The Pac-12 has had a rough start to the college football season.
In week one, it was the Pac-12 North going 1-5, including Washington losing to FCS Montana and Washington State falling apart against Utah State. Two weeks later, the supposedly-stronger Pac-12 South posted a 1-5 record of its own — of course, the lone win was a conference game. The Pac-12 as a whole is 18-18 on the year.
The pool of Pac-12 champion contenders is shrinking –– or maybe widening –– but one thing is clear: It’s Oregon, then everyone else.
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Oregon | 3-0 (0-0) | Week 3: 48-7 W vs Stony Brook | Week 4: vs Arizona
The Ducks already have one of the most impressive wins in all of college football on their resume and boast the most talent in the conference. They will likely be favored in every remaining matchup this year and sit on a tier of their own in the Pac-12.
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UCLA | 2-1 (0-0) | Week 3: 40-37 L vs Fresno State | Week 4: @ Stanford
The Pac-12’s second-best win belongs to UCLA (38-27 over LSU), who was a trendy pick to win the conference before a wild home loss to Fresno State Saturday night. UCLA faces a menacing schedule going forward, but they still look like the best team in the South division.
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USC | 2-1 (1-1) | Week 3: 45-14 W @ Washington State | Week 4: vs Oregon State
In order for the Pac-12 to regain national relevance, USC needs to be in the national spotlight. It is right now, but for all the wrong reasons. Head coach Clay Helton was fired after capitulating against Stanford at home in week two, so former Oregon assistant Donte Williams now leads the talented Trojans as they try to regroup.
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Stanford | 2-1 (1-0) | Week 3: 41-23 W @ Vanderbilt | Week 4: vs UCLA
A dismal loss to Kansas State in week one confirmed many biases about Stanford being sub-par this season, but David Shaw bounced back with a big win in the LA Coliseum seven days later. The Cardinal will still have to improve if they want to challenge Oregon for the Pac-12 North title.
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Arizona State | 2-1 (0-0) | Week 3: 27-17 L @ BYU | Week 4: vs Colorado
The Sun Devils lost a top-25 visit to BYU last weekend, a team that would be leading the Pac-12 South if it were a member (wins over Arizona, Utah and ASU). With the South division wide open, ASU has an all-important game against Colorado this Saturday.
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Oregon State | 2-1 (0-0) | Week 3: 42-0 W vs Idaho | Week 4: @ USC
Jonathan Smith’s team lands in the top half of these rankings by virtue of not imploding thus far. A loss to Purdue and wins over Hawaii and Idaho went exactly as expected, but opening Pac-12 play with a trip to USC will be a tough test. Still, the path to challenging Oregon in the North is there.
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Washington | 1-2 (0-0) | Week 3: 52-3 W vs Arkansas State | Week 4: vs Cal
Washington owns the most embarrassing loss in FBS college football: Montana 13, UW 7. Its offense finally clicked against Arkansas State, but this still looks like a team fighting for a bowl berth, not a conference title.
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Utah | 1-2 (0-0) | Week 3: 33-30 L @ San Diego State | Week 4: vs Washington State
In week two, Utah lost to its bitter rival BYU for the first time since 2009. In week three, they lost in triple overtime to a Mountain West school. A tough schedule and questions at quarterback await Kyle Whittingham and the Utes in conference play.
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Cal | 1-2 (0-0) | Week 3: 42-30 W vs Sacramento State | Week 4: @ Washington
Cal has been slightly worse than expected, but the ceiling was never very high. Close losses to Nevada and TCU, plus an unconvincing win over Sacramento State, frame Cal as more of a pest than legitimate threat in Pac-12 play. The Golden Bears now face a trip to Montlake, where they have won twice in their last three tries.
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Colorado | 1-2 (0-0) | Week 3: 30-0 L vs Minnesota | Week 4: @ Arizona State
Colorado stunned the nation, nearly beating No. 5 Texas A&M in week two, but getting crushed by a middling Minnesota team this week made it seem like an outlier. Any team that posts 323 yards of offense over two weeks has a lot of work to do — especially one with road games against ASU, Oregon, UCLA and Utah remaining.
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Washington State | 1-2 (0-1) | Week 3: 45-14 L vs USC | Week 4: @ Utah
Wazzu head coach Nick Rolovich dominated offseason headlines for all the wrong reasons, and his team has done little to generate any positive PR on the field. This program may have reached its peak under Mike Leach and is staring down tough times unless they can recruit more talent to the Palouse.
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Arizona | 0-3 (0-0) | Week 3: 21-19 L vs Northern Arizona | Week 4: @ Oregon
With all the disappointment in the Pac-12 this season, no team has been totally winless — except Arizona. If the Wildcats can’t beat an FCS team at home, it’s tough to see them winning any games this season.
