Pac-12 Power Rankings

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Pac-12 Power Rankings

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Note … These are my subjective Power Rankings, which will be updated every Sunday. (Please feel free to post your own rankings in the comments section) …

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12. Oregon State (2-8, 1-6) … Ranking last weekend: 11

This weekend … Lost to Stanford, 48-17.

Oregon State has a definite M.O. … fall behind early, then make a run. The Beavers did it again Saturday night against the Cardinal, falling behind 34-7 before making it a 34-17 game at halftime. Oregon State took the second half kickoff and marched down the field … but then turned the ball over on downs (I won’t remind you of OSU’s 17-play third quarter drive against the Buffs … which didn’t result in a turnover on downs). Deflated, the Beavers were not a threat again.

With a road game against Washington and a home finale against Oregon, it’s looking like a 2-10 season for the Beavers.

Up next … at No. 17 Washington … 2:30 p.m., MT, Pac-12 Networks

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11. UCLA (2-8, 2-5) … Ranking last weekend: 12

This weekend … Lost to Arizona State, 31-28.

The good news for Buff fans … CU can’t finish last in the Pac-12 South, at least in terms of overall record. The Bruins lost their eighth game of the season on the road against Arizona State, but didn’t go down without a fight. The Bruins held first half leads of 7-3 and 14-10, and were down only 24-21 for most of the fourth quarter.

UCLA still has to play USC and Stanford (both in the Rose Bowl), so an upset is still a possibility. Even if the Bruins end up 2-10, though, here’s betting that the 2019 preseason magazines will rank UCLA ahead of Colorado.

Up next … USC … 1:30 p.m., MT, Fox

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10. Colorado (5-5, 2-5) … Ranking last weekend: 10

This weekend … Lost to No. 10 Washington State, 31-7.

Colorado has the same 5-5 record as does Arizona and USC. The Buffs are within one game of 6-4 Cal, Oregon and Stanford. Anyone see the Buffs as being within one game of those five teams?

It’s not just the 5-5 record, it’s how the Buffs got there. A five-game losing streak, with the team not playing like a team on the verge of a winning streak to end the season. A tough loss to the Cougars was made all the more disheartening with Utah (over Oregon) and Cal (over USC) picking up upset wins.

Up next … No. 21 Utah … 11:30 a.m., MT, Pac-12 Networks

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9. USC (5-5, 4-4) … Ranking last weekend: 6

This weekend … Lost to Cal, 15-14.

If you think the Buff Nation is ready for a new head coach, the fans of Troy are way ahead of you. The preseason No. 15 team, the Trojans have been a huge disappointment. USC had a 14-0 lead late in the second quarter, with the ball in the red zone. A fumble left it as a 14-0 game at halftime, with the Trojans shut out in the second half. It was the first win for the Bears over the Trojans in 14 years.

Thought it impossible for USC to fire a head coach who had never lost a home game? Well, now USC AD Lynn Swann won’t have to worry about that. With a home finale against Notre Dame looming, the Trojans will need a road win over UCLA to secure a sixth win and bowl eligibility.

Up next … at UCLA … 1:30 p.m., Fox.

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8. Oregon (6-4, 3-4) … Ranking last weekend: 3

This weekend … Lost to Utah, 32-25.

Oregon is a yo-yo team, following up a thumping by Arizona with a dominating win over UCLA … followed by a loss to a Utah team without its starting quarterback and starting running back. The Ducks are another team, like USC, which was ranked (24th) in the preseason, but now find themselves out of the race for the Pac-12 title.

Oregon has a home game against Arizona State this Saturday which will tell us a great deal about both teams. With a finale against Oregon State, the Ducks could still end up with an 8-4 record, but the 2018 season to date has been a disappointment.

Up next … Arizona State, 8:30 p.m., MT, Pac-12 Networks

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7. Arizona (5-5, 4-3) … Ranking last weekend: 4

This weekend … Idle.

The demotion for the Wildcats is due to other teams, ranked below Arizona last weekend, coming up with convincing victories this weekend. The Wildcats, like the Buffs, are 5-5, needing one win in the last two games to become bowl eligible. Like the Buffs, the path to a bowl bid looks a little tougher today than it did a week ago.

Arizona must finish the season with games against the two division leaders, taking on No. 8 Washington State on the road this weekend, before hosting the Territorial Cup against Arizona State Thanksgiving weekend.

Like Colorado, Arizona could end up with a 5-7 record, on the outside looking in when bowl invitations are issued.

