2018 Pac-12 Conference football season
The 2018 Pac-12 Conference football season represented the 40th season of Pac-12 football that took place during the 2018 NCAA Division I FBS football season. The season began on August 30, 2018 and ended with 2018 Pac-12 Championship Game on November 30 at Levi Stadium in Santa Clara, California. The Pac-12 is a Power Five conference under the College Football Playoff format along with the Atlantic Coast Conference, the Big 12 Conference, the Big Ten Conference, and the Southeastern Conference. The 2018 season was the Pac-12's eighth for the twelve teams divided into two divisions of six each, named North and South.
Previous season
USC defeated Stanford again 31–28 in a rematch from Week Two in the 2017 season for the Pac-12 Football Championship Game.Nine teams participated in bowl games. Utah defeated West Virginia 30–14 in the Heart of Dallas Bowl. Oregon lost to Boise State 28–38 in the Las Vegas Bowl Arizona lost to Purdue 35–38 at the Foster Farms Bowl. Arizona State lost to NC State 31–52 in the Sun Bowl. UCLA lost to Kansas State 17–35 in the Cactus Bowl. Washington State lost to Michigan State 17–41 in the Holiday Bowl. Stanford lost to TCU 37–39 in the Alamo Bowl. USC lost to Ohio State 7–24 in the Cotton Bowl Classic and Washington lost to Penn State by a score of 28–35 in the Fiesta Bowl.
Preseason
2018 Pac-12 Spring Football and number of signees on signing day:North Division
- California – 21
- Oregon – 22
- Oregon State – 20
- Stanford – 15
- Washington – 21
- Washington State – 26
- Arizona – 21
- Arizona State – 21
- Colorado – 21
- UCLA – 28
- USC – 18
- Utah – 20
Recruiting classes
Pac-12 Media Days
The Pac-12 conducted its annual media days at the Loews Hollywood Hotel, – The Loews Hollywood Hotel in Hollywood, CA on July 25. The event commenced with a speech by Pac-12 commissioner Larry Scott, and all 12 teams sent their head coaches and two selected players to speak with members of the media. The event along with all speakers and interviews were broadcast live on the Pac-12 Network. The teams and representatives in respective order were as follows:- Pac-12 Commissioner – Larry Scott
- California – Justin Wilcox, Patrick Laird & Jordan Kunaszyk
- Stanford – David Shaw, JJ Arcega-Whiteside & Alijah Holder
- Washington State – Mike Leach, Kyle Sweet & Jalen Thompson
- Washington – Chris Petersen, Jake Browning & Jojo McIntosh
- Oregon State – Jonathan Smith, Blake Brandel & Kee Whetzel
- Oregon – Mario Cristobal, Justin Herbert & Jalen Jelks
- Pac-12 Commissioner – Larry Scott
- UCLA – Chip Kelly, Theo Howard & Josh Woods
- Colorado – Mike MacIntyre, Rick Gamboa & Steven Montez
- Arizona State – Herm Edwards, N'Keal Harry & Manny Wilkins
- Arizona – Kevin Sumlin, Khalil Tate & Colin Schooler
- Utah – Kyle Whittingham, Chase Hanson & Lo Falemaka
- USC – Clay Helton, Cameron Smith & Porter Gustin
- Pac-12 VP of Officiating – David Coleman
Preseason media polls
Pac-12 Champion Voting
- Washington
- USC
- Oregon
- Stanford
- UCLA
- 1. Washington – 249
- 2. Stanford – 198
- 3. Oregon – 178
- 4. California – 108
- 5. Washington State – 98
- 6. Oregon State – 45
- 1. USC – 225
- 2. Utah – 209
- 3. Arizona – 178
- 4. UCLA – 116
- 5. Colorado – 80
- 6. Arizona State – 72
- First place votes in
Head coaches
Coaching changes
There were five coaching changes following the 2018 season including Kevin Sumlin with Arizona, Herm Edwards with Arizona State, Mario Cristobal with Oregon, Johnathan Smith with Oregon State & Chip Kelly with UCLA.Coaches
Rankings
Schedules
All times Pacific time. Pac-12 teams in bold.Rankings reflect those of the AP poll for that week.
