College Football: Breaking Down What Every Pac-12 Contender Needs To Make Conference Title

The Pac-12 is about to have a season-determining week for not only the conference, but the landscape of college football.

The Pac-12 has three weeks of regular season football just like every other conference in the country, but unlike all of those other conferences, the Pac-12 is on a path to its end.

Even if Oregon State and Washington State remain and carry on as a two-member conference it won't be the same. On the bright side for those who love the Pac-12, the conference is going down in the most entertaining way possible. With just three weeks remaining, six teams are still in the mix for the conference title which obviously means there is a wide variety of things that can happen in the coming weeks. 

So, here is what each of the six contending teams in the Pac-12 needs to happen in their remaining games in order to make it to the Pac-12 title game. 

Utah (7-2)

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Conference Record: 4-2

What they need: To win out, and have Oregon lose two games with Oregon State losing one as well

Utah is currently sixth in the Pac-12, which in most conferences would mean they are out, but not in this lovely mess. The Utes are facing Pac-12 No. 1 Washington this week, which they need to win to stay in, and are facing Pac-12 No. 4 next week in Arizona. If they win both of those, Washington would still be in the mix while Arizona would be out if they win this week. Utah concludes the season with Colorado whom they would need to beat to even ensure they have a chance. Tie breakers could be a factor.

Oregon State (7-2)

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Conference Record: 4-2

What they need: To win out.

Similar to Utah, they also do not control their destiny in its entirety. They need to win out which would mean beating Stanford, No. 5 Washington, and No. 6 Oregon. If they beat both of the teams in the top two, that obviously makes their life a lot easier in terms of ties. 

Arizona (6-3)

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Conference Record: 4-2

What they need: To win out. USC loss, Washington to lose out 

Arizona ascended into the Pac-12 title race recently and is currently one of the hottest teams in the country. They already beat Oregon State, and now get to play two of the bottom feeders in the conference in the next three weeks. 

USC (7-3)

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Conference Record: 5-2

What they need: To win out, or could get in if they lose to Oregon and the Ducks lose out. They would also need Utah to lose once and to beat UCLA.

The Trojans have an interesting path as it seems like they are free-falling but they still very much can control their destiny with a win over Oregon. That would make their game against UCLA the decider and much simpler than waiting for everything else to occur. 

Oregon (8-1)

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Conference Record: 5-1

What they need: To win out 

It is quite simple for Oregon, they win the rest of their games and they are in. It would include beating Pac-12 No. 3 USC and Pac-12 No. 5 Oregon State. 

Washington (9-0)

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Conference Record: 6-0

What they need: Win two out of three

Washington technically has the easiest path to the Pac-12 title, but it won't be an easy path to take. They will need to beat at least one ranked team and their biggest rival in Washington State.