On this episode of the Pac-12 Apostles Podcast, George Wrighster and Ralph Amsden are joined *FOR A FULL SHOW* by Syndicated Pac-12 Hotline Columnist Jon Wilner! Today’s topics include whether or not the Pac-12 has any remaining path to the College Football Playoff, whether or not the committee would put a 12-1 Ohio State in over a 12-1 Oregon, the legitimacy of a Drake London Heisman candidates on a mediocre football team, potential USC and Washington State Head Coaching scenarios, speculation on other possible job openings, plus a review of last week’s games and a look ahead to week 9 of the season!
The Pac-12 Apostles is a podcast for fans who love the Pac-12 conference. George Wrighster and Ralph Amsden are committed to the honest and fair conversation about the conference. Join us by becoming a Pac-12 Apostle. Subscribe and share the podcast.
Please leave a rating and review of our podcast on iTunes! We record a podcast once a week with emergency episodes when necessary. Our podcasts are always heavy on Pac-12 football. But we make it a point to also try and cover the other notable Men’s and Women’s Pac-12 sports. We cover recruiting and any other major storyline in the Pac-12 universe.
George Wrighster is a former Pac-12 and long-time NFL tight end. As a television/radio host, opinionist, and analyst, who is UNAFRAID to speak the truth. Contrary to industry norms he uses, facts, stats, and common sense to win an argument. He has covered college football, basketball, NFL, NBA, MLB since 2014. Through years of playing college football, covering bowl games, coaching changes, and scandals, he has a great pulse for the conference and national perspective.
Ralph Amsden is a sportswriter and podcaster. He is the publisher of Rivals’ ArizonaVarsity.com, and was previously the managing editor of the Arizona State University Rivals affiliate, DevilsDigest.com. Wyoming born, Arizona raised, and now based in Charlotte, North Carolina with his wife and four kids, Amsden made his mark in Arizona sports media through investigative reporting, and being one of the first people to leverage social media and the podcast medium to grow his platform. In addition to his podcasts, he is the Content Director for UnafraidShow.com. Ralph might be sub-.500 in spousal disputes and schoolyard fights, but whether the topic is food, movies, music, parenting, politics, sports, television, religion, or zoological factoids, he’s always UNAFRAID to square up.
Each week during the NFL season, UnafraidShow.com will take you through the four Pac-12 teams/players that are trending up, as well as the ones that are headed for a crash. Let’s get to it:
Few things are better in sports than watching an athlete rise to the moment. As “We Want Ty” chants started to gain steam in Autzen Stadium, Oregon quarterback Anthony Brown threw up the double birds. After a third quarter filled with boos from the fans (which, corny behavior guys, c’mon), Brown was sensational. Stats don’t lie here either:
Take that for data. You can argue over why the boos were needed to motivate this offense. You can take issue with the inconsistency of the unit’s focus. You can even quibble over the conservative nature of Mario Cristobal’s offensive ethos. But Anthony Brown showed he’s the guy on a 5-1 team. That’s who you roll with the rest of the way. And he earned it on Friday, at least for another week.
2) Utah’s Bad Moon Rising
Let the legend of #ThiccBoi7 begin. And as PNW Chapter President of the #Thiccos, I feel obligated to put our young adult son on the trending up list. How could you not? His second half against Arizona State was nearly perfect. Rising went 13/15 for 140 yards and 2 touchdowns through the air as Utah upset the Sun Devils on a balmy Saturday night at Rice-Eccles. This is more the Utes team we thought we were getting at the beginning of the year. Rising’s dual threat ability (6 att, 59 yds, 1 TD on the ground) has changed the complexion of what was a one note offense with Charlie Brewer under center. It’s easy to see why Kyle Whittingham went with the Baylor transfer at the start of the year but one can’t help but wonder what the first three games look like if it’s a Thicc Boi Summer.
Boy did Chip Kelly need this one. Had UCLA lost this matchup, the questions of what the last few years had been for. If everything under Chip had been built for this to be the breakout year, what would the conclusion have been if they didn’t, you know, break out? Luckily, Bruins fans can hold off on that question for another week. UCLA is 5-2, hosting College Gameday and have a chance to re-enter the Top 25 this weekend when No. 10 Oregon comes to Pasadena. The two-headed monster of Zach Charbonnet and Brittan Brown is still unbelievably potent. Kelly and his staff did a good job of simplifying things for Dorian Thompson-Robinson as well, utilizing his legs and giving him shovel pass looks to counter some downfield accuracy issues from this year. 3/12 on 3rd down against the Huskies is a concern, but the bigger worry is if a Jerry Azzinarro defense won’t get gashed again when they face a superior offensive line.
4) Brendon & The Buffs
Colorado scored points? 34 of them?! Might as well paint the Front Range black and gold. Turns out, allowing your quarterback to throw downfield and let your talented receivers make a play actually works. Who knew!? Jokes aside, this was a really good game and a total pick-me-up for Brendon Lewis. Sure, it’s against Arizona. But at this point, the Buffs having a plus day offensively against anyone is vitally important. What’s more, it was required that Lewis do this as Colorado’s run game put up a somewhat alarming 130 rushing yards total. If nothing else, it was an encouraging sign for a young quarterback that’s been grinding to get better. Games like this can assure that he isn’t lost forever, far too soon.
