Instant reaction to Week 4 developments on and off the field …
1. Big games, small sample sizes
The fourth week of the regular season was, in many ways, the first week of the Realignment Era for the former Pac-12 schools.
USC, Washington, Stanford, Cal, Arizona State, Colorado and Utah played their conference openers, with five of them on the other side of the Rockies. And while UCLA didn’t face a conference foe, the Bruins were certainly on hostile ground at LSU.
Of the six that ventured away from home, four lost.
Of the seven that faced conference opponents, four won.
A few summaries, followed by more detailed commentary:
— Relative to (our) expectations, Stanford submitted one of the top performances of the weekend as it controlled the lines of scrimmage in a 26-24 victory at Syracuse. The Friday night affair wasn’t a short week for the Cardinal, which had 12 days to prepare. But the challenge increases exponentially next week when Stanford heads back to the Eastern Time Zone to face Clemson.
— USC suffered arguably the worst loss of the group — not in size but, rather, in psychology. Favored by six points at Michigan, which has no passing game to speak of, the Trojans blew a late lead when their defense crumbled. The Wolverines’ 27-24 victory was, in style and substance, reminiscent of their Rose Bowl duels from decades ago. On so many fronts, the result will haunt USC for the rest of the season.
— UCLA was competitive in the first half in Death Valley but outscored 17-0 in the second. We won’t blame the poor third and fourth quarters — and the 34-17 loss — entirely on the travel and humidity. LSU has better players and was favored by 24.5 points. Merely by avoiding an embarrassment, the Bruins were winners.
— Arizona State’s sizzling start to the season gave way to reality in West Texas. The Sun Devils managed just three touchdowns against a Texas Tech defense that yielded 51 points to Abilene Christian and 37 to Washington State. The result suggests a difficult road ahead for ASU, for the Red Raiders are not one of the Big 12’s best teams.
— Logistically, Cal offered perhaps the sharpest insight into the challenge ahead for the former Pac-12 teams. Two weeks after winning at Auburn, the Bears headed back to the Southeast and, despite 410 yards of total offense, failed to score a touchdown at Florida State. Their three field goals weren’t enough as the Seminoles won their first game of the season. Several teams are scheduled to make multiple trips to the Eastern Time Zone.
We won’t draw too many conclusions and, to be clear, this is not a commentary on the merits of abandoning the Pac-12 in the summer of 2023. That was a decision for the long haul. This is merely a reaction to Week 4 performances and what those performances suggest about the next two months.
What they suggest is exactly what many suspected: Long road trips are difficult, and multiple long road trips in a condensed period of time will be particularly taxing.
2. Big 12: Beware the Utes
No team was more impressive than Utah, which visited steaming Stillwater, discovered prior to kickoff that quarterback Cam Rising would not play and then dominated Oklahoma State for a 22-19 victory.
Rarely have the Utes been better defensively during coordinator Morgan Scalley’s nine-season tenure. They held the Cowboys to three points over 55 minutes, before two late touchdowns put the outcome in slight doubt.
Quarterback Isaac Wilson threw two interceptions but played well under the circumstances, and Utah rushed for 249 yards compared to OSU’s 48.
The Utes were the tougher team, which should only come as a surprise to Big 12 fans who haven’t been tracking Kyle Whittingham’s program over the years.
As we wrote in August: “The Hotline has been asked repeatedly how the Utes will adjust to life in the Big 12. We think the question should be flipped: How will the Big 12 adjust to the Utes?”
So far, the answer is: Not very well.
3. Echo from a past epic
Three days short of the 30th anniversary of its Miracle at Michigan, Colorado produced another Hail Mary.
Instead of Kordell Stewart throwing a 64-yard touchdown to Michael Westbrook to beat the Wolverines, Shedeur Sanders connected from 43 yards with LaJohntay Wester to tie Baylor on the final play of regulation.
The Buffaloes (3-1) scored on their first overtime possession and clinched the victory when Baylor fumbled near the goal line.
The defensive player who made the hit that caused the fumble that secured the win? Cornerback Travis Hunter, the two-way wonder who had seven catches for 130 yards.
The 38-31 victory was vital for CU’s bowl math.
Hunter and Co. need three wins in their final eight games to secure a postseason bid.
Given the schedule, that won’t be easy. But had they lost Saturday, the path would have been harrowing.
4. Friday night mayhem
If Boulder was the site of the most exciting play, Pullman offered the wildest game: Washington State’s 54-52 victory over San Jose State in double overtime.
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The back-and-forth affair went next level when the Spartans converted a 20-yard touchdown pass on fourth down with 26 seconds left. But their three-point lead didn’t last long as WSU kicker Dean Janikowski drilled a game-tying, 52-yard field goal as time expired.
Both defenses produced interceptions in the first overtime. In the second,WSU stopped the Spartans’ two-point conversion to secure the win and remain undefeated.
If the Cougars survive at Boise State on Saturday, they enter the College Football Playoff conversation.
5. Pac-12 expansion update
The conference is aggressively pursuing a handful of teams from the American Athletic Conference (AAC) in the second phase of its growth plan.
Memphis is the primary target, with Tulane, UTSA and South Florida also on the short list, according to sources — and the schools are under pressure to make decisions.
Whether they work on the Pac-12’s timeline is unclear, for the leverage lies with the schools being courted.
Our hunch (and it’s nothing more than that): If there is no news by the middle of the week, the likelihood of AAC schools making the move will diminish substantially.
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