2023 Pac-12 Power Rankings: USC holds the top spot, but who should be slotted at No. 2?

We’re a little more than a month away from the official start of the 2023 college football season. Rejoice!

With various media days wrapping up around the country, it’s time to release our updated preseason 2023 Power Rankings for each P5 conference just before the start of fall camp. We kickstarted the series with the SEC, and released the latest Big Ten and ACC preseason Power Rankings last week.  

Today, we continue the rankings by featuring the Pac-12. In the final year of USC and UCLA in the conference, as many as five teams can make realistic arguments for winning the league this fall. The bottom of the conference carries plenty of intrigue as well, though, with first-year coaches at Colorado (Deion Sanders), Arizona State (Kenny Dillingham) and Stanford (Troy Taylor). Here are my 2023 Pac-12 Preseason Power Rankings:

1. USC Trojans

The Pac-12 is anticipated to be an extremely competitive conference in 2023, but the Trojans were still the overwhelming pick to win the league in the preseason media poll (25 of 36 first-place votes).  After last season’s dramatic Year 1 turnaround from 4-8 to 11-3 and a near berth in the College Football Playoff, the pressure is on for Lincoln Riley’s team to become the first Pac-12 playoff representative since Washington in 2016. 

Caleb Williams is the nation’s best quarterback, and the USC’s offense, which was already loaded, added Arizona transfer wideout Dorian Singer, the leading receiver in the Pac-12 in 2022, several starting offensive linemen and former 5-star South Carolina tailback MarShawn Lloyd. The Trojans are optimistic Alex Grinch’s unit won’t hold the team back this fall. Eight starters return and the overall talent on defense was upgraded with the additions of defensive linemen Bear Alexander from Georgia, Jack Sullivan from Purdue and Anthony Lucas from Texas A&M. They also swiped All-Big 12 linebacker Mason Cobb from Oklahoma State and plucked Arizona’s top corner Christian Roland-Wallace.

2. Washington Huskies

The Huskies will be in competition with Ohio State and USC for the most explosive passing attack in the country in 2023. Senior quarterback Michael Penix Jr. is a preseason Heisman Trophy candidate and he has a dangerous trio of wideouts to get the ball to — including 1,000 receivers Rome Odunze and Jalen McMillan. Head coach Kalen Deboer used the portal to supplement Washington’s OL and RB rooms, making sure the engine that fueled last year’s 11-2 run isn’t in danger of sputtering. 

Led by Bralen Trice and Zion Tupuola-Fetui, the Huskies are great up front but secondary needs improvement if they’re going to break through and win the league for the first time since 2016. Washington had just seven interceptions the entire season in 2022, so it added Oklahoma State transfer corner Jabbar Muhammad to help boost the secondary.

3. Oregon Ducks

The Ducks were picked the finish No. 4 in the Pac-12, as some are skeptical Dan Lanning can repeat last season’s success (10-3) in Year 2 with a roster that has 30 new faces in the program.  That seems to be shortchanging the Ducks in 2023. With Bo Nix at quarterback and impact transfers like wideouts Traeshon Holden (Alabama) and Tez Johnson (Troy), former 5-star end Jordan Burch (South Carolina) and corners Khyree Jackson (Alabama), Tysheem Johnson (Ole Miss) and Evan Williams (Fresno State), this is a team built to compete for the Pac-12 this season. 

Oregon has to play better defensively (namely more QB pressure), but if it can at least split October road trips to Washington and Utah, the Ducks could control who makes the Pac-12 Championship with late-season home games against USC and Oregon State. 

4. Utah Utes

Senior quarterback Cam Rising attended Pac-12 Media Days, but there remains uncertainty regarding his availably to start the 2023 season as he continues to recover from a ACL. It looks like it’s a coin-flip whether Rising plays against Florida and Baylor to start the year. Neither game has an impact on Utah’s quest for a third-straight conference championship, but the two tough non-conference games could set the tone on the team’s overall season. 

Utah does have one of the top tailback units in the Pac-12, and future NFL tight end Brant Kuithe is back healthy. It also returns eight starters on a defense that was No. 2 in the Pac-12 in scoring last season, with safety Cole Bishop the star of the unit.  If Rising returns right away this is a team that could compete for a league title, but with that unknown, coupled with Utah’s brutal schedule (road games at Baylor, Oregon State, USC, Washington), the Utes might be more of a spoiler this fall.

5. UCLA Bruins

It’s all about the quarterback position for Chip Kelly and the Bruins in 2023: Get the position right, and UCLA has the roster (important portal adds at tailback, receiver and offensive line) and schedule (no Washington or Oregon and it gets to play the bottom four-teams in the league) to find its way into the Pac-12 title game.  The Bruins enter fall camp with a trio of options at QB: Kent State transfer Collin Schlee, last year’s backup Ethan Garbers or 5-star freshman Dante Moore?

UCLA’s defense will now be overseen by new DC D’Anton, who inherits one of the front-sevens in the conference. Overall, the Bruins have eight starters back, with top pass rusher Laiatu Latu (10.5 sacks, 12.5 tackles for loss) and the Murphy twins (defensive linemen Gabriel and Grayson) leading the way. Still, for UCLA to make some real noise this fall, its secondary must find a way to limit explosive passing plays. The Bruins ranked 11th in the league in passing defense in 2022 and allowed 25 touchdowns. Bowling Green transfer safety Jordan Anderson should help.

