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Pac-12 rankings: Where teams stand heading into week 9 of the 2023 college football season

chris hansen, eugene register-guard
·5 min read
Oregon State Beavers celebrate a play during the first half of the game against the UCLA Bruins on Oct. 14 at Reser Stadium in Corvallis.
Oregon State Beavers celebrate a play during the first half of the game against the UCLA Bruins on Oct. 14 at Reser Stadium in Corvallis.

The Beavers and Bruins are rising, the Trojans and Cougars falling, and the Huskies and Ducks are staying right where they've been since the rankings began earlier this season.

No. 5 Washington holds onto the top spot after escaping with a 15-7 win against one-win Arizona State last Saturday. The Huskies (7-0, 4-0 Pac-12) seemed to suffer from a motivational hangover a week after its dramatic win against No. 8 Oregon.

The conference leaders will have to bring their own excitement this weekend as well, with a road game against two-win Stanford (2-5, 1-4) at 4 p.m. Saturday (FS1) in what could be a half empty Stanford Stadium.

Once again, the biggest game of the week belongs to the Ducks (6-1, 3-1), who are on the road Saturday for a 12:30 p.m. (Fox) matchup against No. 13 Utah (6-1, 3-1) at Rice-Eccles Stadium in Salt Lake City.

The winner will continue to be in the hunt for a spot in the Pac-12 championship game. The loser won't be out of the chase, but will need some help to get to Las Vegas on Dec. 1.

No. 11 Oregon State (6-1, 3-1) is also attempting to stay in the hunt and possibly climb into the top-10 of the national rankings. The Beavers are at Arizona (4-3, 2-2), a team they've beaten 14 times in their last 19 games, including a 7-2 record in Tucson.

Here's how we rank the Pac-12 teams heading into week nine of the college football season.

(Last week's ranking in parenthesis).

1. Washington (1)

Record: 7-0, 4-0 Pac-12

This week: at Stanford

Last week: Beat Arizona State, 15-7

What to know: The Huskies, who average 40.1 points per game — seventh-most in FBS — were held without an offensive TD by ASU last week.

Washington defensive end Zion Tupuola-Fetui (4) celebrates during the Huskies' win against Arizona State at Husky Stadium last Saturday.
Washington defensive end Zion Tupuola-Fetui (4) celebrates during the Huskies' win against Arizona State at Husky Stadium last Saturday.

2. Oregon (2)

Record: 6-1, 3-1

This week: at Utah

Last week: Beat Washington State, 38-24

What to know: The Ducks have won 18 straight against unranked teams, but they’re 1-1 against ranked opponents this season heading into their game against No. 13 Utah.

3. Oregon State (4)

Record: 6-1, 3-1

This week: at Arizona

Last week: Off

What to know: The Beavers have been lethal in the red zone this season, scoring on all 25 of their trips inside the opponent’s 20-yard line with 21 touchdowns.

4. Utah (5)

Record: 6-1, 3-1

This week: vs. Oregon

Last week: Beat Southern California, 34-32

What to know: The Utes announced over the weekend that quarterback Cam Rising, who has led Utah to back-to-back Pac-12 titles, is being shut down for the season as he recovers from an offseason knee surgery.

Southern California Trojans quarterback Caleb Williams (13) gets tackled by Utah Utes cornerback Miles Battle (1) and defensive end Jonah Elliss (83) in their game on Oct. 21.
Southern California Trojans quarterback Caleb Williams (13) gets tackled by Utah Utes cornerback Miles Battle (1) and defensive end Jonah Elliss (83) in their game on Oct. 21.

5. Southern California (3)

Record: 6-2, 4-1

This week: at California

Last week: Lost to Utah, 34-32

What to know: The Trojans have gone 1-2 in their last three games with 2022 Heisman Trophy winning quarterback Caleb Williams averaging 224.7 yards passing with just two passing touchdowns and three interceptions during that stretch.

6. UCLA (7)

Record: 5-2, 2-2

This week: vs. Colorado

Last week: Beat Stanford, 42-7

What to know: The Bruins, who haven’t won back-to-back games since starting the season 3-0, have the Pac-12’s top defense in yards allowed (282.57) and points allowed (14.86) per game.

Oregon State wide receiver Anthony Gould (2) is swarmed by UCLA defenders during their game in Corvallis on Oct. 14.
Oregon State wide receiver Anthony Gould (2) is swarmed by UCLA defenders during their game in Corvallis on Oct. 14.

7. Arizona (6)

Record: 4-3, 2-2

This week: vs. Oregon State

Last week: Off

What to know: The Wildcats will play their fourth straight against a team ranked in the AP top 25 at the time. They lost to then-No. 7 Washington (31-24), then-No. 9 USC (43-41 OT) and beat then-No. 19 Washington State (44-6).

8. Colorado (9)

Record: 4-3, 1-3

This week: at UCLA

Last week: Off

What to know: The Buffaloes have lost three of the last four mostly because they can’t stop opposing offenses. Colorado ranks last in the Pac-12 in yards allowed (473.7) and 11th in points allowed (35.86) per game.

9. Washington State (8)

Record: 4-3, 1-3

This week: at Arizona State

Last week: Lost to Oregon, 38-24

What to know: The Cougars are in a tailspin having lost three straight after starting the season 4-0 and reaching No. 13 in the AP rankings. Their offense is averaging just 13.33 points during those losses.

Oregon defensive lineman Casey Rogers stops Washington State running back Nakia Watson as the No. 9 Oregon Ducks host Washington State on Oct. 21 at Autzen Stadium in Eugene.
Oregon defensive lineman Casey Rogers stops Washington State running back Nakia Watson as the No. 9 Oregon Ducks host Washington State on Oct. 21 at Autzen Stadium in Eugene.

10. California (10)

Record: 3-4, 1-3

This week: vs. Southern California

Last week: Off

What to know: Running back Jaydn Ott is the Pac-12 rushing leader at 100.5 yards per game, but the Golden Bears’ offense still struggles as they’re ranked 11th in the conference in passing yards (212) and ninth in scoring (28.86) per game.

11. Stanford (11)

Record: 2-5, 1-4

This week: vs. Washington

Last week: Lost to UCLA, 42-7

What to know: The Cardinal followed their emotional double-overtime win against Colorado two weeks ago with a blowout loss to the Bruins.

12. Arizona State (12)

Record: 1-6, 0-4

This week: vs. Washington State

Last week: Lost to Washington, 15-7

What to know: The Sun Devils can’t catch a break as they search for their first conference win, losing to Washington last week despite not allowing an offensive TD to the Huskies.

Follow Chris Hansen on Twitter @chansen_RG or email at chansen@registerguard.com. For more sports coverage, visit registerguard.com. Want more stories like this? Subscribe to get unlimited access and support local journalism.

This article originally appeared on Register-Guard: Pac-12 football power rankings: Where teams stand in week 9