As we head into Week 12, you may be surprised to see No. 22 Washington State vs. No. 10 Colorado (3:30 p.m. ET Saturday, Fox) as one of the best-looking games of the weekend.
Washington State-Colorado was supposed to be one of the Pac-12’s worst games. About that!
Instead, it’s a potential Pac-12 Championship preview.
Photo by Steve Dykes/Getty Images
No one expected both of these teams to be 8-2 on the season, and that both would be Pac-12 title contenders.
Before the 2016 season, the Pac-12’s media predicted the Buffs to finish last in the Pac-12 South, with UCLA winning the division. Washington State wasn’t predicted to do much better, getting picked to finish fourth in the North, with Stanford winning that division.
But as we enter the final weeks of the regular season, Washington State is first in the North, and Colorado is the leader of the South.
Both of these teams have clawed all the way back to relevance.
From 2006 through 2015, Colorado recorded losing seasons every year, compiling a record of 35-88 over nine seasons in the Big 12 and then Pac-12. That was a drastic fall for a program that was one of the best of the 1990s and won a share of the 1990 national title.
Washington State had a similar go-around from 2004 through 2014, going 41-91. Before that, WSU had gone to two Rose Bowls in seven years.
What changed? Hiring the right coaches. WSU landed Mike Leach after his successful Texas Tech tenure fell apart, and CU hired proven rebuilder Mike MacIntyre away from San Jose State.
Both are still pretty early on at their respective schools. Year four was the breakthrough year for both, with Leach going 9-4 in 2015 and MacIntyre in 2016 already having clinched CU’s best season since 2002.
Both teams have won by finally becoming complete and balanced.
Colorado’s especially good at passing and defense. Buffs senior quarterback Sefo Liufau has thrown for 1,535 yards on the season, along with 10 touchdowns and just three interceptions. Per S&P+, the Buffs’ passing attack ranks 10th overall in the country.
The defense is run by veteran Jim Leavitt, a new hire. The Buffs rank ninth overall in defense, according to S&P+, and are giving up an average of just 18 points per game. In an offense-friendly, this has given the Buffs an advantage.
“Jim Leavitt has improved their defense from two or three years ago so drastically that now they don’t have to get into a shootout,” said Fox Sports analyst Joel Klatt, a former Colorado quarterback. “It’s not a frenetic style of game every time that they’re in a game late. They can win a close game. They can win a dirty game” — like their 10-5 triumph at Stanford on Oct. 22.
And Washington State’s offense has done something all year that has surprised everyone who’s familiar with Leach’s traditional style of offense: killing defenses by running the ball. The Cougars rank near last in the country in attempts per game, per usual, but they’ve gotten much more efficient at it, gaining nearly a yard per carry more than last year. Per S&P+, the unit as a whole ranks 17th in the country.
On defense, Washington State is giving up 24 points per game — a massive improvement from 2014, when WSU gave up 38 per game.
So wait, these teams could win the Pac-12 and go to the Rose Bowl?
As long as Washington beats Arizona State, next week’s Apple Cup will decide the North. A WSU win over Colorado could clinch it and move the Cougars well inside the top 20.
Colorado is 6-1 with a one-game lead in the South over USC and a game to go against No. 12 Utah. If CU wins out, it reaches the Pac-12 Championship. And even with a loss, it could still make it. If the Buffs were to win out and win the conference, they could even make the Playoff.
It’s surprising that both of these teams are where they are at this point in the season. But sometimes the unexpectedness of this sport is what makes it so great.
See More:
