SI Pac-12 Power Rankings Week 13: USC Loss Costs UCLA Another Spot

The Bruins fell once again after their second-straight loss, knocking them outside of the top four for the first time since September.

The Fan Nation and Sports Illustrated publishers of the Pac-12 have come together to unveil their takes on the conference's hierarchy heading into Week 13 of the 2022 season.

UCLA football (8-3, 5-3) fell from No. 5 to No. 5 in the latest edition of the SI Pac-12 Power Rankings following the team's 48-45 rivalry loss to USC. There was not a consensus on where the Bruins belonged compared to their conference foes, but they were held out of every voter's top three for the first time in nearly two months.

Ducks Digest and All Trojans were the highest on UCLA by putting them at No. 4. Cal Sports Report, All Cardinal, All Utes and Inside the Huskies were the next most favorable to the Bruins by slotting them in at No. 5, while All Bruins had them the lowest at No. 6.

Cal – UCLA's next opponent – moved up from No. 10 to No. 9 after beating Stanford. USC, after narrowly beating the Bruins, took over as the consensus No. 1 team in the Pac-12.

With the Trojans sitting at 10-1 and the rest of the conference having multiple losses under their belt, they remain the Pac-12's last remaining hope for sneaking into the College Football Playoff.

Here are the full power rankings, along with the ballots and some brief thoughts from each of the publishers:

2022 WEEK 13 SI PAC-12 FOOTBALL POWER RANKINGS

1. USC, 84 points (6 first-place votes)
2. Oregon, 76 points
3. Washington, 70 points (1 first-place vote)
4. Utah, 62 points
5. UCLA, 57 points
6. Oregon State, 50 points
7. Washington State, 42 points
8. Arizona, 34 points
9. Cal, 26 points
10. Arizona State, 24 points
11. Stanford, 14 points
12. Colorado, 7 points

JAKE CURTIS, CAL SPORTS REPORT

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

Comment: Still rooting for a three-way tie for second when we'll have go down to the third or fourth tiebreaker to see who plays USC in the title game. USC vs. Oregon would be the best matchup, for the QB matchup and because they didn't play each other during the season.

MAX TORRES, DUCKS DIGEST

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

Comment: Oregon eked out a crucial win over Utah to stay alive in the Pac-12 title race, but it was clear Bo Nix was not at 100%. We'll see if this team can get a bit healthier this week before a decisive game against Oregon State. Around the Pac-12, USC's offense looks nearly unstoppable ahead of the Pac-12 championship game and Cal's win over Stanford may end up being the straw that broke the camel's back in David Shaw's tenure. 

KEVIN BORBA, ALL CARDINAL

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

Comment: Last week's loss to Cal was absolutely rock bottom and the epitome of David Shaw's last four seasons at Stanford. This team is viewed as one of the worst in the country and has been playing as such. In terms of the rest of the Pac-12, this next week will be one of the most fascinating yet chaotic weeks of the season. 

SAM CONNON, ALL BRUINS

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

Comments: The biggest weekend of the year in the Pac-12 was pretty much just as decisive as everyone assumed it would be, with the winners of the UCLA-USC and Oregon-Utah games asserting themselves as the best in the West by a pretty solid margin. Washington was going against the punching bag that is Colorado, but their blowout victory puts them in a spot to also reach 10 wins under a first-year head coach, so their late season push shouldn't go overlooked either.

WYATT ALLSUP, ALL TROJANS

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

Comment: Huge win for USC. DTR played very well for UCLA, but the four turnovers were the difference. USC’s offense appears to be back in the swing of things with Jordan Addison returning to have a huge night, and Caleb Williams just keeps getting better.

COLE BAGLEY, ALL UTES

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

Comment: This last week did not disappoint as the top teams went head to head and the outcomes came down to the wire. USC cemented itself as the top team, Bo Nix put on a performance we won’t soon forget and Washington has suddenly entered the chat. Going into the final week, USC will await its opponent, which most likely will be the Ducks. However, the Huskies and Utes both have a chance so we’ll see what happens.

DAN RALEY, INSIDE THE HUSKIES

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

Comment: It’s USC and the rest. All hopes ride on the Trojans for getting into the CFP, which would be sort of a farewell gift for the Pac-12 and an overdue breakthrough for the conference. As for its peers, can Washington or Oregon play themselves into a New Year’s Day bowl? Can either one of them get past their state rival? The best thing about the league this year is the lingering intrigue.

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