Pac-12 North Contenders: Oregon Ducks And The Usual Suspects

It’s late October and the usual suspects are all in contention to win the Pac-12 North this season: Stanford, Oregon, Cal, and of course Washington State. Yep, it’s been that kind of season in college football this year. Being that the National Championship picture does not involve Oregon in 2015, the Ducks’ sights are now set on repeating as Pac-12 Champions. But before Oregon can win the Pac-12, they will need to win the Pac-12 North first. Currently, the Ducks (2-2) are tied for third place in the division with Cal (2-2), behind Stanford (5-0) and Washington State (3-1). It’s safe to say Oregon will need to go undefeated the rest of the way if they want to represent the North for the second year straight. However, Oregon winning out is only part of the battle. Ducks will also need help from other teams.

Here are the remaining schedules for the Pac-12 North hopefuls.

Stanford:

@ Washington State

@ Colorado

Vs. Oregon

Vs. Cal

Vs. Notre Dame

Washington State: 

Vs. Stanford

Vs. Arizona State

At UCLA

Vs Colorado

At Washington

Oregon: 

At Arizona State

Vs. Cal

At Stanford

Vs. USC

Vs. Oregon State

Cal: 

Vs. USC

At Oregon

Vs. Oregon State

At Stanford

Vs. Arizona State

Keep in mind Stanford’s game against Notre Dame has no impact on Pac-12 standings. On paper at least, Stanford has the easiest remaining schedule among the four teams. I’d recommend rooting for the Cougars to pull off the upset in Pullman this Saturday. For Oregon’s sake, Arizona State this Thursday should be the biggest priority for Mark Helfrich and Co.

One game at a time.