Heating Up
No team in the country has turned it on quite like Utah. Okay, maybe Washington State. But as you’re about to read that freight train might have just run into an 18 wheeler that was placed in the center of the train tracks by a driver who kept mumbling something about train crossings and safety mandates. Anyway, the Utes look like who we thought they’d be coming into the year. Cam Rising has this offense humming. The defense looks every bit like themselves again and the usually reliably good Whittingham special teams have stabilized. It’s a shame they had to drop those early games otherwise we could be talking about Utah as a team with an opening to run for the conference title. Luckily, the rest of the Pac-12 is just as committed to nonsensical chaos. So the Utes still have a chance. And the way they’ve been playing as of late, it’s hard to bet against them even against a good Oregon State team.
Four Down: Pac-12 Teams and Players Trending Down
1) Nick Rolovich: Down Catastrophic
Forget trending down, Nick Rolovich is trending off the map. Our boy is down catastrophic. A veritable Icarus made flesh. Head coaches are kings in college football. A winning college football coach is a God. Look no further than Ed Orgeron to see what you can get away with when you’re winning versus what all comes out when you’re not. In a lot of ways, Rolo flew too close to the sun. He thought his influence was something greater than what it was and that, when the rubber met the road, that power would allow him to not have to answer to anyone. Only he forgot one thing: he wasn’t winning enough, hadn’t been there long enough and didn’t take any stand that would allow him to mount a proper defense to wield his influence properly. Simply put, you don’t make your bosses lives hell and then go shocked Pikachu face when they don’t stand with you. And it sucks, because Washington State was starting to look really fun. Rolo is a good coach and the players seem to like him. But he didn’t sacrifice for them like they would’ve been willing to do for him. If you can’t lead, then you’re not fit to coach.
2) Wilcox’s Woes
Justin Wilcox is, by all accounts, vaccinated. There’s no firing him for cause. The buyout is $16 million. So, Golden Bear fans, I’m sorry to say he’s your guy for the duration. It’s pretty insane to think about what his trajectory was just after Cal had gone down to Vaught-Hemingway Stadium and beaten Ole Miss in 2019. That team was 4-0 and ranked 15th in the country before dropping four straight games in which they didn’t score more than 17 points a game. They just have not been able to figure out the offense under Wilcox. From Beau Baldwin to Bill Musgrave, something is just not working. And now, with the defense struggling for the second straight year, there are some bigger questions worth asking. A 4 Star QB and 4 Star RB have decommitted this season. Cal had 8 plays inside Oregon’s 10 yard line and couldn’t muster a game tying touchdown on Friday. The Bears are 1-5, looking like one of the worst teams in the conference and, sadly, some uncomfortable discussions may need to happen if this keeps up.
3) Hurting Huskies
I can understand a 5-1 Oregon team not wanting to change their quarterback mid-season. Why mess up what keeps winning you games, right? I do not, however, understand trying something different when you’re 2-4. Dylan Morris, as of this week, continues to be the guy. Jimmy Lake seems to be continuing the Pac-12’s recent trend of bad coaches being stubborn with their bad choices. But maybe Lake knows a truth that is far more uncomfortable for Washington fans: it wouldn’t matter who you throw back there. They’ll suffer behind an offensive line that is somehow one of the worst units in the country. Morris, Sam Huard, Patrick O’Brien, maybe those guys are just interchangeable faces who would get killed facing any power five pass rush. What’s tough is that Washington is too good to be doing this. They recruit too well (though that could be better too), are in a state flush with power five talent and more elite talent every year and have too much history and money behind them for this to be the result. Jon Donovan is clearly an issue at offensive coordinator but Jimmy Lake is the guy that co-signed on him. Better days may lie ahead in Seattle but it’s looking pretty bleak this year.
4) Filet-O-Fisch
There’s a scene in Finding Nemo where they flush Nemo down the toilet to get him to the ocean. The young clownfish has to go through plumbing, sewage treatment plants, navigate schools of larger fish, get out of the net of a factory trawler and then almost gets crushed to death before finally reuniting with his father. Jedd Fisch is currently in the sewage treatment plant because as gross and disgusting as this, it will probably get more painful before the Wildcats find salvation. Quarterback Jordan McCloud is out for the year. His backup, Gunner Cruz, is done for the year as well but not after playing a game so bad that I worry about his long term confidence (did we really need the shot of him crying under a towel, Pac-12 Network?). The talent is just not there in Arizona right now. Jedd Fisch has made some coaching missteps, sure. Overall, he’s recruited well. He’s sold his message. He’s trying with the fanbase. But this is a long term build. If Finding Nemo isn’t a good analogy, think Shawshank Redemption. Wildcat fins still have to wade through a river of poop before they feel cool rain and the air of freedom again.
Jedd Fisch says Arizona has “to expand the role (of receiver Jamarye Joiner), because of where we are as a team and the quarterback room.”
I hesitate to put the Beavers here but historically they’ve had a lot of trouble with Utah under Jonathan Smith. And if quarterback Chance Nolan hasn’t made noticeable improvements during the bye week, this may be a bad night at Reser Stadium. The Beavers remain the top rushing attack in the conference and have plenty of weapons on that side of the ball. But defensively, Oregon State has been exposed a couple of times now. It doesn’t help that their premier edge rushers are unavailable for one reason or another. If Cam Rising continues to play the way he’s played the last two weeks, it’s going to be a long night in Corvallis. Chance Nolan will have to keep pace and with Utah being one of the few teams that can effectively stack the box and have the athletes on the back end to compete with the Beavers receivers and tight ends, it’s going to be a challenge. A couple weeks ago, Oregon State had running the table potential. Now the pendulum has swung to them maybe being the 7-5 team we figured they’d be at the start of the year. Not that that’s a bad thing. But they’ll just look back on that Washington State and Purdue game and really want those back.
