Pac-12 football power rankings after Week 3 of 2023 season
If you watched Week 3 of the 2023 college football season, you might have arrived at the conclusion that nearly every team is less than great.
Florida State played around with its food and very nearly lost to Boston College, a team which struggled with Northern Illinois and Holy Cross in previous weeks.
Texas was tied with Wyoming at home after three quarters.
Ohio State needed a full half before it finally turned on the engines and pulled away from Western Kentucky.
Michigan’s offense looked ordinary once again.
Penn State did what it had to do against Illinois, but little more. A 30-point performance won’t impress anyone.
Even Georgia struggled profoundly for a half against South Carolina before putting the game away in the fourth quarter.
Everyone has an opinion on which teams are the best, but in terms of actual results and actual performance, each week should bring forth a fresh reconsideration of rankings from scratch.
We’re not ranking based on projections or picks. We’re ranking based on current accomplishments against opponents played.
Here are the new Pac-12 football rankings after Week 3 of the 2023 season:
STANFORD
When you lose at home to Sacramento State, you go to the back of the line. Those are the rules.
ARIZONA STATE
Arizona State was missing at least five offensive linemen if not more for its game against Fresno State on Saturday. It showed. The Sun Devils didn’t score a point. They’re in major trouble.
CAL
Cal fell behind Idaho by 17 points. It won, but it didn’t impress anyone.
ARIZONA
Arizona didn’t trail Idaho by 17. So, in a comparison of the two 2-1 Pac-12 teams through Week 3, the Wildcats are ahead of Cal.
Now, we move to the eight unbeaten Pac-12 teams. Let’s try to rank them:
OREGON STATE
Why is Oregon State No. 8? San Jose State, UC-Davis, and a not-very-good San Diego State team comprise a mediocre list of opponents.
Don’t worry, Beaver fans: OSU plays Washington State this week. Win that game, and the Beavers will move up several spots in the Week 4 rankings. That’s how this process goes. Things can and should change week to week based on results.
OREGON
We’re not saying Oregon is the seventh-best team in the Pac-12. We’re saying Oregon’s resume is the seventh-best.
Let’s be honest: Portland State and Hawaii will not lift a resume.
No worries, Ducks:
Throttle Colorado and you’ll move up.
UCLA
UCLA has played Coastal Carolina, San Diego State, and North Carolina Central. We can’t evaluate that resume favorably, relative to the other 3-0 Pac-12 teams.
USC
USC’s games against Stanford and Nevada really were scrimmages. Stanford just lost at home to Sacramento State. USC is head of the Oregon schools and UCLA only because it hasn’t played an FCS team. The Trojans can’t be higher than No. 5, however.
UTAH
Utah’s win over Florida looks a lot better after the Gators hammered Tennessee, but Utah played Weber State, an FCS team, in Week 3. That limits the Utes’ ceiling and keeps them outside the top three, even though one member of the top three has — like Utah — played an FCS opponent.
WASHINGTON STATE
Yes, Washington State played Northern Colorado — an FCS team — in Week 3, so why are the Cougars No. 3 and ahead of Utah?
The Colorado State team they drilled in Week 1 outplayed Colorado for most of the night before losing to Deion Sanders’ Buffaloes in double overtime. That Colorado State win looks a lot better, and it’s enough to put WSU third.
WASHINGTON
Washington crushed Michigan State on the road. It’s a win against a Big Ten team away from home, so that’s solid … but Michigan State looks really bad. The Spartans look like a 3-9 team.
Washington hasn’t played an FCS team, and Michigan State is probably better than Stanford, so the Huskies are ahead of USC, but are they No. 1? Not quite.
COLORADO
Are the Buffaloes the best team in the Pac-12? Not even close. They were exposed by Colorado State on Saturday, even though they rallied late to force overtime and win. However, strictly in terms of their actual results through three games, the Buffs are No. 1 in the Pac-12.
TCU whacked Houston on the road in a Big 12 game, so that win over the Frogs looks better. Nebraska won, so that win looks better. Colorado State is probably better than Michigan State right now, based on performance, so the Buffs get the nod over Washington.
Again: This is not a measurement of the best teams; it’s a comparison of results. Based on what we have seen, Colorado is tops for now.
