In early October, the Pac-12 already is down to four one-loss football teams and two of them have a 0.1-percent chance (or less) of staying that way. The recent trend remains intact: The competitive balance that make the conference fun to watch keeps hurting the Pac-12 in the national landscape.
The four-team CFP is likely to remain out of the conference’s reach for the fourth time in five seasons, unless Oregon (4-1) follows through in a big way and gets some help in other leagues. Utah, Arizona and Arizona State also are in the picture with 4-1 records, although ESPN’s Football Power Index gives the Utes only a 2.