Around The Conference Table: Week 4

Pac-12 members enter the room

This season we go around our writers for their takes on the other conference games that went on in gameweek.

Pac-12 Network @Pac12Network

4️⃣5️⃣ touchdowns in week 4 Totaling 9️⃣,0️⃣0️⃣0️⃣ dollars 4️⃣0️⃣,2️⃣0️⃣0️⃣ dollars raised so far this season @PacPremierBank | #Pac12FB | @PaycorInc

USC @ Oregon State (USC wins 17-14)

TD_24 - This game had me on the edge of my seat the whole way. I didn't have the Beavers defense making Caleb Williams look terrible on my bingo card. A shame that Chance Nolan had one of his random bad games of the year because OSU looked prime to win.

Christopher_h - Of course a game between the conference's top offenses ends up a low-scoring affair. USC QB Caleb Williams looked terrible this game, with some head scratching throws, but the USC defense kept up their ridiculous pace of turnovers to swing this game.

Avinash - USC has a +14 turnover margin (14 turnovers forced, 0 given). I don't know how long this trend can last, but the +4 turnovers saved them on Saturday. How about Oregon State's defense though? Only 3 USC points through 3 quarters. The sad part is this might be USC's last trip to spooky Corvallis for some time.

ShadowSandrock - Oregon State kinda coug-ed it, but I think I they might be for real

Bk97 - The conference's two best offenses meet and we get...a rockfight? It's a shame Nolan was slinging interceptions all over the place, because this could have been a statement win for Jonathan Smith and the Beavs.

Piotr T Le - Lincoln Riley is realizing that the Pac-12 has moments where anyone can win and anyone can lose. Note, Oregon State is one of the worse defenses he'll face this season. Kyle Whittingham is licking his chops to give SC and their crew a warm welcome to the Pac-12.

Rob Hwang - I rarely root for the Beavs, considering their perennial heartbreaking acts against us, but in this moment I really hoped they would pull it off.

Utah @ Arizona State (Utah wins 34-13)

TD_24 - Utes take care of business. You just know they are looking forward to their game vs USC.

Christopher_h - Utah lost TE Brant Kuithe for the season... ouch.

Avinash - Utah losing Kuithe for the season is a massive blow. The Utes are still very good but their ability to hang with the best offenses in the conference won't be there anymore for them to keep faint playoff hopes alive. There's still a chance at a Pac-12 title though--their defense is still the best in the conference, probably by a wider margin than we realized.

ShadowSandrock - Turns out that when your roster is bad, you don't get a dead cat bounce

Piotr T Le - Utah keeps unloading their anger on teams post-Florida loss at the swamp. However, with the loss of their Star TE their offense will face more challenges. I think that Cam Rising has to take a step up to make up for the loss and really elevate the Utes.

Rob Hwang - Losing Kuithe but winning against a team that is under investigation and without a HC, is a tough end result from a heavily tilted matchup.

Oregon @ Washington State (Oregon wins 44-41)

TD_24 - Welp I guess Coug'in it is still on the menu. Does it still happen with Cal in town? Stay tuned to find out.

Christopher_h - Wazzu QB Cam Ward was working his magic all night, but it was his costly pick-6 that put this game away for Oregon.

Avinash - The old Pac-12 North showed its mettle today. Washington State can't be taken lightly as they tricked their way on a sometimes confused Oregon defense. But Bo Nix went ham in the second half and the Ducks proved they could blast back when they want to. The Ducks are as dangerous as ever.

ShadowSandrock - The term "cougin' it" exists for good reason

Bk97 - I have no rooting interest in the Cougs and yet I always find myself disappointed by their astonishing collapses. I can't imagine how their fans feel.

Piotr T Le - Bo Nix giveth, Bo Nix taketh. Wazzu showing again that they can play up both to their opposition and up to their Cougness.

Rob Hwang - NOOOOOOOOOOOOO

Stanford @ Washington (Washington wins 40-22)

TD_24 - Stanford looks really bad. Outside of some Washington red zone errors, this offense is on rails to start the year.

Christopher_h - Stanford QB Tanner McKee was harassed all night; 8 sacks, 2 fumbles, and an interception. Meanwhile, UW's offense is firing on all cylinders here as they cruised to another win, hopefully on a collision course with a ranked Cal in a couple weeks.

Avinash - Washington is scary good. The Huskies have a competent coach with a good QB and a great talent and it's showing in every which way. UCLA is their first major test though--Michigan State is hapless and Stanford is still trying to find itself. But the Huskies are just shredding the opposition--they've taken 20+ point leads in every game.

ShadowSandrock - If a tree punts in the woods on 4th down from their opponent's 40, but no one is in their home stadium to see it, did I really happen?

Bk97 - The LSJU team has an ominous, Cal/Tedford-in-2012 feel to it.

Piotr T Le - Jimmy Lake has been banned from coaching anywhere close to Washington and allegedly can only travel on Airbus planes due to the negative impact he has had on overall Seattle based lives.

Rob Hwang - Good lord UW looks good. Good lord Stanford looks bad.

UCLA @ Colorado (UCLA wins 45-17)

TD_24 - The Bruins go through the motions and dispatch of the Buffs. I'm not sure where Colorado can look to and say this will be a shot at a win this season.

Christopher_h - I said it last week, but Colorado has given up, and they're just playing true freshmen now for the experience. Worse though, is that Colorado has some terrible play designs, where too many receivers end up in the same area. It's not obvious who the intended target is sometimes, but instead of stretching the defense, Colorado guides them to one area where the ball is going. Colorado needs to keep their young talent and shed these coaches ASAP.

Avinash - Colorado has gone to the youth movement rightly, and showed a little punch before caving in per usual. The Bruins are 4-0 and I have no idea how good they are, but good DTR and Charbonnet give them just enough juice to win every game they play.

ShadowSandrock - Nam suggested that we game plan for UW during our bye week and risk getting cursed for it, but honestly, I think I agree.

Bk97 - One of Colorado's non-zero chances of a win comes this weekend as the Buffs visit Arizona. If they suffer another blowout loss (and there's a 90% chance they will), will they take advantage of the upcoming bye week and fire Dorrell on Sunday?

Rob Hwang - Bowling Green. South Alabama. Alabama State. Colorado. I’ll wait to see if this UCLA team is the real deal, since they play UW on Friday night.

Any other thoughts?

TD_24 - 3-1 through 4 games? I'll take it. On to Wazzu.

Christopher_h - Boy, those Cal bloggers and their crazy predictions, huh? I'm not gonna let that one go any time soon.

Avinash - Notre Dame offense lives! Although facing a Gene Chizik defense in North Carolina was a great boost of adrenaline. UNLV also is looking a sturdier test than we realized, beating Utah State with six turnovers. UC Davis faltered, but Weber State is probably an FCS title contender--they dismantled Utah State a few weeks ago by a larger margin than UNLV!

ShadowSandrock - I like it when Musgrave calls the touchdown play

Piotr T Le - Pac-12 remains a conference where most teams (sorry ASU and Colorado, they would need an act of God event to win) can challenge anyone at anytime.

Rob Hwang -