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Pac-12 power rankings heading into Week 9

Chase Howell
·7 min read

We learned a lot about quite a few teams in the Pac-12 last week. Oregon solidified its spot as the No. 1 team, Oregon State is clearly one of the top teams in the Pac-12 and it is also clear who’s at the bottom of the barrel.

Without further ado, let’s get into this week’s power rankings.

1. Oregon 6-1 (3-1 Pac-12)

Oct 23, 2021; Pasadena, California, USA; Oregon Ducks cornerback DJ James (0) and defensive end Kayvon Thibodeaux (5) pose with mascot Puddles after the game against the UCLA Bruins at Rose Bowl. Oregon defeated UCLA 34-31. Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports

The Ducks cemented themselves in the No. 1 spot with their 34-31 win over UCLA. It is quite clearly Oregon and the rest of the conference and Oregon’s college football playoff hopes are alive and well. They finish their season at Utah and then at home against Oregon State, I think they’ll be 9-1 heading into those two games.

2. Oregon State 5-2 (3-1 Pac-12)

WEST LAFAYETTE, IN – SEPTEMBER 04: B.J. Baylor #4 of the Oregon State Beavers crosses the goal line to score a touchdown during the first quarter against the Purdue Boilermakers at Ross-Ade Stadium on September 4, 2021 in West Lafayette, Indiana. (Photo by Michael Hickey/Getty Images)

The Beavers earned the No. 2 spot on this week’s power rankings after their 42-34 win over the Utah Utes, the team that had the No. 2 ranking in last week’s iteration. Jonathan Smith has this team playing incredible football and they’ll be competing for the Pac-12 North right up to the very end.

3. Arizona State 5-2 (3-1 Pac-12)

Sep 25, 2021; Tempe, Arizona, USA; Colorado Buffaloes cornerback Tyrin Taylor (28) breaks up a pass intended for Arizona State Sun Devils wide receiver LV Bunkley-Shelton (6) during the first half at Sun Devil Stadium. Joe Camporeale-USA TODAY Sports

A lot can change in a week, even if your team is on a bye. The Sun Devils are coming off a loss to Utah in which they lead for three quarters. Everybody knows it’s very difficult to win in Rice-Eccles. ASU has one of the best quarterbacks in the conference and the defense is legit.

4. UCLA 5-3 (3-2 Pac-12)

Oct 23, 2021; Pasadena, California, USA; UCLA Bruins quarterback Dorian Thompson-Robinson (1) carries the ball against the Oregon Ducks in the first half at Rose Bowl. Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports

I think this team going toe-to-toe with Oregon showed why the Bruins are of the top teams in the Pac-12. Their record isn’t a great representation of how good this team is. Two of their three losses have been by three points. It’s a three-horse race for the Pac-12 South and UCLA is right there with ASU and Utah.

5. Utah 4-3 (3-1 Pac-12)

Oct 23, 2021; Corvallis, Oregon, USA; Utah Utes head coach Kyle Whittingham looks onto the field during the first half against the Oregon State Beavers at Reser Stadium. Soobum Im-USA TODAY Sports

It almost seems unfair to drop Utah three spots after a loss, but there’s a lot of volatility in power rankings from week to week and I think this is where Utah belongs. The defense isn’t necessarily what we’ve become accustomed to with a Kyle Wittingham coached team but I’m sold on quarterback Cam Rising and this is your typical 9-3 Utah team.

6. Washington State 4-4 (3-2 Pac-12)

Oct 23, 2021; Pullman, Washington, USA; Washington State Cougars wide receiver Calvin Jackson Jr. (8) celebrates a first down against the Brigham Young Cougars in the second half at Gesa Field at Martin Stadium. BYU won 21-19. James Snook-USA TODAY Sports

If you haven’t been impressed with this team then you haven’t been paying attention. Through all the turmoil, the Cougars still belong in the top half of the Pac-12 conference. They lost a close one to BYU this past week, which was understanding with everything going on. Not to mention, Arizona State and Utah also lost to BYU this season. Their replacement coaches are able to coach this week and we’ll see if this team has what it takes to hang with ASU.

7. Stanford 3-4 (2-3 Pac-12)

Oct 16, 2021; Pullman, Washington, USA; Stanford Cardinal head coach David Shaw talks with an official after a play against the Washington State Cougars in the first half at Gesa Field at Martin Stadium. James Snook-USA TODAY Sports

This is where things get tricky. Stanford isn’t a great football team but it’s much better than the teams behind them. The Cardinal also have the marquee win over Oregon already. I think they should be able to handle Washington this week and compete for the third spot in the Pac-12 North.

8. USC 3-4 (2-3 Pac-12)

Oct 2, 2021; Boulder, Colorado, USA; USC Trojans linebacker Drake Jackson (99) sacks Colorado Buffaloes quarterback Brendon Lewis (12) in the third quarter at Folsom Field. Ron Chenoy-USA TODAY Sports

This team has way too much talent to be in this spot and you can probably make an argument that they should be lower. But they have been able to beat up on the bottom-tier Pac-12 teams, it’s just the fact that they look uncompetitive against the top teams. They have Arizona this week and then that schedule gets really tough.

9. California 2-5 (1-3 Pac-12)

Oct 23, 2021; Berkeley, California, USA; California Golden Bears running back Chris Street (24) attempts to hurdle Colorado Buffaloes safety Isaiah Lewis (23) during the fourth quarter at FTX Field at California Memorial Stadium. Neville E. Guard-USA TODAY Sports

This is a team that is much better than what their record shows. Four out of five of their losses have been by one score. They’re solid on defense, as Justin Wilcox teams typically are, and Chase Garbers is as reliable as any quarterback in the Pac-12 right now.

10. Washington 3-4 (2-2 Pac-12)

Oct 22, 2021; Tucson, Arizona, USA; Washington Huskies quarterback Dylan Morris (9) pitches to Washington Huskies running back Cameron Davis (22) during the second half at Arizona Stadium. Joe Camporeale-USA TODAY Sports

Is this team more disappointing than USC? The Huskies just play super uninspiring football. I don’t think anyone has watched a minute of Washington football this season and thought this team is any good. That offense is so abysmal to watch and they probably should’ve lost to Arizona last week.

11. Colorado 2-5 (1-3 Pac-12)

Oct 23, 2021; Berkeley, California, USA; Colorado Buffaloes wide receiver Brenden Rice (2) runs with the football during the fourth quarter against the Colorado Buffaloes at FTX Field at California Memorial Stadium. Neville E. Guard-USA TODAY Sports

Speaking of ugly offenses, it doesn’t get any uglier than Colorado. The Buffs barely had 100 yards of total offense this past week against Cal and then fired their offensive line coach on Monday. I don’t think that’ll help any against Oregon’s defensive line this week. I just don’t want to see anybody get hurt.

12. Arizona 0-7 (0-4 Pac-12)

Oct 22, 2021; Tucson, Arizona, USA; Arizona Wildcats wide receiver Jamarye Joiner (10) celebrates his touchdown against the Washington Huskies during the first half at Arizona Stadium. Joe Camporeale-USA TODAY Sports

I don’t see how Arizona wins a game this season. I think the Wildcats just had their two best opportunities against Washington and Colorado. They’re definitely not an auto-fade team either. I think they find a way to stay in the game against USC until ultimately falling. Keeping games close is a win for them at this point.

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