College Sports

No. 17 Arizona State (5-1, 2-1 Pac-12) at No. 13 Utah (5-1, 2-1), Saturday at 6 p.m. EDT (Pac-12 Network)

Here are some things to watch this week in the Pac-12 Conference

The Pac-12 has slipped into the background of the college football season. Again.

A review of college football statistics at midseason shows a lot of familiar names at or near the top of the charts, and a few surprises, too.

For the seventh and final time Geno Auriemma and UConn were the unanimous choice to win the American Athletic Conference in the preseason poll. Next year things will change as the Huskies head back to the Big East.

LSU moved up to No. 2 in The Associated Press college football poll, giving the Southeastern Conference the top two teams in the country for the 29th time and putting the Tigers behind No. 1 Alabama less than a month before the rivals meet in Tuscaloosa.

Joe Burrow passed for 293 yards and three touchdowns, and fifth-ranked LSU scored three straight touchdowns after falling behind early in the second half to beat No. 7 Florida 42-28 Saturday night.

Jayden Daniels scored on a 17-yard scramble with 34 seconds left and threw three touchdown passes to ailing Brandon Aiyuk, leading No. 18 Arizona State to a 38-34 comeback victory over Washington State on Saturday.

Here are some things to watch this week in the Pac-12 Conference

Arizona State is hoping to avoid the same fate it suffered after joining the AP Top 25 earlier this season.

The Huskies face a different kind of challenge Saturday night in the desert. Arizona is not oversized nor bruising. The Wildcats like to spread it out, beat teams with quick-hitting plays and their cache of explosive play-producing skill players.

If this college football season was a television series, you could jump right in this weekend without needing to catch up on previous episodes.

Playing on one’s home course obviously has its advantages.

The nickname Conference of Quarterbacks has taken on a new meaning as injuries have led to a revolving door between starters and backups for many Pac-12 teams.

Washington State big man Jeff Pollard is popular all over Pullman and easily recognized back home in Bountiful, Utah.

Jonathan Mayen scored two goals, Manuel Quiroz and Brandon Fischer each added a score and the Yavapai College men’s soccer team scored four unanswered goals in the final 20 minutes of play in a 4-2 win over Mesa Community College on Saturday.

The NCAA is on its heels again, playing defense of its archaic amateurism rules after missing an opportunity to get out in front of an issue.

Mason Laaksonen recorded a hat trick, Sebastian Aguas added a score and the Embry-Riddle men’s soccer team grabbed its third victory in their last four matches with a 5-0 shutout over Marymount California on Sunday afternoon.

Riley Martinson, Ally Leara and Maddy Mak each scored a goal in the second half to lift the Embry-Riddle women’s soccer team to its fifth-straight victory in a 3-0 shutout over Marymount California on Sunday afternoon.

Washington didn't need Elena Delle Donne to be a superstar on Sunday, they just needed her to be out on the court.

Ohio State and Georgia are tied at No. 3 in The Associated Press college football poll, and Florida surged to No. 7 after a big victory.

Lamical Perine ran 88 yards for a touchdown in the fourth quarter, Florida’s defense delivered another gem and the No. 10 Gators beat seventh-ranked Auburn 24-13 in the Swamp on Saturday.

Case Cookus threw for 406 yards with five touchdown passes, three of them in the third quarter, and Northern Arizona defeated Northern Colorado 41-23 on Saturday.

Khalil Tate threw for 404 yards and three touchdowns in his return from a leg injury and Arizona used stops at the goal line and midfield on Colorado's final two drives to wrap up its 35-30 win on Saturday.

Years one and two were for building. Bobby Hurley needed time to set the foundation and standards at Arizona State, recruit the right players.