SI Pac-12 Football Power Rankings: Movement in the Middle; USC Stays No. 1
The top two spots and the bottom two remain unchanged in this week’s SI Pac-12 Football Power Rankings, but there was upheaval everywhere in between.
USC secured five of seven first-place votes from the panelists in our network of Pac-12 writers, and Utah grabbed one of the other two. The Trojans retain the No. 1 spot while the Utes check in at No. 2 again.
Washington, one of five unbeaten Pac-12 teams, leaped from sixth in the rankings to third after its 39-28 victory over then-11th-ranked Michigan State. The Huskies, in fact, wound up just one vote back of Utah.
Oregon also made headway with its 41-20 rout of then-12th-ranked BYU, elevating the Ducks from No. 7 in our rankings to No. 4. Oregon collected 58 votes from our panel, barely topping Oregon State and Washington State, which earned 57 and 56 votes, respectively.
Arizona’s victory over FCS powerhouse North Dakota State was enough to boost the Wildcats from No. 10 to No. 9, while Cal’s 24-17 loss at Notre Dame dropped the Bears one spot to 10th.
The Bears and Wildcats will settle things on the field Saturday afternoon at Memorial Stadium.
WEEK 4 - SI PAC-12 FOOTALL POWER RANKINGS
1. USC 3-0 (5) . . . 81
2. Utah 2-1 (1) . . . 73
3. Washington 3-0 (1) . . . 72
4. Oregon 2-1 . . . 58
5. Oregon State 3-0 . . . 57
6. Washington State 3-0 . . . 56
7. UCLA 3-0 . . . 43
8. Stanford 1-1 . . . 30
9. Arizona 2-1 . . . 28
10. Cal 2-1 . . . 27
11. Arizona State 1-2 . . . 14
12. Colorado 0-3 . . . 7
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JAKE CURTIS, CAL SPORTS REPORT
1. Washington; 2. Washington State; 3. USC; 4. Oregon State; 5. Oregon; 6. Utah; 7. UCLA; 8. Arizona; 9. Cal; 10. Stanford; 11. Arizona State; 12. Colorado
Comment: Herm Edwards is gone, so how much longer will Karl Dorrell keep his job? The only certainty in the conference is that, as of now, Colorado and Arizona State are the two worst teams. The rest will begin to sort themselves out this week. Is Utah only the sixth-best team? No, they're better than that, but the Utes need to beat someone to move up on my list.
MAX TORRES, DUCKS DIGEST
1. USC; 2. Utah; 3. Washington State; 4. Washington; 5. Oregon; 6. Oregon State; 7. UCLA; 8. Stanford; 9. Arizona; 10. Cal; 11. Arizona State; 12. Colorado
Comment: Oregon showed it should be able to compete with anyone in the conference after passing a big test against BYU. USC takes over the top spot for me and I can't wait to see them square off against Utah this season. Washington continues to impress, and their latest win over Michigan State shows that Kalen DeBoer has the Huskies headed in the right direction after two gimme wins to start the season.
KEVIN BORBA, ALL CARDINAL
1. USC; 2. Utah; 3. Washington; 4. Oregon State; 5. Washington State; 6. Oregon; 7. UCLA; 8. Stanford; 9. Arizona; 10. Cal; 11. Arizona State; 12. Colorado
Comment : Washington is trending all the way up after their impressive win over No. 11 Michigan State. Stanford is tasked with taking them on after their huge win, which is typically when some teams will slip after riding a high.
SAM CONNON, ALL BRUINS
1. USC; 2. Utah; 3. Washington; 4. Oregon; 5. UCLA; 6. Oregon State; 7. Washington State; 8. Arizona; 9. Cal; 10. Stanford; 11. Arizona State; 12. Colorado
Comment: The Pac-12 racked up some real quality wins to close out nonconference play, with Washington and Oregon becoming the latest to tick that box this past Saturday. The top half of the league looks genuinely very strong, and a team that was gifted a 3-0 record due to a lighter schedule like UCLA may show its true colors in the coming weeks against those more tested squads.
WYATT ALLSUP, USC
1. USC; 2. Utah; 3. Washington; 4. Oregon; 5. Oregon State; 6. Washington State; 7. Stanford; 8. UCLA; 9. Cal; 10. Arizona; 11. Arizona State; 12. Colorado
Comment: USC stays on top after playing its most complete game of the season. Washington jumps up the list and shows it could contend for a spot in the Pac-12 championship game. Oregon can find itself back toward the top if it keeps up the impressive play — it’s looking like that Week 1 blowout loss said more about No. 1 Georgia than it did Oregon.
COLE BAGLEY, ALL UTES
1. Utah; 2. USC; 3. Washington; 4. Oregon; 5. Oregon State; 6. Washington State; 7. UCLA; 8. Cal; 9. Arizona; 10. Stanford; 11. Arizona State; 12. Colorado
COMMENT: Every single week Washington continues to impress me and they just might compete for the conference if they stay on track. Also, Oregon significantly bounced back and Bo Nix looked great against BYU. For now, Utah and USC are still the top contenders, but Washington and Oregon are gaining momentum.
DAN RALEY, INSIDE THE HUSKIES
1. USC 3-0; 2. Washington; 3. Utah; 4. Oregon State; 5. Oregon; 6. Washington State; 7. UCLA; 8. Stanford; 9. Cal; 10. Arizona; 11. Arizona State; 12. Colorado
Comment: If he can stay healthy, Michael Penix Jr. could be one of the top four or five players in the conference. He makes the UW a team to fear. The defense, however, brings the Huskies back to earth, capable of being exploited. For the time being, they should be rewarded for beating Michigan State.
Cover photo of Oregon quarterback Bo Nix by Troy Wayrynyn, USA Today
Follow Jeff Faraudo of Cal Sports Report on Twitter: @jefffaraudo