Regular season
Week 1
Week 2
Week 3
Week 4
Week 5
Week 6
Week 7
Week 8
Week 9
Week 10
Week 11
Week 12
Week 13
Week 14
The Stanford–California football game was moved from November 17 to December 1 due to poor air quality from wildfires in the Bay Area.Pac-12 Championship Game
The championship game will played on Friday November 30, 2018. It will feature the teams with the best conference records from each division, the North and the South. This will be the eighth championship game.Pac-12 vs other conferences
Pac-12 vs Power Five matchups
This is a list of the power conference teams that the Pac-12 plays in the non-conference games. Although the NCAA does not consider BYU a "Power Five" school, the Pac-12 considers games against BYU as satisfying its "Power Five" scheduling requirement. All rankings are from the AP Poll at the time of the game.| Date | Visitor | Home | Site | Significance | Score |
| September 1 | BYU | Arizona | Arizona Stadium • Tucson, Arizona | L 14–48 | |
| September 1 | Oregon State | No. 5 Ohio State | Ohio Stadium • Columbus, Ohio | L 31–77 | |
| September 1 | No. 6 Washington | No. 9 Auburn | Mercedes-Benz Stadium • Atlanta | L 16–21 | |
| September 1 | North Carolina | California | California Memorial Stadium • Berkeley, California | W 24–17 | |
| September 8 | No. 15 Michigan State | Arizona State | Sun Devil Stadium • Tempe, Arizona | W 16–13 | |
| September 8 | UCLA | No. 6 Oklahoma | Gaylord Family Oklahoma Memorial Stadium • Norman, Oklahoma | L 21–49 | |
| September 8 | Colorado | Nebraska | Memorial Stadium • Lincoln, Nebraska | Colorado–Nebraska football rivalry | W 33–28 |
| September 8 | California | BYU | LaVell Edwards Stadium • Provo, Utah | W 21–18 | |
| September 15 | No. 22 USC | Texas | Darrell K Royal–Texas Memorial Stadium • Austin, Texas | L 14–37 | |
| September 29 | No. 20 BYU | No. 11 Washington | Husky Stadium • Seattle | W 35–7 | |
| September 29 | No. 7 Stanford | No. 8 Notre Dame | Notre Dame Stadium • South Bend, Indiana | Legends Trophy | L 17–38 |
| November 24 | BYU | No. 18 Utah | Rice-Eccles Stadium • Salt Lake City | Holy War | W 35–27 |
| November 24 | Notre Dame | USC | LA Memorial Coliseum • Los Angeles | Jeweled Shillelagh | L 17–24 |
Records against other conferences
2018 records against non-conference foes as of November 26, 2018:Regular Season
Post Season
Postseason
Bowl games
Rankings are from AP Poll. All times Pacific Time Zone.Selection of teams:
- Bowl-eligible: Arizona State, California, Oregon, Stanford, Utah, Washington, Washington State
- Bowl-ineligible: Arizona, Colorado, Oregon State, UCLA, USC
Awards and Honors
Player of the week honors
Following each week's games, Pac-12 conference officials select the players of the week from the conference's teams.All-conference teams
The following players earned All-Pac-12 honors. Any teams showing following their name are indicating the number of All-Pac-12 Conference Honors awarded to that university for 1st team and 2nd team respectively. Utah leads the Pac-12 with 9 First team and 4 Second team, followed by Washington with 5 First team and 3 Second team, Stanford at 2 First team and 6 Second team, Oregon at 2 First team and 3 Second team, Washington Stateand Arizona State both with 2 First team and 2 Second team, UCLA with 1 First team and 1 Second team, Arizona, Colorado and California all with 1 First team, USC with 5 Second team, and Oregon State receiving none for either team.First Team
Second Team
Honorable mentions
- ARIZONA: DL P. J. Johnson, RJr.; WR Shawn Poindexter, Sr.; Thomas Reid III, WR, RSo.; LB Colin Schooler, So.
- ARIZONA STATE: OL Quinn Bailey, RSr.; DB Aashari Crosswell, Fr.; OL Casey Tucker, Grad.; DL Renell Wren, RSr.
- CALIFORNIA: DE Luc Bequette, RJr.; DB Camryn Bynum, RSo.; P Steven Coutts, RJr.; RS Ashtyn Davis, RJr.
- COLORADO: LB Rick Gamboa, Sr.; DL Mustafa Johnson, So.; LB Nate Landman, So.; RB Travon McMillian, Sr.; OL Will Sherman, Fr.; DB Evan Worthington, Sr.
