Ducks Wire evaluates Pac-12 football power structure, with USC and Oregon battling for top spot
The good folks at Ducks Wire had to love seeing the archrival Washington Huskies lose. Nothing makes a weekend in Eugene better than an Oregon win combined with a U-Dub loss. That’s what the Ducks and their fans received in Week 5 of the Pac-12 season. Now that this shakeup has occurred in the Pac-12, what does Ducks Wire think about the state of play in the Pac-12? Who is number one in the conference?
Beyond the No. 1 question, there is also the matter of who is No. 3? Utah and UCLA are jostling for position behind USC and Oregon. Then the other Pacific Northwest schools — Oregon State, Washington State, and Washington — are in the middle tier.
We can all agree on this: Colorado is the worst team in the Pac-12, and Stanford is 11th.
Enjoy Ducks Wire’s full Pac-12 power rankings below:
COLORADO
From Ducks Wire staff writer Andy Patton:
Colorado’s offense wasn’t terrible against Arizona on Saturday, but the defense didn’t come to play — giving up 43 points on six touchdowns from Jayden de Laura — and the Buffs remain winless.
STANFORD
More from Patton:
Tanner McKee and the Stanford offense were listless against Oregon on Saturday, and an extremely sloppy second quarter sank the Cardinal in this one.
ARIZONA STATE
Patton:
USC let Arizona State hang around for far too long in the first half, but ultimately Lincoln Riley’s team put away the Sun Devils.
The team without a coach has a lot of work to do to get back to Pac-12 relevance.
CAL
Patton:
Cal failed to score a touchdown until the fourth quarter against Washington State. While the defense didn’t look too bad, this team is ultimately still not strong enough on the offensive end to contend in the Pac-12.
ARIZONA
Patton:
Arizona’s new look offense opened up and dropped 43 points on Saturday evening, thanks to six touchdowns from Jayden de Laura. Of course, it was against Colorado, but this is still an encouraging sign the Wildcats are on the way up.
OREGON STATE
Patton:
Chance Nolan had a bad, bad, very bad first quarter against the Utah Utes, throwing a pair of interceptions, and the Beavers never recovered.
Oregon State is a sleeping giant if the quarterback play irons out, but inconsistency this season has proven their downfall.
WASHINGTON STATE
Patton:
Washington State looked very sloppy early, but the defense kept Cal out of the end zone until the fourth quarter and earned Jake Dickert’s squad a nice bounce-back victory.
The Cougars (4-1) are one epic collapse away from a perfect record and a lot more conversation nationally.
WASHINGTON
Patton:
Perhaps this is too harsh a fall, but Washington looked very flat against an unpredictable UCLA squad on Friday, and they had to put 16 points on the board in the final frame to make this game look much closer than it actually was.
Kalen DeBoer’s squad is still dangerous, and if this game proves an aberration this is a team worth keeping an eye on.
UCLA
Patton:
UCLA is 5-0 with a commanding victory over a ranked Washington squad, but it has really struggled with consistency — particularly on defense.
It may be harsh to have them this low after a win like the one they earned on Friday, but I’m not sold just yet.
UTAH
Patton:
Cameron Rising had six incompletions against the Beavers on Saturday, throwing three touchdowns and rushing for another in Utah’s rout over Oregon State.
The Utes are still right in the conversation for a Pac-12 championship, especially after dismantling a good Beavers team.
OREGON
Patton:
Bo Nix had more than 300 combined yards and four touchdowns and Dan Lanning’s Oregon squad cruised to an easy, albeit penalty-filled, victory over the Stanford Cardinal on Saturday evening.
The Ducks have rattled off a month’s worth of strong performances after the dud against Georgia, and this team could keep rolling all the way to a Pac-12 title.
USC
Patton:
USC did not play its best game of the season against Arizona State, heading into halftime with just a one touchdown lead, but Lincoln Riley and company took care of business.
The Men of Troy will head into Week 6 with an undefeated record and a real chance at making the College Football Playoff this season.
