BCS Standings Report: Pac-12 Conference Outlook

The initial BCS standings were released earlier today and as usual there were a few surprises and a few things we all expected heading into the release. How did the Pac-12 do in the first reveal and what could we see as the season unfolds? Read on to find out.

#3 Oregon

Before the college football season headed into week eight, the Oregon Ducks looked to have the inside track to the number two spot, as it appeared they had a slight edge over Heisman Trophy contender Jameis Winston and the Florida State Seminoles. However, Winston had yet another outstanding “Heisman moment” as he marched the Seminoles into a hostile environment in Death Valley and came out on top in a 51-14 rout over No. 5 Clemson. While the Ducks had an excellent performance in their own right against an underrated Washington State squad — they led 62-24 before pulling their starters — it was not enough to fend off the Seminoles as they earned the number two position.

If Oregon runs the table, however, they should advance to the BCS Championship Game due to them having a much tougher schedule than Florida State. Oregon has tests against #12 UCLA and #6 Stanford in the next two weeks before finishing up their season against in-state rival #25 Oregon State. Meanwhile, FSU only has one more matchup against a currently ranked team for the rest of the season, that game being against #7 Miami (FL).

#6 Stanford

Stanford rebounded nicely from an upset against Pac-12 foe Utah nicely this week, with a solid 24-10 win over a formidable UCLA team. The Cardinal took off in the second half, expanding their 3-0 halftime lead to a 17-3 advantage by the end of the third quarter and eventually winning by the aforementioned 24-10 score line.

Stanford dominated the Bruins on defense in the second half, as UCLA quarterback Brett Hundley was under duress for the majority of the game and UCLA’s running game was also neutralized. Stanford took full advantage of UCLA’s offensive struggles as they opened up their lead and the Bruins could never recover.

With this victory Saturday, Stanford vaulted themselves back into the BCS bowl mix. An appearance in the National Championship Game appears unlikely, although they do have a chance to reach the Rose Bowl by winning the Pac-12 title. Oregon and UCLA will definitely be two difficult hurdles for the Cardinal, but Stanford did prove that they still are a force to be reckoned with both in the Pac-12 and nationally.

#12 UCLA

UCLA had a lot of momentum on its side coming into this week because they had earned a spot in the top 10 of the AP poll following a 37-10 thrashing of the lowly California Golden Bears, however the Bruins hit a snag against the Stanford Cardinal. As mentioned earlier, the Bruins were overmatched in the second half against Stanford and they could not put a halt to the Stanford defensive line or offense. The Bruins eventually fell to the Cardinal, which explains their drop from No. 9 in AP to No. 12 in the BCS.

UCLA has chances to rebound this season though, because they will play No. 3 Oregon, and tough teams in Washington, Arizona, and Arizona State towards the end of the season. The Bruins are still very much contenders in the Pac-12, although those games will go a long way towards deciding UCLA’s bowl game fate — a BCS appearance or a non-BCS bowl.

#25 Oregon State

Oregon State is the most confusing Pac-12 team who earned a spot in the standings. The Beavers started the 2013 season with high aspirations, coming off a 9-4 season under head coach Mike Riley last season. Those hopes seemed to come to a crashing halt after Oregon State lost to FCS opponent Eastern Washington to open the year. Since that disappointing loss however, the Beavers have won six straight games and they boast a 6-1 record heading into week nine. The main question on the Beavers though has to do with their weak strength of schedule.

Aside from an overtime win over Utah and a win over Washington State, Oregon State has not yet played a formidable opponent this season. The Beavers still have to prove whether they can defeat ranked teams, and they will have a big test this Saturday versus No. 6 Stanford.  Additionally, the Beavers will face off against the third-ranked Ducks on November 29. Oregon State will probably fall to both the Cardinal and Ducks, although if they keep it close it will go a long way towards determining whether or not the Beavers belong in the upper echelon of the Pac-12.