Pac-12 Power Rankings: Ducks are Sole Undefeated Team Left in Conference
And then, there was one.
The Oregon Ducks, surviving an upset from Fresno State prior to snatching a victory on the road at Ohio State, advanced to 3-0 after handily defeating Stony Brook over the weekend.
The Ducks, entering the year as preseason favorites to win the Pac-12 championship, are now the lone team without a loss to their record through three weeks of play. Arizona State dropped their first game of the season on a road trip to BYU and fell completely out of the AP Top 25, while UCLA were upset at home by the very same Fresno State team that nearly accomplished the feat at Oregon.
Utah, expected by many to compete for a Pac-12 South title, fell to 1-2 on the year after an overtime loss to San Diego State. USC began conference play with a convincing win over Washington State, thanks to freshman quarterback Jaxson Dart's heroic performance after relieving an injured Kedon Slovis.
The rest of the conference saw a mix of wins and losses, including Arizona extending their nation-long losing streak after failing to defeat Northern Arizona over the weekend.
After polling Sports Illustrated's Pac-12 publishers, the conference's power rankings heading into week four are as followed:
Sports Illustrated's Pac-12 Power Rankings
1. Oregon (6) 3-0 72 points
2. Stanford 2-1 65
3. UCLA 2-1 58
4. USC 2-1 55
5. Arizona State 2-1 47
6. Oregon State 2-1 35
7. Utah 1-2 34
8t. Cal 1-2 30
8t. Washington 1-2 30
10. Colorado 1-2 23
11. Washington State 1-2 14
12. Arizona 0-3 6
How AllSunDevils Voted
1. Oregon; 2. Stanford; 3. USC; 4. Arizona State; 5. UCLA; 6. Oregon State; 7. Colorado; 8. Utah; 9. Cal; 10. Washington; 11. Washington State; 12. Arizona
Comment: Not a great outing by the Pac-12 over the weekend. I don't feel great about Stanford being at two and that will likely change, but UCLA/ASU falling over the weekend propel them there. I think USC may have found their elixir in Jaxson Dart.