Pac-12 Power Rankings updated after Week 13 of college football
Welcome back, folks, to the final edition of On3’s 2023 Pac-12 power rankings. For one last time, we’re looking back at the 13th week of action in the conference.
As we addressed last week, Washington went into their 12th game of the season already having their spot in the league title game locked down. However, the Apple Cup was still full of fireworks while Oregon drilled rival Oregon State at home to set up a rematch between the Ducks in Huskies for all the marbles in the Pac-12 Championship. Read about those two teams and check out the entire Pac-12 Power Rankings below now that the regular season is over.
Format: Team (Record) (Movement in Rankings vs. Last Week)
1. Oregon (11-1)
Won 31-7 vs. Oregon State — Oregon continued its dominant play in the back half of Pac-12 play, hammering rival Oregon State 31-7 to book their trip to the conference title game. Now, they’ll face Washington for all the marbles: a Pac-12 title in both clubs’ final year in the league, and more importantly, a likely spot in the College Football Playoff.
As for this past weekend, Bo Nix certainly kept pace in the Heisman race by smashing through the dam against a respectable Beaver defense. He threw for 367 yards and a pair of touchdowns while the Ducks became the first Oregon State opponent to hit the 30-point mark in six games.
2. Washington (12-0)
Won 24-21 vs. Washington State — An undefeated 12-0 record speaks for itself, but that figure doesn’t nearly encapsulate the roller-coaster journey Washington took to produce such a momentous season. Kalen DeBoer showed off daredevil flare in the Huskies’ latest close win in the Apple Cup over rival Washington State, dialing up a double-reverse on a fourth down deep in UW’s own territory. But it worked to perfection, helping set Washington up for the game-winning field goal which produced the scene you see above.
The Apple Cup victory was particularly dramatic, but those sort of endings are par for the course with Washington. For instance, they’ve won their last four games by a combined 22 points, which is less than the 24-point margin Oregon just beat Oregon State by. With such results, the Ducks are sizeable favorites in the rematch, but is Vegas counting out this plucky yet elite Husky team?
3. Arizona (9-3)
Won 59-23 at Arizona State — When Arizona remained competitive in one-possession losses to USC and Washington, the sign was clear that Jedd Fisch’s club was not quite the bottom-tier Pac-12 team they were thought to be. But what followed, even the most optimistic Wildcat fan could not have forecasted.
With backup quarterback Noah Fifita inserted in place of starter Jaylen de Laura, what seemed like a possible doomsday scenario turned out to be the ultimate spark, as Fifita proceeded to power Arizona to six straight wins to end the year, all over Pac-12 foes, as the ‘Cats finished 9-3. His best performance in a year full of great ones came in the Territorial Cup vs. Arizona State, where he sailed the pigskin for 527 yards and five touchdowns. This kid is a star.
4. Oregon State (8-4)
Lost 31-7 at Oregon State — What a difference eight days can make for a college football program. Oregon State fans woke up Saturday morning Nov. 18 with the opportunities to beat Washington and Oregon to finish 10-2 with a potential Pac-12 title appearance on the way.
But by the next Saturday, Oregon State had suffered their second consecutive loss, a 31-7 beatdown at the hands of rival Oregon, and then were left at the altar by head coach Jonathan Smith, who abandoned his alma mater, an Oregon State program heading into conference limbo, to go coach a semi-decent Big Ten program. They do finish fourth in the strongest Pac-12 in years, but it’s fair to wonder what in the world is next for this football team.
5. Utah (8-4)
Won 23-17 vs. Colorado — Utah suffered Murphy’s Law type of luck at the quarterback spot this year but still finished with a strong 8-4 record in a terrific year for the Pac-12. Plus, there’s reason for excitement next season as Utah moves to the Big 12 while that guy pictured above, quarterback Cam Rising, has announced he plans to return to the Utes after having to miss the entire 2023 season.
Defensively, Utah featured a nasty defensive unit all year long while piecing things together offensively and shuffling through quarterbacks — like Iowa’s re-shaded cousin. Unfortunately, though, Utah is not just fifth in these rankings but probably fifth in the bowl assignment pecking order for the conference thanks to losses to the No. 3 and No. 4 teams.
6. California (6-6) (+2)
Won 33-7 at UCLA — There was a time when these same California Golden Bears lost four straight games and bottomed out in the Pac-12 Power Rankings at dead last following their ninth game of the year. Three weeks later and Cal has stormed all the way into the top half of the rankings to end the season.