Up next … at No. 8 Washington State, 8:30 p.m., MT, Pac-12 Networks

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6. California (6-4, 3-4) … Ranking last weekend: 8

This weekend … Defeated USC, 15-14.

Cal has played Washington, Washington State, and USC the past three weekends, with two of those games on the road. In none of those games did the Bears score over 20 points. And yet, but for a interception in the end zone late against the Cougars, Cal might have posted a 3-0 record in those games. Cal took out Washington, 12-10, lost in the final minute to Washington State, 19-13, and beat USC, 15-14.

The Bears do not have any offense to speak of, but they play great defense. One side benefit to Cal defeating USC … the Bears are now bowl-eligible. Cal finishes with home games against Stanford and Colorado. Assuming a loss to the Cardinal, the win over USC guarantees the Buffs won’t face a repeat of last year: a road finale between two 5-6 teams vying for bowl eligibility.

Up next … at USC … TBA

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5. Stanford (6-4, 4-3) … Ranking last weekend: 9

This weekend … Defeated Oregon State, 48-17.

The Cardinal shook off back-to-back losses to the Washington schools with a dominating win over Oregon State. Stanford is out of the race for the Pac-12 North title, and is done with the home schedule, but the road games to finish the season don’t require much travel. Stanford finishes with road games at Cal and at UCLA, and will be favored in both.

Stanford is yet another Pac-12 team which was ranked in the preseason (No. 13) which did not live up to its billing. Still, with a pair of wins over rivals Cal and UCLA, and a bowl win, Stanford will post yet another nine-win season.

Up next … at Cal … 5:30 p.m., MT, Pac-12 Networks

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4. Arizona State (6-4, 4-3) … Ranking last weekend: 7

This weekend … Defeated UCLA, 31-28.

It wasn’t pretty, but it was a victory. The Sun Devils allowed the Bruins to hang around all afternoon, but eventually came away with a 31-28 win. Bouncing back from losses to Colorado and USC, the Sun Devils have rattled off three straight wins over the other Pac-12 South teams – USC, Utah, and UCLA.

The Sun Devils are not only bowl-eligible, they control their own destiny in the Pac-12 South race. That being said, Arizona State has a more difficult task than does Utah. The Utes only have one Pac-12 game left – against Colorado. If Arizona State cannot defeat Oregon and Arizona on the road, Utah is still the odds-on favorite to win the South.

Up next … at Oregon … 8:30 p.m., MT, Pac-12 Networks

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3. Utah (7-3, 5-3)… Ranking last weekend: 5

This weekend … Defeated Oregon, 32-25.

Utah lost last weekend, 38-20, to Arizona State. In the process, they lost quarterback Tyler Huntley. During the week, the Utes lost 1,000-yard rusher Zack Moss. So what did Utah do? Line up excuses for the post-game press conference (like another Pac-12 coach who lost on Saturday)? No. The Utes went out with backups at quarterback and running back, and beat the Ducks.

Utah finishes its season against BYU, so the last Pac-12 game of the regular season for the Utes will be against Colorado. Defeat the Buffs, and the Utes can sit back Saturday night and watch the Arizona State/Oregon game. If the Sun Devils lose that game, Utah will have its first Pac-12 South division title.

Up next … at Colorado, 11:30 a.m., MT, Pac-12 Networks

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2. Washington (7-3, 5-2) … Ranking last weekend: 2

This weekend … Idle.

Washington’s bye week did not come at an opportune time. While getting a week off to heal up injured players is always welcome, a November bye week, with an extra week to prepare for … Oregon State?

While the Huskies may not have spent extra time getting ready for the Beavers, you can bet the coaching staff was spending a little extra film time on their regular season finale opponent, Washington State. Barring an upset by the Beavers, the Apple Cup will be a game for the Pac-12 North title.

A stat you’ll hear a number of times in the next two weeks … Washington State has lost five straight to Washington.

Up next … Oregon State, 2:30 p.m., MT, Pac-12 Networks

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1. Washington State (9-1, 6-1) … Ranking last weekend: 1

This weekend … Defeated Colorado, 31-7.

It was a 10-7 game at halftime, but the Cougars took care of business against the Buffs in the second half. CU fumbled on the second play of the third quarter, which Washington State quickly converted into a touchdown. Washington State is up to No. 8 in the Associated Press poll, and still has a shot at a College Football Playoff berth. A win in the Apple Cup over Washington will result in a Pac-12 North title, so the game against Arizona doesn’t mean anything to the Cougars.

Except, of course, that it does …

Up next … Arizona … 8:30 p.m., MT, ESPN

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This post, about the Utah game, from the 2018 Season, is filed under Article.
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