SI Pac-12 Football Power Rankings: ASU is the New No. 1, But There's a Crowd at the Top

Stanford’s overtime upset victory against Oregon has thrown our SI Pac-12 Football Power Rankings into disarray.

Arizona State, fresh off a dominant win at UCLA, is the new No. 1.

But it’s close.

The Sun Devils secured just two of six first-place ballots from voters who cover Pac-12 programs for the SI network of college sites. But the Sun Devils were second on three other ballots with one voter placing them third.

Their 67 total votes gave them a two-point edge over Oregon, which fell to No. 2 after unanimously holding down the top spot the previous three weeks. The Ducks still have plenty of believers among our panelists — three of them voted Oregon No. 1.

Oregon State, which has knocked off USC and Washington in consecutive weeks, has climbed to No. 3. The Beavers didn’t earn a first-place vote but were second or third on five of six ballots.

Stanford’s win over Oregon secured them one first-place vote but no one else had the Cardinal higher than third. Still, just eight votes separate the top four.

Cal, now 1-4 and 0-2 in the Pac-12, dropped another spot from No. 9 to No. 10. The Bears, who began the season at No. 7 in our power rankings, have a much-needed bye this week.

SI PAC-12 FOOTBALL POWER RANKINGS

1. Arizona State (2) 4-1 overall, 2-0 in Pac-12 67 points

2. Oregon (3) 4-1, 1-1 65

3. Oregon State 4-1, 2-0 60

4. Stanford (1) 3-2, 2-1 59

5. UCLA 3-2, 1-1 48

6. Utah 2-2, 1-0 41

7. USC 3-2, 2-2 38

8. Washington State 2-3, 1-2 26

9. Washington 2-3, 1-1 25

10. Cal 1-4, 0-2 19

11. Colorado 1-4, 0-2 14

12. Arizona 0-4, 0-1 6

DONNIE DRUIN, ALL SUN DEVILS

1. Stanford; 2. Arizona State; 3. Oregon State; 4. Oregon; 5. UCLA; 6. USC; 7. Utah; 8. Washington State; 9. Washington; 10. Colorado; 11. Cal; 12. Arizona

Comment: The Pac-12 is as open as ever thanks to Stanford upsetting Oregon, although the Ducks are still probably favorites to win the conference. After upsetting UCLA, ASU hosts Stanford in what might be the biggest conference game to date.

JAKE CURTIS, CAL SPORTS REPORT

1. Oregon; 2. Arizona State, 3. Oregon State; 4. Stanford, 5. UCLA, 6. Utah; 7. USC; 8. Washington; 9. Washington State; 10. Cal 11. Colorado; 12. Arizona

Comment: Oregon’s resume is still better than anyone else’s with that win over Ohio State as its hole card. Oregon State may not be the third-best team, but I love the story of the Beavers season so far, so I’m giving them the benefit of the doubt until they get exposed.

MAX TORRES, DUCKS DIGEST

1. Arizona State; 2. Oregon State; 3. Stanford; 4. Oregon; 5. UCLA; 6. USC; 7. Utah; 8. Washington; 9. Washington State; 10. Cal; 11. Colorado; 12. Arizona

Comment: Oregon had looked questionable in all of its wins other than Ohio State and finally got exposed by a good Stanford team. Arizona State looks like they’re for real and could take firm control of the South after beating UCLA. It’s shaping up to be another year of chaos in the Pac-12. Did you expect anything different?

SAM CONNON, ALL BRUINS

1. Arizona State; 2. Oregon; 3. Oregon State; 4. Stanford; 5. Utah; 6. UCLA; 7. USC; 8. Washington State; 9. Washington; 10. Cal; 11. Colorado; 12. Arizona

Comment: In classic UCLA fashion, the Bruins choked away a prime opportunity to claim the top spot in the conference, allowing the Sun Devils to step up in their place instead. Oregon played bottom feeder Arizona close last week and then lost to Stanford the week after, so they clearly are not as untouchable as they seemed after the Ohio State game. The Pac-12 is very much wide open, so even with just one quality win to this point, Arizona State is currently in the best position out of anyone in the conference, almost by default.

CLAUDETTE MONTANA PATTISON, ALL TROJANS

1. Oregon; 2. Arizona State; 3. Stanford; 4. UCLA; 5. Oregon State; 6. Utah; 7. USC; 8. Washington State; 9. Cal; 10. Colorado; 11. Washington; 12. Arizona

Comment: The USC Trojans found some momentum in Boulder, Colorado on Saturday defeating the Buffaloes 37-14. The win certainly sparked some much needed life back into the program, as they prepare for the Utah Utes this week.

DAN RALEY, HUSKY MAVEN

1. Oregon; 2. Oregon State; 3. Arizona State; 4. Stanford; 5. UCLA; 6. Utah; 7. USC; 8. Washington; 9. Cal; 10. Washington State; 11. Colorado; 12. Arizona

Comment: Forget the CFP, it's a mad scramble to decide the West. It might be a Willamette Valley Bronx Series. Whoever wins Oregon is going to claim ultimate bragging rights. It's all in a 40-mile radius from Corvallis to Eugene. The league champion is going to have two losses.

Cover photo of Oregon State players celebrating vs. Washington by Soobum Im, USA Today

Follow Jeff Faraudo of Cal Sports Report on Twitter: @jefffaraudo

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