Regardless of the outcome of this year’s college football season, the Pac-12 as we know it will die at the season’s end. That may sound dramatic, but it’s also true. Like it or not, and you shouldn’t, this is the Pac-12’s swan song (or “last ride” if you prefer a more rugged visual). Regardless of the analogy you choose, the Pac-12’s early season performance demonstrates a determination not to go gentle into that terrible night. The last bastion of geographic reason appears poised to rage, rage against the dying of the light and, like a supernova, go out in a blaze of glory.

Rose Bowl (#1 vs. #4)- Ohio State vs. Florida State

This week may be about the Pac-12, but Ohio State seized control of the number one spot this weekend with the most impressive win of the year. The Buckeyes offense has yet to live up to its full potential, but Ryan Day’s postgame interview statement was not wrong. This team proved its toughness gutting out a road win against a strong Notre Dame team. Texas still has an argument for most impressive win of the season, but I’m sorry Alabama has not looked like the same caliber team as Texas, Ohio State, or Notre Dame. Unfortunately for the Fighting Irish, there just isn’t room for a one-loss team in the playoff picture…yet.

Florida State has played survive and advance two weeks in a row now and have done so successfully. Clemson played this game like a program trying to declare it still belonged in the upper echelon of the ACC, and they do. Jordan Travis also does not look 100% healthy and if he isn’t right then this Seminoles team is vulnerable. The defense, especially the front seven, is still elite, but without Travis accurately pushing the ball down the field the offense went stagnant for most of the game.

Sugar Bowl (#2 vs. #3)- Washington vs. Texas

Washington is still the most complete team I’ve seen this season, and a case can easily be made that they have been the best team. At some point, however, I feel that the major victories must be rewarded. The Huskies will have their shot with five currently ranked teams remaining on the schedule. Washington has the two central components of any modern championship team: a ferocious pass rush and a dazzling passing offense. The end of the year is an absolute gauntlet and if the Huskies can survive then they will be playing in a national semifinal game unquestionably.

Texas just continues to take care of business and show that their win in Tuscaloosa was no fluke. Are they back? They look like it, but we’ve seen Texas fall apart down the stretch before. This team looks different though and they are on an inside track to the playoff as things currently stand.

Orange Bowl- Duke vs. Penn State

Fact #1: Duke has laid waste to every team it’s played this season. Fact #2: Clemson is the only good team Duke has played. Fact #3: All of that is enough, at this point in the season, to warrant New Year’s Six consideration. The Blue Devils will have further opportunities to prove their merit, like this week when they host Notre Dame…and College Gameday.

Penn State keeps rolling and with each week Drew Allar looks more and more like the master and commander of this offense. That should scare Michigan and Ohio State. Allar is as talented as any quarterback in the conference and the Nittany Lions defense is on par with the Wolverines and Buckeyes. The Big Ten East is a three-team race with no clear favorite.

Cotton Bowl- North Carolina vs. Utah

That diggity dog Mack Brown just keeps on doing it. North Carolina continues to stay relatively low on the national radar which, according to Brown, is a major reason they continue winning. Don’t look at the headlines anymore Mack, because soon your team is going to generate some buzz whether you like it or not. Drake Maye has this offense rolling, and the defense is clearly a notch better than the Denver Broncos-adjacent squad from a season ago. Florida State has looked vulnerable for two consecutive weekends opening the door for lots of possible ACC title game combinations.

Utah’s defense looked like the unit it was supposed to be in the preseason last weekend. With Cam Rising nearing his return (there were several reports late last week that he would suit up), this team becomes more and more dangerous in the Pac-12 by the week. The Utes opened Saturday’s game against a good UCLA team with a pick six, and the defense never really let up until Dante Moore strung together a solid touchdown drive late. If Rising can return to pre-injury level by the Utes’ trip to Pasadena on October 21^st, this Utah team should be considered a top tier conference contender. Nate Johnson has done enough in the starting role, but Utah has not shown the offensive firepower to keep up with USC, Oregon or Washington yet with Johnson at the helm. Maybe they won’t have to, but it’s hard to imagine they survive a four-week stretch from October to November where they play all three of those teams without Rising back at full strength.

Fiesta Bowl- Fresno State vs. Washington State

Fresno State continue to put together the most impressive resume of any Group of Five team, which is usually what it takes to secure the New Year’s Six automatic berth. If Fresno State can win the Mountain West, it’s looking exceedingly likely that they will punch a Fiesta Bowl ticket. Air Force is lurking as another potential contender, but Fresno State has performed against a slightly tougher early season schedule than the Falcons.

Washington State fans, coaches, and players are rightfully upset with ESPN College Gameday and Lee Corso suggested no one watches them play on last Saturday’s edition of the pre-kickoff show, although what he was saying was actually a reference to the fact that they have yet to find a 2024 conference home. That’s an especially low blow when you consider that the Cougars are the biggest losers of the demise of the Pac-12, and regardless of the intended statement it was salt in an open wound. It was also uncalled for, because this team is good. Wazzu may not have the same high-profile talent of some of its peers in the conference, but this offense is good and explosive. Cameron Ward may not have the same NFL Draft hype that Caleb Williams and Bo Nix have, but he is electrifying with his feet, like Nix, and doesn’t have a proclivity to “Favre out” and make unconscionable decision after unconscionable decision, unlike Nix. I’m watching the Coogs, and you should be to.

Peach Bowl- Georgia vs. Oregon

Georgia earns the default SEC spot after Ole Miss went down to Alabama last week. I don’t want to be an alarmist or anything, but we seriously need to start considering that we are one bad Georgia screw-up away from potentially having our first College Football Playoff without an SEC representative. This is clearly a down year for the conference and doesn’t necessarily signify an alarming trend, but the Dawgs are really the SEC’s last bastion of hope to continue to dominate the national picture for the 2023 season. However, this Georgia team has a lot of 2014 Florida State potential. If you remember, that team continued to eke out regular season wins and a conference title win and made the playoffs by virtue of being undefeated, and the defending national champions, but were clearly weaker than the other playoff teams. That bore itself out when Marcus Mariota and the Oregon Ducks shredded them in the Rose Bowl, with the memorable play being Jameis Winston’s “I knew I shouldn’t have had that popcorn” fumble for an Oregon scoop and score.

Speaking of Oregon, I know I just seemed to take a shot at Bo Nix, but really that was just an attempt to extoll Cam Ward’s virtues and tell people they need to be watching the Coogs. Bo Nix led an Oregon offense that could do whatever it wanted against Colorado on Saturday, and other than a bizarre road trip to Lubbock where they needed a late pick six to seal the deal, that has been the M.O. for the Ducks offense all year. USC and Washington seem to be receiving most of the hype, but Oregon has proven it belongs in that conversation too. They will really get their opportunity to prove it starting in three weeks when they kick off a stretch to close October that includes: Washington, Washington State and Utah in back-to-back-to-back weeks.

Cover Photo Courtesy of David Madison/Getty Images