Pac-12 Power Rankings: Chip Kelly, UCLA ready to contend for conference crown

Another top contender fell in the Pac-12 this week, while UCLA continued its unbeaten campaign to start the season, besting Utah with an impressive 42-32 showing at home. That shook up the top of our Pac-12 Power Rankings after Week 6.

There weren’t a whole lot of other changes this week, with Arizona State‘s home upset of Washington the only really other noteworthy result.

Let’s take a look at the Pac-12 in more depth.

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Today we update the Pac-12 Power Rankings following Week 6 games.

2022 Pac-12 Power Rankings – Week 6

1. USC

After building a 17-14 halftime lead, USC pitched a second-half shutout defensively to top Washington State 30-14. The defense came up with stops on the Cougars’ final seven drives of the game to win. Now comes a tricky contest: at No. 20 Utah prior to a bye week, with the Utes looking to bounce back from their second loss of the season.

2. UCLA (+2)

Chip Kelly‘s run in Year 5 continues, with the Bruins posting an impressive 42-32 win over the Utes. Quarterback Dorian Thompson-Robinson accounted for five touchdowns, and UCLA opened up a 42-25 lead early in the fourth quarter before a late pick-six tacked on a meaningless seven for Utah. UCLA now gets a bye week to prepare for a road trip to No. 12 Oregon on Oct. 22.

3. Oregon

Oregon made sure it wouldn’t get into a shootout with Arizona and quarterback Jayden de Laura by putting the game away early. The Ducks scored touchdowns on seven straight drives from the middle of the first quarter through the third, running away with a 49-22 win. Quarterback Bo Nix scored three times on the ground. Oregon also gets a bye week before the UCLA contest on Oct. 22.

4. Utah (-2)

Quarterback Cameron Rising started the game a bit slow and UCLA took advantage, getting the Thompson-Robinson and Zach Charbonnet combo rolling on the other side. The Utes have lost two games and are pretty much out of the playoff picture but can still have a say in the Pac-12 title race. Starting with next week’s home date with No. 7 USC.

5. Oregon State (+2)

The Beavers entered Saturday’s game banged up, down starting quarterback Chance Nolan and tight end Luke Musgrave. Oregon State found itself down 24-10 to start the fourth quarter but battled back to win 28-27. The Beavers slide narrowly ahead of Washington and Washington State in this week’s Pac-12 Power Rankings, with both of the Evergreen State teams losing.

6. Washington (-1)

The Huskies couldn’t come up with stops when they needed to in a 45-38 loss to the Arizona State Sun Devils. Washington knocked ASU starting quarterback Emory Jones from the game on a hit that drew a targeting ejection, but backup quarterback Trenton Bourguet threw for three touchdowns in the game. Washington will try to rebound with a home game against Arizona next week.

7. Washington State (-1)

The Cougars ran out of offensive gas late against USC, shut out in the second half of a 30-14 loss. Washington State couldn’t get a handle on USC running back Travis Dye, who ran for 149 yards and a touchdown on 28 carries. The loss was the Cougars’ second in three games, and a road trip to Oregon State looms prior to the bye week.

8. California

The Bears had a bye week this week, coming off a 28-9 loss at Washington State. The good news is that time off and an upcoming road trip to Colorado should provide a good recipe for a turnaround. A brutal stretch is up after that date with the Buffaloes, though: Washington, No. 12 Oregon, at No. 7 USC.

9. Arizona

Coming off a six-touchdown outing against Colorado, Arizona quarterback Jayden de Laura was held much more in check by Oregon. The Ducks raced out to a big lead and de Laura finished 24-of-42 passing for 241 yards with one touchdown and one interception in a 49-22 loss. Arizona will travel to Washington next week before getting a bye.

10. Arizona State (+1)

Arizona State scored the second most impressive win in the league this week, behind only UCLA’s win over Utah. But the Sun Devils simply didn’t have a ton of room to move up in this week’s Pac-12 Power Rankings with only two wins. The good news? The 45-38 win over Washington was the first quality win, with the other a season-opening win over Northern Arizona.

11. Stanford (-1)

Credit the Cardinal for making it a game against the Beavers, but Stanford had its chances to win. Quarterback Tanner McKee threw for 269 yards and two touchdowns and Stanford entered the fourth quarter with a 24-10 lead, but it couldn’t hold on, falling to Oregon State 28-27. A road trip to a resurgent Notre Dame is on tap next.

12. Colorado

The Buffaloes had a bye week following a 43-20 loss to Arizona, one that should allow Colorado to regroup a bit. Still, the second half of the schedule looks pretty tough. The best shots at wins are the next three weeks — California, at Oregon State, Arizona State — because the closing stretch of No. 12 Oregon, at No. 7 USC, at Washington, No. 20 Utah looks pretty bleak.

Want to see how this week’s power rankings compare to our previous edition? Check out the 2022 Week 5 Pac-12 Power Rankings here!