OSU Beavers sneak into ESPN Power Rankings; Oregon Ducks still the top dog out west
It was a relatively boring day out west on Saturday, which is a good thing for the health of the Pac-12 Conference. That simply means that none of the good, ranked teams lost games to the bad, unranked teams.
No. 8 Oregon beat California. No. 10 USC beat Arizona. No. 12 UCLA beat Stanford. No. 14 Utah beat Washington State.
With that consistency, the Pac-12 was able to take advantage of the chaos that took place elsewhere in the top 25, where a total of 7 ranked teams ended up losing. Everyone but Oregon was able to move up in the ESPN Power Rankings this week because of it.
The Ducks are still standing atop the rest of the conference, though, and their offensive explosion-led win over Cal was impressive, even more so when you consider the fact that none of the coaches or players seemed satisfied with the victory.
Let’s see where ESPN ranks the Ducks after Week 8, along with the other Pac-12 teams;
Liberty Flames (7-1)
Sep 17, 2022; Winston-Salem, North Carolina, USA; Liberty Flames head coach Hugh Freeze looks on against the Wake Forest Demon Deacons before the game at Truist Field. Mandatory Credit: James Guillory-USA TODAY Sports
UCF Knights (6-2)
Oct 31, 2020; Houston, Texas, USA; A general picture of a UCF Knights helmet and shoulder pads prior to the game against the Houston Cougars at TDECU Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Maria Lysaker-USA TODAY Sports
Oregon State Beavers (6-2)
(Photo by Tom Hauck/Getty Images)
The Beavers cracked ESPN’s rankings for the first time this season, with a big game this weekend against the Washington Huskies coming up. Here’s what ESPN had to say about Oregon State:
The bye week allows us to take stock of what’s becoming an increasingly solid program under Jonathan Smith. This season, the Beavers have won every game they were supposed to on their schedule; and their only losses came against USC and Utah, two of the best teams in the Pac-12. In the case of the USC contest, the Beavers were one stop away from victory. Given that this is a team that won only one game in 2017 and hadn’t been to bowl games in back-to-back seasons since 2012 and 2013, it is safe to say it’s been another successful season, with plenty more to play for.
Syracuse Orange (6-2)
Sep 24, 2021; Syracuse, New York, USA; Syracuse Orange linebacker Stefon Thompson (2) and linebacker Mikel Jones (3) celebrate a fourth down stop of the Liberty Flames in the third quarter at the Carrier Dome. Mandatory Credit: Mark Konezny-USA TODAY Sports
NC State Wolfpack (6-2)
Nov 26, 2021; Raleigh, North Carolina, USA; North Carolina State Wolfpack wide receiver Emeka Emezie (86) is greeted by teammate Porter Rooks (4) after scoring the game-winning touchdown during the second half against the North Carolina Tar Heels at Carter-Finley Stadium. The Wolfpack won 34-30. Mandatory Credit: Rob Kinnan-USA TODAY Sports
Tulane Green Wave (7-1)
Sep 17, 2022; Manhattan, Kansas, USA; The Tulane Green Wave and Kansas State Wildcats line up before the snap of the ball during the fourth quarter at Bill Snyder Family Football Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Scott Sewell-USA TODAY Sports
Wake Forest Demon Deacons (6-2)
Oct 22, 2022; Winston-Salem, North Carolina, USA; Wake Forest Demon Deacons quarterback Sam Hartman (10) throws a pass during the second half against the Boston College Eagles at Truist Field. Mandatory Credit: Reinhold Matay-USA TODAY Sports
LSU Tigers (6-2)
Quarterback Jayden Daniels scores a touchdown as the LSU Tigers take on the Ole Miss Rebels at Tiger Stadium in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, USA. Saturday October 22, 2022
Lsu Vs Ole Miss Football V2 7585
Penn State Nittany Lions (6-2)
Penn State head coach James Franklin smiles as he greets supporters following the Nittany Lion’s 45-17 win over Minnesota at Beaver Stadium on Saturday, Oct. 22, 2022, in State College.
Hes Dr 102222 Whiteout
Oklahoma State Cowboys (6-2)
Oklahoma State Cowboys quarterback Spencer Sanders (3) throws a pass during a college football game between the Oklahoma State Cowboys (OSU) and the University of Texas Longhorns at Boone Pickens Stadium in Stillwater, Okla., Saturday, Oct. 22, 2022. Oklahoma State won 41-34.
Osu Vs Texas Football
North Carolina Tar Heels (7-1)
Oct 15, 2022; Durham, North Carolina, USA; North Carolina Tar Heels quarterback Drake Maye (10) with the football during the first half at Wallace Wade Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jaylynn Nash-USA TODAY Sports
Illinois Fighting Illini (7-1)
Oct 8, 2022; Champaign, Illinois, USA; Illinois Fighting Illini running back Chase Brown (2) runs the ball against the Iowa Hawkeyes during the second half at Memorial Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Ron Johnson-USA TODAY Sports
Kansas State Wildcats (6-2)
Kansas State’s Adrian Martinez (9) runs for a touchdown in front of Oklahoma’s Billy Bowman (5) during a college football game between the University of Oklahoma Sooners (OU) and the Kansas State Wildcats at Gaylord Family – Oklahoma Memorial Stadium in Norman, Okla., Saturday, Sept. 24, 2022. Kansas State won 41-34.
