Pac-12 power rankings: No questions atop conference after Stanford's overtime thriller
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Dominic Baciocco
Sports producer
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The Star’s panel of Michael Lev, Ryan Finley, Justin Spears and Dominic Baciocco takes its swing at the latest batch of power rankings. Baciocco compiles the votes and hashes out the weekly results below.
1. Stanford Cardinal (4-0, 2-0 Pac-12; previous rank: 1)
UpdatedLast week: Beat Oregon in OT, 38-31
This week: at No. 8 Notre Dame, 4:30 p.m. Saturday
Stanford’s offense is as reliable and efficient as any in the conference and, despite a slow start in Eugene, it bounced back with a 24-point second half of its own to force overtime — and then beat the Ducks. The focus here is on the Cardinal defense, which entered Saturday allowing just over seven points per game, best in the country. The 31 it surrendered to an equally potent Ducks offense was a far cry from what Stanford is accustomed to. But its showing in the second half and OT — allowing Oregon seven points and forcing three turnovers — proved how legitimate Stanford is. Bryce Love and a dangerous defense will spell trouble for any opponent in the Cardinal’s way, making it an overwhelming favorite in the Pac-12.
2. Washington Huskies (3-1, 2-0 Pac-12; previous rank: 2)
UpdatedLast week: Beat Arizona State, 27-20
This week: No. 20 BYU, 5:30 p.m. Saturday
Jake Browning and Myles Gaskin were effective enough last weekend, and the Huskies shut down Manny Wilkins and ASU to stay on track in conference play. Browning’s clean stat sheet — three touchdowns to no interceptions — is all Washington needs to stay competitive. On Saturday, Browning joined Cody Pickett as the only UW quarterbacks to top 10,000 passing yards in his career. Ben Burr-Kirven had 20 tackles — yes, twenty — as well as a pair of forced fumbles and a fumble recovery. Talk about defensive player of the week. The Huskies have one more hurdle — a game against ranked BYU — before entering the heart of the Pac-12 schedule. They’re starting to look like the Washington team some projected as a College Football Playoff contender.
3. Oregon Ducks (3-1, 0-1; previous rank: 3)
UpdatedLast week: Lost to Stanford in OT, 38-31
This week: at No. 24 Cal, 7:30 p.m. Saturday
Do Ducks have knees? Oregon coach Mario Cristobal didn’t think so with his team holding a late lead — and the ball — against Stanford. Cristobal elected to run the ball near midfield in the final minute of regulation, and a CJ Verdell fumble led to a Stanford field goal that forced overtime. After wins over Bowling Green, Portland State and San Jose State to open the season, Oregon flopped in its first real test. The Ducks take their first road trip of the season this week to a ranked Cal team.
4. Colorado Buffaloes (3-0; previous rank: 4)
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Colorado receiver Laviska Shenault Jr. will look to stay hot when the Buffs host UCLA for the teams' Pac-12 opener.
Last week: Bye
This week: UCLA, 6 p.m. Friday
A Week 2 win at rival Nebraska lost some luster when the Cornhuskers continued to lose. Mike MacIntyre’s squad should be able to keep a clean resume as it opens conference play with home games against UCLA and Arizona State. It’ll be tough to get a read on this team until it travels to USC on Oct. 13, but the early returns — no matter the competition — have been promising.
5. Cal Golden Bears (3-0; previous rank: 6)
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Head coach Justin Wilcox seems to have the Golden Bears on the brink of a breakthrough.
Last week: Bye
This week: No. 19 Oregon, 7:30 p.m. Saturday
The Golden Bears have been the surprise of the Pac-12 through four weeks. While few expect this team to hang with Stanford or Washington in the Pac-12 North, a win over Oregon this week could open some eyes.
6. USC Trojans (2-2, 1-1 Pac-12; previous rank: 9)
UpdatedLast week: Beat Washington State, 39-36
This week: at Arizona, 7:30 p.m. Saturday
The Trojans got back into the win column, but didn’t look pretty doing it. Friday’s win over Wazzu marked JT Daniels’ best game to date, as the 18-year-old true freshman threw for 241 yards and three touchdowns. Should USC go on to win the Pac-12 South, we’ll likely look back at this game as the turning point. Daniels and company must decipher a vulnerable Arizona defense this week to stay the course.
