Pac-12 Power Rankings: UCLA Surges, Utah Clanks

September 8, 2012; Pasadena, CA, USA; UCLA Bruins running back Johnathan Franklin (23) celebrates after scoring a touchdown against the Nebraska Cornhuskers during the second half at the Rose Bowl. Mandatory Credit: Gary A. Vasquez-US PRESSWIRE

Here’s the power rankings from the Autzen Zoo staff after Week 2. It was a great Saturday for most Pac-12 teams, causing a bit of a mix-up in the rankings.

Utah suffers a bad loss against Utah State that drops them all the way to ninth, Colorado further cements themselves in the basement, and the top four teams see some separation from the rest of the pack.

USC (2-0) – 44 points
Mike: This might be the last week I have SC on top if they look sloppy against the Cardinal at home.
Oregon (2-0) – 40 points
Brian: Ducks fans can relax right now. This team still has all the talent to win the Pac-12, they just need to get it going for 60 minutes. Playing tougher non-conference opponents would help that.
UCLA (2-0) – 34 points
Mike: Sure the state of Arizona had wins but I for one was surprised at how the Bruins made things look against Nebraska at the Rose Bowl Saturday night.
Stanford (2-0) – 33 points
Brian: That was a bigger beatdown than I expected against Duke on Saturday. Clearly focused from a week ago.
Arizona (2-0) – 25 points
Mike: RichRod’s crew barely beat Toledo but made up for it by taking down a team that scored 84 points last week. The Pac-12 South looks competitive.
Arizona State (2-0) – 23 points
Mike: I’m not sold on this Sun Devil team but defeating Illinois at home was better than the week one win.
Oregon State (1-0) – 19 points
Brian: That was a fantastic victory by the Beavers, but it wasn’t the greatest football played. Was it the Beavers defense or Danny O’Brien’s 52 percent completions and Montee Ball not playing well?
Washington (1-1) – 19 points
Brian: An injury on the offensive line early didn’t help as they were already outmatched.
Utah (1-1) – 14 points
Mike: First the good, they fought back after falling down 13-0 early, the bad how about the injuries and who will be the QB moving forward?
California (1-1) – 9 points
Brian: Hopefully that fourth quarter jolted the Bears and will spark a good season.
Washington State (1-1) – 4 points
Mike: Eastern Washington is a good FCS team but the 24-20 victory tells me that the teams is still learning Mike Leach’s system.
Colorado (0-2) – 0 points
Brian: What’s the return policy on sending the football program back to the Big 12?