In honor of Mike Leach: CFP rankings and Pac-12 football teams as Halloween candy

Tuesday marks one of the most anticipated days of the season with the release of the College Football Playoff rankings and an excuse to eat mass quantities of candy.

We’ll address the candy momentarily. Let’s start with the CFP: What should Pac-12 fans expect from the selection committee’s initial rankings, which will be unveiled Tuesday at 4 p.m. on ESPN?

Plenty of representation, that’s what.

Washington and Oregon should have spots in the top 10, with the undefeated Huskies quite possibly among the first five and the Ducks close behind.

Oregon has been far more impressive in recent weeks, but the committee will lean into Washington’s head-to-head victory. The rivals might be next to each other, in fact.

Look for Oregon State, UCLA, Utah and USC to make the cut as well, likely in the bottom half.

And remember, while the rankings make for great discussion and help ESPN fill airtime, nothing matters until the final top 25 is released on the first Sunday of December.

Now, let’s focus on the other notable event scheduled for Tuesday.

Two years ago, the Hotline assessed each Pac-12 team as a Halloween candy. Our inspiration, then as now, was the late, great Washington State coach Mike Leach, who in 2021 offered a detailed breakdown of his preferences.

Leach liked Nerds Gummy Clusters and Almond Joys. Those are a hard pass in our world, but the spirit of his post-game assessment motivated us to find just the right candy for each team.

Plenty has changed in the past two years, and our breakdown has been adjusted to suit current on-field trends.

Arizona: Butterfinger. Doesn’t sound or look particularly good but is better than you expect.

Arizona State: Black licorice. What were company executives thinking?

Cal: Milk Duds. Not great, not terrible but require a lot of effort to get through.

Colorado: Candy Corn. Loved by some but absolutely, positively not for everybody.

Oregon: Skittles. So many colors, so much sugar and generally impossible to ignore.

Oregon State: 100 Grand. Often overlooked and immensely satisfying.

Stanford: Smarties. The name is appropriate, but the taste? No thanks.

UCLA: Candy canes. One of the all-time greats … in the winter.

USC: Kit Kat. Great looking wrapper, super tasty, but easily breakable.

Utah: Reese’s Peanut Butter Cups. No flash but so damn good every time, every year.

Washington: Clark bars. Classic that vanished but has recently returned to relevance.

Washington State: Hershey’s Kisses. Always better than the size would suggest.