Pac-12 Power Rankings: USC preserves playoff hopes in instant classic

The Pac-12’s playoff hopes remain alive and well following a hard-fought win for USC that moved the Trojans back to the front of the pack in our Pac-12 Power Rankings.

Utah‘s loss to Oregon also created a good deal of movement, with the Utes dropping considerably with a third loss against a schedule that doesn’t include games against 10-1 USC or 9-2 Washington.

There’s a lot to break down, so let’s get to it.

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Today we update the Pac-12 Power Rankings following Week 12 games.

2022 Pac-12 Power Rankings – Week 12

1. USC (+1)

USC got a little healthier on offense at the right time, with Jordan Addison showing out in a 48-45 win over UCLA. Quarterback Caleb Williams finished with 470 yards and two touchdowns passing, while adding a rushing score, as Addison racked up 11 catches for 178 yards and a touchdown in the win. USC will wrap up the regular season with a home game against Notre Dame, a tricky finale as well as the Fighting Irish are playing right now.

2. Washington (+1)

Saturday’s result was an easy 54-7 win over Colorado as Washington ran for 280 yards. Washington hasn’t gotten nearly the ink of some of the other Pac-12 contenders this season but can reach the Pac-12 Championship Game with a win at Washington State in the season finale coupled with an Oregon loss to Oregon State and a California win over UCLA.

3. Oregon (+1)

Playing with a clearly constrained Bo Nix, Oregon managed to do enough to knock off Utah 20-17 and move one step closer to the Pac-12 title game. The Ducks are in if they can find a way to beat the rival Beavers in the regular-season finale in Corvallis. Nix threw for 287 yards and a touchdown in the win Saturday, while the Oregon defense picked off Utah’s Cameron Rising three times.

4. UCLA (+1)

Quarterback Dorian Thompson-Robinson did what he could to go Superman mode against USC, finishing with six total touchdowns — four passing and two rushing — in a 48-45 loss. But it was three interceptions that proved costly, including one with a little over a minute to play after the Bruins defense finally came up with a stop and gave the team a chance to pull ahead late.

5. Utah (-4)

Rising’s three interceptions hurt, and though Utah made a push in the second half, it simply dug itself too big a hole early on against Oregon. The Utes are still alive in the Pac-12 race but need the most help, needing a win over Colorado, along with the following results in other games: Washington beating Washington State, Oregon State beating Oregon and UCLA beating California.

6. Oregon State

Oregon State just keeps winning, racking up a comfortable 31-7 win on the road at Arizona State over the weekend. The Beavers will have a chance to vault up these Pac-12 Power Rankings quite a bit next week if they can score an upset of the Ducks in the regular-season finale. Oregon State has won five of its last six, with the lone loss at 9-2 Washington by a field goal.

7. Washington State

The Cougars defense just keeps showing up. Arizona quarterback Jayden de Laura threw for 357 yards and a touchdown but was picked off four times in a 31-20 loss to Washington State. The Cougars were outgained by nearly 100 yards in the contest but led comfortably throughout, with the Wildcats scoring 14 or their 20 points in the fourth quarter.

8. Arizona

Arizona narrowly clings to this spot in the Pac-12 Power Rankings, though we went back and forth on whether to move California ahead. Ultimately it was Arizona’s win at UCLA two weeks ago that was the deciding factor for us, even with California winning the head-to-head contest against Arizona earlier in the season.

9. California (+1)

A pair of fourth-quarter takeaways — including a wacky play that went for a touchdown following a fumble — were enough for California to overcome a 17-6 deficit in the fourth quarter to beat Stanford 27-20. The Bears jarred that key fumble loose to cut into the deficit, then picked off quarterback Tanner McKee late in the fourth quarter, setting up the game-winning touchdown drive.

10. Stanford (-1)

Turnovers in crunch time were killer for the Cardinal, which dropped its fourth straight game on Saturday. At 3-8 on the season, Stanford has a lone game left against BYU at home with very little to play for other than pride.

11. Arizona State

Quarterback Trenton Bourguet was back after leaving last week’s loss with an injury, but he threw for just 122 yards in the contest. Arizona State was limited to just 276 total yards in the game and Oregon State ran away with it in a 31-7 win. Arizona State travels to rival Arizona for the season finale.

12. Colorado

The Bears were blasted by the Huskies 54-7 and the season will (maybe not so mercifully) end with a home game against Utah this week. The Buffaloes have already fired their head coach, so all eyes in Boulder are on the coaching hire. And probably have been for several weeks.

Want to see how this week’s power rankings compare to our previous edition? Check out the 2022 Week 11 Pac-12 Power Rankings here!