Pac-12 Power Rankings: Rich Rodriguez may not be long for Arizona

Rich Rodriguez is not a happy man. He let loose a string of expletives entering the locker room after Arizona lost 38-30 at USC on Saturday night, fulfilled his media obligations with a terse press conference that lasted 97 seconds, and launched another bitter and sarcastic objection to the string of late-night road games his team has played this season as he left.

He looks like a coach consumed by frustration with his team's season undone by injuries and inconsistency and needing a split from its last two games just to reach a bottom-tier bowl game. He looks like a man who has come to the realization that Arizona is the third-best program in the Pac-12 South if everything is going right. He looks like a man that might not be long for Tucson.

Rodriguez has already been suggested as a candidate for several programs with head-coaching vacancies, notably Virginia Tech, South Carolina, and Miami. There are plenty of logical connections, personal and professional, to many of those jobs. He worked with Hokies athletic director Whit Babcock at West Virginia, in the Palmetto State as offensive coordinator at Clemson, and has plenty of experience recruiting in Florida.

Why would Rodriguez leave Arizona? After all, he went to the Pac-12 title game and Fiesta Bowl last season. The reality is Rodriguez capitalized on an unbelievably slim margin for error to make it happen. Only late-game meltdowns by USC against Arizona State and Utah, and a UCLA no-show against Stanford provided Arizona an opportunity to win the division.

Even as the Trojans’ seemingly never-ending chaos has overlapped with Rodriguez’s four-year tenure in the desert, he is 1-7 against the Los Angeles schools, twice losing to USC interim coaches in the last three seasons.

Arizona is never going to have enough quality players to consistently beat USC and UCLA. The Trojans didn’t need to load the box to stop the run, allowing 60 yards rushing largely on the strength of their linebackers and defensive line. Not having top running back Nick Wilson for the second straight game because of a knee injury certainly didn’t help matters.

The loss of All-America linebacker Scooby Wright this season exposed an Arizona defense that's been woefully overmatched. USC freshman running back Ronald Jones II simply ran through Arizona, even on plays defensive back Tellas Jones said the defense knew were coming.

Guile, scheme, and player development can only take a program so far.

If you can’t defeat the two schools with the best recruiting base, better tradition, more glamour, and more money when they are rebuilding, what chance do you have when USC and UCLA are performing at their best? That is the question that could drive Rodriguez out of Arizona.

Pac-12 North Power Rankings

1. Stanford (last week: 1)

It might have seemed like a strange time to run a halfback option pass, up 35-10 in the fourth quarter at Colorado, but Christian McCaffrey's touchdown toss served two purposes. Oregon and Notre Dame now have something else to prepare for, but it also gave the sophomore running back additional notoriety in the suddenly wide-open Heisman Trophy race from a performance that otherwise would have been ignored.

2. Washington State (last week: 2)
The Cougars are bowl eligible, and their fine linebackers are a big reason why. Parker Henry had a game-high 14 tackles with a sack against Arizona State, Jeremiah Allison continued his consistently strong play with 10 tackles, and Peyton Pelluer added 1.5 tackles for loss. Washington State will live and die with its passing offense, but consistency on defense under new coordinator Alex Grinch can make the program a consistent winner.

3. Oregon (last week: 4)

Lucky sevens restored the Ducks’ swagger, for a week anyway. Oregon had a school-record 777 yards of total offense against Cal, including 447 yards rushing. Considering the issues its own defense has had this season, the best plan for keeping its slim Pac-12 North hopes alive would be to rely on that ground game and keep Stanford’s offense on the bench this week on The Farm.

4. Washington (last week: 3)
Jake Browning got an unfortunate reminder of the importance of turnovers against Utah. The freshman quarterback threw an interception and lost a fumble, leading to 10 points in what ended up an 11-point loss. The Huskies need to win two of their final three games against Arizona State, Oregon State, and Washington State to reach the postseason. Browning would really benefit from another game and the extra practice time that comes with it.

5. California (last week: 5)
The Golden Bears blocked two Oregon punts. Unfortunately, those were the only times the Ducks had to punt as Cal lost its fourth straight game. Defeating hapless Oregon State this week will get Sonny Dykes to a bowl game in his third season in Berkeley, but limping to a sixth win negates whatever progress the program has made.

6. Oregon State (last week: 6)
Gary Andersen knew rebuilding Oregon State would be a serious challenge, but his frustration was evident after an impotent showing against UCLA. The scary part is the Beavers won’t hit rock bottom this season until rival Oregon names its margin of victory in the Civil War.

Pac-12 South Power Rankings

1. USC (last week: 1)

JuJu Smith-Schuster had surgery to stabilize his broken hand on Monday, was questionable at best to play against Arizona after not practicing all week, and then caught eight balls for 138 yards and a touchdown Saturday night. The sophomore is the best receiver in college football west of Waco, Texas.

2. Utah (last week: 2)
After failing to top 4.0 yards per carry in their last three games, the Utes responded with a strong showing against Washington’s powerful defense. Devontae Booker had 150 yards rushing, his second-best total in conference play this season, and should feast on Arizona’s miserable run defense.

3. UCLA (last week: 3)

While they ended up with a comfortable 41-0 road win over Oregon State, the Bruins’ penchant for penalties continues. UCLA was flagged 10 times for 71 yards against the Beavers and had 39 penalties called over the last four games. Discipline has never been a strong suit of coach Jim Mora’s teams. It could cost them a division title.

4. Arizona State (last week: 4)
Pac-12 refs did the Sun Devils no favors with an inadvertent whistle that allowed Washington State to score a touchdown on the do-over, but the 38-24 loss on the Palouse was more a failure of nerve and imagination. Arizona State never got back on track after turning the ball over on downs at the Cougars’ 3-yard line with a 14-0 lead midway through the first quarter, and a passing offense that couldn’t manage a play longer than 24 yards did not help. Punter Matt Haack actually had the longest pass of the afternoon, a 27-yard gain to set up ASU’s third and final touchdown.

5. Colorado (last week: 5)
The Buffaloes put up a good fight but were outclassed on both lines of scrimmage against Stanford. Facing talented USC on a short week will be as much a test of Colorado’s bruised psyche as it is for the bodies left bruised by the Cardinal’s punishment.

6. Arizona (last week: 6)
For the opening 15 minutes, the Wildcats actually played defense, and at a high level. Over the final three quarters, however, USC scored 38 points, had 460 yards, converted 9-of-14 third downs, and completely carved up Arizona in a 38-30 win at the Coliseum. Allowing 40 points and 479 yards per Pac-12 game is no way to go through life, son.