Pac12

BOULDER, Colo. —  It was a natural high at 5,346 feet above sea level.Jaime Jaquez Jr. hurled the ball off the bottom of the scoreboard. Tyger Campbell and Dylan Andrews exchanged a flying body bump and a tight embrace. Adem Bona raised a clenched fist to acknowledge cheering fans as he walked into a tunnel.For the first time in a decade, UCLA is the outright Pac-12 champion.The fourth-ranked Bruins got there after shaking off a brutal first half and owning every highlight in the final minutes of an unexpectedly taut…

USC quarterback Caleb Williams runs with the ball while pulling away from the Utah defense during the first quarter of the Pac-12 championship game at Allegiant Stadium on Friday.(Wally Skalij / Los Angeles Times) Austin Jones was rolling. Utah stopped him cold. The running back, who had a career-high 154 rushing yards against Notre Dame, was held to just 35 yards on 15 carries on Friday. His ability to balance the offense, taking pressure off Williams and the passing game, was critical against the…

LAS VEGAS —  Every seemingly impossible step in USC’s extraordinary yearlong turnaround, from the stunning hire of Lincoln Riley last November to the magical moments constantly conjured by its star quarterback, had for the past year defied any sane expectation, its stunning run all but daring destiny to intervene.The Trojans had climbed out of the Pac-12 cellar, scratching and clawing their way back from a 4-8 season to the brink of the College Football Playoff. They’d climbed back in the last minute in Corvallis, held…

Can Utah spoil USC’s playoff chances?Utah and USC are meeting for the second time this year, with USC’s only loss this year being Utah. That’s going to make it a pretty good game. USC is currently favored by just 2.5 points. USC does have quite a few weapons on offense to help keep Utah at bay. Including a Heisman candidate in Caleb Williams.This game does have a lot of implications on the College Football Playoff. With USC just barely being in the Playoff right now, at the fourth seed. A loss could knock them out of the…

The moment it dawned on Justin Dedich that this USC season was destined to be special came seven weeks ago in Salt Lake City, amid the devastation of its first and only defeat.USC’s 43-42 loss to Utah last month landed like a gut punch. As the Trojans filtered into the visitor’s locker room of Rice-Eccles Stadium, the senior captain was struck by the scene. Emotions from the last-minute defeat lay bare. Players sat at their lockers in tears. But behind their puffy eyes, Dedich saw something he’d never seen in his…

The Pac-12 conference will crown a champion on December 2 when the No. 11 Utah Utes take on the No. 4 USC Trojans. In the school’s previous meeting on October 15, Utah upset USC 43-42, handing the Trojans their only loss on the season. USC will be out for revenge as they look to avenge their lone defeat. USC is currently ranked fourth in the College Football Playoff (CFP) Rankings, meaning the Trojans would move on to the CFP Semi-finals if the season ended today. If the Trojans defeat the Utes in the Pac-12…

A calm settled over Caleb Williams, on a night at the Rose Bowl when that could be said about few others.Touchdowns were traded back and forth. Turnovers too. Field goals were missed. Response after response after response was mounted, in the most dizzying night of the crosstown rivalry in recent memory, a rollicking roller coaster that No. 7 USC rode to a 48-45 victory and a berth in the Pac-12 title game.The Trojans’ star quarterback had come to USC precisely for moments like these, with every chest in a sold-out Rose…

The only thing more chaotic than Pac-12 after dark is the Pac-12 after tiebreakers.With two weeks remaining in the regular season, the Pac-12 Conference race remains wide open. Five teams — USC, UCLA, Oregon, Utah and Washington — could still land in a five-way tie for two spots in the conference championship game.Here’s what to know about how UCLA and USC can claim a ticket to the title game Dec. 2 at Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas:USC (9-1, 7-1 Pac-12) has the most direct path: Win and the Trojans are in. USC can clinch…

An unexpected and most unpleasant sound filled the otherwise quiet Rose Bowl late Saturday night.“U of A!”UCLA was powerless to stop Arizona’s offense or its fans in a stunning late-season collapse. The No. 12 Bruins’ 34-28 loss to the Wildcats put a huge dent in UCLA’s Pac-12 championship hopes and removed considerable luster from the crosstown rivalry game next weekend against USC.With one final chance, facing fourth and 10 at Arizona’s 29-yard line, UCLA quarterback Dorian Thompson-Robinson scrambled under heavy…

TUCSON — Jordan Addison, USC’s top receiver, stood on the Arizona Stadium sideline in street clothes. Close by, the receiver expected to seamlessly step into his place, Mario Williams, would never step on the field. He wore pads and a uniform, but wound up a surprise late scratch due to a pre-game injury tweak. Their absences left the Trojans without any obvious answers at wideout, where their top two targets had accounted for 42.5% of the team’s receptions. But in their stead, what might’ve been a nightmare scenario…