The last ever Pac-12 Power Rankings see new team crowned as champion
The Pac-12 as we know it has turned off the lights and locked its doors. Next season, the twelve schools of this conference will be distributed across four different conferences around the country.
The final season of the Pac-12 did not disappoint. This year’s Washington Huskies and Oregon Ducks are two of the best teams the conference has ever seen, and Washington is off to represent the West Coast in the College Football Playoff.
The Ducks and the Huskies aren’t the only teams in the conference with football left to play though. 8 of the 12 teams in the conference have secured bowl eligibility for December. It was a beautiful season, but a sad one at the end with the finality that was ultimately brought for one of the most entertaining conferences in the nation.
Below, are my final rankings of the teams in this wonderful conference.
Stanford Cardinal
Overall Record: 3-9
Conference Record: 2-7
There isn’t much to say about the Stanford Cardinal. The highlight of their season was a thrilling comeback against Colorado, but other than that they did exactly what we expected: lose. The Cardinal are off to the ACC in 2024, and their recruiting class is strong, so things might be on the upward trail for Stanford.
Arizona State Sun Devils
Overall Record: 3-9
Conference Record: 2-7
Despite some big wins (like their blowout of UCLA) and the games where they gave teams (like Washignton and USC) big scares, Arizona State finishes 2023 as the second worst team in the Pac-12. This was only year one for coach Kenny Dillingham as head coach and his style has encouraging aspects, so I expect the Sun Devils to take a step forward in 2024
Colorado Buffaloes
Overall Record: 4-8
Conference Record: 1-8
They were the talk of college football until they weren’t. After a historically bad season in 2022, Coach Deion Sanders seemed to have revitalized Colorado football after the Buffs started 3-0. But after a 35-6 loss to Oregon, the Buffaloes didn’t look the same, and they finished the season with only one Pac-12 win.
Washington State Cougars
Overall Record: 5-7
Conference Record: 2-7
Washington State got off to a hot start this season with their win over ranked Wisconsin, but their success was unsustainable. After suffering some injuries and opposing defenses started to key on their offensive strategy, the Cougars failed to adjust, and they finished the season poorly.
UCLA Bruins
Overall Record: 7-5
Conference Record: 4-5
UCLA had middle-of-the-road expectations placed on them in 2023, but the way this season panned out is still disappointing for the Bruins. Chip Kelly’s job looks to be in jeopardy after UCLA’s big losses to Cal and Arizona State late in the season. It will be interesting to see how that story develops in the coming weeks.
Cal Golden Bears
Overall Record: 6-6
Conference Record: 4-5
With their blowout win over UCLA In week thirteen, the Golden Bears punched their ticket to a bowl game. All year, Cal was centered around a strong rushing attack, led by Jadyn Ott — the Golden Bears’ star running back.
USC Trojans
Overall Record: 7-5
Conference Record: 5-4
After staying undefeated for the first six games, USC’s issues resulted in a loss to Notre Dame in Week 6. The season did not get better for the Trojans as they only managed to win one game in the second half of the season. For a team that was ranked sixth in the preseason, everything about this year is a major disappointment.
Utah Utes
Overall Record: 8-4
Conference Record: 5-4
Utah did a lot with a little in 2023. Without star QB Cam Rising, this year’s Utes team lost its playoff potential, but they remained a force on Saturdays due to their creativity on offense and their physicality on defense. With Rising returning in 2024, the Utes are my pick to win the Big 12.
Oregon State Beavers
Arizona Wildcats
Overall Record: 9-3
Conference Record: 7-2
Arizona was the Pac-12’s biggest overachiever this year. In preseason, I saw the Wildcats as a team on the bubble of bowl eligibility, and they went on to win nine games. Jedd Fisch, the Wildcats’ coach, will have his name thrown into Coach of the Year conversations after his team’s performance this year, and he would be my pick to win the award.
Oregon Ducks
Overall Record: 11-2
Conference Record: 8-2
The Oregon Ducks had a phenomenal season in 2023, they just couldn’t beat the Huskies. With their improved defense and historic offense the Ducks had the potential to go the distance this year, but that’s not the way it shook out. As Dan Lanning looks toward his third season as Oregon’s coach he’ll have some question marks, but there is also reason to believe that the Ducks program will continue to progress.
Washington Huskies
Overall Record: 13-0
Conference Record: 10-0
After raising some doubt in the second half of the season, the Washington Huskies proved they are the best team in the conference with their win over Oregon in the Pac-12 title game. The Huskies are now headed to the College Football Playoff, and they have the sill to beat any team they meet.
