Sports Illustrated Week 8 Pac-12 Football Power Rankings

Pac-12 play continues to deliver as some of the best football across the country.

We saw No. 20 Utah and No. 7 USC square off in what would have easily been the best game in the country had it not been for the craziness that took place in Knoxville. The Utes were able to stay in the race for the Pac-12 coming back after being down by double digits. The game's officiating has also generated a ton of discussion as many people were not in agreement with some of the calls that took place.

We also saw Washington bounce back, Colorado net their first win of the season, and Stanford end their four game losing streak in their win over Notre Dame. This next week can very well determine the fate of the conference's playoff chances as No. 9 UCLA and No. 10 Oregon face off in what is being tabbed the game of the week.

Going into Week 8, The conference has four ranked teams with No. 9 UCLA, No. 10 Oregon, No. 12 USC, and No. 15 Utah.

Let's take a look at where every Pac-12 team ranks in the latest version of Sports Illustrated's Power Rankings.

12. Colorado

They finally secured a win, but it was not enough to get them out of the bottom spot for the first time all year.

11. Arizona State

The Sun Devils didn't play, but teams above them were able to impress enough to keep ASU down near the bottom.

10. Stanford

The Cardinal moved up one spot after their huge win over Notre Dame, and they get a chance to move up again this week as they take on Arizona State. They looked like a completely different team on Saturday, it will be interesting to see if they can continue their strong play.

9. Cal

Cal was on the wrong end of Colorado's first win of the season, as they played poorly and had to watch the student section of a winless team storm the field.

8. Arizona

Arizona fell victim to Washington's dynamic offense as they just weren't able to keep up with the Huskies, who threw for 516 yards.

7. Washington State

Another disappointing week for a Washington State team who I personally thought had a chance at being ranked with a win. Their lack of run game and run defense hurt them a lot.

6. Oregon State

The Beavers moved up one spot from last week, and have a chance to secure a third straight win this week when they take on Colorado.

5. Washington

The Huskies were able to bounce back this past weekend after losing two straight games. They got back to looking like the team that was ranked a few weeks ago.

4. Oregon

This is a huge week for Oregon who will have a chance to jump up to that No. 1 spot in next week's power rankings with a win over UCLA. The Ducks have been one of the hottest teams in the country over the past couple weeks, and having a home game for this matchup could be huge.

3. USC

The second straight week that the Trojans have fallen in the rankings, as they blew a double digit lead and were unable to hold off Utah.

2. Utah

The Utes jumped two spots from last week's rankings, and their win over USC helped keep them in the race for the Pac-12.

1. UCLA

A second straight week at the top spot for the Bruins. If they beat Oregon it would be the third straight week that they have beaten a top-15 ranked team. It would also help solidify their spot in the Pac-12 Championship.