:format(webp)/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/44263156/usa-today-8242842.0.jpg)
The Good
Rich Rodriguez - Rodriguez won the South in what was supposed to be a bit of a rebuilding year for the Wildcats and also knocked off the conference's best team on the road. He probably took the Coach of the Year award away from Todd Graham and won a very tough division with a freshman at quarterback while replacing an All-American at running back with a true freshman and fielding a team that does not that the NFL talent of some of their competitors. Well done.
No-huddle/spread schemes - There seems to be less buzz about the no-huddle/hurry-up/tempo/spread schemes, but here we are in December and the Pac-12 Championship will be decided between the conference's two most no-huddle-reliant teams. It may be starting to get old hat, but the scheme Arizona and Oregon run is still red hot as it pushed both programs past arguably more talented programs like Stanford, UCLA and USC.
Pac-12 Championship Game - For the first time ever, the championship game feels necessary. The Ducks won the conference outright, but need to prove that their loss at home earlier in the season to the Wildcats was more about injuries than pure play. Also, the game gives Arizona an outside chance at sneaking into the Playoff conversation.
Stanford's defense - Nothing new, but Stanford's defense put together maybe their best performance of the season in locking down UCLA and mauling them up front.
Kevin Hogan - Hogan's performance against UCLA was probably the best of his career and it is a bit scary to think of what Stanford could be if he could play like that on a regular basis.
Utah finishing with a win - It wasn't pretty, but Utah got the win over Colorado and avoided finishing the season losing four out of five. Finishing off the season with a good bowl win now will give them their best season since joining the conference.
USC bouncing back - Blowing out Notre Dame doesn't mean too much at this point, but it was exactly what USC needed to do to salvage the end of their season and ease some of the pain of that UCLA loss.
Oregon staying focused - The Ducks erased any potential for Oregon State hanging around as quickly as possible, giving them the perfect opportunity to take care of things and then coast the rest of the way as they get ready for the Championship Game.
Washington against lower-North opponents - It was another middling season for the Huskies, but they showed their fellow non-elite North peers who is boss by blowing out Cal, Oregon State and Washington State, with two of the blow outs coming on the road.
South race - Watching the quality back-and-forth, roller coaster ride that was the chase for the South division was maybe the most-exciting part of the 2014 Pac-12 season. Kind of sad that it is officially over.
The Bad
UCLA - UCLA couldn't move the ball on offense and couldn't stop a previously-putrid Stanford offense all day. An ugly and exceptionally disappointing end to the regular season for the Bruins.
Arizona State down the stretch - The Sun Devils came into the final three games of the season as maybe the hottest team in the country and left with a loss to a bad Oregon State team, a questionable performance against a struggling Washington State team and a loss in The Territorial Cup that cost them the South.
Cal not getting to a bowl - Cal controlled their destiny to get back to a bowl, but a loss at home against an average BYU team proves that they probably don't quite yet deserve it.
Colorado going winless in-conference - The Buffs were greatly improved in 2014, but that officially will not show in their record. It is too bad, because I don't know if I have ever seen a Pac-12 team that came so close to winning so many games but lost every one of them.
The Unknown
UCLA? Is this the team that struggled through their non-conference slate or the team that blew out Arizona State on the road? Is this the team that got upset at home by Utah and then got throttled by Oregon and then struggled against Cal and Colorado or the one that ripped off three-straight impressive wins against bowl teams included the South champions? Or is it the team that clown stomped by Stanford?
Stanford? What the hell was that? Was UCLA just underwhelming, or is this Stanford team truly capable of still being an elite team?
Arizona's Playoff chances? I am in the camp that thinks the Wildcats are a legit Playoff candidate if Arizona wins the Championship Game, but they do need some help. Will they get it if they win?
Pac-12 Championship Game? Oregon breaking through and beating Arizona to get into the Playoff would be a perfect storyline for the Ducks, but that is not an automatic with how well the Wildcats have played the Ducks recently.