Posted on August 24, 2020
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T he preseason is in the books and Conference play is in full swing in weeks four and five of our simulated season. Every Pac-12 game has big implications early, but among those that stand out in this two-week stretch are ASU at USC, Utah at Cal, USC at Utah, and Washington at Oregon.
Don’t forget to check out the updated simulated Pac-12 standings at the bottom of each week, and let me know what you think. Remember, these are just my opinions, and I would love to debate and talk about any or all of my picks on Twitter (follow @JackFollman to play along).
Week Four (September 26)
Arizona State at USC
Series History: Trojans lead 22-13
USC 38, Arizona State 27
Both these teams know the Pac-12 South will be really hard to win going into this game, and the Trojans control it throughout with their more-experienced and more-talented offense and good-enough defense. Consequently, the Trojans take early command of the South with their second conference win.
Utah at Cal
Series History: Tied 6-6.
Cal 17 Utah 13
A defensive struggle ensues in Berkeley and the more-veteran Bears get the win at home behind more late-game heroics from Chase Garbers, who starts the season with a surprise run at Pac-12 Offensive Player of the Year due to his clutch performances late in wins.
Oregon at Colorado
Series History: Ducks lead 13-9.
Oregon 38, Colorado 10
Washington State at Oregon State
Series History: Cougars lead 54-47-3.
Oregon State 41, Washington State 38
Stanford at UCLA
Series History: Bruins lead 46-42-3.
UCLA 31, Stanford 28
Week 4 Simulated 2020 Pac-12 Standings
North Division | ||
Team | Conf | Overall |
Cal | 1-0 | 4-0 |
Oregon | 1-0 | 3-1 |
OSU | 1-0 | 3-1 |
Washington | 0-0 | 3-0 |
Stanford | 1-2 | 2-2 |
WSU | 0-1 | 3-1 |
South Division | ||
Team | Conf | Overall |
USC | 2-0 | 3-1 |
UCLA | 1-0 | 4-0 |
ASU | 0-1 | 3-1 |
Utah | 0-1 | 3-1 |
Arizona | 0-1 | 2-2 |
Colorado | 0-1 | 2-2 |
Week Five (October 2-3)
USC at Utah
Series History: Trojans lead 12-6.
Utah 30, USC 27
It’s Utah’s turn to get the upset at home over USC after the Trojans did it to them last year. The new-look Utah offense comes of age at home and Jordan Wilmore finds success on the ground while Utah’s retooled defense is able to slow down the Trojan air raid just enough seal the win.
Arizona at UCLA
Series History: Bruins lead 25-17-2.
UCLA 48, Arizona 45
Oregon State at Arizona State
Series History: Sun Devils lead 29-14-1.
Arizona State 37, Oregon State 31
Cal at Washington State
Series History: Bears lead 48-28-5.
Cal 28, Washington State 21
Washington at Oregon
Series History: Huskies lead 60-47-5.
Washington 28, Oregon 27
The Ducks and Huskies lock up in another ultra-tight battle. The Huskies come off a bye week this year and get the one-point win with tight defense and a ball control attack that scores a go-ahead touchdown in the final moments.
Week 5 Simulated 2020 Pac-12 Standings
North Division | ||
Team | Conf | Overall |
Cal | 2-0 | 5-0 |
Washington | 1-0 | 4-0 |
Oregon | 1-1 | 3-2 |
OSU | 1-1 | 3-2 |
Stanford | 1-2 | 2-2 |
WSU | 0-2 | 3-2 |
South Division | ||
Team | Conf | Overall |
UCLA | 2-0 | 5-0 |
USC | 2-1 | 3-2 |
ASU | 1-1 | 4-1 |
Utah | 1-1 | 4-1 |
Colorado | 0-1 | 2-2 |
Arizona | 0-2 | 2-3 |
Previous Installments of Jack Follman’s Simulated Season
—More from Jack Follman—
- Jack Follman’s Way-Too-Early 2023 College Football Top 25
- Jack Follman’s Way-Too-Early All-Pac-12 Teams for 2023
- Jack Follman’s Christmas 2023 Pac-12 NFL Mock Draft
- Jack Follman’s 2022 SuperWest Pac-12 All-Freshman Teams
- Jack Follman’s 2022 SuperWest All-Pac-12 Football Teams
- Jack Follman’s 2022 SuperWest Pac-12 Annual Awards
- Jack Follman’s 10 Thoughts on Week 13 in the West
- Jack Follman’s Week 14 Pac-12 Bowl Projections
- Jack Follman’s Pac-12 Underclassmen to Watch for NFL Draft
- Jack Follman’s 10 Thoughts on Week 12 in the West
- Jack Follman’s Week 13 Pac-12 Bowl Projections
- Jack Follman’s 10 Thoughts on Week 11 in the West
- Jack Follman’s Week 12 Pac-12 Bowl Projections
- Jack Follman’s 10 Thoughts on Week 10 in the West
- Jack Follman’s Week 11 Pac-12 Bowl Projections
- Jack Follman’s Week 10 Pac-12 Bowl Projections
- Jack Follman’s 10 Thoughts on Week 9 in the West
- Jack Follman’s Updated 2023 NFL Mock First-Round Draft
- Jack Follman’s 2023 Top Pac-12 NFL Draft Prospects Update
- Jack Follman’s 10 Thoughts on Week 8 in the West
- Jack Follman’s Week 9 Pac-12 Bowl Projections
- Jack Follman’s Midseason Awards and All-Pac-12 Teams
- Jack Follman’s 10 Thoughts on Week 7 in the West
- Jack Follman’s Week 8 Pac-12 Bowl Projections
- Jack Follman’s 10 Thoughts on Week 6 in the West
- Jack Follman’s 10 Thoughts on Week 5 in the West
- Jack Follman’s 10 Thoughts on Week 4 in the West
- Jack Follman’s 10 Thoughts on Week 3 in the West
- Jack Follman’s 10 Thoughts on Week 2 in the West
- Jack Follman’s 10 Thoughts on Week 1 in the West
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Jack Follman’s Way-Too-Early 2023 College Football Top 25
2022 was a strong year for the Pac-12 and 2023 shapes up to be the same, if not even stronger - January 29, 2023 -
Jack Follman’s Way-Too-Early All-Pac-12 Teams for 2023
We’re going to see some of the strongest and deepest All-Conferences teams in quite some time - January 27, 2023 -
Jack Follman’s Christmas 2023 Pac-12 NFL Mock Draft
A lot of players who likely would have declared early in the past are coming back to college - December 25, 2022