On this episode of the Pac-12 Apostles Podcast, George Wrighster and Ralph Amsden discuss the termination of Washington State Head Coach Nick Rolovich and four assistants due to their refusal to adhere to the state employee vaccination mandate. Did Rolovich stand up for his principle, or did he quit on his team? Oregon narrowly escaped against Cal, and the guys debate whether that, along with Utah’s win over Arizona State, mean that all doorways to the College Football Playoff are now sealed shut. After recapping last week’s games, George and Ralph give their Pac-12 power rankings, and pick the upcoming week’s games, including the extremely important conference matchups between Oregon and UCLA, as well as Utah’s trip to Oregon State.
The Pac-12 Apostles is a podcast for fans who love the Pac-12 conference. George Wrighster and Ralph Amsden are committed to the honest and fair conversation about the conference. Join us by becoming a Pac-12 Apostle. Subscribe and share the podcast.
Please leave a rating and review of our podcast on iTunes! We record a podcast once a week with emergency episodes when necessary. Our podcasts are always heavy on Pac-12 football. But we make it a point to also try and cover the other notable Men’s and Women’s Pac-12 sports. We cover recruiting and any other major storyline in the Pac-12 universe.
George Wrighster is a former Pac-12 and long-time NFL tight end. As a television/radio host, opinionist, and analyst, who is UNAFRAID to speak the truth. Contrary to industry norms he uses, facts, stats, and common sense to win an argument. He has covered college football, basketball, NFL, NBA, MLB since 2014. Through years of playing college football, covering bowl games, coaching changes, and scandals, he has a great pulse for the conference and national perspective.
Ralph Amsden is a sportswriter and podcaster. He is the publisher of Rivals’ ArizonaVarsity.com, and was previously the managing editor of the Arizona State University Rivals affiliate, DevilsDigest.com. Wyoming born, Arizona raised, and now based in Charlotte, North Carolina with his wife and four kids, Amsden made his mark in Arizona sports media through investigative reporting, and being one of the first people to leverage social media and the podcast medium to grow his platform. In addition to his podcasts, he is the Content Director for UnafraidShow.com. Ralph might be sub-.500 in spousal disputes and schoolyard fights, but whether the topic is food, movies, music, parenting, politics, sports, television, religion, or zoological factoids, he’s always UNAFRAID to square up.
Oregon State losing to Washington State means the Pac-12 has already, halfway through the seasons, whittled themselves down to only one possible path to the College Football Playoff. Oregon and Arizona State need to win out, meet in the Pac-12 Championship, and hope for a lot of chaos in front of them in the rankings.
While some teams are left only playing for pride, two of the conference’s teams are just hoping to avoid shame. Best of luck to both Colorado and Arizona. Someone has to win, right?
What’s at stake: Oregon has no room for error, and at the mid-point of the season, has yet to establish an offensive identity. With Offensive Coordinator Joe Moorhead battling medical issues, and feature back C.J. Verdell out for the season, someone needs to step up and become the dominant force on this offense to keep the Ducks from another disastrous result like they had against Stanford. Will it be Anthony Brown start finding a receivers downfield (No Ducks WR has more than 11 catches), or Travis Dye finding a way to be an every-down player instead of a change-of-pace guy? Without figuring out who they are offensively, you can probably forget a shot at the College Football Playoff.
For Cal, they’re getting dangerously close to a lost season without a bowl appearance, and a waste of Chase Garbers’ talent as an upperclassman. One thing you know that Justin Wilcox wouldn’t mind is following up a 6-point performance against Washington State by having an offensive explosion against his old Defensive Coordinator Tim DeRuyter, who is now the DC at Oregon.
Our Picks: Ralph likes Cal to Cover +13.5, George Wrighster is going with his Ducks and the spread.
Arizona at Colorado
Kickoff: 12:30PM Pacific
Broadcast: Pac-12 Network
Opening Odds: Colorado -6.5
What’s at stake: Seriously? A win. A single win.
Colorado nearly beating Texas A&M, who just beat #1 Alabama, the Buffaloes offense is so putrid that they’re favored by less than a TD against a team that hasn’t won in over two years. Arizona will go back to Gunner Cruz after Jordan McCloud suffered a season-ending injury against UCLA. First team to 20 wins? Or maybe even 10?
Our Picks: Ralph and George both have Colorado covering the -6.5.
Stanford at Washington State
Kickoff: 4:30PM Pacific
Broadcast: ESPNU
Opening Odds: Stanford -1.5
When Jayden de Laura is at QB for Washington State, they can compete with anyone in the conference. Many people were surprised by the Cougars win over Oregon State last week, but de Laura’s 400 yards passing are a big reason why it happened. Stanford showed they can drive the ball against Arizona State last week, but they had no ability to finish.
Stanford’s inconsistency and yo-yoing as a team is discouraging to Cardinal fans, but if the pattern continues, this will be the week that they bounce back and show their resilience.
Our Picks: Ralph talked George into joining him by taking Stanford -1.5.
UCLA at Washington
Kickoff: 5:30PM Pacific
Broadcast: FOX
Opening Odds: Washington -1.5
What’s at stake: UCLA can run, but last week against Arizona they failed to both pass, and stop the pass. They might have won the game, but there are legitimate concerns that the Bruins have started to fall apart after experiencing early success. The idea that Washington will have to depend on the arm of Dylan Morris in order to defend homefield on Saturday makes picking this game extremely tricky. Dylan Morris rarely completes over 60% of his passes and plays turnover-free football. Unless he does so against one of college football’s worst secondaries on Saturday, you’re going to start to see even more heat on Huskies Head Coach Jimmy Lake than there already is.