- OREGON: DB Ugo Amadi, Sr.; OL Jake Hanson, Jr.; OLB Justin Hollins, Sr.; DL Jordon Scott, So.; OL Penei Sewell, Fr.; OL Calvin Throckmorton, Jr.
- OREGON STATE: AP/ST Andre Bodden, RJr.; WR Trevon Bradford, Jr.; WR Isaiah Hodgins, So.; RB Jermar Jefferson, Fr.
- STANFORD: DB Alijah Holder, RSr.; RB Bryce Love, Sr.; LB Bobby Okereke, Sr.; TE Colby Parkinson, So.; DL Jovon Swann, Jr.
- UCLA: P Stefan Flintoft, RSr.; DB Darnay Holmes, So.; WR Theo Howard, Jr.; RB Joshua Kelley, RJr.; PK JJ Molson, Jr.
- USC: DB Ajene Harris, Sr.; OL Toa Lobendahn, RSr.; WR Michael Pittman Jr., Jr.; DB Marvell Tell III, Sr.; RS Tyler Vaughns, RSo.
- UTAH: DB Corrion Ballard, Sr.; LB Cody Barton, Sr.; OL Lo Falemaka, Sr.; DB Javelin Guidry, So.
- WASHINGTON: QB Jake Browning, Sr.; DL Jaylen Johnson, Sr.; DB Jojo McIntosh, Sr.; TE Drew Sample, RSr.
- WASHINGTON STATE: P Oscar Draguicevich, RSo.; RS Travell Harris, RFr.; OL Frederick Mauigoa, Jr.; LB Peyton Pelluer, Grad.; DB Jalen Thompson, Jr.; RB James Williams, RJr.; AP/ST Kainoa Wilson, RJr.; LB Jahad Woods, RSo
Pac-12 individual awards
Pac-12 Offensive Player of the Year
QB Gardner Minshew, Washington State
Pac-12 Defensive Player of the Year
LB Ben Burr-Kirven, Washington
Pac-12 Coach of the Year
Mike Leach, Washington State
Pac-12 Offensive Freshman Player of the Year
RB Jermar Jefferson, Oregon State
Pac-12 Defensive Freshman Player of the Year
LB Merlin Robertson, Arizona State
Pac-12 Scholar Athlete Player of the Year
LB Ben Burr-Kirven, Washington
All-Americans
The following Pac-12 players were named to the 2018 College Football All-America Team by the Walter Camp Football Foundation, Associated Press, Football Writers Association of America, Sporting News, and American Football Coaches Association :Academic All-America Team Member of the Year :
All-Academic
First team| Pos. | Name | School | Yr. | GPA | Major |
| QB | Justin Herbert | Oregon | RSJr. | 4.06 | Biology |
| RB | Patrick Laird | California | RSSr. | 3.58 | Business Administration; Political Science |
| RB | Nick Ralston | Arizona State | RSJr. | 4.00 | MBA & Finance |
| WR | Britain Covey | Utah | Sophomore | 3.85 | Business |
| WR | Timmy Hernandez | Oregon State | Senior | 3.66 | Mechanical Engineering |
| TE | Bryce Wolma | Arizona | Sophomore | 4.00 | Pre-Business |
| OL | Brian Chaffin | Stanford | Senior | 3.65 | Science, Technology and Society |
| OL | Drew Dalman | Stanford | Sophomore | 3.65 | Undeclared |
| OL | Michael Saffell | California | Sophomore | 3.54 | Undeclared |
| OL | Calvin Throckmorton | Oregon | RSJr. | 3.84 | Human Physiology |
| OL | Nick Wilson | Stanford | Senior | 3.623 | Mechanical Engineering |
| DL | Taylor Comfort | Washington State | RSSr. | 3.33 | Criminal Justice and Psychology |
| DL | Nick Heninger | Utah | RSSo. | 3.73 | Business Administration |
| DL | Dylan Jackson | Stanford | Senior | 3.30 | Political Science |
| DL | Levi Onwuzurike | Washington | RSo. | 3.36 | Pre-Major |
| LB | Tevis Bartlett | Washington | Senior | 3.70 | Education, Community & Organizations |
| LB | Ben Burr-Kirven | Washington | Junior | 3.69 | Comparative Literature |