Give Justin Wilcox all the credit in the world, because he kept these guys believing in bowl eligibility despite a treacherous three-game stretch ending in a road trip to UCLA. Turns out, that was the easiest test of the bunch as Cal ended a bad year for Chip Kelly with a 26-point slaughter on the Bruins’ home field.
7. UCLA (7-5) (-1)
Lost 33-7 vs. California — This UCLA team was just wacky. Coming off a strong 2022 season, the Bruins got plenty of credit coming into this fall and even looked the part through about half the season. But once the real tests came, UCLA wilted. However, they still strung together good performances in wins over San Diego State, Stanford and USC.
Ultimately, the offense sputtered and the entire team just didn’t come to play in the team’s final two home games of the season against Arizona State and California, a pair of opponents who spent most of the year at the bottom of these rankings but came alive to beat the Bruins on their home field. What a disappointing end to the season.
8. USC (7-5) (-1)
Bye — Speaking of disappointing finishes, USC could take the cake in that department, as they also fell apart like their LA-based rivals. Except, it was a reeling UCLA club who went on the road and busted the Trojans up for a 38-20 win last weekend, the most points the Bruins put up against any FBS team aside from Stanford.
Caleb Williams now departs to likely be the No. 1 overall pick in the NFL Draft and will go inside the top-five at the absolute worst, which leaves Lincoln Riley without a quarterback and also replacing a defensive coordinator following a truly disastrous season on that side of the ball. We know Riley can come up with elite talent at QB and WR for next season. But the question is: if he couldn’t win big with guys like Williams and Jordan Addison at those spots, who can he win with?
9. Washington State (5-7)
Lost 24-21 at Washington — Washington State’s major mid-season slide gave way to a respectable end of the year as the Cougars snapped their six-game skid to pummel Colorado 56-14 in Week 12. Then, this weekend, Wazzu traveled to Washington and gave the undefeated Huskies yet another run for their money — but like they have all year, UW found the plays needed to win the ball game.
Still, it’s a disappointing 5-7 finish for WSU after they began the year 4-0 with a win over a good Oregon State team. Entering the offseason, questions about the team certainly exist, but like Oregon State, it’s fair to wonder what Washington State’s spot in the national landscape looks like going forward.
10. Colorado (4-8) (+1)
Lost 23-17 at Utah — On3 staff writer Dan Morrison joked that Shedeur Sanders literally broke his back carrying the Buffaloes this year — which he did. Sanders officially suffered a fractured back in the season finale vs. Utah as CU still put up a commendable performance against the gnarly Utes but ultimately furthered tumbled in their final game to finish 4-8 on the year and 1-8 in the Pac-12.
Going back to Sanders, the coach’s son was really a lone shining light during this Colorado season. Defensive woes and a severe lack of depth or talent on that end was obvious from the TCU game. Offensive line issues showed up as conference play began and was exposed greatly in games against the elites of the league, sending Sanders running for his life as he still showcased talent that has intrigued NFL scouts. Hopefully, with a better defense, better protection and still plenty of weapons, Sanders the QB can have a more normal 2024 season.
11. Stanford (3-9) (-1)
Lost 56-23 vs. Notre Dame — The Cardinal took one lick after another against rival Notre Dame on Saturday as the Irish breezed to a 56-23 victory that looked like many of Stanford’s Pac-12 losses. It was actually their ninth of the year, giving Troy Taylor a 3-9 mark in his first year to follow up the pair of 3-9 years David Shaw produced in his final two.
Obviously, Taylor will be back, but Stanford are surely sick of these 3-9 finishes. Heck, the program hasn’t ended a season with more than four victories since 2018, when they won nine games and surpassed the four-win total for the 11th consecutive season.
12. Arizona State (3-9)
Lost 59-23 vs. Arizona — ASU may have finished in dead last, and 2023 was an abysmal year by basically any measure, but the Sun Devils at least showed some promise to end the season. They were one of many to give Washington a genuine scare, beat Washington State and scored a victory at UCLA.
Granted, the year has ended on a down turn with a 52-point loss to Utah and 36-point losses to Oregon and Arizona in three of the final four weeks. However, there’s young talent on the roaster and in the coaching staff that could give ASU a better chance in 2024, their first with the Big 12.