7. Utah Utes (2-1, 0-1 Pac-12; previous rank: 5)
UpdatedLast week: Bye
This week: at Washington State, 3 p.m. Saturday
The Utes still seem like a team waiting to reach its full potential. Beating Washington State in Pullman wouldn’t turn any heads or pop any eyes, but it would provide some confidence heading into what could be a season-defining game at Stanford next week.
8. Arizona Wildcats (2-2, 1-0; previous rank: 10)
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Arizona's J.J. Taylor has earned a spot on the preseason watch lists for the Doak Walker and Maxwell awards.
Last week: Beat Oregon State, 35-14
This week: USC, 7:30 p.m. Saturday
It’s difficult to garner anything from a win over Oregon State, but Arizona at least showed it could compete in the Pac-12 South following a less-than-ideal nonconference showing. Khalil Tate likely won’t be the Tate of old until he gains confidence running on a bum ankle that has given him fits for weeks. But give him credit: Since injuring his leg at Houston almost three weeks ago, Tate has thrown for 501 yards and seven touchdowns with no interceptions. His nine total rushing yards on eight carries over that span are certainly concerning, but Tate has showed Arizona can remain in the Pac-12 South race for as long as he’s taking care of the ball. A tough home test against USC will result in more accurate expectations for the rest of the year.
9. Washington State Cougars (2-1, 0-1; previous rank: 7)
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Washington State's Gardner Minshew, a grad transfer, has been one of the Pac-12's more prolific passers through the first four weeks.
Last week: Lost to USC, 39-36
This week: Utah, 3 p.m. Saturday
Graduate transfer Gardner Minshew has thrown for at least 300 yards on more than 50 attempts in each of his first four games as a Cougar, and has completed no fewer than 34 passes. It’s difficult to imagine that type of sustained volume for the entire season. Former Cougar and the Pac-12’s all-time leading passer Luke Falk threw 50 passes in just three games last year. Still, Minshew has been as impressive as any quarterback in the conference, and has Wazzu poised to do some damage if it can get past Utah this week.
10. Arizona State Sun Devils (2-1; previous rank: 8)
UpdatedLast week: Lost to Washington, 27-20
This week: Oregon State, 7 p.m. Saturday
The Sun Devils’ 164 rushing yards at Washington were more than twice as many as their previous two games combined (80). But Herm Edwards’ strategy to keep the ball away from the Huskies may have backfired. Quarterback Manny Wilkins managed just 104 passing yards in ASU’s loss, the worst performance of his career in games that he’s both started and finished. Expect Wilkins to throw more — and star receiver N’Keal Harry to catch more — this week.
11. UCLA Bruins (0-3; previous rank: 11)
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UCLA quarterback Dorian Thompson-Robinson, right, has yet to lead the Bruins to victory in the absence of Week 1 starter Wilton Speight.
Last week: Bye
This week: at Colorado, 6 p.m. Friday
There’s no telling what UCLA’s offense could be capable of under freshman Dorian Thompson-Robinson, but his first two starts left the program inching away from relevancy and toward the big red panic button. The Bruins visit Boulder, where Colorado has amassed 1,087 yards of offense in two games this year. It’d be a minor miracle if UCLA could keep up, regardless of who plays at quarterback.
12. Oregon State Beavers (1-3, 0-1; previous rank: 11)
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Jermar Jefferson remains a bright spot among the Oregon State Beavers as the program searches for a Pac-12 win.
Last week: Lost to Arizona, 35-14
This week: at Arizona State, 7 p.m. Saturday
While Arizona handled Oregon State for much of the day, J.J. Taylor and Jermar Jefferson were having their own battle of sorts. Jefferson entered the contest as the Pac-12’s leading rusher, but a couple long Taylor bursts en route to a career day gave the Wildcats running back the edge by four yards (477-473). It’s another subtle loss in the Beaver’s prolonged search for a Pac-12 win that now spans 10 games. Still, Jefferson is a bright spot and a reason to believe Oregon State could find its way back into the win column by year’s end.
Dominic Baciocco
Sports producer
