4 need-to-knows for Week 9 in Pac-12 soccer …
1. Huge 4 schedule breakdown
With October coming to an in depth, 4 groups stand above the pack. Oregon, UCLA, USC and Utah are the one groups ranked within the AP top-25 this week and are 11-0 in convention play in opposition to the opposite eight faculties.
Throughout the quartet, the outcomes have been even: Oregon beat UCLA, which beat Utah, which beat USC.
Every crew has at the very least one sport remaining in opposition to the others, however the stretch-run schedules aren’t precisely even.
Oregon has the hardest path primarily based on the present convention information of its upcoming opponents, whereas UCLA has the best.
Oregon at Cal (1-3), at Colorado (1-3), vs. Washington (3-2), vs. Utah (3-1), at Oregon State (3-2), opponent report: 11-11 (50%)
UCLA vs. Stanford (1-4), at ASU (1-3), vs. Arizona (1-3), vs. USC (4-1), at Cal (1-3), opponent report: 8-14 (36.3%)
USC at Arizona (1-3), vs. Cal (1-3), vs. Colorado (1-3), at UCLA (3-1), opponent report: 6-10 (37.5%)
Utah at WSU (1-3), vs. Arizona (1-3), vs. Stanford (1-4), at Oregon (4-0), at Colorado (1-3), opponent report: 8-13 (39.1%)
We might not essentially peg UCLA because the frontrunner, particularly with the head-to-head loss to Oregon.
However with just one remaining sport in opposition to an opponent with a successful report (USC) — and with that sport at residence — the Bruins possess essentially the most favorable path to one of many top-two seeds and a berth within the convention championship.
2. Scores gem
The UCLA-Oregon showdown final weekend at 12:30 p.m. on Fox generated 3.34 million viewers, in line with the SportsMediaWatch web site.
It’s the most-watched Pac-12 convention sport of the season and one in all 4 league matchups to attract greater than 2.5 million viewers.
The total checklist:
UCLA-Oregon: 3.34 million
USC-Stanford: 2.96 million
USC-Utah: 2.74 million
UCLA-Utah: 2.65 million
We don’t count on any video games this weekend to prime the two.5 million mark, however a number of November duels may clear the bar, together with Oregon-Washington, Oregon-Utah and USC-UCLA.
Essentially the most-watched sport of the season involving a Pac-12 crew got here on the primary Saturday, when 6.2 million watched Oregon lose to Georgia.
3. Festive weekends
Three groups have Homecoming video games, however one carries extra intrigue than a typical Saturday matchup: Arizona internet hosting USC.
The Wildcats are 60-38-5 in Homecoming video games and have received three of their previous 4. With a giant crowd, two weeks to organize and the feelings that sometimes accompany USC’s biennial go to, we count on a first-rate efficiency from Arizona within the spoiler position. 4 of the previous 5 matchups in Tucson have been determined by 4 factors or much less.
Colorado’s Homecoming ought to draw a good crowd, as effectively — help for the CU program this season has exceeded the standard of the on-field product by an element of 10. However the heavily-favored customer, Arizona State, is below .500; an upset wouldn’t alter the convention race.
UCLA additionally has Homecoming, however the vastness of the Rose Bowl, mixed with restricted curiosity in this system, possible will tempter the ambiance below the lights in opposition to Stanford.
4. Notes and nuggets
— The Pac-12 has 4 groups within the top-20 of the AP ballot for the sixth consecutive week. This time final yr, it had one (Oregon) within the prime 25.
— USC quarterback Caleb Williams is the No. 3 betting favourite (12-to-1) within the newest Heisman Trophy odds revealed by vegasinsiders. Oregon quarterback Bo Nix is on the second tier of contenders at 35-to-1.
— Arizona State is 0-3 on the highway this season heading to Colorado, with journeys to Pullman and Tucson remaining. The final time the Solar Devils didn’t win a highway sport was 2001.
— Stanford, a 16.5-point underdog at UCLA, has received 12 of the previous 14 matchups in opposition to the Bruins. Its final loss to UCLA within the Rose Bowl was 2008.
— The Pac-12 has 5 bowl-eligible groups: Oregon, Oregon State, UCLA, USC and Washington. Utah would turn out to be the sixth with a victory at Washington State on Thursday night time. This time final yr, the convention had one bowl-eligible crew (Oregon).
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