Ou Vs Kansas State
Utah Utes (6-2)
Rob Gray-USA TODAY Sports
It was a strange week for Utah, who had to travel to Pullman on Thursday to face a dangerous Washington State team without Cameron Rising or Tavion Thomas. Utah pulled out a 21-17 win with few people watching, but questions about their immediate future are arising. Here’s what ESPN had to say about the Utes:
Possibly the surprise of the week in college football came when Utah initially trotted its offense onto the field at Washington State on Thursday. The Utes were without running back Tavion Thomas, as expected, but quarterback Cam Rising remained on the sideline, with Bryson Barnes in his place. Barnes filled in admirably, but for Rising to be unavailable after trying to give it a go in warm-ups put the Utes in a tough spot. “He just didn’t feel like he was right. It was Cam’s decision,” Utah coach Kyle Whittingham said. “If Cam says he can’t play, he can’t play.” Still, the Utes left Pullman with a 21-17 win, and they remain in the thick of the Pac-12 title hunt.
Ole Miss Rebels (8-1)
Mississippi Head Coach Lane Kiffin returns to Neyland Stadium before an SEC football game between Tennessee and Ole Miss in Knoxville, Tenn. on Saturday, Oct. 16, 2021.
Kns Tennessee Ole Miss Football
UCLA Bruins (7-1)
Troy Wayrynen-USA TODAY Sports
The Bruins were able to use an easy matchup against Stanford as a get-right opportunity for their offense following the tough day against the Ducks. UCLA remains a team to watch out west, with a game against USC coming in a couple of weeks. Here’s what ESPN had to say about UCLA:
The only reason Stanford held a lead at one point during Saturday’s matchup at the Rose Bowl was because the Cardinal started with the ball and kicked a field goal. It was all Bruins the rest of the way, as they bounced back from their first loss of the season at Oregon with a resounding victory, thanks in large part to running back Zach Charbonnet’s sixth game in 2022 with at least 100 rushing yards.
USC Trojans (7-1)
Jayne Kamin-Oncea-USA TODAY Sports
It looks like the Trojans have been able to shake off the loss to Utah a couple of weeks ago and are back rolling, this time with a win over Arizona. As I said with UCLA, it will all come down to a matchup with the Bruins in a couple of weeks. Here’s what ESPN had to say about USC:
Down a handful of starters, including wide receiver Jordan Addison and veteran offensive lineman Andrew Vorhees, Southern California was able to outlast Arizona in a shootout thanks to a five-touchdown, 411-yard passing performance from quarterback Caleb Williams. The Wildcats’ own offensive firepower (543 total offensive yards) highlighted once again the improvement that USC’s defense (though hampered by injuries) needs to make in order to get the Trojans to an elite level this season and beyond.
Oregon Ducks (7-1)
The Ducks keep rolling, this time with 588 yards of offense and 6 TD from QB Bo Nix. Despite the numbers, it was a somewhat underwhelming performance, and Oregon feels it can play much better going forward. We will see in a couple of weeks as Washington comes to town. Here’s what ESPN had to say about the Ducks:
Seven straight wins. Seven straight games with at least 41 points. And it could — should? — have been even more against Cal in Berkeley on Saturday, where the Ducks turned it over on downs twice in the red zone in a 42-24 victory. The Golden Bears had not allowed more than 31 points in a game all season and came into the contest giving up an average of just 22.6 points. Oregon quarterback Bo Nix surpassed the 400-yard passing mark for the second time this year to go along with three passing touchdowns and three rushing scores.
Alabama Crimson Tide (7-1)
Oct 22, 2022; Tuscaloosa, Alabama, USA; Alabama Crimson Tide quarterback Bryce Young (9) hands the ball off to running back Jase McClellan (2) against the Mississippi State Bulldogs at Bryant-Denny Stadium. Alabama won 30-6. Mandatory Credit: Gary Cosby Jr.-USA TODAY Sports
TCU Horned Frogs (8-0)
Oct 22, 2022; Fort Worth, Texas, USA; TCU Horned Frogs quarterback Max Duggan (15) scrambles abasing Kansas State Wildcats defensive end Brendan Mott (38) in the first quarter at Amon G. Carter Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Tim Heitman-USA TODAY Sports
Clemson Tigers (8-0)
Clemson quarterback D.J. Uiagalelei (5) passes near NC State linebacker Payton Wilson (11) during the fourth quarter at Memorial Stadium in Clemson, South Carolina Saturday, October 1, 2022.
Ncaa Football Clemson Football Vs Nc State Wolfpack
Michigan Wolverines (8-0)
Oct 15, 2022; Ann Arbor, Michigan, USA; Michigan Wolverines running back Donovan Edwards (7) rushes in the second half against the Penn State Nittany Lions at Michigan Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Rick Osentoski-USA TODAY Sports
Georgia Bulldogs (8-0)
Oct 15, 2022; Athens, Georgia, USA; Georgia Bulldogs tight end Arik Gilbert (7) catches a touchdown pass behind Vanderbilt Commodores linebacker De’Rickey Wright (43) during the second half at Sanford Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Dale Zanine-USA TODAY Sports
Tennessee Volunteers (8-0)
Oct 29, 2022; Knoxville, Tennessee, USA; Tennessee Volunteers quarterback Hendon Hooker (5) passes the ball against the Kentucky Wildcats during the first quarter at Neyland Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Randy Sartin-USA TODAY Sports
Ohio State Buckeyes (8-0)
Oct 1, 2022; Columbus, Ohio, USA; Ohio State Buckeyes quarterback C.J. Stroud (7) looks for an open receiver in the first quarter of the NCAA Division I football game between the Ohio State Buckeyes and the Rutgers Scarlet Knights at Ohio Stadium.
Osu22rut Kwr 15
