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Pac-12 the good, the bad & the unknown week 11: Stanford takes control of Pac-12 supremacy

Stanford dominated Oregon and took control of the Pac-12 North along with becoming the conference's best chance at getting a team into the BCS Championship Game.

Kelley L Cox-USA TODAY Sports

The Good

Stanford against Oregon - The Cardinal may not be a model of consistency throughout the season, but they once against proved that they can manhandle Oregon and that they can beat anyone in the country when they bring their A game. The Cardinal dominated the Ducks in every facet of the game, roughed them up and got themselves firmly right back into the national title race. How in the hell did they lose to Utah?

USC - Yes, it was against Cal, but the Trojans once again looked like the team they were supposed to be coming into the season and absolutely obliterated the Bears. Blowing out Cal isn't a huge statement, but I have a feeling that back in the Lane Kiffin days, the Trojans would have slept walked through a game against Cal on the road and ended up winning by 10-14 points. The Trojans are starting to look like a team that could really challenge Stanford next week.

Myles Jack - Jack already looked like one of the best linebackers in the conference as just a freshman before UCLA's win over Arizona and now he incredibly looks like one of the best running backs as he made the plays that made the difference in UCLA's win. Jack was his usual self on defense and then ran for 120 yards on just six carries, including a 66-yard touchdown dash in the fourth quarter that ended up being the game-winning score. I think he just sewed up Pac-12 Freshman of the Year.

The Bad

Oregon against Stanford - The Ducks once again were horribly frustrated by Stanford, especially when they had the ball and once again look like they don't match-up well against big, physical teams. Even when they were able to move the ball, the Cardinal were able to create turnovers by being the more physical team and control the game with their dominance of the line of scrimmage. Winning the Pac-12 North and competing for a national title will continue to be a struggle for the Ducks if they can't start finding a way to have their offense succeed against bigger and stronger teams.

Playing at Utah - The Sun Devils were able to narrowly pull out the win in Salt Lake City at the last minute, but for most of Saturday's game, they looked as if they couldn't do anything well against the Utes. The Utes may have lost another heartbreaker at home, but they proved once again that Salt Lake City is becoming a snakepit for Pac-12 teams to play in.

Colorado - Overall, the Buffs have looked improved under Mike McIntyre in his first year, but they looked atrocious in their 59-7 loss at Washington Saturday. The Buffs looked much like an FCS team in Husky Stadium and if it weren't for Paul Richardson playing through an injury a bit early and Washington really taking their foot off the gas in the second half, they could have lost 70-0 to a middle-of-the-road Pac-12 team.

The Unknown

Marcus Mariota - Mariota looked utterly human again against Stanford and is now starting to look banged up. He is still in the Heisman race, but probably down a few pegs now and one has to wonder just how banged up he is and if that is going to affect him throughout the rest of the Ducks' schedule. He looked healthy enough to keep them running at full steam against the weaker defenses remaining on their schedule but everything could change if it turns into a serious injury.

USC's chances of upsetting Stanford - The Trojans continue to keep looking better-and-better each week, but they have yet to face a truly elite team like Stanford yet, and this will be the perfect test for them under Ed Orgeron to show if they are in fact back to being a top-tier Pac-12 team or not.

Pac-12 teams' national title chances - Just when it looked like the Ducks were in the driver's seat for the BCS Championship Game a November upset knocked them down for the thirst year in-a-row. The Cardinal now hold the Pac-12's best chance for a national championship for the time being, but before fans start to celebrate in Seattle and Corvallis, the Ducks are very much not out of it, they just need a few teams to lose.

Also, think of this scenario - Alabama loses twice, Florida State loses, Ohio State loses, Baylor loses and Stanford and Oregon win out... could we see an All-Pac-12 BCS Championship Game between Stanford and Oregon like the all-SEC one of 2011 between Alabama and LSU. It's almost assuredly never going to happen, but hey, you never know.