Deion Sanders and Colorado rise in Pac-12 Power Rankings

There are seven ranked teams and as many as ten squads that still have a path to a bowl game.

It’s been a wild season with several Heisman contenders, and National Championship hopefuls, still very much in the picture going into week seven.

PAC-12 Power Rankings

No. 1 USC (6-0): This has not been a particularly impressive path to 6-0. After nearly blowing a huge lead to Colorado, the Trojans had to rally back to edge Arizona in overtime. We’ll learn a lot more Saturday when USC takes on Notre Dame.

No. 2 Washington (5-0): Coming off of a bye but, in their previous game, Michael Penix Jr. threw for 363 yards but no touchdowns. It was a battle in the desert but the Huskies prevailed 31-24. They host Oregon on Saturday.

No. 3 Oregon (5-0): Also on a bye this past week. Oregon had a little easier path to 5-0 than Washington. A week ago the Ducks traveled to Stanford and walked away with a 42-6 blowout. All eyes on the showdown with the Huskies this weekend.

No. 4 Oregon State (5-1): After a close loss to Washington State, this team has responded with back to back victories over Utah and Cal. They’re a good team but just how good is TBD. The Beavers host UCLA on Saturday.

No. 5 UCLA (4-1): Chip Kelly’s team pulled off one of the more unexpected upsets of the weekend. Right as we were wondering if Washington State were championship contenders, they get mauled by the Bruins in Pasadena. This one even surprised UCLA fans as the crowd was lackluster, at best. They’ll next travel to Oregon State followed by Stanford before returning home to host Colorado.

No. 6 Washington State (4-1): Their national championship dreams may be over but, there’s still a great opportunity to compete for the final Pac-12 championship. Need a big bounce back effort against Arizona.

No. 7 Colorado (4-2): Seems like most every talking head and pundit were celebrating this team’s two recent losses. And now they’re downplaying the road victory at Arizona State. What will they say when they beat Stanford by 30? We may just find out.

No. 8 Utah (4-1): Without Cam Rising, I expect their ranking to start falling. If Cam wants to play another season, the medical redshirt only applies to season ending injuries, you can’t come back for a game or two in November and apply for a waiver. At 24, is that something he wants to do?

No. 9 Arizona (3-3): Maybe the best 3-3 team in college football. Close losses to Washington and on the road to USC and Mississippi State. Can this team hold up with a brutal stretch of Washington State, Oregon State, UCLA, Colorado, Utah, and rival Arizona State. This team is better than projected but six wins would be an amazing accomplishment.

No. 10 Cal (3-3): Much like Arizona, this is a tough 3-3 squad. They followed up a gutsy win vs Arizona State with a great effort against Oregon State. The Bears and Wildcats are both bowl talented teams that will likely come up a win or two short. That speaks more of just how talented the Pac-12 is this season than anything else.

No. 11 Arizona State (1-5): No quit in this team, even at 1-5. They gave Colorado everything they could handle right down to the final possession.

No. 12 Stanford (1-4): It’s going to be a long season for Troy Taylor’s team. I don’t expect Friday night in Boulder to be all that competitive.