6. Oregon State Beavers

The Beavers are looking to continue their momentum off last season’s 10-3 year — just the school’s third-ever double-digit win season.  Jonathan Smith has turned his alma mater into one of the friskier programs in the Pac-12, and if Oregon State gets improved QB play this fall, it could be a darkhorse conference contender.  The Beavers return one of the best offensive lines and running back rooms in the Pac-12 this fall, and Smith added former Clemson 5-star quarterback DJ Uiagalelei from the transfer portal to battle with incumbent Ben Gulbranson and impressive freshman Aiden Chiles. 

Oregon State’s defense was the No. 1 unit in the Pac-12 last season in scoring and yards per play allowed, and while it’s expected to be stout again this fall, it must withstand notable departures in the secondary (three starters), as well as All-Conference linebacker Omar Speights, who transferred to LSU.

7. Washington State Cougars

Former WSU defensive coordinator Jake Dickert had the Cougars playing strong defense in 2022, quietly finishing the second No. 3 overall in the pass-happy Pac-12. Although they lost star linebacker Daiyan Henley, they added potential starters from Texas, Maryland, Colorado and Utah State in the transfer portal. 

The Cougars’ offense could make a major leap in Year 2 with former FCS star quarterback Cameron Ward — barring improved offensive line play.  The scheme and playmakers are there, but they need to hope an OL that added just one body from the portal can make a massive improvement after allowing a Pac-12-high 46 sacks in 2022.

8. Arizona Wildcats

Can the Wildcats go bowling in 2023? That’s the goal just four years removed from a team that went winless in 2020.  Jayden de Laura returns as one of the most experienced quarterbacks in the conference, and if he can cut down on his turnovers (13 INTS), then the Wildcats have the skill talent (even with losing Singer to USC) to have a Top 5 scoring offense in the league this fall. 

In an effort to an awful defense (13th overall in the Pac-12 in 2022), Jedd Fisch went portal-hunting. The Wildcats added potential starters in defensive linemen Bill Norton and Tyler Manoa and linebackers Justin Flowe and Orin Patu. If a unit that was only marginally better than Colorado last season (6.59 yards per play allowed), then the ‘Cats will flirt with bowl eligibility all season. 

9. California Golden Bears

Justin Wilcox needs to get the Bears bowling in 2023, or else the former esteemed DC could be looking for a new job this offseason. Cal has been anemic offensively the last few seasons, averaging under 24 points per game in 2022. Wilcox brought in former Bears OC and ex-Texas State head coach Jake Spavital as OC. He also signed TCU transfer QB Sam Jackson, who is a dual-threat talent that impressed this spring. The potential is there for this group to make a real jump if Spavital’s Air Raid scheme hits. Jayden Ott is one of the top returning tailbacks in the Pac-12, and wideout Jeremiah Hunter was Top 10 in the conference in receptions, yards and yards per catch. 

Cal’s defense took a slight step backward last season, but the unit returns nine starters and added All-Mountain West safety Patrick Morris from San Diego State.

10. Arizona State Sun Devils

The Sun Devils enter fall camp with an ongoing quarterback battle with Notre Dame transfer Drew Pyne, incumbent Trenton Bourguet and true freshman Jaden Rashada. But that’s hardly the lone position of uncertainty for a program undergoing a major rebuild.  Like Deion Sanders, Kenny Dillingham radically flipped the program’s roster this offseason, with close to 50 new faces on the team in 2023. Notable transfers include FCS All-American tailback Cameron Skattebo, who had 1,373 yards and seven touchdowns as the Big Sky Player of the Year at Sacramento State last season, former Oklahoma 5-star edge rusher Clayton Smith, USC safety Xavion Alford and Texas defensive end Prince Dorbah.

Dillingham has proven capable of coaching solid-to-great offenses at multiple stops (Oregon, FSU, Oregon), so ASU’s ceiling this fall likely depends on how well a completely revamped defense (which allowed 35 points per game last season) meshes. 

11. Colorado Buffaloes

The Buffs have dominated headlines in the last week with their impending move to the Big 12 in 2024, but this fall looks like it will be a tough goodbye season in the Pac-12. Either way, though, it’ll be must-watch. 

Deion Sanders has spearheaded the most dramatic roster flip in college football history this offseason, as the Buffs return just three starters off last year’s 1-11 team. Sanders as added close to 70 new players on the roster with his son quarterback Shedeur Sanders and former No. 1 overall recruit Travis Hunter headlining the newcomers. That said, this is a team that looks hard-pressed win more than three or four games. The Buffs’ offensive line and defensive lines remain thin (and undersized) and the schedule is brutal (11 games against Power 5 teams).

12. Stanford Cardinal

The good news is first-year Cardinal head coach Troy Taylor is recruiting well-ahead of most people’s expectations (current No. 22 2024 class, per On3), but this fall looks like it will be a real slog for Stanford. The roster is super thin (fewer than 70 scholarship players) and the program is changing offensive and defensive schemes. Star tailback E.J. Smith and future NFL tight end Ben Yursoek are the lone two returning starters offensively, and there’s an open quarterback battle between  Ari Patu and Justin Lamson — neither of whom provide a ton of upside. 

Defensively, Stanford lost key pieces at all three levels to the transfer portal, and sophomore edge David Bailey (8.5 TFLs, 2.5 sacks) is the lone notable starter back off a unit that was torched for 36 points per game in 2022. Taylor is a quality coach who turned Sacramento State into a FCS contender, and the early returns on the recruiting trail suggest the program could be trending upwards faster than anticipated — just not in 2023.