Pac-12 This Weekend Outlook

PULLMAN, Wash. (AP) — Backup quarterback Bryson Barnes threw for 175 yards and a touchdown and No. 14 Utah beat Washington State 21-17 on Thursday night to stay in the hunt for the Pac-12 championship game. Barnes, who started in place of injured Cam Rising, completed 17 of 27 passes for Utah (6-2, 4-1), which was off last week after edging Southern California in a 43-42 shootout Oct. 15. Cameron Ward completed 27 of 31 passes for 222 yards for Washington State (4-4, 1-4), which has lost four of its past five games and was also off a week ago. The Cougars were without rushing leader Nakia Watson and top receiver Renard Bell because of injuries.

TUCSON, Ariz. (AP) — Southern California’s bye could not have come at a better time. The time off not only gave the 10th-ranked Trojans an opportunity to get healthy, it also gave them a chance to reflect and refocus after an emotional 43-42 loss to No. 14 Utah. USC's opportunity to bounce back starts Saturday at Arizona, when the Trojans kick off a stretch of three straight games against teams in the bottom half of the Pac-12. USC is second in the Pac-12 to No. 8 Oregon, so a spot in the conference title game is still within reach. There’s also a potential path to the College Football Playoff if the Trojans can win out.

LOS ANGELES (AP) — UCLA and Stanford are playing unaccustomed roles going into Saturday’s matchup at the Rose Bowl. The 12th-ranked Bruins are still in the hunt for a spot in the Pac-12 championship game on Dec. 2. The Cardinal have won two straight as they look to avoid back-to-back losing seasons for the first time since 2007. They snapped a 10-game conference losing streak with a win over Arizona.

BERKELEY, Calif. (AP) — The talk about Oregon has changed quite a bit since the season-opening 46-point loss to Georgia cast doubt about how good the Ducks would be in the first year under coach Dan Lanning. Six straight wins have changed all that for everyone but Lanning and the Ducks. The eighth-ranked Ducks are looking to build on a 45-30 win over UCLA when they travel to face California on Saturday and continue their quest for the first perfect season in conference play since the Pac-12 expanded in 2011.

BOULDER, Colo. (AP) — The Colorado Buffaloes are in a downward spiral that’s seen them go 1-6 this season and cost head coach Karl Dorrell his job earlier this month. Their demise has been due to a myriad of reasons. It's partly due to the transfer portal, where Colorado lost numerous players before this season. It's partly due to the money surrounding name, image and likeness deals. Longtime NFL linebacker Chad Brown believes the next coach needs time to develop his culture. Just like under Hall of Fame coach Bill McCartney when Brown and his teammates captured the school’s only national football title during the 1990 season.