The final 12 quarters of the 2022 football season didn’t go as planned with the Pac-12, UCLA, USC and Utah crashing in their bowl games. But before that, the conference produced its most entertaining and competitive season in many years.
Six teams in the final college football playoff standings.
Five teams with at least 10 wins.
The Heisman Trophy.
Elite offense and top-class quarterback.
Multiple wins over Notre Dame and the Big Ten.
A compelling case as one of the top three lectures.
Collectively, the Pac-12 deserves a B+ for its presentation. What about individual teams? Some have clearly outperformed; others failed and fought.
The following ratings are based on our assessment of the program’s staff, schedule, results and potential. (Two teams can have the same record but receive different marks.)
Oregon State
Record: 10-3/6-3
Grade: A+
Comment: The Beavers went all out to win the conference title as they hit the 10-game mark for the first time since 2006. They beat Oregon in a comeback for the ages, went 4-0 outside of games in the league and dominated Florida at the Las Vegas Bowl. . Two of their three losses have been by a field goal (against USC and Washington). And it was all accomplished with poor quarterback play. Suffice it to say, Jonathan Smith’s rebuild is complete.
Washington
Record: 11-2/7-2
Grade: A+
Comment: Typically, the Hotline would only give an A+ to a program of Washington’s stature if the season featured a conference title or playoff berth. But given the state of the Huskies 13 months ago after the 4-8 dumpster fire, this qualifies as a stellar year – one that will send expectations for 23 into the stratosphere with quarterback Michael Penix about to return. Our only problem is, unsurprisingly, the loss of the ASU.
Arizona
Record: 5-7/3-6
Grade: A-
Comment: The Wildcats improved their year-over-year win total by four games, beat UCLA on the road, broke through against ASU and earned a playoff win — it’s hard to argue about any aspect of the game. second season of coach Jedd Fisch. If the Wildcats had gone bowling, the Hotline would have given it an A, so we backed it down slightly to get to the final grade. The jump to the .500 high side will be at least as difficult as the climb out of the gutter.
Utah
Record: 10-4/7-2
Grade: A-
Comment: When 10 wins, a USC sweep, and a second straight conference title results in an A-, your team has been elevated to powerhouse status. We expected the Utes to defend their crown and have a solid playoff run. They handled the first, not the second. End-of-book losses (Florida and Penn State) resulted in what was otherwise a top-notch season, especially considering injuries and attrition.
USC
Record: 11-3/8-1
Grade: B+
Comment: Admittedly, the Trojans were better than the Hotline expected, in part because (us idiots!) we didn’t expect a stellar revenue margin. But because the ratings are relative to each program’s potential, USC’s bar is higher than any other. (Only a playoff berth would warrant an A+.) We were also swayed by the conference championship’s inept defensive performance and the complete collapse of the Cotton Bowl.
washington state
Record: 7-6/4-5
Grade: B
Comment: For all the weekly ebbs and flows — the defense was better than expected, the offense worse — WSU’s season has followed our forecast. But any time the Cougars become bowl-eligible, especially with seven or more wins, it’s a successful year. Like Oregon State and other programs on the lower end of the resource scale, the margin for error is particularly slim. Credit should be given for execution off the field as well as on.
Oregon
Record: 10-3/7-2
Grade: B-
Comment: The Ducks dropped the three most important games on their schedule, each in unflattering fashion: the blowout against Georgia; and the fourth quarter falls apart against Washington and OSU. This, from a loaded roster of top-notch talent and a veteran quarterback who has (mostly) played at a high level. The coaching staff repeatedly whistled and the defense failed to reach their potential.
UCLA
Record: 9-4/6-3
Grade: C+
Comment: This rating may seem a bit harsh considering the total number of wins, but the schedule was tailor-made for at least eight wins. The Bruins were 3-3 against opponents with winning records – all three wins were at home (South Alabama, Utah and Washington) – and they played three background players on the road (Colorado, Cal and ASU ). Additionally, they lost at home to Arizona and failed in the Sun Bowl. Given the staff, we weren’t too impressed.
Arizona State
Record: 2-9/3-7
Grade: D
Comment: How do you rate a season that went off the rails due to coaching and administrative misconduct? Hard. But the Hotline had low expectations for the Sun Devils due to the disruption caused by the NCAA investigation, and we were impressed that, for the most part, the players remained engaged and boosted by interim coach Shaun Aguano. In fact, ASU executed one of the most impactful results of the season with the win over Washington.
cal
Record: 4-8/2-7
Grade: D
Comment: The record itself is sub-optimal, but our rating is based more on the journey than the destination. The Bears were incompetent on offense for most of the season, waited too long to fire point guard Bill Musgrave and — crucially — were the only team to lose to Colorado. Why not an F, in this case? Because our expectations of Cal are forever influenced by the litany of intrinsic institutional challenges. And we don’t see that changing any time soon.
Stanford
Record: 3-9/1-8
Grade: F
Comment: The Hotline had low expectations for the Cardinal given years of poor recruiting and an unforgiving schedule. And yet, Stanford still managed to disappoint in what became the final season under coach David Shaw. It was rarely competitive in conference play, ill-equipped at the line of scrimmage, and more like the floundering program of the years before Jim Harbaugh was hired. The circle is complete.
Colorado
Record: 1-11/1-8
Grade: F
Comment: The Buffaloes have only been competitive twice: in the lone win (over Cal) and an eight-point loss to Arizona State. Otherwise, they served as a cupcake for 10 opponents and were unquestionably the worst team in the Power Five – brutal in attack, a spinner in defense and inappropriate viewing for children under 13. That said, the Buffaloes deserve an A+ for the offseason. The hiring of Deion Sanders transformed the program.
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