Pac-12 Football Power Rankings: Utah Demands Respect
After a Pac-12 championship throttling of the Oregon Ducks, there's no confusing who really runs the Pac-12 to end the season in Sports Illustrated's weekly power rankings.
The Utah Utes are now conference champions for the first time after dismantling the Ducks, and days later head coach Mario Cristobal sent Oregon into an all-out frenzy after departing for a Miami Hurricanes job that (for some funny reason) he dodged questions about following the game.
Now, bowl games are set, with six teams from the Pac-12 participating.
Most notably, the Utes will be heading to the Rose Bowl for the first time in program history. However, the rest of the five teams look to make the conference proud and finish the season on a high note.
SI PAC-12 FOOTBALL POWER RANKINGS
1. Utah Utes (6) 10-3, 8-1 . . . 72 votes
2. Oregon Ducks 10-3, 7-2 . . . 65
3. UCLA Bruins 8-4, 6-3 . . . 61
4. Washington State Cougars 7-5, 6-3 . . . 51
5. Arizona State Sun Devils 8-4, 6-3 . . . 49
6. Oregon State Beavers 7-5, 5-4 . . .44
7. Cal Golden Bears 5-7, 4-5 . . . 35
8. Colorado Buffaloes 4-8, 3-6 . . . 30
9. USC Trojans 4-8, 3-6 . . . 23
10. Washington Huskies 4-8, 3-6 . . . 18
11. Stanford Cardinal 3-9, 2-7 . . . 12
12. Arizona Wildcats 1-11, 1-8 . . . 8
DONNIE DRUIN, ALL SUN DEVILS
1. Utah; 2. Oregon; 3. UCLA; 4. Washington State; 5. Oregon State; 6. Arizona State; 7. Cal; 8. Colorado; 9. USC; 10. Washington; 11. Stanford; 12. Arizona
Comment: The Utah Utes are Pac-12 champs, and perhaps deservingly so after a strong season where no team truly wanted to prove they were the team to beat in the conference. Lots of change has happened, and plenty more is on the horizon moving forward. Here's to hoping the conference only gets stronger for next season.
JAKE CURTIS, CAL SPORTS REPORT
1. Utah; 2. UCLA; 3. Oregon; 4. Arizona State; 5. Washington State; 6. Oregon State; 7. Cal, 8; Colorado; 9. Washington; 10. USC; 11. Arizona; 12. Stanford
Comment: I should have put Oregon lower considering its pitiful performance in the Pac-12 championship game, but the Ducks are still in the CFP rankings. I think Arizona could beat Stanford now, so that’s why I have Stanford last.
MAX TORRES, DUCKS DIGEST
1. Utah; 2. Oregon; 3. UCLA; 4. Washington State; 5. Oregon State; 6. Arizona State; 7. Cal; 8. Colorado; 9. USC; 10. Washington; 11. Stanford; 12. Arizona
Comment: Oregon is in limbo now with Cristobal leaving for Miami and it's going to be hard to find another coach that can recruit at that level. Very few in the entire sport can. Utah is far and away the best team in the conference, erasing any shred of a doubt after demolishing an Oregon team that looked like it had lost its fight and had very little hope of offensive success with Anthony Brown staying in at quarterback the entire game.
SAM CONNON, ALL BRUINS
1. Utah; 2. Oregon; 3. UCLA; 4. Arizona State; 5. Washington State; 6. Oregon State; 7. Colorado; 8. Cal; 9. Washington; 10. USC; 11. Stanford; 12. Arizona
Comment: The Utes further separated themselves from the pack by stomping the Ducks yet again, and they've been justly rewarded with a Rose Bowl berth to show for it. UCLA still sits above Arizona State, despite the Sun Devils getting the technically superior bowl placement, which can mostly be chalked up to politics and a head-to-head matchup two full months ago.
CLAUDETTE PATTISON-MONTANA, ALL TROJANS
1. Utah; 2. Oregon; 3. UCLA; 4. Arizona State; 5. Washington State; 6. Oregon State; 7. Cal; 8. USC; 9. Colorado; 10. Washington; 11. Stanford; 12. Arizona
Comment: The USC Trojans had a tough ending to the 2021 season, losing to Cal on Saturday. But good news for Trojans fans is that the future looks bright and promising as we embark on the new Lincoln Riley era.
DAN RALEY, HUSKY MAVEN
1. Utah; 2. Oregon; 3. UCLA; 4. Washington State; 5. Arizona State; 6. Oregon State; 7. Cal; 8. Colorado; 9. USC; 10. Stanford; 11. Arizona; 12. Washington
Comment: Washington has a new coach. Time to start over from scratch. Re-evaluate everything. Rebuild a physical program. USC is saying the same thing. So is WSU. Oregon could be asking some of those questions, too. Time to take the Pac-12 up a notch.