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Pac-12 Perspective: A New South Division Order, The Big North Down And Is Arizona That Good?

By Mike Regalado

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If you thought you knew that Pac-12, think again. The top four teams in the conference, before this weekend, all lost. That caused a major shift in both the North and South Division. Teams are at the top when previously predicted to be at the bottom and vice versa. It is very early in the Pac-12 schedule, but the way that it is starting off, there are a lot of interesting story lines happening. Here is this week’s Pac-12 Perspective.

A New South Division Order

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    • Things are not as they should be in the South. USC has coaching issues, UCLA is inconsistent and somewhere along the line, Arizona, Arizona State and Utah have found light at the end of the Pac-12 Championship race. Colorado is the only exception and not just in the South, but the conference. Though the Buffaloes are improving, they are no where close to the talent of the rest of the league.

    UCLA and USC have not looked as good as many predicted before the season. The Bruins and Trojans have had some solid wins, also earth-shattering losses. Utah heavily exposed UCLA on all fronts in the last game while the Trojans have been picked apart in a few games already, resulting in 2 losses. On a different plain, the Wildcats and Utes are better than expected. Both had some trouble with early competition but after this past weekend, they have put themselves in a position to be serious contenders in the South Division. ASU is the only team that is right where they should be.

    As off now, it is nearly impossible to pick a winner in the South. These teams are going to beat up on each other all season long which will make for good football, but bad play for those teams failing to make it to the Pac-12 Championship Game.

    The Big North Is Down

    Oct 4, 2014; South Bend, IN, USA; Stanford Cardinal running back Remound Wright (22) is tackled by Notre Dame Fighting Irish linebacker Joe Schmidt (38) in the third quarter at Notre Dame Stadium. Notre Dame won 17-14. Mandatory Credit: Matt Cashore-USA TODAY Sports

    Stanford has two losses and Oregon easily could have had two if Washington State did not get hosed on a pass interference non-call. The North is neurotic right now. There is no rhyme or reason to it, except for the fact that every team has made improvements in this Division and has a shot to win.

    Cal and Oregon State are at the top with the Ducks (though it seems the Beavers are more than likely to fall before anyone else due to inconsistencies). Stanford has a loss in conference, as does Washington, while Washington State is 1-2 in the Pac-12. Records do not mean anything right now as you can see that there is a lot of football to be played, but a team that is not Stanford or Oregon, has a very good chance to take the North to the limit. The Ducks and Cardinal are still the best teams in the North Division, but we can see now that with other programs rising, there will be more big upsets. It is calamity all through the Pac-12.

    Just like the South Division, the North does not have one true team that is dominating all others.

    Is Arizona That Good?

    Oct 2, 2014; Eugene, OR, USA; Arizona Wildcats players celebrate following a win 24-31 against the Oregon Ducks at Autzen Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Scott Olmos-USA TODAY Sports

    So they beat Oregon. Good for them. That win has catapulted them into the #10 spot which the biggest entry into the Top 25 ever. This is the same team that needed a tremendous comeback to defeat Cal, nearly lost to a 1-4 UTSA team and did not have a quarterback until just before the season started. Either this is fantastic coaching or pure luck, but as of now, Arizona is the only undefeated team in the Pac-12 Conference and beating Oregon is huge for their resume. But are they that good?

    We have seen few teams start slow, but have made adjustments as the young season has progressed. Head Coach Rich Rodriguez has his offense doing brilliant things at just the right time and if he can get the Wildcats to stay focused, they have a good shot to take the South. But make no mistake that everyone Arizona plays on the remainder of their schedule will come after them and it will be impossible to run the table with USC, UCLA, Washington, Utah and ASU on the horizon.

    At least not with those teams looking to do the same thing.