Canzano: Pac-12 teams (and coaches) play a mean game

Opposing Pac-12 Conference football coaches didn't like Mario Cristobal. They grew weary with the chest-thumping recruiting celebrations and the incessant proclamations about his program's superior toughness and physicality.

So they went "Mean Girls" on him.

The University of Oregon football program won a lot of games in four seasons with Cristobal at the helm. It claimed back-to-back conference championships and played in three straight Pac-12 title games. But there was no greater evidence of the back-biting dislike for Cristobal than the annual anonymous season-ending vote by Pac-12 coaches.

"You take a look," Cristobal told me once, "and tell me what you see."

Oregon's football coach was talking about the Pac-12 Football All-Conference honors. This was December of 2019. Oregon had just smoked Utah 37-15 in the Pac-12 championship game and was headed to the Rose Bowl.

Just 48 hours after the title game, the conference coaches were polled on the season awards.

Oregon was 11-2 at the time and 9-1 in conference games. The Ducks came within a minute of beating Auburn in the season opener, blew USC off its home field, and blasted Utah by 22 points for the championship.

Yet, the losing coach in that game, Kyle Whittingham, was voted Pac-12 Coach of the Year.

Some wondered if the voters had given the nod to Utah's coach because he had less talent. But an examination of the all-conference team results made the message clear — it was an anti-Cristobal vote.

Ten Utah players were selected to the all-conference first and second teams that season. Just four Oregon players made the cut. Justin Herbert, the Ducks senior quarterback and eventual No. 6 overall pick in the NFL Draft, didn't make the All-Conference first or second teams. Herbert was an honorable mention.

If Whittingham had more than twice the talent — and lost the title game to Oregon — why wasn't Cristobal an easy pick for coach of the year?

You know why.

Two seasons later, Cristobal left Oregon for Miami. Before he departed, the coach told me: "You love being 3-0 against Washington. You love being undefeated against USC. Had the chance to play UCLA three times and undefeated against them as well.

"Our record overall and in the Pac-12 in the last four years is the best of all the Pac-12 teams by a large margin."

Cristobal went 23-9 against opposing Pac-12 coaches during his tenure. But the parting comment was a glaring example of why opposing coaches weren't sorry to see him go. Some also viewed the UO football operation as a well-funded, talent-laden, plug-and-play, Nike-fueled machine.

Ex-Washington State coach Mike Leach beat Cristobal and Oregon 34-20 in their 2018 game. Leach told me: "I beat him with my guys. Imagine what I'd do to him if I had his guys."

The voting for the 2022 Pac-12 football honors opened on Tuesday night. There's still one regular-season weekend and the championship game left to play, but I'm wondering who is going to win Pac-12 Coach of the Year.

I put out a Twitter poll on the subject:

The conference votes from coaches are due the Monday (Dec. 5) after the Pac-12 title game, but I thought about the "Cristobal Effect" when I posted my poll.

Will it linger after he's long gone?

The Pac-12 currently has six teams ranked in the latest College Football Playoff rankings. That accomplishment should be celebrated. The conference is formidable this season on the field. Which only means there's a wide array of candidates for the Pac-12 Coach of the Year award.

The playoff rankings:

• No. 6 USC
• No. 9 Oregon
• No. 13 Washington
• No. 14 Utah
• No. 18 UCLA
• No. 21 Oregon State

It's possible that Washington's Kalen DeBoer or Oregon State's Jonathan Smith will win Coach of the Year. They've done a terrific job this season. But the Beavers are already eliminated from Pac-12 title game contention and Washington help to reach Las Vegas itself.

I wonder how Pac-12 coaches regard Lincoln Riley and USC in the wake of the Trojans announcement that they're leaving the conference. Remember, Riley also poached a number of key players from other Pac-12 programs via the transfer portal. Will the coaches punch back in the season-ending awards?

I wonder about the early returns on Oregon and Dan Lanning, too. Is his success going to be waved off because Cristobal left the UO roster loaded with his recruits?

I used to think the Pac-12 coaches should have to make their vote public. You know, keep them honest and all. But I'm far more interested in knowing what they really think.

GAME ON: We're in the final week of the regular season. USC already has a spot in the Pac-12 Championship game. Three others teams (Oregon, Utah, and Washington) are in a race for the final spot.

On that note … my weekly Pac-12 picks are in…

Week 12 record vs. the spread: 2-4

Week 12 record, straight-up: 5-1

Record vs. the spread this season: 46-35 (.568)

Straight-up season record: 63-18 (.778)

This week's picks…

Arizona State at Arizona (12 p.m. on Friday, FS1)

I have not liked the way Arizona State competed in the last month. Also, Arizona is playing at home in this in-state rivalry. The Territorial Cup has been won five straight times by ASU, but Arizona's offense is too much in this one.

