The Pac-12 has been the best and deepest college football conference this season, with six teams currently ranked and at least two teams that look like they can be national championship contenders in Washington and Oregon.
The conference has serious star power — from Coach Prime to Caleb Williams — and is well-positioned to send a representative to the College Football Playoff for the first time since the 2016 season.
Southern California quarterback Caleb Williams throws a pass during the first half an NCAA college football game against Notre Dame, Saturday, Oct. 14, 2023, in South Bend, Ind. Much of the excitement stemmed from the Buffaloes’ season-opening win over TCU, a team that had just played for a national championship in January. The Horned Frogs lost key personnel and changed offensive coordinators from the group that reached the title game, and six weeks later, it’s safe to say this isn’t nearly as good a football team as last season’s iteration. But at the time, it was a stunning result. Sanders’ hand-picked group had been tested — and passed with flying colors.
Georgia has started slowly in almost every game this season. New starting quarterback Carson Beck doesn’t appear to be quite as efficient as Stetson Bennett was. The defense isn’t quite as suffocating as it was last year or the season before, but it’s still very good. And the Bulldogs’ best player, tight end Brock Bowers, hurt his ankle last weekend.
One of college football’s most enduring and frustrating tropes is the notion of a storied program being “back.” The measure of “back”-ness is hard to define and varies by program, but for simplicity’s sake, let’s just say it’s about being nationally relevant, contending for conference championships and CFP berths.
USC has a magician for a quarterback, but the Trojans have one of the most disappointing defenses in the country. And even Williams can have a bad day, as evidenced by his first-ever three-interception performance in USC’s loss to Notre Dame. It has been clear for a few weeks that the Trojans’ defense would keep them from being a serious title contender, but the lopsided loss to the Irish closed the book on the idea for good.
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