No. 6 Oregon
If Oregon beats Arizona State and Oregon State, then Utah in the Pac-12 title game, it will have won 12 straight games to close the season. Could the playoff selection committee really turn away a team that hasn’t lost since August? If they do, it would essentially send the message that the entire Pac-12 season didn’t matter, which would be a catastrophic blow to a conference that has struggled for national relevancy the past few seasons. – Kyle Bonagura
No. 7 Utah
In the portion of the schedule where style points really start to matter, Utah turned in arguably its most complete performance of the season. UCLA isn’t great, but the Bruins would have overtaken Utah in the Pac-12 South with a win in Salt Lake City. With games against Arizona and Colorado to close out the regular season, Utah shouldn’t have much trouble reaching the Pac-12 title game at 11-1, where a win could result in a playoff berth. — Kyle Bonagura