For Chip Kelly, the mission is simple- test Washington’s run defense to see if it’s got soft spots, and if it does, exploit it until the final whistle. The less your defense is on the field, the better.
Our Picks: George went with UCLA +1.5, Ralph took the home favorite, Washington -1.5.
#18 Arizona State at Utah
Kickoff: 7:00PM Pacific
Broadcast: ESPN
Opening Odds: Arizona State -1
What’s at stake: Arizona State and Utah are 3-3 in their last 6 games. The fans, or at least the vocal online community of fans, are on each other’s nerves year-round. Utah just ended a 100-year drought by getting a win in the Coliseum, and spent the week grieving the loss of DB Aaron Lowe. They’re either going to be emotionally spent, or raring to get a piece of the ranked Sun Devils on Saturday night. The bottom line here is that if Utah can’t win this game, the Pac-12 South is basically wrapped up by ASU, who is on a quest to become the Pac-12’s first-ever undefeated team in conference play.
Arizona State is the better team at almost every position, but if the offense can’t handle the crowd noise in Provo without getting 19 flags thrown, how are they going to handle the rowdy crowd in Salt Lake?
Our Picks: George and Ralph both have the Sun Devils -1 on the road.
Who are the Pac-12 Apostles?
The Pac-12 Apostles is a podcast for fans who love the Pac-12 conference. George Wrighster and Ralph Amsden are committed to the honest and fair conversation about the conference. Join us by becoming a Pac-12 Apostle. Subscribe and share the podcast.
Please leave a rating and review of our podcast on iTunes! We record a podcast once a week with emergency episodes when necessary. Our podcasts are always heavy on Pac-12 football. But we make it a point to also try and cover the other notable Men’s and Women’s Pac-12 sports. We cover recruiting and any other major storyline in the Pac-12 universe.
George Wrighster is a former Pac-12 and long-time NFL tight end. As a television/radio host, opinionist, and analyst, who is UNAFRAID to speak the truth. Contrary to industry norms he uses, facts, stats, and common sense to win an argument. He has covered college football, basketball, NFL, NBA, MLB since 2014. Through years of playing college football, covering bowl games, coaching changes, and scandals, he has a great pulse for the conference and national perspective.
Ralph Amsden is a sportswriter and podcaster. He is the publisher of Rivals’ ArizonaVarsity.com, and was previously the managing editor of the Arizona State University Rivals affiliate, DevilsDigest.com. Wyoming born, Arizona raised, and now based in Charlotte, North Carolina with his wife and four kids, Amsden made his mark in Arizona sports media through investigative reporting, and being one of the first people to leverage social media and the podcast medium to grow his platform. In addition to his podcasts, he is the Content Director for UnafraidShow.com. Ralph might be sub-.500 in spousal disputes and schoolyard fights, but whether the topic is food, movies, music, parenting, politics, sports, television, religion, or zoological factoids, he’s always UNAFRAID to square up.
On this episode of the Pac-12 Apostles Podcast, George Wrighster and Ralph Amsden recap the action from last week, including Washington State’s surprising win over Oregon State, Utah’s streak-busting win against USC in the Coliseum, Arizona State dominating Stanford, and Arizona falling short after giving UCLA their best shot. The guys give their power rankings for the week, and preview the upcoming games, including a very important matchup between UCLA and Washington. Last, is Arizona State vs Utah a rivalry, or is Twitter driving a narrative that doesn’t exist outside social media?
The Pac-12 Apostles is a podcast for fans who love the Pac-12 conference. George Wrighster and Ralph Amsden are committed to the honest and fair conversation about the conference. Join us by becoming a Pac-12 Apostle. Subscribe and share the podcast.
Please leave a rating and review of our podcast on iTunes! We record a podcast once a week with emergency episodes when necessary. Our podcasts are always heavy on Pac-12 football. But we make it a point to also try and cover the other notable Men’s and Women’s Pac-12 sports. We cover recruiting and any other major storyline in the Pac-12 universe.
George Wrighster is a former Pac-12 and long-time NFL tight end. As a television/radio host, opinionist, and analyst, who is UNAFRAID to speak the truth. Contrary to industry norms he uses, facts, stats, and common sense to win an argument. He has covered college football, basketball, NFL, NBA, MLB since 2014. Through years of playing college football, covering bowl games, coaching changes, and scandals, he has a great pulse for the conference and national perspective.
Ralph Amsden is a sportswriter and podcaster. He is the publisher of Rivals’ ArizonaVarsity.com, and was previously the managing editor of the Arizona State University Rivals affiliate, DevilsDigest.com. Wyoming born, Arizona raised, and now based in Charlotte, North Carolina with his wife and four kids, Amsden made his mark in Arizona sports media through investigative reporting, and being one of the first people to leverage social media and the podcast medium to grow his platform. In addition to his podcasts, he is the Content Director for UnafraidShow.com. Ralph might be sub-.500 in spousal disputes and schoolyard fights, but whether the topic is food, movies, music, parenting, politics, sports, television, religion, or zoological factoids, he’s always UNAFRAID to square up.
The Pac-12 is reeling from losing its easiest path to the College Football Playoff last week, with Oregon falling to Stanford in overtime. Worse than that, Pac-12 officiating has again become a talking point. The more things change, the more they stay the same…
This week, one third of the conference has a bye, and only three games are going to be played on Saturday. Oregon State has wins over Washington and USC under its belt, and all of the sudden we’re going to get to see how the Beavers play as favorites for most of the rest of the season, instead of the plucky underdogs they’ve been for Jonathan Smith’s entire tenure.
