-toughest in Division I football, according to USA Today's Jeff Sagarin. There are only 128 FBS teams, meaning the Huskies' slate so far has been easier than many FCS schools, but things will start to get harder next week when Pac-12 play opens with a trip to Arizona.
.jpg?w=256 "Ohio State Team Doctor")
8. Hawaii at Arizona
4 of 11
When: Saturday, Sept. 17; 10:45 p.m. ET
One team is set to play in its fourth locale on two continents, while the other has yet to leave its home state. And their first meeting since 1998 will also allow for recognition of a milestone in American history.
At halftime, Arizona is set to recognize the 75th anniversary of the Pearl Harbor attack in Hawaii, during which the USS Arizona was sunk.
The game itself will serve as the final nonconference tuneup for Arizona (1-1), which lost to BYU in Glendale and then rallied from an 18-point halftime deficit to beat Grambling State last week. Hawaii (1-2) is already on its fourth game, having lost to California in Australia and at Michigan before beating Tennessee-Martin in Honolulu last Saturday.
7. Arizona State at UTSA
5 of 11
When: Friday, Sept. 16; 9:30 p.m. ET
The Pac-12's Week 3 slate begins with Arizona State heading to the Alamo Dome to take on a UTSA team that's in its sixth season of football and still searching for its first signature victory. The Roadrunners (1-1) are winless in seven tries against power-conference teams, including three losses to Arizona.
Arizona State (2-0) is coming off a tremendous offensive display in its 68-55 home win over Texas Tech, particularly from running back Kalen Ballage. The junior tied an NCAA record with eight touchdowns, seven on runs and one on a reception, and had 207 all-purpose yards as the Sun Devils racked up 652 yards.
They also allowed 612, though, including 540 passing yards.
This is ASU's first trip to Texas since losing 38-17 to Texas A&M in Houston last September. The Sun Devils have lost five of their last six road games.
6. Utah at San Jose State
6 of 11
When: Saturday, Sept. 17; 10:30 p.m. ET
Utah has leaned heavily on its defense to jump out to a 2-0 start, shutting out Southern Utah in its opener and then holding off rival BYU 20-19 thanks to six forced turnovers and a stuffed two-point conversion in the final minute. But that unit is a significant man down after the school announced senior defensive end Kyle Fitts is out for the rest of the season with a hip injury.
Fitts had 1.5 sacks and three tackles for a loss in Utah's first two games. He's one of two players the Utes will be without for its first road game, as senior running back Joe Williams has retired from football.
San Jose State (1-1) has been part of two blowouts this season, losing by 35 at Tulsa and winning by 31 against Portland State. The Spartans have allowed 507 rushing yards and six touchdowns in two games.
5. Colorado at No. 4 Michigan
7 of 11When: Saturday, Sept. 17; 3:30 p.m. ET
Colorado has made three trips to Ann Arbor in its history, two that resulted in forgettable blowout losses and one that's among the most memorable games in Buffaloes history. That would be the 1994 meeting, which ended with Kordell Stewart's Hail Mary touchdown pass to Michael Westbrook to give the Buffs a 27-26 win.
In hopes of reliving that historic moment, Colorado (2-0) is wearing the exact uniform combo from 22 years ago. The Buffs can use all the help they can get against a Michigan team that has demolished its first two opponents 114-17 and allowed only 563 yards.
We can only hope the game itself is as entertaining as the lead-up, which has also included Colorado creating a fake depth chart inspired by Michigan's practice of not releasing one.
4. UCLA at BYU
8 of 11
When: Saturday, Sept. 17; 10:15 p.m. ET
This summer, conference media picked UCLA to win the Pac-12 South Division, a goal the Bruins could have a strong chance of achieving thanks to the game tape they'll watch of BYU. UCLA marks the third consecutive Pac-12 South opponent the independent Cougars (1-1) have faced, beating Arizona by two and losing to Utah by one.
The Bruins (1-1) are playing on the road for the second time this season, losing in overtime at Texas A&M in Week 1 before beating UNLV at home last Saturday.
Last year's game with BYU went down to the wire, with UCLA pulling out a 24-23 home win thanks to Nate Starks' three-yard touchdown run with 3:25 left. Josh Rosen threw three interceptions in that game, as he did two weeks ago at A&M.
3. No. 22 Oregon at Nebraska
9 of 11
When: Saturday, Sept. 17; 3:30 p.m. ET
Oregon has been among the best teams in the Pac-12 for quite some time, a fact Nebraska coach Mike Riley is all too familiar with. While coaching Oregon State in 1997-98 and from 2003-14, he was 4-9 against the Ducks including losses in his final six meetings.
But Riley now has an advantage he previously didn't possess while at OSU: a massive crowd that provides a strong home-field advantage. Nebraska (2-0) has sold out every game in 86,000-seat Memorial Stadium since November 1962.
This is Oregon's second trip to Big Ten country in as many seasons, losing 31-28 at Michigan State last September. It will also be the first true test for the Ducks (2-0) following runaway victories over UC-Davis and Virginia.
2. No. 11 Texas at California
10 of 11
When: Saturday, Sept. 17; 10:30 p.m. ET
The Pac-12 is 2-0 against the Big 12 Conference this season, with Stanford knocking off Kansas State in Week 1 and Arizona State outlasting Texas Tech last Saturday. The third and final matchup between the leagues might be the biggest, though, considering the attention given to Texas and its offensive resurgence.
The Longhorns (2-0) beat Notre Dame 50-47 in double overtime and then crushed UTEP 41-7, the 91 points the most they've scored in consecutive games since 2012. Increased tempo has been key to this rise, with Texas averaging 80.5 plays per game compared to just over 65 last season.
California (1-1) knows something about tempo, too. The Golden Bears rank third in FBS in plays per game, at 91.5, with most of its damage coming through the air via Davis Webb. The former Texas Tech quarterback has thrown for 963 yards and nine touchdowns, and this will be his first chance to play against the Longhorns despite being in the same league with them from 2013-15.
The Bears won 45-44 last season at Texas thanks to a missed extra point in the final moments. Another close and high-scoring game seems likely.
1. USC at No. 7 Stanford
11 of 11
When: Saturday, Sept. 17; 8 p.m. ET
A rematch of 2015's Pac-12 title game is also the first conference clash of 2016, and since they meet each season, this will be their third meeting in less than a calendar year. But while the teams are familiar with each other, there's still a lot of newness to the game due to different quarterbacks—both juniors and longtime backups—from their last encounter.
Max Browne has thrown for 283 yards and two touchdowns in his two starts for USC, doing much better last week in the win over Utah State than in the opening loss to Alabama. Stanford's Ryan Burns was 14-of-18 for 156 yards and a score in the Cardinal's lone game, a win over Kansas State.
Stanford swept the Trojans last season, winning 41-22 in December in Santa Clara, California, and 41-31 at USC in September. USC won the last time they played at Stanford, 13-10, in September 2014.
This is the start of a critical early Pac-12 stretch for each team. Stanford goes to UCLA and Washington after this, while USC's beginning a two-game road trip with the second on a Friday at Utah.
All recruiting information courtesy of 247Sports, unless otherwise noted. All statistics provided by CFBStats, unless otherwise noted.
Follow Brian J. Pedersen on Twitter at @realBJP.
.jpg?w=480 "Ohio State Team Doctor")
