Taylor Kelly played lights out in Arizona State's win over UCLA. (Jayne Kamin-Oncea-USA TODAY Sports)
The Pac-12 Championship game is set and it is an unexpected matchup.
Oregon and UCLA both headed into Saturday in control of their destiny toward the conference title, but both ended the day out of contention.
Instead, it will be Stanford versus Arizona State on Dec. 7 for a berth in the Rose Bowl.
Arizona State, ranked No. 12 in this week’s BCS Standings, is 7-1 in conference and will host the title game if it defeats Arizona next weekend. If the Wildcats win, No. 8 Stanford hosts the Sun Devils.
Stanford beat Oregon, which has dropped to No. 13 in the BCS Standings, two weeks ago to take over the top spot in the North Division, but a loss to USC last week put the Ducks back in first. However, Oregon lost to Arizona, 42-16, to fall to 6-2 in the conference while the Cardinal beat Cal, 63-13, to wrap up the division title at 7-2.
Arizona State defeated UCLA, 38-33, to improve to 7-1 in the South and clinch the division title. No. 20 UCLA fell to third at 5-3 while No. 23 USC is second at 6-2.
Stanford is making its second straight trip to the Pac-12 title game while ASU snapped UCLA’s two-year run as division champion.
FIVE BIGGEST TAKEAWAYS FROM WEEK 13 IN THE PAC-12:
1. The two Arizona schools made good hires two years ago. Todd Graham of Arizona State and Rich Rodriguez of Arizona both had their best wins on the job Saturday with the Sun Devils beating UCLA to clinch the South Division title while the Wildcats upset Oregon.
2. Oregon is boosting its reputation as being soft against power running teams. Stanford has run over the Ducks in victories during the past two years and Arizona ran for 304 yards to beat the Ducks on Saturday.
3. Mike Leach has weathered the storm at Washington State. The controversial coach had numerous players quit during his first season in Pullman, but has put the Cougars into a bowl game in his second season.
4. Stanford has become the power of the Pac-12 North. Oregon is flashier and may have a bigger national reputation, but the Cardinal has beaten the Ducks two straight years to win two straight North Division titles.
5. Oregon State has had highs and lows this season. The Beavers started the year losing to Eastern Washington, an FCS school, but then won six straight games before losing its last four.