While I’m not sure we’ll have any world-shattering events take place in week 6 of Pac-12 play, let’s still take a look at the matchups and give you an outline of what to expect…
What’s at stake: David Shaw said a lot of things before this season started. Many of them were about his team being better than the national media expected (and they have been), but some of them were about the Arizona State Sun Devils violating the dead period during the Covid-19 pandemic. When ASU’s Herm Edwards was asked to respond to David Shaw’s comments, he pointed out that Shaw didn’t have anything to say when the two were together before Pac-12 Media Day. While there’s plenty at stake on the field for both teams in this game, the budding off-the-field feud between Shaw and the ASU program adds an interesting element.
Some might find the fact that Stanford is a heavy underdog coming off an upset of the #3 team in the country to be a surprise, but the Cardinal are giving up over 5 yards a carry in the run game, and offensively, they’ve lost Brycen Tremayne for the season, which accounts for 21% of their receiving yards and 45% of their receiving TDs this year. Considering the strengths of Arizona State are their run game and the secondary, this is a recipe for a blowout Sun Devils win. Historically, however, David Shaw is 4-1 against ASU, and with this being a Friday night game, you can never be too sure of the outcome.
Our Picks: Ralph likes Arizona State to Cover, George is rolling with Stanford.
Oregon State at Washington State
Kickoff: 1:00PM Pacific
Broadcast: Pac-12 Network
Opening Odds: Oregon State -3.5
What’s at stake: Oregon State is 4-1 with seven games left, and considering they haven’t won more than five games in the last seven seasons, it’s staring to feel like this could be an extremely special season. Nine different Beavers have an interception on defense, and B.J. Baylor is running like he’s this year’s Jarek Broussard. So why are they only a 3.5 point favorite in Pullman? Well, Wazzu seems to be a completely different team when Jayden de Laura is at quarterback. The Cougars have had a lead in the second half of all three of their losses, and maybe last week’s 21-6 win over Cal showed this team that they have the ability to close an opponent out. If Max Borghi and Deon McIntosh can combine to give Washington State equal or greater offense than Baylor gives the Beavers, the Cougars have a legitimate shot to defend homefield and get the upset.
Our Picks: Ralph and George both have the Beavers covering the -3.5.
Utah at USC
Kickoff: 5:00PM Pacific
Broadcast: FOX
Opening Odds: USC -3
What’s at stake: Utah hears every single year that they can’t win at Southern California, and Utes fans are absolutely sick of it. Under Kyle Wittingham, Utah is 0-5 on the road against USC, and there’s no reason to believe that it’s any kind of regional curse, as the Utes usually smash UCLA at the Rose Bowl when they play. The Trojans are barely favored, and last time they were at home, they were dominated by an Oregon State team that hadn’t won at USC in 60+ years. Perhaps this is the year Utah joins the club?
In order to win, and not fall behind in the race for the Pac-12 south, the Utes are going to need to practice ball security (they had four turnovers in last year’s loss), and keep the time of possession lopsided. USC has the ability to move the ball down the field to Drake London in a hurry, and while you’re not going to shut London down completely, you can keep Slovis uncomfortable enough to not have the time to get the ball out of his hands.
Our Picks: Ralph and George both think USC continues to keep Kyle Wittingham winless at the Coliseum. Trojans -3.
UCLA at Arizona
Kickoff: 7:30PM Pacific
Broadcast: ESPN
Opening Odds: UCLA -16
What’s at stake: Two weeks of preparation for Jedd Fisch after keeping things close against Oregon has many people that cover the Pac-12, and people in the national media, convinced that this game could be an enormous trap for the Bruins. Jordan McCloud’s mobility is a big key to keeping drives alive for Arizona, but if they want to compete against UCLA, they’re going to need to greatly exceed the 3.3 yards per carry they’re averaging as a team on the season. Defensively, the Wildcats are going to need to force some turnovers- something Dorian Thompson Robinson has drastically cut back on in 2021. For UCLA, the narrative went from “could they go undefeated” to “who will the next coach be” in a matter of three weeks. The defensive backfield is struggling mightily, and it would be an enormous embarrassment for the program if they continue to fall apart against an Arizona team that currently is averaging 1.5 less yards per pass attempt than UCLA’s defense has allowed on the season.
Our Picks: Ralph and George both picked the Bruins in a blowout.
Who are the Pac-12 Apostles?
The Pac-12 Apostles is a podcast for fans who love the Pac-12 conference. George Wrighster and Ralph Amsden are committed to the honest and fair conversation about the conference. Join us by becoming a Pac-12 Apostle. Subscribe and share the podcast.
Please leave a rating and review of our podcast on iTunes! We record a podcast once a week with emergency episodes when necessary. Our podcasts are always heavy on Pac-12 football. But we make it a point to also try and cover the other notable Men’s and Women’s Pac-12 sports. We cover recruiting and any other major storyline in the Pac-12 universe.
George Wrighster is a former Pac-12 and long-time NFL tight end. As a television/radio host, opinionist, and analyst, who is UNAFRAID to speak the truth. Contrary to industry norms he uses, facts, stats, and common sense to win an argument. He has covered college football, basketball, NFL, NBA, MLB since 2014. Through years of playing college football, covering bowl games, coaching changes, and scandals, he has a great pulse for the conference and national perspective.
