SI Pac-12 Football Power Rankings: ASU Solidifies its Hold on No. 1 - Cal Still 10th
With a decisive victory over Stanford, Arizona State has solidified its hold on the top spot in our SI Pac-12 Football Power Rankings.
The Sun Devils still aren’t unanimous No. 1, but collected five first-place ballots from our panel if six writers from sites on the SI college football network.
ASU crushed Stanford 28-10 last Friday night to improve to 5-1, 3-0 atop the Pac-12 South division. Next up is a Saturday night duel at Utah, which is coming off a 42-26 triumph over USC at the Los Angeles Coliseum. The Utes share the top spot in the South at 2-0.
Oregon, idle last weekend in advance of hosting Cal on Friday night, remains No. 2 and secured the sixth first-place vote. A week ago, the Ducks grabbed three of six first-place ballots but still were second.
UCLA has climbed to third, barely ahead of Oregon State and Utah, which are tied for fourth.
Cal, also idle last week, remains at No. 10, well ahead of 11th-rated Colorado but significantly behind USC and Washington, which are tied for eighth.
SI PAC-12 FOOTBALL POWER RANKINGS
1. Arizona State (5) 5-1, 3-0 71 points
2. Oregon (1) 4-1, 1-1 67
3. UCLA 4-2, 2-1 55
4t. Oregon State 4-2, 2-1 52
4t. Utah 3-2, 2-0 52
6. Stanford 3-3, 2-2 44
7. Washington State 3-3, 2-2 32
8t. USC 3-3, 2-3 29
8t. Washington 2-3, 1-1 29
10. Cal 1-4, 0-2 19
11. Colorado 1-4, 0-2 12
12. Arizona 0-5, 0-2 6
DONNIE DRUIN, ALL SUN DEVILS
1. Arizona State; 2. Oregon; 3. Utah; 4. UCLA; 5. Oregon State; 6. Stanford; 7. Washington State; 8. Washington; 9. Cal; 10. USC; 11. Colorado; 12. Arizona
Comment: Man, what a week for the Pac-12. ASU beats a fairly decent Stanford team and looks as if they're the top team at the moment, although Oregon could rebound nicely off of their bye week. A big road test at Utah awaits against Arizona State team trying to go 4-0 in conference play.
JAKE CURTIS, CAL SPORTS REPORT
1. Oregon, 2. Arizona State, 3; UCLA, 4. Oregon State; 5. Utah, 6. Stanford, 7; Washington State; 8. USC, 9. Washington; 10. Cal, 11. Colorado; 12. Arizona.
Comment: I’m not sure Oregon is the best team at the moment, but I can’t ignore that road win over Ohio State. If Arizona State dominates Utah, the Sun Devils might supplant the Ducks.
MAX TORRES, DUCKS DIGEST
1. Arizona State; 2. Oregon; 3. UCLA; 4. Oregon State; 5. Stanford; 6. Utah; 7. USC; 8. Washington; 9. Washington State; 10. Cal; 11. Colorado; 12. Arizona
Comment: Not too many games this past weekend, but Arizona State continues to look strong and in the driver's seat in the south. Cameron Rising and Utah's win at USC shows not only how rough a shape the Trojans are in, but that Utah can make noise in any game with an offense full of weapons. Washington State's win could shake things up a bit in the north and I'm curious to see how Oregon State responds.
SAM CONNON, ALL BRUINS
1. Arizona State; 2. Oregon; 3. Utah; 4. UCLA; 5. Oregon State; 6. Stanford; 7. Washington State; 8. USC; 9. Washington; 10. Cal; 11. Colorado; 12. Arizona
Comment: For the first time in a while, the top team in the conference actually played like it, as the Sun Devils went out and beat a Cardinal team that had just upset the Ducks. The all-over-the-place nature of the Pac-12 is still very much present, but Arizona State and Oregon look lIke two real contenders. UCLA-Oregon, even with the Bruins’ recent struggles, still stands to be a great showdown later this month though. This week, Colorado-Arizona may be the most entertaining game, just for the pure chaos and horror of it all.
CLAUDETTE MONTANA PATTISON, ALL TROJANS
1. Arizona State; 2. Oregon; 3. Oregon State; 4. Stanford; 5. UCLA; 6. Utah 3-2, 2-0; 7. USC 3-3, 2-3; 8. Washington State; 9. Washington; 10. Cal; 11. Colorado; 12. Arizona
Comment: USC suffered another historic loss at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum to the Utah Utes on Saturday. As the Arizona State Sun Devils and Oregon Ducks continue to hold spots in the AP Top 25, the Trojans are virtually nowhere to be found. Now, the focus turns to finishing out the 2021 season bowl eligible, as the loss to the Utes pretty much eliminated their chances of ending the season back in the Pac-12 title game.
DAN RALEY, HUSKY MAVEN
1. Arizona State; 2. Oregon; 3. Utah; 4. UCLA; 5. Oregon State; 6. Washington; 7. Stanford; 8. Washington State; 9. USC; 10. Cal; 11. Colorado; 12. Arizona
Comment: OK, which one from this former power trio is the Pac-12's most disappointing team: Stanford, USC or Washington? Yes, Trojans, you get my vote for futility. This should never happen to a USC team. Ever. They should fire the coach again. Maybe all of the assistants.
Cover photo of Arizona State quarterback Jayden Daniels by Rob Schumacher, Arizona Republic
Follow Jeff Faraudo of Cal Sports Report on Twitter: @jefffaraudo
