There's talk every season about how the Pac-12 cannibalizes itself.
Just last week, Oregon coach Mario Cristobal used the word following the Ducks' 34-20 loss to Washington State in Pullman. Then Oregon fell 44-15 on the road at Arizona on Saturday, which was marked by dramatic conference upsets.
After the chaos, the Cougars were still the only one-loss Pac-12 team left, and they have only a longshot of making the College Football Playoff.
Conference coaches often point to parity in the Pac-12 as the reason that it's difficult for a league team to rise to the top of the national conversation.