Ralph Amsden is a sportswriter and podcaster. He is the publisher of Rivals’ ArizonaVarsity.com, and was previously the managing editor of the Arizona State University Rivals affiliate, DevilsDigest.com. Wyoming born, Arizona raised, and now based in Charlotte, North Carolina with his wife and four kids, Amsden made his mark in Arizona sports media through investigative reporting, and being one of the first people to leverage social media and the podcast medium to grow his platform. In addition to his podcasts, he is the Content Director for UnafraidShow.com. Ralph might be sub-.500 in spousal disputes and schoolyard fights, but whether the topic is food, movies, music, parenting, politics, sports, television, religion, or zoological factoids, he’s always UNAFRAID to square up.
On this episode of Pac-12 Apostles, George Wrighster and Ralph Amsden sort through the damage of Oregon’s loss to Stanford, and assess the rest of week 5’s conference play action. George Wrighster interviews Pac-12 Conference Commissioner George Kliavkoff, and tries to get to the bottom of the conference’s television distribution issues. The guys give their updated power rankings, and preview/predict the four week 6 games before giving an update on who’s still a legitimate contender to replace Clay Helton at USC.
The Pac-12 Apostles is a podcast for fans who love the Pac-12 conference. George Wrighster and Ralph Amsden are committed to the honest and fair conversation about the conference. Join us by becoming a Pac-12 Apostle. Subscribe and share the podcast.
Please leave a rating and review of our podcast on iTunes! We record a podcast once a week with emergency episodes when necessary. Our podcasts are always heavy on Pac-12 football. But we make it a point to also try and cover the other notable Men’s and Women’s Pac-12 sports. We cover recruiting and any other major storyline in the Pac-12 universe.
George Wrighster is a former Pac-12 and long-time NFL tight end. As a television/radio host, opinionist, and analyst, who is UNAFRAID to speak the truth. Contrary to industry norms he uses, facts, stats, and common sense to win an argument. He has covered college football, basketball, NFL, NBA, MLB since 2014. Through years of playing college football, covering bowl games, coaching changes, and scandals, he has a great pulse for the conference and national perspective.
Ralph Amsden is a sportswriter and podcaster. He is the publisher of Rivals’ ArizonaVarsity.com, and was previously the managing editor of the Arizona State University Rivals affiliate, DevilsDigest.com. Wyoming born, Arizona raised, and now based in Charlotte, North Carolina with his wife and four kids, Amsden made his mark in Arizona sports media through investigative reporting, and being one of the first people to leverage social media and the podcast medium to grow his platform. In addition to his podcasts, he is the Content Director for UnafraidShow.com. Ralph might be sub-.500 in spousal disputes and schoolyard fights, but whether the topic is food, movies, music, parenting, politics, sports, television, religion, or zoological factoids, he’s always UNAFRAID to square up.
As the Pac-12 gets ready to kick off week 5 of the season, and the second week of conference play, we’re getting a clearer picture of who the contenders and pretenders might be.
We know that USC is going to be fighting for a bowl appearance, and not a conference title. We know that Oregon State has found their QB. We know that Cal’s fans are going to be haunted by the 2021 version of their team’s inability to finish. We know that Washington was wrong about keeping Sean McGrew on the bench all along. We know that the winner of UCLA/ASU this week might be Oregon’s only competition to win the conference.
But there’s still plenty that we don’t know, and in week 5 we’re going to learn an awful lot…
What’s at stake: One galaxy-brained way to look at the rest of the season if you’re a USC fan is to think to yourself that now that Donte Williams doesn’t have the pressure of walking the undefeated tightrope in order to earn the job, the Trojans can just go out and play. I say whatever you need to tell yourself to stay invested in this season after Oregon State won its first game on your homefield in 61 year, you gotta do it. Look, Colorado can’t move the ball through the air, so if they do it against the Trojans even half as well as Chance Nolan did, the problems run so much deeper than alleviating Clay Helton of his position. As far as Colorado goes, you have to keep building. You went from going scoreless on two games’ worth of drives, and then managed to score 13 points in Tempe. Double that against the Trojans at home and you might still be in the fight for a bowl.
Our Picks: Ralph and George both like USC to cover
#3 Oregon at Stanford
Kickoff: 12:30PM Pacific
Broadcast: ABC
Opening Odds: Oregon -8
What’s at stake: For Oregon, everything is on the line all the time. They’ve played Stony Brook and Arizona closer than they should have in the last two weeks, and so a fast start would be helpful against a Stanford team that is starting to find its identity with Tanner McKee under center. We don’t know if Oregon is vulnerable to the run, and you can bet that David Shaw is going to put that to the test in hopes of keeping the pace of the game at a crawl. If the game ends up a shootout, I’m not sure they have the firepower to keep up with Oregon.
Our Picks: Ralph is taking Stanford to cover, George, as always, is swimming with the Ducks.
Washington State at Cal
Kickoff: 2:30PM Pacific
Broadcast: Pac-12 Network
Opening Odds: Cal -7.5
What’s at stake: Cal could easily be 4-0 with 3-4 plays going differently. Washington State has had a second half lead in all three of their losses. The level of unmet expectations and disappointment in this contest is immeasurable, but alas! Someone HAS TO WIN!!! On the other end of that fact… Bowl hopes end for the loser… in week 5.
Our Picks: Ralph likes Cal -7.5, George is taking Wazzu.
