Halfway Point: Pac-12 Power Rankings
Well college football fans, we have a chance to catch our breath. The Ducks got really lucky with a much needed bye right at the mid-way point.
They get this week off then host the UCLA Bruins for a top-15 showdown.
The Pac-12 conference is good this year. As good as I can recall in some time. And not good because they have a single good team, rather they have several that are playing really good football. I still don’t think anyone can touch Georgia, and yes that includes Alabama who looks somewhat pedestrian this year. But they are still better than most.
Here are my Pac-12 power rankings. Which really boils down to the elites in the top three and a mix of teams putting themselves in shape for a bowl game, then Stanford and Colorado ready to start 2023 already.
- USC – Gotta give the Trojans the top spot currently. They are 6-0 and have a Heisman-candidate at quarterback. We’ll find out more about USC this week as they face Utah.
- UCLA – This is 1A and 1B. And they’ll separate themselves in the coming weeks. For UCLA, they really only have Oregon and USC left on the schedule to worry about.
- Oregon – Right where they should be. Keep winning and see what happens with the two L.A. schools. Obviously you have a chance to leapfrog UCLA next week.
- Utah – Call it 4A and 4B for me. But I’ll give the Utes the edge for now. But again, they have the Trojans this week. They’re likely either going up or going down this week.
- Washington State – Really it’s 4B. I like the Cougs. And after Utah next week, they have a ‘winnable’ schedule the rest of the way.
- Oregon State – This is the team you hate to play. They are tough and will make you earn it. The Wazzu vs OSU game this week is a highly intriguing matchup.
- Washington – A couple weeks ago the Huskies were ‘back.’ Now it’s not looking quite as rosy. Still a good team, but also with some flaws. The Huskies two toughest remaining games (Oregon, WSU) are both on the road.
- Cal – Again with an 8A and 8B here. I’ll give Cal the edge because their lone Pac-12 win is over Arizona.
- Arizona – This 8B also only has one conference win and it’s over Colorado so there you go. Still I think if they are hitting offensively, they can beat everyone below them.
- Arizona State – Nice win for Shaun Aguano beating the Huskies. But you lost to Eastern Michigan so I’m putting you at 10 for now.
- Stanford – How the mighty have fallen. That Oregon State loss last week had to be an absolute gut-punch.
- Colorado – Just forfeit and save your travel budget.
