The Pac-12 standings are in the books. In the final week of conference play, USC knocked off No. 22 UCLA to clinch a date with Stanford in the Pac-12 Championship.
Oregon finished with a 7-2 conference record, second best in the Pac-12, but early season losses to Utah and Washington State were too much for the Ducks to overcome.
No. 9 Stanford knocked off No. 6 Notre Dame 38-36 on a last second field goal. The Cardinal finished with the best conference record and remains the only team in the conference with a chance to reach the College Football Playoff.
Washington 45, No. 20 Washington State 10
Playing without injured starting quarterback Luke Falk, the Cougars (8-4, 6-3 Pac-12) looked over-matched against in-state rival Washington in the Apple Cup. Washington’s defense held Washington State to three first half points and returned three turnovers for touchdowns in the second half. Huskies running back Myles Gaskin led the team with 138 rushing yards and two touchdowns. With the win, Washington (6-6, 4-5) became bowl eligible for the second consecutive season under head coach Chris Petersen.
No. 23 Utah 20, Colorado 14
Another lackluster performance from Utah (9-3, 6-3) ended its regular season schedule with mixed feelings. Though the Utes never trailed, they hardly looked like the team that upset Oregon earlier in the season. The Utes leaned heavily on running back Joe Williams, who ran for 187 yards and one touchdown. Colorado (4-9, 1-8) finished the season as a Pac-12 cellar-dweller, but hung tough with Utah for much of the game. Buffaloes quarterback Cade Aspay threw for 145 yards, one touchdown and two interceptions before leaving the game in the second quarter with an injury.
USC 40, No. 22 UCLA 21
USC (8-4, 6-3) turned around a tumultuous season with a trip to its first ever Pac-12 title game. The Trojans snapped a three game losing streak to crosstown rival UCLA (8-4, 5-4) and improved to 5-2 since former head coach Steve Sarkisian’s tenure ended midway through the season. Senior Trojans quarterback Cody Kessler threw for two touchdowns and rushed for one more in his last home game. Josh Rosen, UCLA’s freshman quarterback, played well in stretches of Saturday’s contest, but three second half turnovers ultimately cost Rosen and the Bruins.
No. 9 Stanford 38, No. 6 Notre Dame 36
Arguably the most thrilling game of the weekend in college football, Stanford (10-2, 6-1) prevailed with a game-winning 45-yard field goal from Conrad Ukropina on the last play of the game. Cardinal senior quarterback Kevin Hogan threw for four touchdowns in his last home game, leading a drive in the final 30 seconds to set up Ukropina. Quarterback DeShone Kizer put Notre Dame ahead on a two-yard run with only 30 seconds left. Kizer threw for 234 yards and ran for 128 more. Though slim, Stanford kept its College Football Playoff hopes alive.
Cal 48, Arizona State 46
In another thriller, Cal kicker Matt Anderson kicked a 26-yard field goal as time expired. The Golden Bears (7-5, 4-5) trailed by as many as 21 points in the first half, but came back thanks in large part to quarterback Jared Goff’s five touchdown passes and a school-record 542 yards. Arizona State kicker Zane Gonzales kicked a school-record six field goals, though it wasn’t enough for the Sun Devils (6-6, 4-5). Both Cal and Arizona State are bowl eligible, though neither are guaranteed to make one.
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