Pac-12 Power Rankings: Utah, Oregon Top List Ahead of Conference Title Game
All eyes are now on Sin City, baby.
The Pac-12 Championship game is now set for round two of Oregon-Utah, as the Ducks look to repeat as conference champions for a third time while Utah would love to play the role of spoiler.
The setting? The bright lights of Las Vegas, as the Pac-12 title game is set to take place in Allegiant Stadium on Friday, Dec. 3.
The Utes are 2.5-point favorites over the Ducks on SI Sportsbook, as Utah previously defeated Oregon just weeks before Friday's matchup.
However, Oregon looks to take advantage of a neutral field and grab its spot in a potential Rose Bowl appearance.
Meanwhile, the Arizona State Sun Devils successfully defeated rival Arizona to keep the Territorial Cup in Tempe for a fifth consecutive season. Washington State easily handled Washington to stop a 10-year skid in the Apple Cup, while USC fell to BYU, Stanford was dominated by Notre Dame and UCLA ran rampant on Cal.
Heading into Pac-12 Championship week, here's Sports Illustrated's Pac-12 power rankings:
SI PAC-12 FOOTBALL POWER RANKINGS
1. Utah Utes (5) 9-3, 8-1 . . . 71 points
2. Oregon Ducks (1) 10-2, 7-2 . . . 68
3. UCLA Bruins 8-4, 6-3 . . . 60
4. Washington State Cougars 7-5, 6-3 . . . 52
5. Arizona State Sun Devils 8-4, 6-3 . . . 47
6. Oregon State Beavers 7-5, 5-4 . . . 45
7 tie. Cal Golden Bears 4-7, 3-5 . . . 30
7 tie. USC Trojans 4-7, 3-5 . . . 30
9. Colorado Buffaloes 4-8, 3-6 . . . 28
10. Washington Huskies 4-8, 3-6 . . . 19
11. Stanford Cardinal 3-9, 2-7 . . . 12
12. Arizona Wildcats 1-11, 1-8 . . . 8
How Publishers Voted
DONNIE DRUIN, ALL SUN DEVILS
1. Utah; 2. Oregon; 3. UCLA; 4. Washington State; 5. Oregon State; 6. Arizona State; 7. USC; 8. Colorado; 9. Cal; 10. Washington; 11. Stanford; 12. Arizona
Comment: We'll finally be getting the rematch of Oregon-Utah in the Pac-12 title game, as those are the two best schools in the conference. Can the Ducks fix their errors from round one on a neutral field? We'll find out. The entire conference is now on notice with USC hiring Lincoln Riley, which already has the Trojans buzzing for next season. Time for the remaining schools in the conference to find their guy as well.
JAKE CURTIS, CAL SPORTS REPORT
1. Utah; 2. Oregon; 3. UCLA; 4. Washington State; 5. Oregon State; 6. Arizona State; 7. USC; 8. Cal; 9. Washington; 10. Colorado; 11. Arizona; 12. Stanford
Comment: I'd like to see UCLA play Utah or Oregon right about now to see how that would come out. I really think Arizona would beat Stanford today, so that's why the Cardinal is 12th despite having that win over Oregon, a result that seems completely implausible now.
MAX TORRES, DUCKS DIGEST
1. Utah; 2. Oregon; 3. UCLA; 4. Oregon State; 5. Washington State; 6. Arizona State; 7. USC; 8. Colorado; 9. Cal; 10. Washington; 11. Stanford; 12. Arizona
Comment: Oregon gets back on track by finishing the regular season undefeated at home, but still needs to conquer its demons with a rematch against Utah looming in the Pac-12 championship. Oregon State is positioned to be one of tougher teams in this conference after extending Jonathan Smith. A wild year in the Pac-12 showed glimpses of parity, but proved to still be an incredibly weak conference overall.
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: If only UCLA could have been this hot in October – when they lost games to Arizona State, Oregon and Utah – then they could actually be in contention right now. A big part of their season-ending surge has had to do with a light schedule to finish the year, though, so it’s tough to tell if they’ve really improved or are just taking advantage of lesser competition. I guess the upcoming bowl game will determine if the Bruins really could have competed with the Ducks or Utes at this point in the season.
CLAUDETTE PATTISON-MONTANA, ALL TROJANS
1. Oregon; 2. Utah; 3. UCLA; 4. Washington State; 5. Arizona State; 6. Oregon State; 7. Cal; 8. USC; 9. Colorado; 10. Washington; 11. Stanford; 12. Arizona
Comment: The USC Trojans get one last chance to try and salvage their 2021 season by ending the year with a win over the Cal Bears. The Men of Troy will not be bowl eligible after losing to the BYU Cougars.
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: By the end of the season, Washington was incapable of beating anyone in the conference. So in my mind the Huskies are last in our power rankings. So much for being the 20th-ranked team in the nation, which seems like a football lifetime ago. This is what happens when the head coach lasts only nine games into the schedule, when the offensive coordinator has an earlier exit and when a team can't stop the run and throws four interceptions in the rivalry game. Oh, what a mess.