| LB | Casey Toohill | Stanford | Senior | 3.67 | Political Science |
| DB | Jaylon Johnson | Utah | Sophomore | 3.62 | Business |
| DB | Elijah Molden | Washington | Sophomore | 3.66 | Pre-Major |
| DB | Taylor Rapp | Washington | Sophomore | 3.61 | Business Administration |
| DB | Noah Williams | Stanford | Sophomore | 3.84 | Undeclared |
| PK | Josh Pollack | Arizona | Graduate | 3.67 | Accounting |
| P | Steven Coutts | California | RSJr. | 3.62 | Education |
| ST | Richard McNitzky | Stanford | Junior | 3.872 | Political Science |
Second team
| Pos. | Name | School | Yr. | GPA | Major |
| QB | Rhett Rodriguez | Arizona | Sophomore | 4.00 | Pre-Business |
| RB | Salvon Ahmed | Washington | Sophomore | 3.39 | Pre-Social Science |
| RB | Clay Markoff | Washington | RSSo. | 3.76 | Undeclared |
| WR | John Gardner | Washington | Senior | 3.55 | Economics |
| WR | Kyle Williams | Arizona State | Junior | 3.50 | Biomedical Engineering |
| TE | Drew Sample | Washington | Senior | 3.40 | Communication |
| OL | Jesse Burkett | Stanford | Graduate | 3.49 | Japanese; Symbolic Systems |
| OL | Jake Curhan | California | RSSo. | 3.41 | Undeclared |
| OL | Devery Hamilton | Stanford | Junior | 3.41 | Undeclared |
| OL | Jaxson Kirkland | Washington | RSFr. | 3.42 | Pre-Social Science |
| OL | Dylan Powell | Stanford | Junior | 3.50 | Communication |
| DL | Gary Baker | Oregon | RSJr. | 3.23 | General Social Science |
| DL | Nick Begg | Washington State | RSSr. | 3.20 | Public Relations |
| DL | Karson Block | Washington State | RSJr. | 3.21 | Social Sciences |
| DL | Greg Gaines | Washington | Senior | 3.23 | Communication |
| LB | Sean Barton | Stanford | Senior | 3.48 | International Relations |
| LB | Odua Isibor | UCLA | RSFr. | 3.48 | Undeclared |
| LB | Peyton Pelluer | Washington State | RSSr. | 3.48 | Masters in Teaching |
| DB | Frank Buncom | Stanford | Junior | 3.29 | Human Biology |
| DB | Terrell Burgess | Utah | Junior | 3.19 | Kinesiology |
| DB | Quentin Lake | UCLA | Sophomore | 3.39 | Undeclared |
| DB | Chacho Ulloa | Arizona | Junior | 3.43 | Accounting |
| PK | Jet Toner | Stanford | Junior | 3.57 | Science, Technology and Society |
| P | Mitch Wishnowsky | Utah | Senior | 3.53 | Kinesiology and Physical Education Teaching |
| ST | Connor Haller | Utah | Sophomore | 3.73 | Pre-Business |
Honorable mentions: ARIZ: Cody Creason, Jake Glatting, Jamie Nunley; ASU: Eno Benjamin, Cody French, Jordan Hoyt, Malik Lawal, Josh Pokraka, John Riley, Brandon Ruiz, Michael Sleep-Dalton; CAL: Siulagisipai Fuimaono, Chase Garbers, Ryan Gibson, Chris Landgrebe, Malik McMorris, Chinedu Udeogu, Ricky Walker III; COLO: Lucas Cooper, Josh Goldin, Aaron Haigler, Tim Lynott, Nico Magri, Davis Price, Colby Pursell, Carson Wells; ORE: Brady Aiello, Kaulana Apelu, Jacob Breeland, Brady Breeze, Braxton Burmeister, Jacob Capra, Drayton Carlberg, Jake Hanson, Hunter Kampmoyer, Shane Lemieux, Blake Maimone, Sampson Niu; OSU: B.J. Baylor, Conor Blount, Andre Bodden, Blake Brandel, Jordan Choukair, Isaiah Dunn, Keegan Firth, Champ Flemings, Andrzej Hughes-Murray, Isaiah Hodgins, Sumner