FanNation's Week 3 Pac-12 power rankings

It appears that there is a clear No. 1 team within the conference after debate over who would be the conference's best team.

USC has asserted themselves as the perennial powerhouse within the conference, thanks to their offense that may go down as the best in the country when things are all said and done. The teams that most expected to win in Week 2 did just that, so there wasn't as much movement this time around in FanNation's Power Rankings as there was last week.

The FanNation weekly Power Rankings, which is voted on by seven Pac-12 writers from sites covering Cal, Oregon, UCLA, USC, Utah, Washington, and Stanford.

All but one voter had USC as the top team, but this time rather than Utah being the other school with a first place vote, it was Washington State. The Cougars are coming off of a huge win over top-25 Wisconsin, but similarly to the other five writers that wasn't enough for me to move them to No. 1

Let's take a look at the final rankings of the Week 3 Pac-12 Power Rankings as voted on by FanNation's various Pac-12 sites.

Colorado Buffaloes quarterback Brendon Lewis (12) scores a touchdown ahead of Washington Huskies linebacker Carson Bruener (42) in the fourth quarter at Folsom Field. — 12. Colorado / Ron Chenoy-USA TODAY Sports

Colorado continues to struggle as they were absolutely blown out by Air Force. This team has the makings of an 0-12 season if they don't figure something out.

A general view of the helmet worn by the Arizona State Sun Devils during their game with the Utah Utes at Rice-Eccles Stadium. — 11. Arizona State / Rob Gray-USA TODAY Sports

This team has been hard to read through the first couple weeks, but they still look like they are figuring out how to play together. If they would have held on during the Oklahoma State game, they would have been much higher.

Arizona Wildcats quarterback Jayden de Laura (7) gestures at the line of scrimmage during the second half against the San Diego State Aztecs at Snapdragon Stadium. — 10. Arizona / Orlando Ramirez-USA TODAY Sports

The Wildcats are a team that I view higher than most of my fellow editors, but they were forcing the issue way to much which is eventually what cost them the game. It seems Jayden de Laura still has a gunslinger tendency, which when it works it's amazing but when it doesn't, he ends up with three picks and a double digit loss.

California Golden Bears helmet is raised into the air amongst fans after defeating the Stanford Cardinal at Stanford Stadium. — 9. Cal / Stan Szeto-USA TODAY Sports

Cal is quite literally the least impressive 2-0 team in the country. They have not shown any improvements on offense, and were almost beat by UNLV but were bailed out by the defense. This is no surprise as their defense has been carrying the program for years.

8. Stanford / Stan Szeto-USA TODAY Sports

The Cardinal had a prime opportunity to ascend near the top of the rankings, but four turnovers against the best offense in the country isn't going to get it done. Stanford had a chance to go into the half with a lead, but were down 21 because of untimely mistakes. Their offense was keeping up with USC's, but they just couldn't finish their drives.

Yellow Team quarterback Bo Nix (10) throws out a pass during the Oregon Spring Game Saturday, April 23, 2022, at Autzen Stadium. — 7. Oregon :: Ben Lonergan/The Register-Guard / USA TODAY NETWORK

While Oregon may have jumped back into the AP rankings, we as a collective are still not high on them. They beat an Eastern Washington team that they should have, so we still don't know how good they are.

6. Washington / Joe Nicholson-USA TODAY Sports

The Huskies continue to show that they are an upper echelon team, and I expect them to continue to do so this week with a huge game against No. 11 Michigan State.

Washington State Cougars quarterback Cameron Ward (1) scrambles with the football under pressure from Wisconsin Badgers linebacker Nick Herbig (19) during the fourth quarter at Camp Randall Stadium. — 5. Washington State / Jeff Hanisch-USA TODAY Sports

This is a tad too high for my liking due to the fact that we haven't seen what they are fully capable of. I don't think it would shock me if they exploded one week, but their offense has not been nearly as effective as I thought it would be.

UCLA Bruins quarterback Dorian Thompson-Robinson (1) throws a pass against the Southern California Trojans in the first half at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum. — 4. UCLA / Richard Mackson-USA TODAY Sports

If UCLA falls out of the top-4 that means something has gone horribly wrong. They have an easy schedule through the first month, but they are winning the games which is all that matters.

Oregon State Beavers quarterback Chance Nolan (10) throws the ball against the Utah State Aggies in the first half of the 2021 LA Bowl at SoFi Stadium. — 3. Oregon State / Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports

The Beavers had a miraculous come back against Fresno State, and are continuing to show that last season wasn't a fluke.

Utah Utes running back Tavion Thomas (9) celebrates after scoring a touchdown in the second quarter against the Ohio State Buckeyes during the 2022 Rose Bowl college football game at the Rose Bowl. — 2. Utah / Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports

I still think Utah will end up in the Pac-12 Championship, but unless USC has a mishap, I don't see them regaining that top spot.

The Trojans might have the best offense in the country and should have no issue outscoring anyone. However, something to watch is their defensive struggles. Something that plagued Lincoln Riley at Oklahoma.

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