With five games left, USC in tight race for Pac-12 South

The regular season is just past the halfway point, but preseason Pac-12 predictions have already been turned upside down. Whether it was USC’s Week 4 victory over Utah led by third-string redshirt junior quarterback Matt Fink or UCLA’s wild 67-63 win at Washington State, this conference continues to produce surprising upsets and unpredictable turns.

Though the Pac-12 Championship in Santa Clara still lies over six weeks in the distance, 4-3 USC is training its eyes on the title. Head coach Clay Helton has made clear his team’s goal to reclaim the title it brought home in 2017.

“We’ve got six games to really put our best foot forward in our conference,” Helton said after USC’s Week 7 loss to No. 8 Notre Dame. “We control our own destiny on our way to a Pac-12 title, and that’s what we’ve got to do.”

With its lopsided 41-14 win over Arizona Saturday in which USC’s battered defense contained dual-threat senior quarterback Khalil Tate’s offense to 385 yards, the Trojans stayed atop the Pac-12 South by virtue of the head-to-head tiebreaker with No. 12 Utah. USC has yet to win an away game though, and it must step up on the road in order to claim a spot in the conference championship. 

Utah clobbered No. 24 Arizona State in Salt Lake City Saturday, securing second place in the South. Utah seniors quarterback Tyler Huntley and running back Zack Moss displayed their trademark chemistry, as Huntley posted 171 passing yards while Moss ran for 99 yards to break his school’s career rushing yards record. The only defense seemingly capable of knocking this dominant pair off its perch is Washington’s, and the team’s Nov. 2 matchup at Husky Stadium should be a critical game in Utah’s push for the conference championship. 

Sitting one game behind USC and Utah in the South is Arizona State. The Sun Devils have been the Pac-12 wild card this season; one game, they beat then-No.18 Michigan State in a road thriller, and the next they lost to arguably the worst team in the conference, Colorado. The Sun Devils’ unpredictability could throw the Trojans for a loop when the teams face off Week 11 in Tempe, Ariz., as USC is already vulnerable on the road. 

ASU’s offense also features a true freshman quarterback in Jayden Daniels. In his debut season, Daniels has already thrown for 1635 yards and rushed for 206, tied with Tate for the second most rushing yards by a Pac-12 quarterback. His agility and versatility behind center will pose a challenge for USC’s young defense that has struggled to contain mobile quarterbacks this year. 

Leading the Pac-12 North is No. 11 Oregon, the only team unbeaten in conference play. Senior quarterback Justin Herbert, essentially a definite first round pick in the upcoming NFL Draft, averages nearly 269 yards and three touchdowns per game in a pass-heavy offensive scheme. 

Expect the Ducks to mow down Washington State next week. The true test comes when Oregon plays USC at the Coliseum the following game, where the Ducks’ dominant offense faces off against the Trojans’ surprisingly stingy secondary. The result may depend on whether key USC players like sophomores safety Talanoa Hufanga and inside linebacker Palaie Gaoteote IV are healthy enough to contribute.

Cal, Washington State, Stanford, Washington and Colorado have each lost three games in the conference, a massive blow to their championship hopes. This week’s game at Colorado should boost the Trojans’ confidence in their ability to win away from the Coliseum, preparing them for key road conference battles against Arizona State and Cal following the home bout with the Ducks.

While Oregon has all but wrapped up the North division, the South is still completely up for grabs. If the first half of the season is any indicator, Pac-12 fans can expect upsets, comebacks and plenty of movement in the standings leading up to championship weekend.