Houston, Drew Kell, Connor Kelsey, Luke Leonnig, Jeffrey Manning Jr., Trent Moore, Mason Moran, Artavis Pierce, Daniel Rodriguez, Kolby Taylor, Moku Watson; STAN: Joey Alfieri, Malik Antoine, Jake Bailey, Treyjohn Butler, K.J. Costello, Obi Eboh, Tucker Fisk, Jordan Fox, Scooter Harrington, Henry Hattis, Nate Herbig, Stuart Head, Houston Heimuli, Alijah Holder, Trenton Irwin, Thunder Keck, Walker Little, Bryce Love, Alameen Murphy, Colby Parkinson, Andrew Pryts, Gabe Reid, Cameron Scarlett, Kaden Smith, Trevor Speights, Jovan Swann, Dayln Wade-Perry, Reagan Williams; UCLA: Michael Alves, Johnny Den Bleyker, Ethan Fernea, Stefan Flintoft, Dymond Lee, Christian Pabico, Adarius Pickett, Shea Pitts, Jay Shaw, Jayce Smalley, Caleb Wilson; USC: JJordan Austin, Reid Budrovich, Erik Krommenhoek, Wyatt Schmidt; UTAH: Jordan Agasiva, Marquise Blair, Nick Ford, Javelin Guidry, Tyler Huntley, Jake Jackson, Josh Nurse, Darrin Paulo, John Penisini, Hauati Pututau, Jason Shelley, Demari Simpkins, Mika Tafua, Mason Woodward; WASH: ndre Baccellia, Jake Browning, A.J. Carty, Nick Harris, Peyton Henry, Jared Hilbers, Ty Jones, Jordan Miller, Cade Otton, Race Porter, Henry Roberts, Joe Tyron, Jusstis Warren, Joel Whitford; WSU: Brandon Arconado, Tristan Brock, Jack Crane, Cole Dubots, Travell Harris, Liam Ryan, Trey Tinsley.
National award winners
Home game attendance
| Team | Stadium | Capacity | Game 1 | Game 2 | Game 3 | Game 4 | Game 5 | Game 6 | Game 7 | Total | Average | % of Capacity |
| Arizona | Arizona Stadium | 55,675 | 51,002 | 41,493 | 43,573 | 44,253 | 42,845 | 43,080 | 51,805† | 318,051 | 45,436 | 81.61% |
| Arizona State | Sun Devil Stadium | 57,078 | 50,188 | 53,599† | 51,447 | 42,946 | 46,445 | 46,466 | — | 291,091 | 48,515 | 85.00% |
| California | California Memorial Stadium | 62,467 | 42,168 | 37,104 | 43,448 | 45,889 | 39,138 | 34,457 | 57,858† | 300,062 | 42,866 | 68.62% |
| Colorado | Folsom Field | 50,183 | 42,360 | 46,814 | 52,681† | 48,050 | 45,587 | 39,360 | — | 274,852 | 45,809 | 91.28% |
| Oregon | Autzen Stadium | 54,000 | 50,112 | 47,210 | 50,049 | 58,453 | 58,691† | 56,114 | 50,485 | 371,114 | 53,016 | 98.18% |
| Oregon State | Reser Stadium | 43,363 | 36,448 | 33,022 | 34,429 | 32,390 | 35,187 | 39,776 | — | 211,252 | 35,209 | 81.20% |
| Stanford | Stanford Stadium | 50,424 | 40,913 | 42,856† | 31,772 | 37,244 | 39,596 | 34,671 | — | 227,052 | 37,842 | 75.05% |
| UCLA | Rose Bowl | 92,542 | 54,116 | 60,867† | 51,123 | 54,686 | 41,848 | 57,116 | 38,391 | 358,147 | 51,164 | 55.29% |
| USC | Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum | 93,607 | 58,708 | 52,421 | 78,467† | 47,406 | 56,721 | 59,821 | — | 353,544 | 58,924 | 62.95% |
| Utah | Rice-Eccles Stadium | 45,807 | 45,988 | 47,445† | 45,862 | 46,405 | 46,275 | 46,017 | — | 277,992 | 46,332 | 101.15% |
| Washington | Husky Stadium | 70,083 | 68,093 | 71,200† | 70,155 | 68,798 | 69,690 | 66,469 | — | 414,405 | 69,068 | 98.55% |
| Washington State | Martin Stadium | 32,952 | 26,141 | 32,952 | 30,088 | 33,152† | 32,952 | 22,400 | 32,952 | 210,637 | 30,091 | 91.31% |
Bold – Exceed capacity
†Season High