How has the Pac-12 football season changed after Week 1?

We noted that the complexion of the Pac-12 football season feels different after just one week.

“Colorado’s win over TCU was so impressive that it vaulted two Buffaloes into the Heisman Trophy spotlight after just one game,” we wrote. “Quarterback Shedeur Sanders threw for over 500 yards. Travis Hunter played receiver and quarterback and was, alongside Sanders, one of the two best players on the field. He logged close to 130 snaps in 100-degree Texas heat in Fort Worth and did not wear down late in the game. Hunter and Colorado simply defied the odds.

“Now, that USC-Colorado game on Sept. 30 in Boulder looks a lot more daunting for the Trojans.”

The balance of power in the middle and lower tiers of the Pac-12 Conference could be different from what we expected.

We asked a group of Oregon and Colorado experts — in addition to our Trojans Wire staff — the following question: How does Colorado’s emergence change the Pac-12 season for the conference as a whole?

MATT ZEMEK, TROJANS WIRE

“Colorado’s new and improved identity invites the possibility that the Buffaloes will pick off a Pac-12 contender at some point in the season. Keep in mind that USC has one key advantage in the Pac-12 race: It doesn’t play Oregon State this season while the other top-tier Pac-12 contenders do. If Oregon and USC both survive Colorado in September, other Pac-12 teams might not withstand the Buffs later in the season, and it could create a domino effect which leads to an Oregon-USC rematch in Vegas on December 1.”

MATT WADLEIGH, TROJANS AND BUFFALOES WIRE

“Colorado’s emergence hurts the Pac-12 so much, especially George Kliavkoff. Can you imagine what would’ve happened if he could’ve got a media rights deal in place and kept the Buffs in the conference? Now, the conference is dying, but for the immediate 2023 season, it looks like another bowl team will enter the fold.”

ZACHARY NEEL, DUCKS WIRE

“At the top, I don’t think it changes very much. I still expect a combination of USC, Oregon, Washington, Utah, and Oregon State to occupy the top five spots when all is said and done. Maybe Colorado can sneak ahead of UCLA, Washington State, and Arizona in those year-end rankings, but I don’t think we need to start talking about them in terms of making it to Las Vegas in December. “

DON SMALLEY, DUCKS WIRE

“It’s ironic that this may be a great Pac-12 season in the last Pac-12 season. There’s 5-6 really good teams and 2-3 great teams. Unfortunately, this means they’ll pick each other off and miss the CFP once again, unless the Trojans figure out the defense.”

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Story originally appeared on Trojans Wire