BCS Rankings Week 12: Biggest Busts in the Pac-12

As with any sport, college football is filled with both teams that under-perform and teams that shock the nation with just how good they are.

The 2011 college football season is no exception to that rule, especially within the Pac-12.

Teams like Washington have come out from the cellar of the Pac-12 and look as though they will be legitimate contenders for years to come.

Other teams like the Arizona Wildcats have fallen from grace.

Though there are many positives to take from teams in the Pac-12, this list is dedicated to those teams that are the biggest busts.

Arizona State Sun Devils

This was supposed to be the year the Sun Devils resurrected themselves from the depths of the Pac-12 en route to an appearance in the first ever Pac-12 championship game.

Placed in the Pac-12 South with Arizona, USC, Colorado, Utah and UCLA, the Sun Devils were supposed to blow out their division and slide easily into a Pac-12 championship appearance.

For awhile, it looked as though the Sun Devils were legitimate contenders for the Rose Bowl.

And then came the Ducks.

After losing to the Ducks 41-27, the Sun Devils have gone a collective 1-2, losing to both Washington State and UCLA—two of the worst teams in the conference.

With a date against an impressive Cal team left on their schedule, the Sun Devils may quite possibly drop another conference game and slide to 5-4 in conference and 7-5 overall.

So much for a Pac-12 championship, Dennis.

Washington Huskies

I know this may seem like a strange pick due to the fact many see the Huskies on the path to Pac-12 prominence, but considering all the hype of late, they are still quite disappointing.

Sure, they've beat teams like Eastern Washington, Hawaii, Utah, Colorado, Arizona and Cal.

But none of those are really quality wins. With the exception of Cal, they are teams people expect to beat. And the Huskies almost dropped their game to Eastern Washington, a game where they looked absolutely embarrassing.

Sarkisian may have the Huskies on the right path eventually, but they are still not a fun team to watch. Chris Polk is an exciting player, but the Huskies just can't beat any good teams.

Though they have lost games to pretty good teams, none of those have been close at all. Their opponents in these games dominated all aspects and embarrassed the Huskies.

Which is why they still aren't ready for the big stage again.

If the Huskies want to stop disappointing themselves and the Pac-12 conference, they need to find a way to win at least two quality games during a season.

Right now, they just can't do that.

Colorado Buffaloes

I know the Buffaloes were expected to struggle in their first season in the Pac-12, but watching them actually play is just sad.

A win against Arizona isn't anything to be proud of at all, as the Wildcats are perhaps even harder to watch play than the Buffaloes. 

Oregon State Beavers

Losing top running back Jacquizz Rodgers to the NFL spelled a difficult year for the Beavers, but even the rest of the Pac-12 thought they wouldn't play as poorly as they have this year.

Especially with returning QB Ryan Katz and the services of WR James Rodgers.

And then they played Sacramento State.

In perhaps one of the toughest Oregon State games to watch in the history of the program, the Beavers lost 29-28 in overtime and have not shown any signs of life since.

QB Ryan Katz has been replaced by freshman Sean Mannion, who has led the Beavers to victories over just two teams this year.

And by no means are those teams impressive—Arizona and Washington State.

Though the Beavers are an extremely young team and will definitely be better in the future, they are most likely headed towards a 2-10 season, something no BCS school wishes to accomplish.

Arizona Wildcats

Without a doubt, the Arizona Wildcats started off the 2011 college football season with one of the toughest schedules in the nation.

Arizona stayed positive, however, as they knew they were returning outstanding QB Nick Foles as well as his favorite target, WR Juron Criner.

After a win against Northern Arizona (nothing to be proud about), Arizona lost to Oklahoma State 37-14 and Stanford 37-10.

Losses to Oregon (56-31), USC (48-41) and Oregon State (37-27) followed.

Arizona's season was lost.

They even went so far as to fire hot-tempered Mike Stoops, who erupted in a fight against UCLA where they managed to get back on the winning track.

But nothing was worse than losing to the Colorado Buffaloes in a game that was not even contested.

What was once a packed and dangerous stadium to travel to is now just as hollow as 2008 Husky Stadium, and the Wildcats are definitely the saddest of the Pac-12 programs in 2011.