Pac-12 Power Rankings: Oregon Ducks now undisputed No. 1 team out west
Despite two of the top four teams in the conference not playing on Saturday, this was one of the more impactful days of the year in the Pac-12 conference.
It solidified what fans in Eugene have felt for a few weeks now — the Oregon Ducks are the best team out west.
With the No. 9 Ducks’ 45-30 dismantling of the No. 10 UCLA Bruins, it’s clear that Dan Lanning’s squad holds the top spot in the power rankings for the second week in a row, and gives them pole-position in the race to get to the Pac-12 Championship game.
Both USC and Utah were on bye weeks after the Utes’ upset over the Trojans last week, so there was no movement there. However, teams like Oregon State, Washington and — shockingly — Stanford all pulled off important victories.
It caused a bit of a shakeup in the bottom-half of the standings. Here is where everything lies after Week 8 of action in the Pac-12.
Colorado Buffaloes (1-6, 1-3) (Last Week: 12)
(AP Photo/David Zalubowski)
Week 8 Result: 42-9 Loss vs. Oregon State
Nothing groundbreaking here. The Buffs were able to pull out a win over California last week, but they got in the way of a hungry Oregon State team on Saturday and couldn’t get much going. They remain in the basement of the conference.
Arizona State Sun Devils (2-5, 1-3) (Last Week: 8)
Joe Camporeale-USA TODAY Sports
Week 8 Result: 15-14 Loss vs. Stanford
Things are just getting worse down in Tempe. An ugly loss to Stanford is one of the lower points of the year for Arizona State, which is saying something when your coach has already been fired and you have a loss to Eastern Michigan on the record.
California Golden Bears (3-4, 1-3) (Last Week: 11)
Photo by Thearon W. Henderson/Getty Images)
Week 8 Result: 28-21 Loss to Washington
Arizona Wildcats (3-4, 1-3) (Last Week: 9)
Mark J. Rebilas-USA TODAY Sports
Week 8 Result: BYE
The Wildcats didn’t move in the rankings after a bye, but they’ve got a tough matchup next week vs. USC.
Stanford Cardinal (3-4, 1-4) (Last Week: 10)
Darren Yamashita-USA TODAY Sports
Week 8 Result: 15-14 Win vs. Arizona State
This is the second week in a row that Stanford has moved up in the rankings. Last week they shocked everyone by beating Notre Dame, and this week they pulled out a victory against Arizona State. Credit to you, David Shaw.
Washington State Cougars (4-3, 1-3) (Last Week: 7)
James Snook-USA TODAY Sports
Week 8 Result: BYE
The Wildcats didn’t move in the rankings after a bye, but they’ve got a tough matchup next week vs. Utah.
Washington Huskies (6-2, 3-2) (Last Week: 5)
Joe Camporeale-USA TODAY Sports
Week 8 Result: 28-21 Win vs. California
It wasn’t pretty, but Washington figured out a way to win against California on Saturday night when few people were watching. Now they head into a bye with a potential — albeit unlikely — run at the Pac-12 Championship still alive.
Oregon State Beavers (6-2, 3-2) (Last Week: 6)
Soobum Im-USA TODAY Sports
Week 8 Result: 42-9 Win vs. Colorado
This Beavers team continues to impress. Sure, it was against Colorado, but Jonathan Smith’s squad blew out the Buffs and became bowl eligible before October is even over. That may not seem like a big deal, but for an Oregon State program that has struggled as of late, it’s worth celebrating.
USC Trojans (6-1, 4-1) (Last Week: 4)
(Photo by Ronald Martinez/Getty Images)
Week 8 Result: BYE
It feels crazy to rank USC as the No. 4 team, but I couldn’t bring myself to put them higher. You can’t rank them ahead of Utah, who just beat them, and I struggled to drop UCLA down to 4 after the loss to Oregon because the Bruins still beat Utah a couple of weeks ago. The 2-through-4 spots in the Pac-12 feel pretty fluid.
Utah Utes (5-2, 3-1) (Last Week: 3)
(Photo by Chris Gardner/ Getty Images)
Week 8 Result: BYE
As I said, 2-through-4 is pretty fluid. Utah beat USC but lost to UCLA. They’ve got a few easy games on the docket before a showdown with Oregon on November 19.
UCLA Bruins (6-1, 3-1) (Last Week: 2)
Troy Wayrynen-USA TODAY Sports
Week 8 Result: 45-30 Loss vs. Oregon
UCLA got pummeled by Oregon, but I think that was more of a product of the Ducks’ great play rather than the Bruins not being good. Chip Kelly has things going in the right direction, and UCLA is still in line to make it to the Pac-12 Championship Game should they avoid another stumble.
Oregon Ducks (6-1, 4-0) (Last Week: 1)
Troy Wayrynen-USA TODAY Sports
Week 8 Result: 45-30 Win vs. UCLA
If spots 2-through-4 in the Pac-12 are fluid, it’s because the Ducks took the No. 1 spot in the rankings and ran away with it. We knew that the winner of Oregon vs. UCLA would be the top dog in this week’s rankings, and the Ducks left little doubt. They are now in pole-position to make it to the Pac-12 Championship Game, and could potentially be knocking on the door of a College Football Playoff berth should things break the right way.
