And then there were six.

Following another eventful Pac-12 season, six teams remained in the AP Top 25 poll: Oregon, Arizona, UCLA, Arizona State, Utah and USC. Yes, that’s five from the Pac-12 South Division alone, if you were counting.

It’s safe to say that the Pac-12 was among the top conferences this season. With the inaugural College Football Playoff on the horizon, the Pac-12 will be happily sending one of its own in Oregon. Regardless of whether or not the Ducks take home the hardware, there was a lot to talk and be excited about in the Pac-12.

Are the Trojans back? Is Utah molding into a contender? Are Rich Rodriguez and Wildcats here to stay?

That being said, here are your final Pac-12 power rankings according to Associate Sports Editor Hayden Kim:
1) Oregon Ducks (12-1, 8-1 conference) With a 51-13 win over Arizona — the team that had handed the Ducks their lone loss this season — the Ducks not only sealed the Pac-12 title, but conference royalty. Led by Heisman favorite Marcus Mariota, who was officially announced as a finalist on Dec. 8, the Ducks have had one of their best seasons in program history. And while they will be facing Florida State, which hasn’t lost in its past 29 games in the Rose Bowl, the Pac-12 couldn’t have asked for a better team to try and snap Florida State’s winning streak.
2) Arizona (10-3, 8-2 conference) Any other year and the Wildcats just might be in the inaugural playoffs instead of the Ducks. Under Rich Rodriguez, the Wildcats have become a legitimate contender in the Pac-12 in recent years and it looks like they’re ready to make steady progress. Disregard the 51-13 loss at Levi’s Stadium. The Wildcats were the second best team in the Pac-12 this year.
3) Arizona State (9-3, 6-3 conference) For stretches, it looked like the Sun Devils had a legitimate shot to win this year’s Pac-12 title. Led by quarterback Taylor Kelly and running back D.J. Foster, the Sun Devils were as experienced as they’ve ever been on offense and it showed in their wins against USC, Stanford and Notre Dame — all impressive wins against then-ranked teams. Who knows where they would be without that late year slip up against the Beavers and their closely contested rivalry game with the Wildcats?
4) USC (8-4, 6-3 conference) The Trojans were the best four-loss team in the nation this year, if there even is such a thing. With one of the most talented rosters, the Trojans matched up with virtually every team they faced. They just couldn’t finish out a handful of games. Maybe not this year, but in regards to the near future, look out for the Trojans.
5) UCLA (9-3, 6-3 conference) So, Brett Hundley won’t be headed to the Big Apple after all. The once-considered Heisman candidate is instead preparing for the Valero Alamo Bowl. While the Bruins had talent all across the boards, their two losses to Utah and Stanford were simply too hard to overcome in regards to achieving their goal of contending for a Pac-12 title.
6) Utah (8-4, 5-4 conference) Unlucky is the only way to describe the Utes’ season. Without Kaelin Clay’s premature drop, there really is no telling where the Utes would be right now. I guess the Royal Purple Las Vegas Bowl isn’t too bad this time of year?
The rest of the rankings
7) Stanford (7-5, 5-4 conference)
8) Washington (8-5, 4-5 conference)
9) California (5-7, 3-6 conference)
10) Oregon State (5-7, 2-7 conference)
11) Washington State (3-9, 2-7 conference)
12) Colorado (2-10, 0-9 conference)
Follow Hayden Kim on Twitter @HayDayKim