With September nearing its end and fall weather out in force, conference play has begun in earnest for each team in the Pac-12. Some squads, like Stanford, Arizona State and Washington, are off to rousing starts. Others, such as Arizona and Oregon State, are desperately searching for answers. With Oregon enjoying its bye week, the Oregon Daily Emerald ranked each Pac-12 team based on its play thus far. What follows is the first edition of the 2011 Emerald Power Rankings:
1. Stanford (3-0, 1-0 Pac-12)
The Cardinal had a bye this past weekend, and last played on Sept. 17 against Arizona. Andrew Luck and company cruised to a 37-10 victory, but the evening was marred by a season-ending injury to junior linebacker Shayne Skov. Through Stanford’s first three games, Skov led the team in tackles with 19, including five for a loss and 1.5 sacks.
So why is Stanford still number one? Well, last we checked, Heisman front-runner Luck is still on the roster and the Cardinal remains undefeated. Head coach David Shaw’s squad also ranks first in the Pac-12 in scoring defense (9.0 points per game) and total defense (301.7 yards per game). Oregon may well defeat Stanford when they match up later in the year, but for now, the top spot is the Cardinal’s to lose.
2. Oregon (3-1, 1-0 Pac-12)
After falling flat in the season-opener against LSU, Oregon couldn’t have looked much better in the following three games. Nevada and Missouri State were completely outclassed, and the Oregon offense made Arizona look like an FCS team in its own building. To no one’s surprise, the Ducks are scoring at a prolific rate (a Pac-12-leading 52.0 points per game) and LaMichael James is doing everything he can to force himself back into the Heisman race.
The defense remains somewhat shaky and will certainly have to shape up before matching up with teams like Arizona State and Stanford. But all signs point to another special season for Oregon and a loss to what is now the top team in the nation is nothing to be ashamed of.
3. Arizona State (3-1, 1-0 Pac-12)
What a quintessential Arizona State team this is. Talent-wise, it is capable of beating just about anybody. They’re big, fast and intimidating. Linebacker Vontaze Burfict instills the fear of God in opposing quarterbacks, and they have a competent quarterback in Brock Osweiler. With victories over then-No. 21 Missouri and then-No. 23 USC, head coach Dennis Erickson has proven that his team is legitimate.
But then you look at the Illinois game. Sure, it was on the road in a hostile environment, but there’s no excuse for a team as skilled as Arizona State to put up 14 points in a losing effort against a middling Illinois team. The success of this Arizona State team is truly defined on a week-to-week basis and number three is about as high as it will get on this list.

4. Washington (3-1, 1-0)
There’s something feisty about this Washington team. It’s hard to define, and there’s a distinct possibility that we’re overrating a team that barely squeaked by California last week at home, but here are the facts: Washington is 3-1 and Keith Price has proven a worthy replacement to Jake Locker, throwing 14 touchdowns compared to just three interceptions so far. Running back Chris Polk is third in the conference in rushing (105.5 yards per game), and the Huskies put up 38 points against one of the nation’s top defensive units in Nebraska.
The talent is there, and it’s easy to see a team like Oregon coming into Husky Stadium and getting a run for its money. But Washington still has holes, particularly on defense (33.3 points given up per game), and it will likely be another few years before the Huskies compete for a conference crown.
5. USC (3-1, 1-1 Pac-12)
We were this close to putting Washington State here ahead of the Trojans, if only because it would be a first in the history of Pac-12 power rankings. But, despite a truly ugly loss to Arizona State last weekend, it’s hard to imagine a team as talented as USC losing to the Cougars.
Make no mistake though, the Trojans are here more by default than true merit. It’s time to wonder whether Matt Barkley will ever be consistently dominant at the quarterback position, as many expected when he arrived on campus. The defense is average at best. And, well, Lane Kiffin is still the head coach. Barring any unforeseen changes, it’s hard to see the Trojans climbing out of this hole anytime soon.
6. Utah (2-1, 0-1 Pac-12)
The Utes suffered a disappointing loss to USC in their first ever Pac-12 game, but bounced back nicely with a dominant 54-10 victory on the road over BYU. The defense has been stout, allowing just 14.3 points per game, and Utah could easily scoot up these rankings with wins against Washington and Arizona State in the next two weeks.
7. Washington State (2-1, 0-0 Pac-12)
If we told you the Cougars are ranked fourthin the nation in passing yards per game (380.0) and fifth in points per game (49.0), what would you do? Laugh? Cry? Do both simultaneously? Well, it’s true, though a closer look shows these statistics can be deceiving. Washington State has yet to play a conference game and its scoring numbers are enhanced largely by wins over Idaho State (64 points) and UNLV (59 points). The Cougars scored just 24 points in a loss to San Diego State on Sept. 17 and the numbers will likely continue to drop as the season goes on.
In other words, Washington State is still, for the most part, irrelevant.
8. California (3-1, 0-1 Pac-12)
After a 3-0 start against teams that ranged from mediocre to awful, the Golden Bears fell back to earth with a loss on the road to Washington. The seemingly interminable Kevin Riley era is over, but junior Zach Maynard doesn’t bring much more to the quarterback position. California has two nationally televised games in a row coming up against Oregon and USC and could suffer blowouts in both.
9. UCLA (2-2, 1-0 Pac-12)
Because the Bruins’ only conference win came against Oregon State, it really only counts as half a win. The next five games for the Bruins look brutal, beginning with a trip to Stanford and ending at home versus Arizona State. There’s a significant chance that they will lose all five games. Let’s move on.
10. Colorado (2-1, 0-1 Pac-12)
We almost forgot to include the Buffaloes in these rankings, which says just about all you need to know about their standing in the conference.
11. Arizona (1-3, 0-2 Pac-12)
You can gauge the state of Arizona football simply by looking at the color of Mike Stoops’ game face. Since it bordered on scarlet against Oregon last weekend, I’ll let you decide how much trouble the Wildcats are in.
12. Oregon State (0-3, 0-1 Pac-12)
We say this without a hint of sarcasm or elitism: The Beavers might actually go winless this year.