7 Pac-12 teams to be in post-Week 6 Top 25 rankings

The Pac-12 will have more than half the conference represented in the post-Week 6 AP Top 25 projects CBS Sports’ Chip Patterson — who predicted UCLA joining USC, Washington, Oregon, Wazzu, Oregon State, and Utah among the ranked during his explanation as to why beating ASU in Tempe on October 7 was so important for Colorado.

“Why it was so important for Colorado to pick up the road win? That has to do with how it sets up this team for the final stretch of the season,” Patterson prefaced before saying, “The Buffs have home games against Stanford and Arizona left on the schedule, representing good opportunities to hit six wins needed for bowl eligibility. One misstep, however, and it’s going to be much tougher considering the rest of the slate has UCLA, Oregon State, Washington State and Utah — all teams that are projected to be in the AP Top 25 on Sunday after Week 6.”

Colorado could end up ranked to end the season with wins over at lest two of UCLA, Oregon State, Wazzu, and Utah; assuming the Buffs beat Stanford and Arizona as projected. After Arizona gave USC all it could handle in the latest game to conclude on the Week 6 schedule, forcing three overtimes in Los Angeles, that game is far from a guarantee.

Pac-12 Network slows down Colorado viewership momentum

One of the main reasons why all but two teams found a new conference is because the Pac-12 couldn’t negotiate a better TV rights deal than the Pac-12 Network and its near non-existent availability nationwide during its existence and also couldn’t promise something better would come along.

With Colorado drawing NFL-level viewership, the Pac-12 had one of the hottest brands in Boulder during the 2023 season. That is until the Pac-12 Network forced most to be cord-cutters in order to get their Coach Prime fill.

So long Pac-12. Colorado was never much of a fit anyway.