While Bruin athletes continue competing in Westwood, here’s a look at some of the biggest news from the rest of the Pac-12.
Arizona slips in national rankings
UCLA made headlines last week when the Bruins upset the Arizona Wildcats on a last-minute 3-pointer by junior guard Bryce Alford. That loss set Arizona up for a rough weekend in Los Angeles, as the Wildcats moved south to USC Saturday and lost in four overtimes – a first for the program.
The Wildcats’ woes didn’t end there, either. Guard Allonzo Trier, who averages 14.8 points a game for Arizona, will miss four to six weeks – the majority of the conference season – with a hand injury. Trier had 25 points and six rebounds against USC last weekend, but went down with a broken hand over the course of the six-period game.
The loss of Trier signals the end of the Wildcats’ Pac-12 dominance for now. Arizona is a back-to-back Pac-12 champion but is struggling this season to live up to its legacy. The Wildcats are 1-2 in conference play and now have lost their second-leading scorer, leaving the conference is wide open for the first time in recent history.
UCLA coach Steve Alford said Tuesday that the depth of the league’s talent pool is the most impressive he’s seen and promised that conference competition would become exciting around mid-February as teams start to vie for playoff spots.
Stanford climbs in season’s final polls
Stanford finished third in the final AP football rankings, behind only the two teams who reached the national championship, Alabama and Clemson.
Two other Pac-12 teams ended up in the top 25, with Utah checking in at No. 17 and Oregon at No. 19.
The Cardinal were ranked eighth in ESPN writer Mark Schlabach’s ranking of the top 25 teams for next season, although they only return six starters on offense and five on defense.
The offense will lose several key pieces: quarterback Kevin Hogan, tight end Austin Hooper, wide receivers Michael Rector and Devon Cajuste, and four of its five starters along the offensive line. The Cardinal will also graduate stars at every level of the defense: defensive end Aziz Shittu, linebacker Blake Martinez and safety Kodi Whitfield.
But Heisman-finalist running back Christian McCaffrey will return, providing Stanford with an unparalleled playmaker to pair with current sophomore Keller Chryst, the front-runner for the starting quarterback spot. Chryst’s strong arm made him ESPN’s third-ranked pocket-passing quarterback in the 2014 recruiting class.
Five other Pac-12 teams showed up in Schlabach’s top 25: USC at No. 15, Oregon at No. 18, Washington State at No. 20, UCLA at No. 21 and Washington at No. 25.
The Trojans’ notable losses will include quarterback Cody Kessler and linebacker Su’a Cravens, but they will return dynamic athletes such as wide receiver JuJu Smith-Schuster and cornerback Adoree’ Jackson.
For the Ducks, quarterback Vernon Adams Jr. will be gone, as will star offensive tackle Tyler Johnstone and dominant defensive end DeForest Buckner. Explosive running back Royce Freeman will be back, though.
The Cougars will retain their lethal passing combination of quarterback Luke Falk and wide receiver Gabe Marks, who chose to stay for his senior season.
The Bruins lose running back Paul Perkins, defensive tackle Kenny Clark and wide receivers Jordan Payton and Thomas Duarte, but bring back freshman quarterback Josh Rosen, along with a trio of impressive running backs.
The Huskies are in good position to climb up the conference rankings next year, with quarterback Jake Browning, running back Myles Gaskin and four of the team’s five starting offensive linemen coming back.
Compiled by Claire Fahy and Matt Cummings, Daily Bruin senior staff.
3 of the 4 offensive linemen who are seniors for Stanford have another year of eligibility left. So a total of 4 might return.