College Football Week 12: Who's Hot, Who's Not in the Pac-12?

Who's hot and who's not in the Pac 12? Stanford and Oregon are heading in opposite directions. The same can be said for Andrew Luck and Matt Barkley.

As the season winds down, the race for the Pac-12 Championship is beginning to take form. Teams and players are beginning to show their true merit. So, let's look at some of the Pac-12's best and worst performers.  

Hot: Rodney Stewart

Colorado’s first season in the Pac-12 has been a tough one as the Buffaloes are just 2-9 on the year. Rodney Stewart has been one of Colorado’s few bright spots.

Against Arizona this past weekend, Stewart went off. The senior running back gained more than 200 total yards and rushed for three touchdowns as Colorado beat Arizona 48-29.

This was the first Pac-12 victory since joining the conference for the Buffaloes. 

Not: Keith Price

Monster numbers by Keith Price were a large factor in Washington’s 5-1 start this season. Through six games the sophomore signal caller had amassed 1,466 passing yards with 21 touchdowns to just four interceptions.

As the Huskies have begun to struggle though, not surprisingly, so has Price. In each of his last four games, Price has failed to post a positive touchdown-to-interception ratio. Over that time he’s thrown four touchdowns to six interceptions and hasn’t surpassed 150 yards in his past two games.

The Huskies have lost three of their last four games and are 6-4 on the season. 

Hot: Oregon

Since its loss to LSU, Oregon has run its way through the Pac-12 in usual fashion. The Ducks rank third in the nation in scoring offense and haven’t truly been challenged since their opening week loss, despite both running back LaMichael James and quarterback Darron Thomas missing time.

With another tough game against USC upcoming, Oregon has put itself in good position for another trip to the Rose Bowl or perhaps the BCS National Championship Game. 

Not: Arizona St.

After its 5-1 start, Arizona St. looked to be in good position to claim the Pac-12 South title and challenge for the league championship. Since that time, the Sun Devils have lost a respectable game to Oregon and, most recently, back-to-back games to UCLA and Washington St.

Arizona St. is still in good position to make the Pac-12 Championship Game. It's tied for second (USC is first but cannot go) with UCLA in the South. However, the Bruins must still play USC. The Sun Devils finish the season with Arizona and Cal.

Even if the Arizona St. does win the South, it certainly don’t look apt to challenge Oregon like many believed it could earlier in the season. 

Hot: John White IV

As Utah has adjusted to life in the Pac-12, so too has its running back John White IV. White has played well all season, rushing for 1,191 yards and 12 touchdowns. During the Utes' three-game winning streak, though, White has taken things to another level.

Over that time, he’s rushed for totals of 205, 109 and 167 yards with six total touchdowns (one receiving). Sitting at 6-4, Utah and White have a chance to end their first Pac-12 season on a high note with games against Washington St. and Colorado.

Not: Nick Foles

Throughout the beginning portion of Arizona’s disastrous 2011 season, quarterback Nick Foles remained a stabilizing force. In the Wildcats’ first four games, Foles threw for 10 touchdowns and zero interceptions, despite his team’s 1-3 record.

Since that time, though, Foles has become much more inconsistent. He’s thrown an interception in each of his last six games. In his last three games, he’s thrown five touchdowns to eight interceptions.

Foles' senior season certainly hasn’t gone the way he hoped.  

Hot: Matt Barkley

Perhaps no player has seen his stock rising higher on NFL draft boards than Matt Barkley. The junior quarterback has made himself the clear choice as the second quarterback to be taken after Andrew Luck.

The three-year starter has been outstanding this season, passing for 2,782 yards with 29 touchdown and just six interceptions. Due to USC’s postseason ban, Barkley won’t have the opportunity to showcase his talent in a championship format.

Barkley will, however, have the chance this weekend to show what he can do against an Oregon team playing at the top of its game. We’ll see if he can do what Luck couldn’t. 

Not: Andrew Luck

Life isn’t all bad for Andrew Luck. He’s still, by all accounts, going to be the top pick in the coming NFL draft and has a great shot at winning a Heisman Trophy.

However, Luck is fresh off losing his second game in two years to the same opponent and for the second straight year didn’t play his best game. Against the Ducks, Luck turned the ball over three times, including a 40-yard interception returned for a touchdown.

How will Luck sleep at night? Maybe $25 million or so will heal his wounds.