Pac-12 Power Rankings: Ducks get Prime Time bump while Trojans’ defense drops USC
There was a lot of movement in the Pac-12 Power Rankings, which shouldn’t come as a surprise given that this was the first full week of conference play out west.
While we got a hyped-up matchup in Eugene, a battle of the little brothers in Pullman, and a low-scoring clas in Los Angeles, Week 4 delivered in the Pac-12, giving us a handful of thrilling games with near comebacks.
It also gave us a much clearer picture on where the hierarchy currently is in the conference. While the teams at the bottom stayed at the bottom, there was some movement at the top with a couple of squads shuffling around in the upper-tier.
Here are our latest Pac-12 Power Rankings after Week 4.
Stanford Cardinal | (1-3, 0-2)
John Hefti-USA TODAY Sports
Game Result: 21-20 Loss to Arizona
Previous Ranking: 12th
AP Ranking: N/A
Next Game: vs. No. 10 Oregon Ducks
Analysis: The Cardinal almost pulled off an impressive upset and got a win over the Wildcats on Saturday. I’m not sure if that says more about Stanford or Arizona, to be honest. Either way, both teams are near the bottom of my rankings.
Arizona State Sun Devils | (1-3) (0-1)
Rob Schumacher-Arizona Republic
Game Result: 42-28 Loss to USC
Previous Ranking: 11th
AP Ranking: N/A
Next Game: at California Golden Bears
Analysis: The Sun Devils lost to USC, but it wasn’t as bad as it was expected to be. The Trojans’ porous defense gave up four scores to Arizona State, and there were a few moments in the second half where it looked like some Pac-12 After Dark magic might be at work. That’s a win for ASU.
California Golden Bears | (2-2) (0-1)
Joe Nicholson-USA TODAY Sports
Game Result: 59-32 Loss to Washington
Previous Ranking: 10th
AP Ranking: N/A
Next Game: vs. Arizona State Sun Devils
Analysis: It’s no surprise that California got boat-raced by Washington — that apparently happens to any team that the Huskies play this year. There were times where the Golden Bears looked pretty good offensively, which is a nice change of pace this year.
Arizona Wildcats | (3-1, 1-0)
John Hefti-USA TODAY Sports
Game Result: 21-20 Win over Stanford
Previous Ranking: 9th
AP Ranking: N/A
Next Game: vs. No. 8 Washington Huskies
Analysis: Last week, I talked about how Arizona was a nice representation of the mid-point in the Pac-12 Conference. They weren’t good enough to compete with the top teams in the league, but they were clearly better than the bad teams. I spoke too soon. It appears that the Wildcats may be bad, considering they could barely beat Stanford, the clear-cut worst team in the league.
Colorado Buffaloes | (3-1, 0-1)
Soobum Im-USA TODAY Sports
Game Result: 42-8 Loss to No. 11 Oregon
Previous Ranking: 8th
AP Ranking: 19th
Next Game: vs. No. 5 USC Trojans
Analysis: Colorado got a big dose of reality on Saturday and got spanked by the Oregon Ducks to the tune of 42-6. Deion Sanders may have an entertaining team, but there is a lot of work that needs to be done before the Buffs can be a team that is considered among the top half of the conference.
UCLA Bruins | (3-1) (0-1)
Rob Gray-USA TODAY Sports
Game Result: 14-7 Loss to Utah
Previous Ranking: 7th
AP Ranking: 22nd
Next Game: BYE
Analysis: Unfortunately, the freshman mistakes hurt QB Dante Moore too much in this one. A pick-six on the first play of the game ended up being too much to overcome in a low-scoring affair where every point mattered.
Oregon State Beavers | (3-1) (0-1)
James Snook-USA TODAY Sports
Game Result: 38-35 Loss to Washington State
Previous Ranking: 5th
AP Ranking: 14th
Next Game: vs. No. 11 Utah Utes
Analysis: It appears that the Beavers may not be as good as we thought. With their first test against a real team on Saturday, Oregon State was unable to do much, and D.J. Uiagalelei struggled. A 17-point comeback attempt made the score look more respectable than it was, but I think the Beavers definitely got dinged this week.
Utah Utes | (4-0) (1-0)
Rob Gray-USA TODAY Sports
Game Result: 14-7 Win over UCLA
Previous Ranking: 4th
AP Ranking: 11th
Next Game: at No. 14 Utah Utes
Analysis: It wasn’t pretty, but none of Utah’s wins this year have been. What matters is that the Utes are undefeated, and it appears they will be getting QB Cameron Rising back soon. Once that happens, the season really starts in Salt Lake City.
Washington State Cougars | (4-0) (1-0)
James Snook-USA TODAY Sports
Game Result: 38-35 Win over Oregon State
Previous Ranking: 6th
AP Ranking: 21st
Next Game: BYE
Analysis: Alright, Washington State. I’ll admit, I’m impressed. The Cougars looked good to start the year with a 3-0 non-conference record, but they really showed what they’re made of with an impressive win against Oregon State that was a lot more of a lopsided victory than the final score would suggest. Look out for Washington State in the conference title race, they could play a major factor.
USC Trojans | (4-0) (2-0)
Rob Schumacher-Arizona Republic
Game Result: 42-28 Win over Arizona State
Previous Ranking: 1st
AP Ranking: 5th
Next Game: at No. 19 Colorado Buffaloes
Analysis: USC really gave up 28 points to Arizona State, the team that lost 29-0 to Fresno State last week? Is the Trojans’ defense that bad? If it is, then I think we may need to reconsider USC as a lock to make it to the Pac-12 title game and be a CFP contender. The offense is great, but to win the Pac-12 you’re going to need a defense that can get a stop every now and again.
Oregon Ducks | (4-0) (1-0)
Game Result: 42-6 Win over Colorado
Previous Ranking: 3rd
AP Ranking: 10th
Next Game: at Stanford Cardinal
Analysis: The Ducks have officially entered the College Football Playoff race. With a blowout win over No. 19 Colorado, Oregon proved it has a really solid defense to go along with one of the best offenses in the nation. The ceiling is high for this team.
Washington Huskies | (4-0) (1-0)
Joe Nicholson-USA TODAY Sports
Game Result: 59-32 Win over California
Previous Ranking: 2nd
AP Ranking: 8th
Next Game: at Arizona Wildcats
Analysis: It really looks like Washington is playing better than any team in the nation at the moment. Yes, you can point to their strength of schedule and show that they haven’t played anyone very good, but the Huskies are still doing whatever they want on the field and looking like the best offense in the nation. That’s enough for us to put them at the top spot in the Pac-12 Power Rankings.
