With the end of the regular season in sight, UCLA football has a perfect opportunity to rest and gear up for their next contest as they get a bye before their rivalry game with crosstown rival USC. The Bruins and Trojans are still in the race for Pac-12 South with division leader Arizona State, so believe me when I say that it is going to get very intense in these last few weeks. But for now, let us check out the Pac-12 perspective going into Saturday of Week 12.
The Pac-12 Perspective
Betsided
Cal 3o – USC 38
With the Trojans winning this past Thursday, they only have one more conference game and that is against UCLA. If they beat the Bruins, they would still be in contention for the South, but need ASU to lose one more game.
Washington (6-4, 2-4) at #14 Arizona (7-2, 4-2)
Arizona is still in the hunt for the South, but the three other teams above them would have to lose a lot of games and the way the schedule is turning out, it does not look to be that way. Still, none of that is possible if Arizona does not win out, so first things first, beat the Huskies.
#23 Utah (6-3, 3-3) at Stanford (5-4, 3-3)
Talk about a defensive battle. With Stanford down this season, this would be a great opportunity for Utah to make a statement about their Pac-12 presence and beat the Cardinal two years in a row. Though sadly, it looks like they are too far back in the standings to contend for the South.
#6 Arizona State (8-1, 5-1) at Oregon State (4-5, 1-5)
This is the big one. ASU needs to lose one more game for UCLA to have a shot at winning the South. If that happens, the Bruins need to beat USC and Stanford in their next two weeks. So, Go Beavers!
Though the Bruins have two losses, the national perspective of UCLA has been pretty favorable, especially in the eyes of the College Football Playoff committee. With that in mind, let us check out…
The National Perspective
Because UCLA made such a huge jump all the way to #11 in last week’s College Football Playoff rankings, it is important to keep an eye on the non-Pac-12 teams that are in front of them. Here are Saturday’s games.
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#1 Mississippi State at #5 Alabama
#3 Florida State at Miami (FL)
#4 TCU at Kansas
#8 Ohio State at #25 Minnesota
#9 Auburn at #15 Georgia
Before this was published, Ohio State beat Minnesota 31-24 and because it was against the ranked Gophers, look for the Buckeyes to move up if any of the Top 10 fall today. Other than that, there are two huge games in the SEC that could really shake up the rankings as Mississippi State and Alabama go at it in Tuscaloosa. Winner gets one of the top four spots, loser gets pushed down the rankings (unless the Tide win by a point, then look for both of these teams to occupy a playoff spot). The winner of Auburn/Georgia could also get a huge push to the top.
As for two teams in that Top 4, FSU faces it’s toughest game (merely by fact that it is a rivalry) for the rest of the regular season against the Hurricanes. TCU looks to maintain their position against a not too well Jayhawks squad, which will very likely happen. Bascially, it does not look like the Top 4 would change dramatically, but the Top 10 might, which is still enough to maybe get the Bruins one or two more spots.
So that is it. Rest up, root for those that help UCLA and enjoy your Saturday.