5 Thoughts on Week 5 of PAC-12 Football

1. McCaffrey Who?: The really good teams -- like Alabama -- reload, such that you don't miss the last group of guys. Stanford's not quite up to being at the very top level of competition, but Bryce Love has proven that he's just as capable as Christian McCaffrey. This season, Love is on track to blow past McCaffrey's best rushing season (2015), assuming he keeps up his current pace.
2. Keller Chryst: I mentioned before the season started that Keller Chryst might not be ready to return. He was injured early in the UCLA game, and K.J. Costello appears to have permanently replaced him, having finished the UCLA game with two touchdowns and starting against ASU. I think his career might already be headed in a downward track, despite the promise of his talent.
3. Oregon Passes Test, But...: Beating Cal at home wasn't a gimme; it was a game they had to win in order to ensure a path to a bowl game. If they'd lost to Cal, they'd be sitting at the bottom of the middle tier in the PAC-12. But, their best quarterback has apparently broken his collarbone, meaning, he's going to be out for the rest of the season. It gets a lot harder to win another game in the next 5 weeks. Don't be surprised if they end up 4-6 or 5-5 by the time they reach their bye week.
4. Best Coach in PAC-12:  Chris Petersen is, hands down, the best coach in the PAC-12 at this point. When Sark left for USC, he explicitly did so because he felt that he could achieve greater success with the amount of talent at USC and with the ability to recruit better talent at USC. It turns out, Petersen was able to succeed above and beyond USC's abilities with lesser recruiting opportunities, embarrassing Sark two years ago. 2017 was supposed to be USC's year, but from where we stand right now, everything points to UW returning to the national championship playoffs. The big ball of irony, of course, is that USC selected Sark over Petersen. Of course, if at the end of the season USC and UW meet at the PAC-12 championship game and USC wins, it's fair to say that Helton is the top coach.
5. USC's Bright Spots: Despite all of the doom and gloom, USC has a handful of bright spots on the team. Uchenna Nwosu, without a doubt, is the team's MVP. Jack Jones has made dramatic improvements with each game and appears to be headed towards becoming a lockdown corner. Chase McGrath has gone from walk-on placekicker to game-winning hero and Mr. Reliability. Reid Budrovich, another walk-on player, has punted his way into the starting spot, averaging 45.6 yards per punt with long punts of 56, 59 and 63. There are a few other players who've surprised this season and will soon become bright spots, too, including Marlon Tuipulotu, Tyler Vaughns, Christian Rector, and Stephen Carr.