Pac-12 Power Rankings: Ducks remain on top; Colorado and Washington State continue free fall
It was a College Football Saturday that was ripe for upsets and chaos across the nation, but not much of that took place when all was said and done.
The major games out west were highlighted by the showdown between Washington and USC. While the matchup provided fireworks, the better team won. The Huskies left Los Angeles with a 10-point victory. The nightcap provided an upset with Arizona continuing its ascension to the top-tier of Pac-12 schools, and Colorado continued to flounder with yet another loss.
Elsewhere, Oregon dominated, Utah bounced back, and Washington State played one of the worst games of the season. It was quite a start to the month of November. Here are your Pac-12 Power rankings after Week 10 of the season:
Arizona State Sun Devils | (2-7) (1-5)
Game Result: 55-3 loss to Utah
Previous Ranking: 10th
AP Poll: N/A
What’s Next?: @UCLA
Analysis: After a few bright spots against Washington and Washington State, we saw the Arizona State we are used to against Utah this week. The Utes wanted to bounce back after their big loss to Oregon, and the Sun Devils were in the wrong place at the wrong time.
Colorado Buffaloes | (4-5) (1-5)
Game Result: 26-19 loss to Oregon State
Previous Ranking: 10th
AP Poll: N/A
What’s Next?: Arizona
Analysis: Maybe the play-caller wasn’t the problem? After averaging over 400 yards of offense in the last eight games, the Buffs racked up 238 yards against OSU after changing play-callers this past week in an attempt to bring new life to the program. Obviously, it didn’t work, and Colorado has lost five of its last six games.
Stanford Cardinal | (3-6) (2-5)
Game Result: 10-7 win over Washington State
Previous Ranking: 12th
AP Poll: N/A
What’s Next?: at Oregon State
Analysis: Stanford added another tally to their win column this week against Washington State, which is something for Cardinal fans to be happy about. That victory moves them up a few spots in these rankings, but the Cardinal are still one of the bottom teams in the conference.
Washington State Cougars | (4-4) (1-4)
Game Result: 10-7 loss to Stanford
Previous Ranking: 9th
AP Poll: N/A
What’s Next?: @Cal
Analysis: Washington State’s slide continued this week after their 10-7 loss to Stanford. It feels crazy that at one point this season, the Cougars were considered a top three Pac-12 team by some people. After several bad losses, they are one of the worst.
California Golden Bears | (3-6) (1-5)
Game Result: 63-19 loss to Oregon
Previous Ranking: 8th
AP Poll: N/A
What’s Next?: Washington State
Analysis: Despite an afternoon of miscues from Oregon, the Cal Golden Bears were unable to compete with the Ducks. Cal has a strong rushing attack — led by RB Jadyn Ott — but besides that, the Bears don’t have much going for them this season.
UCLA Bruins | (6-3) (3-3)
Game Result: 27-10 loss to Arizona
Previous Ranking: 7th
AP Poll: No. 20
What’s Next?: Arizona State
Analysis: The Bruins are the latest team to get in the way of the Arizona buzz saw, and they saw their offense go missing in a 27-10 loss that felt more lopsided than that. The Bruins have three quarterbacks to choose from, which means they really have nobody.
USC Trojans | (7-3) (5-2)
Game Result: 52-42 loss to Washington
Previous Ranking: 6th
AP Poll: No. 24
What’s Next?: at Oregon
Analysis: USC’s final chance at a New Year’s Six bowl game was squandered on Saturday with their home loss to the Washington Huskies. Overall, this season will go down as one of the most disappointing for the Trojans, who were at one point projected to go to the College Football Playoff.
Arizona Wildcats | (6-3) (4-2)
Game Result: 27-10 win vs. UCLA
Previous Ranking: 4th
AP Poll: N/A
What’s Next?: at Colorado
Analysis: You can easily argue that Arizona is the third-best team in the Pac-12, competing with Oregon State and Utah for that spot. They’ve beaten three-straight ranked teams for the first time in school history, and look to be one of the most complete teams in the conference. Round of applause for Jedd Fisch.
Oregon State Beavers | (7-2) (4-2)
Game Result: 26-19 win vs. Colorado
Previous Ranking: 5th
AP Poll: No. 16
What’s Next?: Stanford
Analysis: It was an easy win for Oregon State on Saturday, dispatching a confounding Colorado team that can’t get out of its own way. The Beavers are very solid, but they are still a step below the top-tier teams in the conference.
Utah Utes | (7-2) (4-2)
Game Result: 55-3 win over Arizona State
Previous Ranking: 3rd
AP Poll: No. 18
What’s Next?: at Washington
Analysis: As I mentioned above, the Utah Utes had an opportunity to bounce back this week after getting beat down by the Oregon Ducks in Week 9, and they took it. Arizona State is by no means the toughest competition in the Pac-12, but 55-3 is as comprehensive as a victory gets.
Washington Huskies | (9-0) (6-0)
Game Result: 52-42 win over USC
Previous Ranking: 2nd
AP Poll: No. 5
What’s Next?: Utah
Analysis: Washington remained undefeated a win at USC. Despite what the close final score suggests, this was Washington’s best game since playing Oregon, and it proved it is still a force to go up against. If the Pac-12 championship ends up being Oregon-Washington, I think we are primed for an instant classic.
Oregon Ducks | (8-1) (5-1)