Washington at Oregon State
Kickoff: 6:00PM Pacific
Broadcast: Pac-12 Network
Opening Odds: Oregon State -1.5
What’s at stake: Oregon State can go from “fun story” to “legitimate contender” with a win over Washington, and if you harken back to last season’s win in the game formerly known as the civil war, that’ll be the three game run that USC fans will use to convince themselves they’re happy about Jonathan Smith being the most logical choice to be their next head coach. In all seriousness though, the Beavers have a chance to finally show that talent development is superior to talent collection, and become the Pac-12 North’s version of Utah. Washington’s Jimmy Lake is in the unenviable position of replacing Clay Helton as the person who is coaching each game to avoid the rage of the base. Unless Lake wants to avoid pitchforks, and not the Sun Devil kind, he needs his team to play to their potential and take care of business in Corvallis.
Our Picks: George is all in on Oregon State, Ralph is giving the Huskies one last chance.
Arizona State at #20 UCLA
Kickoff: 7:30PM Pacific
Broadcast: FS1
Opening Odds: UCLA -3.5
What’s at stake: Herm Edwards has had success against lots of Pac-12 opponents, but in their last two contests, Chip Kelly has put on a coaching clinic. This year, both teams are 3-1 with solid defenses and very good running games. This game is going to come down to which skinny dual-threat QB makes the biggest play in the biggest moment. For Dorian Thompson Robinson, this is a legacy game. For Jayden Daniels, this is to give him the opportunity to have his own set of legacy games in an attempt to sweep the LA schools and beat Utah en route to a Pac-12 South title.
Our Picks: George likes the Bruins, Ralph is being stubborn and sticking to his “ASU goes 11-1” preseason prediction.
Who are the Pac-12 Apostles?
The Pac-12 Apostles is a podcast for fans who love the Pac-12 conference. George Wrighster and Ralph Amsden are committed to the honest and fair conversation about the conference. Join us by becoming a Pac-12 Apostle. Subscribe and share the podcast.
Please leave a rating and review of our podcast on iTunes! We record a podcast once a week with emergency episodes when necessary. Our podcasts are always heavy on Pac-12 football. But we make it a point to also try and cover the other notable Men’s and Women’s Pac-12 sports. We cover recruiting and any other major storyline in the Pac-12 universe.
George Wrighster is a former Pac-12 and long-time NFL tight end. As a television/radio host, opinionist, and analyst, who is UNAFRAID to speak the truth. Contrary to industry norms he uses, facts, stats, and common sense to win an argument. He has covered college football, basketball, NFL, NBA, MLB since 2014. Through years of playing college football, covering bowl games, coaching changes, and scandals, he has a great pulse for the conference and national perspective.
Ralph Amsden is a sportswriter and podcaster. He is the publisher of Rivals’ ArizonaVarsity.com, and was previously the managing editor of the Arizona State University Rivals affiliate, DevilsDigest.com. Wyoming born, Arizona raised, and now based in Charlotte, North Carolina with his wife and four kids, Amsden made his mark in Arizona sports media through investigative reporting, and being one of the first people to leverage social media and the podcast medium to grow his platform. In addition to his podcasts, he is the Content Director for UnafraidShow.com. Ralph might be sub-.500 in spousal disputes and schoolyard fights, but whether the topic is food, movies, music, parenting, politics, sports, television, religion, or zoological factoids, he’s always UNAFRAID to square up.
On this episode of the Pac-12 Apostles Podcast, George Wrighster and Ralph Amsden break down the first week of conference play, give their current Pac-12 Power Rankings, and look ahead to next week’s games, including intriguing matchups between Oregon and Stanford, Arizona State and UCLA, and Washington and Oregon State. The guys comment on University of Arizona calling for a walk-on tryout in the middle of the season, and talk about the tragic shootings of Washington State’s Brandon Gray and Utah’s Aaron Lowe. To finish off the show, George and Ralph update their list of the most likely candidates for the USC head coaching job.
The Pac-12 Apostles is a podcast for fans who love the Pac-12 conference. George Wrighster and Ralph Amsden are committed to the honest and fair conversation about the conference. Join us by becoming a Pac-12 Apostle. Subscribe and share the podcast.
Please leave a rating and review of our podcast on iTunes! We record a podcast once a week with emergency episodes when necessary. Our podcasts are always heavy on Pac-12 football. But we make it a point to also try and cover the other notable Men’s and Women’s Pac-12 sports. We cover recruiting and any other major storyline in the Pac-12 universe.
George Wrighster is a former Pac-12 and long-time NFL tight end. As a television/radio host, opinionist, and analyst, who is UNAFRAID to speak the truth. Contrary to industry norms he uses, facts, stats, and common sense to win an argument. He has covered college football, basketball, NFL, NBA, MLB since 2014. Through years of playing college football, covering bowl games, coaching changes, and scandals, he has a great pulse for the conference and national perspective.
Ralph Amsden is a sportswriter and podcaster. He is the publisher of Rivals’ ArizonaVarsity.com, and was previously the managing editor of the Arizona State University Rivals affiliate, DevilsDigest.com. Wyoming born, Arizona raised, and now based in Charlotte, North Carolina with his wife and four kids, Amsden made his mark in Arizona sports media through investigative reporting, and being one of the first people to leverage social media and the podcast medium to grow his platform. In addition to his podcasts, he is the Content Director for UnafraidShow.com. Ralph might be sub-.500 in spousal disputes and schoolyard fights, but whether the topic is food, movies, music, parenting, politics, sports, television, religion, or zoological factoids, he’s always UNAFRAID to square up.