ASU is focused on hiring a coach. I think the program could enjoy a quick turnaround. Arizona, meanwhile, turned the corner this season and has an encouraging future under coach Jedd Fisch. I think we see that on the field Friday.

The point spread: Arizona is favored by 4 points.

The pick:Arizona 34, ASU 24

UCLA at Cal (1:30 p.m. on Friday, FOX)

Cal was dismal through three quarters last week vs. Stanford before erupting for 21 fourth-quarter points. The Bears are at home in this one, but UCLA has far more talent. This game shouldn't be close (on paper), but I'm pumping the brakes on a runaway blowout because I have a big question — is UCLA's season over?

The Bruins lost to rival USC last week. They aren't a College Football Playoff candidate anymore. They'll likely go to a marginal bowl game and I wonder if quarterback Dorian Thompson-Robinson will even play in that postseason game.

If Cal were a little better on offense, I'd wonder about this being a trap game for the Bruins. UCLA still wins — and covers the point spread — but I wonder if the Bruins show up a little flat on Friday.

The point spread: UCLA is favored by 10 points.

The pick:UCLA 35, Cal 21

Oregon at Oregon State (12:30 p.m. on Saturday, ABC)

This is going to be a great game between two really good bowl-bound teams. How healthy is Oregon quarterback Bo Nix? That's the question to ask again this week. I thought the Ducks did a fantastic job of preparing a game plan vs. Utah last week that featured Nix getting rid of the ball quickly. But if he's not a threat to run the ball this week, it could be problematic for UO.

Oregon State's defense is playing lights-out. In the last five games, the Beavers defense has surrendered 7 points vs. ASU, 3 (vs. Cal), 24 (vs. UW), 9 (vs. Colorado) and 10 (vs. WSU). I think Oregon will score somewhere between 24-27 points.

Beavers quarterback Ben Gulbranson is making incremental improvements, week to week. The OSU run game is peaking behind freshman running back Damien Martinez. The Beavers are also at home, where they're 10-1 in the last 11 games. I think this is going to be a wildly entertaining and close game. It's a coin flip, for me. Because of that, I'll go with the home team and take the points.

The point spread: Oregon is favored by 3.5 points.

The pick:Oregon State 28, Oregon 27

Utah at Colorado (1 p.m. on Saturday, Pac-12 Networks)

I keep waiting for Colorado to cover one of these massive point spreads. I've officially given up. Utah is superior on both sides of the ball and may be playing for a lot more (tiebreakers here).

Utes quarterback Cam Rising hasn't looked healthy in weeks, but it won't matter against a Colorado team that has been drubbed by 39 (Oregon), 38 (USC) and 47 (Washington) points in the last three games.

The point spread: Utah is favored by 29.5 points.

The pick:Utah 42, Colorado 10

Notre Dame at USC (4:30 p.m. on Saturday, ABC)

I didn't want to like USC this season. It had a fancy coaching hire, a line of high-profile transfers, and that blasted marching band playing on and on and on… but the Trojans are playing elite offensive football right now.

USC quarterback Caleb Williams outplayed UCLA's Dorian Thompson-Robinson in a big win last week. Lincoln Riley's team is sniffing around a College Football Playoff berth. Despite some defensive woes, I like the Trojans to win this one. Notre Dame won't be able to match Williams and the USC offense, score for score.

The point spread: USC is favored by 5.5 points.

The pick:USC 35, Notre Dame 27

Washington at Washington State (7:30 p.m. on Saturday, ESPN)

The late kickoff time doesn't work for anyone, except maybe WSU's defense. The forecast on Saturday night calls for "a mixture of rain and snow showers developing late." The low temperature: 31-32 degrees. The Apple Cup could turn into an "Apple Freeze" by halftime.

UW coach Kalen DeBoer got a contract extension and $1 million raise this week. It was well deserved. He's a candidate for Pac-12 Coach of the Year. But there are some variables in this game that have me leaning to WSU. It's a potential weather-affected outcome, played at Martin Stadium in Pullman, and let's not forget that by the time the game kicks off Washington might not be playing for much.

The Huskies need a victory by Oregon State AND either: A) a win by Colorado (over Utah); or B) a win by Cal (over UCLA) for this game to matter in the Pac-12 championship game race (tiebreakers here). There's a narrow path for the Huskies to get to Las Vegas, but it may evaporate before kickoff.

The point spread: Washington is favored by 2.5 points.

The pick:Washington State 30, Washington 28

Read more of columnist John Canzano exclusively at JohnCanzano.com.

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