Pac-12 Power Rankings
| Oregon: AutzenZoo has picked Stanford to win this weekend’s match-up between the Oregon Ducks and the Stanford Cardinalso Oregon must move up in these Power Rankings. Both teams are putting up similar numbers this season and Oregon’s only loss comes from an insanely powerful LSU team. On paper Stanford’s numbers are slightly better than Oregon’s, but the Ducks suffered a possible offensive statistic setback when Darron Thomas and LaMichael James were injured. We are predicting that Oregon can contain Andrew Luck on Saturday, and if that happens this will be a battle on the ground rather than in the air. Oregon has an arsenal of running backs who we think will make big plays for the Oregon upset. Kickoff is set for 5:00pm PT at Stanford Stadium. |
| Stanford: The Cardinal rolled right through Oregon State last weekend. It was a slow start for the Cardinal as the Beavs came within four points (17 – 13) as late as the third quarter. Any hopes that Oregon State had for the W in this game were quickly squashed as Stanford powered past the Beavs starting late in the third quarter. Luck threw three touchdowns against OSU and that puts him only one away from second place on the Stanford all-time list. The game ended 38 – 13 in Stanford’s favor, but there was a price to pay when senior receiver Chris Owusu suffered a concussion in the second quarter. Owusu has been ruled out to play in Saturday’s game against Oregon. Next up Stanford will host Oregon, and the game will likely determine the Pac-12 Northern Div. Champion. |
| USC: The Trojans are making a major leap up these rankings this week. It was a heart-pounding 3-OT performance against #4 Stanford and then a crushing victory against the Buffs last weekend for the Trojans. Add to that the Bruins upset of the Sun Devils last weekend, and USC is looking like the top team in the Southern Division. The Trojans definitely have the ability to break a few Pac-12 hearts this season. Up next USC will host the Washington Huskies. |
| Washington: The Huskies suffered their third loss of the season over the weekend. They battled a powerful Oregon team and kept it close in the first half. Oregon was able to break through with some explosive plays while UW RB Polk couldn’t keep his momentum going. All of Washington’s losses this season have been handed to them by top-15 teams. Next up on the Huskies’ schedule will be a battle against the Trojans. |
| UCLA: Things are all over the place in the Pac-12 Southern Division and suddenly the Bruins could end up with the top spot in the South. The Bruins upset the Sun Devils over the weekend 29 – 28 after ASU’s last field goal attempt fell short. Despite giving up 75 yards in penalties, the Bruins came away with the victory and could find themselves in the Pac-12 Championship game in December. Next up UCLA will battle Utah. |
Arizona State: The Sun Devils fell to the Bruins over the weekend. Coming off a dominating performance against the Colorado Buffaloes, ASU couldn’t clinch the victory in a tight battle with UCLA. ASU kicker Alex Garoutte missed three field goal attempts on Saturday contributing to the Sun Devils’ offensive mistakes throughout the night. Up next ASU will take on Washington State. Cal: Cal was able to get the 30 – 7 point victory against the Cougars over the weekend. QB Zach Maynard was injured late in the third while recovering a fumble (118 yards, one TD before leaving). Allan Bridgford replaced Maynard and Cal’s game remained on the ground with three more rushing touchdowns. The Golden Bears’ defense would not let WSU score until the fourth quarter. Cal will host the Beavers this weekend. Utah: The Utes got their second victory in two weeks as they made their way past Arizona over the weekend. Utah had a huge 20 – 7 point lead against the Wildcats at the half as their defense put on a show against Arizona. The Utes’ defense was able to put tremendous pressure on Arizona QB Nick Foles causing him to make some crucial mistakes. Utah’s offense put 34 points on the board (including two touchdowns from QB Jon Hays) and their defense looked efficient all night. The Utes will be hosting UCLA this weekend. Oregon State: The Beavers suffered a crushing defeat at the hands of Andrew Luck and the Stanford Cardinal over the weekend. Stanford defeated OSU 38 – 13. The Beavers looked like they were gaining some momentum and got within four points in the third, but Stanford’s 507 yards of total offense were too much for the Beavers to handle. The Beavers have suffered losses on their offensive side due to injury and were definitely not at full strength. This weekend OSU will travel to AT&T Park to battle Cal. Arizona: The Wildcats fell short over the weekend against the Utes. It was a must-win situation for Arizona in order to remain bowl-eligible, but the Wildcats were defeated 34 – 21. Arizona was not able to protect QB Nick Foles from the Utah defense and the result was two crucial interceptions and lost yards. Arizona’s special teams had their own issues that ended in two blocked punts and a fake field goal that went wrong. This weekend the Wildcats will face the Buffaloes. Washington State: The Cougars lost to Cal 30 – 7 over the weekend. The Cougars couldn’t overcome the pressure that Cal’s defense was putting on them and their only TD came in the fourth quarter. By the third quarter the Cougars had more yards in penalties than total offense. WSU was dominated throughout this game. Next up the Cougars will host Arizona State. Colorado: The Buffs were defeated 42 – 17 by the Trojans last weekend. The Buffs put up the first TD of the game, but things quickly fell apart. Receiver Paul Richardson and tailback Rodney Stewart returned on offense for Colorado, but their defense was hit with two more injuries. Linebacker Brady Daigh and strong safety Kyle Washington both left the game with injuries. Colorado is rapidly running out of options for a Pac-12 victory this season. Up next they will host Arizona.