Tuesday, September 15, 2015

Pac-12 Power Rankings: Los Angeles continues domination, ASU rides the struggle bus and Wazzu beat a Big 10 team

Not a whole lot of movement after week two

1. USC Trojans

Previous Ranking: 1

USC had no trouble against Idaho, and showed no reason to bump them down to the No. 2 spot. UCLA is definitely on their heels though, and could take over the No. 1 spot soon. They get Stanford this week, and that should be an interesting matchup to start off Pac-12 play.

2. UCLA Bruins

Previous Ranking: 2

Another impressive win for UCLA over a decent opponent in UNLV. Josh Rosen continues to lead the offense and impress, scoring 34 and 37 points in his first two games. UNLV probably doesn't have a whole lot of offensive firepower, but the Bruins held their own without Eddie Vanderdoes, limiting the Rebels to only a field goal in the fourth quarter. They get BYU in week 3, and a dominate win over the Cougars might be enough to move them up to No. 1.

3. Oregon Ducks

Previous Ranking: 3

Oregon played Michigan State much closer than I expected. Oregon didn't play that great, and still only lost by three points to a Michigan State team who could rival Ohio State for the Big 10 title. The separation between Oregon, and the 4th best team in this week's power rankings is still large, and Oregon is a quite a ways from catching up to UCLA.

4. Utah Utes

Previous Ranking: 4

Utah just continues to beat respectable opponents. Now, it seems like it's only a matter of time until they start to fall apart, but for now, they've remained consistent. Ranked No. 24 in the nation now, they'll have to take on Fresno State, before looking ahead to a showdown in Eugene come week four.

5. Arizona Wildcats

Previous Ranking: 6

The Nevada game felt much closer than a 24-point game. Rich Rodriguez said he didn't even know who was playing on defense, and I believe him because this is a very heavy, bend-don't-break defense. When it comes time to play Pac-12 teams, especially UCLA, this defense will be exposed.

6. California Golden Bears

Previous Ranking: 7

The California Golden Bears are the only team in the Pac-12 North without a loss after just two weeks. I'm still not entirely sold on Jared Goff potentially being the No. 1 quarterback taken in the 2016 NFL Draft, but he's got the talent and now has a lot of firepower around him. They head to Texas in week three, and that will be an interesting game, and a big win could move the Bears up.

7. Arizona State Sun Devils

Previous Ranking: 5

I can't imagine that there are too many Sun Devil fans that are cheery about their performances to start the season. Once tied with Cal Poly in the third quarter, ASU apparently looked just as bad as they did vs Texas A&M. Cal Poly gave them a bit of trouble, and they get New Mexico this week, so who knows what will happen.

8. Stanford Cardinal

Previous Ranking: 10

Stanford redeemed themselves a bit with a with a 31-7 win over UCF, who also lost to Florida International in week one. That seems much more typical of the Cardinal, putting together some points and keeping their opponent under 10. They'll get USC this week, and that could be huge in determining how good both teams are. Stanford typically plays them tough, but this team isn't nearly as competitive as they have been over the last six years or so.

9. Washington Huskies

Previous Ranking: 8

They shut out Sacramento State 49-0. They played Boise State tough in week one, and the win over Sac State makes me believe they're better than a few other teams in the Pac-12. Still not seen as a threat in the Pac-12 North, the Huskies will be a work in progress all season long, and could be improved by the time Arizona heads to Seattle.

10. Oregon State Beavers

Previous Ranking: 9

Oregon State put up a decent fight at Michigan for about a half, and some costly penalties and poor special teams play doomed them. I was very impressed with Seth Collins at quarterback, who could turn out to be something in a few years. With San Jose State coming up, this could be a close game, which is saddening to say about a Pac-12 team like Oregon State.

11. Washington State Cougars

Previous Ranking: 12

Washington State actually beat a power five team with their win over Rutgers. I give mad respect to the Cougars to head to Rutgers and win on the final possession of the game. That warrants the move up to 11, despite their week one loss at home to Portland State. Luke Falk is an absolute machine when it comes to throwing up to 60 times a game, and he could single handedly pick apart a sleeping defense. Wazzu takes on Wyoming, so there's another solid chance for the Cougs to win.

12. Colorado Buffaloes

Previous Ranking: 11

Colorado did beat UMass, but a win over Rutgers is much more valuable, so down goes Colorado. The Buffs will host Colorado State, who played Minnesota close, who played TCU close. So by this logic, Colorado might be doomed.



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