Spokesman.com
The Pac-12 is a mess, but Boise State and Oregon State are handling business
Boise State and Oregon State are handling business while the rest of college football burns. That's the takeaway from this week's Pac-12 power rankings. The conference dodged the mayhem that took down undefeated teams and title favorites elsewhere. The Broncos and Beavers held their ground as frontrunners for the championship and a potential College Football Playoff berth. One Saturday remains before the first CFP rankings drop on Nov. 3. If Boise State handles Texas State and Oregon State wins at Fresno State, at least one of them gets serious consideration. The strength-of-record metric is worth watching. UTSA sits one spot ahead of Boise State at No. 23. The Roadrunners lost by 24 at Texas. The Broncos lost by seven at Oregon. Schedules are comparable. Oregon State sits at No. 50, which reflects a weak collection of wins so far. That changes if the Beavers run through Fresno State, Texas State, and Boise State in the next three weeks. The best scenario for the conference might be Oregon State winning out and Boise State losing only to the Beavers. That gives us a 10-2 matchup for the title, with the winner sitting in prime position for the playoff bid. Meanwhile, Washington State is at 1-7 and stuck in one of the most disappointing seasons in modern program history. Our coverage of the Cougs' trip to San Diego State, including the latest on Clemons and Bernard, is in "Clemons and Bernard day-to-day after Boise loss, SDSU ahead." It's a rough watch.
