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USC lost to Boston College, with the Trojans' defense being exploited. UCLA needed a series of clutch plays to overcome Texas. Arizona State allowed a bunch of yards to Colorado.
The top half of the Pac-12 South appears vulnerable, even if those three teams are ranked No. 17 or higher in the AP Top 25. Much more evidence about Utah is needed for anyone to make a case that the Utes can contend in the South, but it is fair to say those divisional opponents look less intimidating than they did before the season started.
Who's the favorite in the South right now? It's easier to pick apart any of those teams than to endorse them. UCLA probably is the best choice, just because the Bruins haven't ruled out quarterback Brett Hundley for their Sept. 25 meeting with Arizona State. The Sun Devils will be missing quarterback Taylor Kelly for that game and possibly an Oct. 4 date with USC, due to a foot injury.
That's not to say UCLA has been overly impressive. The Bruins have beaten Virginia, Memphis and Texas by a total of 18 points.
Backup quarterback Jerry Neuheisel played well in relief of Hundley, who injured his left (non-throwing elbow) against Texas. Yet just to salvage a 20-17 victory, the Bruins needed a critical stretch of plays to go their way in the last four minutes — a third-down stop, a 45-yard punt return by Ishmael Adams and Neuheisel's 33-yard touchdown pass to Jordan Payton on the next play.
"I'm not sure I can say we put a complete game together, but we sure put a nice sequence together," said UCLA coach Jim Mora.
USC's defense was overrun by Boston College, which broke rushing plays of 52, 54 and 66 yards in compiling 452 yards on the ground — the most allowed by USC in 37 years, and certainly uncharacteristic of a defense coordinated by Justin Wilcox.
But if the 37-31 defeat seemed shocking, the context of USC's season made it somewhat conceivable. Fresno State's continued struggles and the fact Stanford statistically dominated USC combine to devalue the Trojans' victories, looking back.
Against BC, "We were just giving up big plays," said USC coach Steve Sarkisian, adding that the coaching staff's task with the defensive players is to "get 'em mentally right."
Arizona State coach Todd Graham was not dissatisfied with his defense's allowing 545 total yards to Colorado in a 38-24 victory, because the point total was reasonable and because some of ASU's problems were easily fixable.
"I don't really care how many yards somebody has," Graham said, while pointing out that two standard, up-the-middle running plays accounted for more than 100 of Colorado's yards.
Offensively, the Sun Devils have scored at least 38 points in every game, but they have much to prove after having faced Weber State, New Mexico and Colorado. And now they'll be missing their quarterback for a critical game or two.
All three of the South's ranked teams are off this week, leading into the UCLA-ASU matchup that ultimately has determined the division title each of the past two seasons. Mora is not addressing Hundley's status, but Graham has named Mike Berkovici his starter with Kelly injured.
"He's one of the last guys I'm worried about," Graham said, citing Berkovici's confidence as a veteran backup who's "not going to be overwhelmed."
The rest of the Pac-12 has to be feeling the same way about facing the South's elite teams.
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