If you don't like where you are in the power rankings, play better.
See last week's power rankings here.
1. Stanford: No reason to drop the Cardinal after a physically dominant win against UCLA, though the defense wasn't as dominant as it had been with LB Shayne Skov.
2. Oregon: Ducks have extra time after bye week to prepare for California on Thursday. Or is it the other way around?
3. Arizona State: Some might see the sloppy win over Oregon State as a negative. I see it as confirmation. The Sun Devils played poorly and won by 15 points. Questioning that is the way we analyze good teams.
4. Washington: If the defense continues to improve, there's the whiff of "maybe" with this team. As in: "Maybe Stanford and Oregon -- particularly Oregon -- might not want to take the Huskies for granted."
5. USC: Barkley to Woods. Barkley to Woods. That alone means the Trojans are dangerous against any foe.
6. Utah: This optimistically assumes a return of quarterback Jordan Wynn, who hurt his left, non-throwing shoulder against Washington. Without Wynn, the going will be tough for the Utes.
7. California: Bears have extra time after bye week to prepare for Oregon. Or is it the other way around?
8. Washington State: Forget the win at Colorado. (Sure, it was nice, but get over it). Re-focus. One win doesn't make a season or save a coach. Don't stop pressing the gas.
9. UCLA: UCLA has beaten two struggling teams and lost to three unbeaten teams. Are the Bruins mentally tough enough to realize they still have hope?
10. Arizona: The Wildcats have lost to three top-10 teams and a 4-1 USC squad. It's possible this team could rally from a 1-4 start.
11. Colorado: The Washington State loss, particularly how it went down, should hurt. But it will hurt worse to stew and whine. That could lead to a very bad season.
12. Oregon State: The Beavers showed enough at Arizona State to suggest the basement of the Pac-12 isn't a certainty. Now how hard will the Beavers fight to avoid it?
Ted Miller | email
College Football- ESPN.com Pac-12 blogger
- Covered college football since 1997
- Wrote for Seattle Post-Intelligencer
ABOUT THIS BLOG
Ted Miller
Miller has been covering college football since 1997, starting with Auburn and then heading West to Washington and the Pac-12. His columns for the Seattle Post-Intelligencer won first place in the 2007 APSE Best Writing contest. The Atlanta native and University of Richmond graduate presently lives with his wife in Scottsdale, Ariz.
Kevin Gemmell
Gemmell covered San Diego State and the Mountain West Conference for three years before joining ESPN.com. As a Santa Clara graduate, his hope is that the Broncos will one day re-institute football. Until then, he lives vicariously through his readers. Gemmell lives in California with his wife and son.
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