We’ve hit Pac-12 Conference play at the perfect time- no more Mountain West and Big Sky teams around to bully the teams that had hopes to challenge for a conference championship. The best part about conference play? Someone has to win.
What’s at stake: Both of these teams have had a dramatic start to the season when it comes to the QB position. Utah’s Charlie Brewer quit the team after being benched during the Utes’ loss to San Diego State, and Wazzu completely fell apart after Jayden de Laura was injured against USC. The Cougars are heavy underdogs, and will start Jarrett Guarantano against Utah, who has handed the keys to the kingdom to Cam Rising. Will the Pac-12 discover a new star QB, or will both teams’ issues continue into next week?
Our Picks: Ralph has Washington State covering on the road, George is going with the Utes.
#24 UCLA at Stanford
Kickoff: 3:00PM Pacific
Broadcast: Pac-12 Network
Opening Odds: UCLA-6.5
What’s at stake: Fresno State might be very good. Kansas State might be very good as well. That’s what both Chip Kelly and David Shaw are hoping for, as both the Bruins and Cardinal have looked very good offensively outside of each team’s single out of conference loss. Stanford’s Tanner McKee seems to have given them an identity on offense, and Kyu Blu Kelly might be the best defensive player in the conference. UCLA’s best hope to move to 3-1 is to find a way to keep Stanford from building a lead the way Fresno State did last week, so the Bruins can showcase the running game that makes them special.
Our Picks: Ralph and George both have UCLA -6.5
Cal at Washington
Kickoff: 6:30PM Pacific
Broadcast: Pac-12 Network
Opening Odds: Washington -6.5
What’s at stake: Who would have thought that after week 4, one of these teams would have their third loss of the season? Certainly not me when it comes to the Huskies- I had them going 10-2 on the season. There’s a lot of pressure on both Dylan Morris and Chase Garbers to will their team to victory in this game, but Cal is going to be shorthanded defensively, so Garbers is the one that can’t afford to make any mistakes. If Washington gets the job done in this Pac-12 North battle, it might be because they finally employed every running back they’d been saving up until last week, which sets TE Cade Otton up to benefit from Cal’s LBs having to account for multiple threats out of the backfield.
Our Picks: Ralph and George are both on Cal +6.5
Arizona at #3 Oregon
Kickoff: 7:30PM Pacific
Broadcast: ESPN
Opening Odds: Oregon -28.5
What’s at stake: If you’re a “Back the PAC” person, you’ve probably been grinding your teeth all week thinking about the implications for the conference if University of Arizona finally figures things out against your conference’s best chance to get a team into the CFB Playoff. The Wildcats are 0-3, and are on their third starting QB. If Oregon does anything less than put the Wildcats away early, eyebrows will be raised at the authenticity of the Ducks’ chances.
Our Picks: Ralph and George have Oregon -28.5.
Colorado at Arizona State
Kickoff: 7:30PM Pacific
Broadcast: ESPNU
Opening Odds: Arizona State -14
What’s at stake: Colorado has 20 consecutive scoreless drives. Arizona State had 19 penalty flags last week. Which team can turn things around before their bad habits become their identity? In all likelihood, it will be much easier for the Sun Devils to correct mistakes that were brought on by road crowd noise than it will be for the Buffaloes to suddenly figure out how to move the ball against a very talented defense.
Our Picks: Ralph and George both have the Sun Devils -14
Oregon State at USC
Kickoff: 7:30PM Pacific
Broadcast: FS1
Opening Odds: USC -12.5
What’s at stake: USC got a massive boost last week from Jaxson Dart, but a torn meniscus means the Trojans will have to decide between a banged up Kedon Slovis, or freshman Miller Moss. Oregon State had a decisive victory over Idaho last week, but there isn’t a single player on the Vandals roster good enough to get reps at USC. For the Beavers to win this game, they’re going to have to play mistake-free football.
Our Picks: Ralph and George are taking Oregon State +12.5
Who are the Pac-12 Apostles?
The Pac-12 Apostles is a podcast for fans who love the Pac-12 conference. George Wrighster and Ralph Amsden are committed to the honest and fair conversation about the conference. Join us by becoming a Pac-12 Apostle. Subscribe and share the podcast.
Please leave a rating and review of our podcast on iTunes! We record a podcast once a week with emergency episodes when necessary. Our podcasts are always heavy on Pac-12 football. But we make it a point to also try and cover the other notable Men’s and Women’s Pac-12 sports. We cover recruiting and any other major storyline in the Pac-12 universe.
George Wrighster is a former Pac-12 and long-time NFL tight end. As a television/radio host, opinionist, and analyst, who is UNAFRAID to speak the truth. Contrary to industry norms he uses, facts, stats, and common sense to win an argument. He has covered college football, basketball, NFL, NBA, MLB since 2014. Through years of playing college football, covering bowl games, coaching changes, and scandals, he has a great pulse for the conference and national perspective.
Ralph Amsden is a sportswriter and podcaster. He is the publisher of Rivals’ ArizonaVarsity.com, and was previously the managing editor of the Arizona State University Rivals affiliate, DevilsDigest.com. Wyoming born, Arizona raised, and now based in Charlotte, North Carolina with his wife and four kids, Amsden made his mark in Arizona sports media through investigative reporting, and being one of the first people to leverage social media and the podcast medium to grow his platform. In addition to his podcasts, he is the Content Director for UnafraidShow.com. Ralph might be sub-.500 in spousal disputes and schoolyard fights, but whether the topic is food, movies, music, parenting, politics, sports, television, religion, or zoological factoids, he’s always UNAFRAID to square up.
