Pac-12 Power Rankings: Week 9

North

1. Oregon (7-1, 4-1 Pac-12) Previous position: 1

Another week, another big win. Oregon dropped 59 on Cal Friday to cement its place atop the Pac-12 North and inched a step closer to the College Football Playoff in the process. At No. 5, the Ducks are just one spot away from being included in the playoffs. And given that three of the top four teams are from the SEC and the committee may want to spread the playoff berths out among different conferences, Oregon has a great shot of making it.

2. Stanford (5-3, 3-2) Previous position: 2

Here’s how weak the Pac-12 North is besides Oregon: Stanford would be ranked sixth on this list if it were part of the Pac-12 South. Still, Stanford had its second-best offensive performance of the season on Saturday, scoring 38 points against Oregon State. It was a good rebound from the season-worst performance the week earlier, a 26-10 loss to Arizona State. The Cardinal will need their offense to show up for the remainder of the season, as three of their final four games come against ranked opponents.

3. Washington (5-3, 1-3) Previous position: 3

Even coming off a pair of double-digit losses, the Huskies don’t drop in these rankings. In Washington’s defense, those two games were against Oregon and Arizona State, two of the Pac-12’s best, and in the Arizona State loss, Washington played without its starting quarterback, Cyler Miles, who suffered a concussion against Oregon. Miles is expected to return next week against Colorado, which should help Washington get back on track.

4. Cal (4-4, 2-4) Previous position: 5

After jumping out to a 4-1 record, the Golden Bears are starting to show their true colors with three straight losses. This team clearly knows how to score points, averaging 41.5 per game, but until they can keep opposing offenses from looking even better than that, the Golden Bears are going to struggle. Cal is certainly much improved from last year, but coach Sonny Dykes still has yet to beat a Pac-12 team that isn’t as lowly regarded as Colorado or Washington State.

5. Oregon State (4-3, 1-3) Previous position: 4

After losing three of their past four games, the Beavers have clearly taken a big step backward this year. Oregon State’s lone conference win was just a five-point victory over Colorado. The good news is Oregon State still has five games left to get back on track and faces Cal and Washington State – two vulnerable teams – in the next two weeks.

6. Washington State (2-6, 1-4) Previous position: 6

The Cougars continue to put up big passing numbers and do little of anything else. Quarterback Connor Halliday had 489 passing yards on Saturday, but Washington State still got blown out by Arizona. For a team that hasn’t had a winning record since 2003 and is losing its best player in Halliday after this season, the future continues to look bleak for the Cougars.

South

1. Arizona (6-1, 3-1) Previous position: 2

With a 59-37 win over Washington State, Arizona continues to be a revelation this season. Despite losing top players at critical positions last year in running back Ka’Deem Carey and quarterback B.J. Denker, the Wildcats have somehow emerged in even better condition. Redshirt freshman Anu Solomon has been an upgrade quarterback with 20 touchdown passes and just four interceptions, and freshman running back Nick Wilson has had a very solid start to his career. With that young core, the Wildcats could be a tough team to play against for several years.

2. Arizona State (6-1, 4-1) Previous position: 4

When Arizona State was blown out by UCLA a month ago, it looked like the Sun Devils’ season was about to fall apart. They lost their starting quarterback and their running back, who had been among the nation’s leaders, and had a drop off in production. But three convincing wins later, Arizona State looks as strong as it has all year. The Sun Devils’ defense, which had been shaky, held Stanford and Washington to just 10 points the past two weeks. But with three of its final five games against ranked opponents, Arizona State’s true test is coming.

3. Utah (6-1, 3-1) Previous position: 3

As impressive as the Utes have been, it comes with a slight caveat: they haven’t had the toughest of schedules up to this point. Sure, Utah beat then-No. 8 UCLA and then-No. 20 USC, but the Bruins have slipped to No. 25 and USC is no longer ranked. Still, there’s no denying Utah’s toughness. Utah has battled for wins the past three weeks by a combined 11 points.

4. UCLA (6-2, 3-2) Previous position: 5

It’s amazing how expectations can alter reality. Just like Utah, UCLA has had its fair share of close wins. But instead of being praised for that, the Bruins have been attacked. It’s only partially unfair. On paper, UCLA has way more talent than it has shown in many of its games, and having to go to double overtime to scrape by a struggling Colorado team isn’t overly encouraging. But still, UCLA is 6-2 and still in the mix for the Pac-12 South crown, though it doesn’t control its own destiny.

5. USC (5-3, 4-2) Previous position: 1

Like the Bruins, the Trojans have so much more talent than their record indicates. But at the same time, USC can consider itself lucky it doesn’t have just three wins right now. In its 13-10 win over Stanford, the Cardinal squandered several golden red zone opportunities that could have put them in front. And USC only barely squeaked out a 28-26 win against Arizona when the Wildcats missed a last-second field goal.

6. Colorado (2-6, 0-5) Previous position: 6

The Buffaloes have come tantalizingly close to earning their first Pac-12 win several times this season. First was the 59-56 double overtime loss to Cal. The week later, Colorado lost to Oregon State by just five points. Then most recently, the Buffaloes took the Bruins to double overtime and might have won in regulation if not for poor clock management at the end of the first half. But in the end, Colorado is still winless in the conference and mired in another lost season.