Week 9 Pac-12 Power Rankings
It wasn't a good week to be in the Pac-12 South.
Every team in the division (aside from Arizona State, who was on bye) fell victim to losses over the weekend. As for the north, Oregon escaped with another conference win while Oregon State continues to look impressive down the stretch.
With just over a month left until the Pac-12 championship game in Las Vegas (Dec. 3), games continue to carry significant weight as the season draws to a close. This week, Utah-UCLA headlines the Pac-12's slate of games.
Another wild week in the Pac-12 brought another opportunity for Sports Illustrated's respective publishers to join forces for another week of power rankings:
Week 9 Pac-12 Power Rankings
1. Oregon Ducks (6 first-place votes) 6-1 overall, 3-1 conference, 72 points
2. Oregon State Beavers 5-2, 3-1 63
3. Arizona State Sun Devils 5-2, 3-1 58
4. Utah Utes 4-3, 3-1 53
5. UCLA Bruins 5-3, 3-2 52
6. Stanford Cardinal 3-4, 2-3 41
7. Washington State Cougars 4-4, 3-2 33
8. USC Trojans 3-4, 2-3 31
9. Washington Huskies 3-4, 2-2 26
10. Cal Golden Bears 2-5, 1-3 21
11. Colorado Buffaloes 2-5, 1-3 13
12. Arizona Wildcats 0-7, 0-4 6
How SI Publishers Voted
DONNIE DRUIN, ALL SUN DEVILS
1. Oregon; 2. Oregon State; 3. Utah; 4. Arizona State; 5. UCLA; 6. Washington State; 7. Stanford; 8. Washington; 9. USC; 10. Cal; 11. Colorado; 12. Arizona
Comment: If an Oregon/Oregon State meeting to decide the Pac-12 North is indeed on the line in the last week of the regular season, count me in, and throw some popcorn my way, too. Even after a loss, I'm still not able to drop Utah behind ASU quite yet, although the Sun Devils did receive help by the Utes losing and UCLA also dropping another game over the weekend.
JAKE CURTIS, CAL SPORTS REPORT
1. Oregon, 2. Oregon State, 3. Arizona State, 4. Utah, 5. UCLA, 6. Washington State, 7. Stanford, 8. Washington, 9. USC, 10. Cal, 11. Colorado, 12. Arizona
Comment: Ducks solidify their hold on the top spot, and Oregon State continues to be the surprise of the Pac-12, perhaps the nation. The Utah-UCLA game next weekend may break up that logjam of teams that consider themselves contenders.
MAX TORRES, DUCKS DIGEST
1. Oregon; 2. Oregon State; 3. Arizona State; 4. Utah; 5. UCLA; 6. Stanford; 7. USC; 8. Cal; 9. Washington State; 10. Washington; 11. Colorado; 12. Arizona
Comment: Oregon earns a massive win over UCLA in what was one of their biggest remaining regular season games. If that team shows up every week I have a hard time seeing anyone in the Pac-12 beating them. Oregon State looked great in a big win over Utah and things are going from bad to worse for USC this year.
SAM CONNON, ALL BRUINS
1. Oregon; 2. Oregon State; 3. Arizona State; 4. Utah; 5. UCLA; 6. Stanford; 7. Washington; 8. USC; 9. Washington State; 10. Cal; 11. Colorado; 12. Arizona
Comment: The Pac-12 does not have any great teams. Honestly, it might not have any good teams either. Oregon's resume is good enough to make them a top-10 team, but they definitely don't play like one on a week-to-week basis. Lucky for them, the Beavers, Sun Devils, Utes and Bruins are all somewhere in the 30 to 40 range nationally, and the rest of the conference is just bad.
CLAUDETTE MONTANA PATTISON, ALL TROJANS
1. Oregon; 2. UCLA; 3. Utah; 4. Arizona State; 5. Oregon State; 6. Stanford
7. Washington State; 8. USC; 9. Washington; 10. Cal; 11. Colorado 12. Arizona
Comment: The USC Trojans continue to struggle after taking their fourth loss of the 2021 season to longtime rival Notre Dame. Now the question remains, can the team become bowl eligible? The team will face Arizona State, UCLA and BYU later this season, which could all be tough contests.
DAN RALEY, HUSKY MAVEN
1. Oregon; 2. Oregon State; 3. Arizona State; 4. UCLA; 5. Stanford; 6. USC; 7. Utah; 8. Washington State; 9. Cal; 10. Washington; 11. Colorado; 12. Arizona
Comment: How has the conference fallen so far? It's got a bunch of pretenders and the nation's longest losing streak. Washington is terrible. Sorry to be so harsh, but I expected so much more out of the Pac-12 this season. Commissioner George Kliavkoff, you've got your work cut out for you.