Pac-12 South Standings and Championship Game Forecast: Week 6

Saturday was the craziest day we’ve ever seen in college football. Literally. It was the first time that five of the AP Top 10 have lost. Two of those come from the Pac-12, at the hands of USC’s divisional rivals. What’s it mean for the Pac-12 South Standings?

A lot of madness.

With losses by USC and UCLA, the Pac-12 South just opened wider than the Grand Canyon. Going into the day, it looked like the Trojans and Bruins could be playing themselves in a three-way race with Arizona, but now the Los Angeles rivals are looking up at both Arizona schools. Who had that bet?

Here’s a look at the Pac-12 South standings and how each team fares in the hunt to get to the Pac-12 Championship Game at Levi’s Stadium.

Standings:

How will they make it?

Arizona: The Wildcats’ road to the Rose Bowl is really simple right now. Not only are they the only team undefeated team in the Pac-12, their 5-0 overall record gives them ultimate control of their destiny, as far as they want it to take them. These next three games are huge, as they host USC and then travel to Washington State and UCLA. If they can somehow win all three…look out…Tiebreakers held: None

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Arizona State:

The Sun Devils are a Hail Mary away from being buried in the Pac-12 South with seemingly no way out. A loss on Saturday would’ve forced them to need USC, UCLA and Arizona to all have three losses, or a crazy two-loss tiebreak bonanza. Now, with a 2-1 record and a head-to-head tiebreaker over USC, they sit in a good place, as long as they don’t end up in a tie with UCLA. They’ll be rooting for Oregon to beat UCLA this upcoming Saturday, as ASU rests up on a bye week before playing Stanford on the 18th.

Tiebreakers held: USC

USC: For the most part, the Trojans can dictate much of their fate. Like ASU, they’ll need to avoid a pitfall tiebreaker, with Arizona State being that culprit. That said, a loss to Arizona would be disastrous for USC, as it would be a pair of head to head losses they can’t afford. One they may be able to live with. Two would be all she wrote, which is why the loss to ASU was so impactful. To put it simply, the Trojans must now beat Arizona and UCLA to win the South. That said, UCLA’s loss to Utah was huge for the Trojans. While it stings with opportunity cost, every Pac-12 South contender losing to a dark horse is a pro for USC, at least until one of those dark horses become a serious contender.Tiebreakers held: None

Utah Utes: The Utes have been one of the darlings of the Pac-12 this year, along with Arizona and Cal. But a daunting second half schedule awaits. Utah plays USC, ASU, Oregon, Stanford and Arizona in five successive weeks. If they want to win the Pac-12, they’ll have to win at least four of those, with the loss coming to either Pac-12 North team. Luckily for the Utes, they get the Trojans, Ducks and Wildcats all at Rice-Eccles.Tiebreakers held: UCLA

UCLA: Along with Arizona, the Bruins practically control their own destiny. Yes, they have a tiebreaker loss to Utah, but it would be long odds for the Utes to finish the season at 11-1 and 8-1 within the Pac-12. Oregon comes to the Rose Bowl on Saturday, in what is likely a playoff elimination game and perhaps a Pac-12 title ender for the loser. Neither team has been consistent thus far this season. Then again, no one in the country has.Tiebreakers held: Arizona State

Colorado: Basketball season kicks off in Boulder on November 14th against Drexel.