Pac-12 Week 4 Power Rankings

For Oregon fans, week 4 of the 2015 season will always be marred by the 62-20 beatdown the Utah Utes handed their Ducks. After four weeks of action, we now have a greater understanding of which teams deserve the pomp and circumstance, and which are merely imposters. To the rankings.

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1. UCLA:

Fortunately for the Bruins, they were able to back up their gamesmanship/mind games on display in Tuscon. If they lost, it’d likely be UCLA as the brunt of all jokes in college football instead of the Ducks. Instead, the Bruins obliterated the Wildcats and have since earned the title of favorites to win the Pac-12. Star quarterback? Check. An ability to run the ball? Check. A defense that doesn’t resemble Oregon’s? Check. UCLA is the real deal.

2. Utah: The 4-0 Utes went into Autzen Stadium and beat the Oregon Ducks, 62-20. No further lobbying needed in their case.

3. USC: The Trojans went on the road this week and handled the Arizona State Sun Devils. Now, ASU appears to have been a tad bit overrated. Sound familiar? But although Arizona State isn’t the team they were billed to be, going to Tempe and getting a win is no easy feat. USC’s hiccup to rival Stanford could be the spark this team needed.

4. Cal: The stigma of former underachieving Cal Bear team still surrounds this team. But not since Aaron Rodgers has there been such an impressive quarterback in Berkeley. The best quarterback in college football, and likely the first one selected at the 2016 NFL draft, Jared Goff is dealing so far this season. Sure, Cal’s defense is suspect, but as long as the offense can put up at least forty points every game, it should be smooth sailing. Right? 

5. Arizona: Injuries, injuries, injuries. The Wildcats pissed the bed against UCLA and now their best offensive and defensive players are hurt. Assuming Arizona heals its vital assets, the Wildcats will still be in the thick of things for the Pac-12 South title. Their offense is too good with a healthy Anu Solomon.

6. Stanford: In week 1, Stanford looked dead in their tracks. Three weeks later they somehow still only have one loss. For all his accolades, Kevin Hogan’s inconsistency is too worrisome to ever presume Stanford will win games they should. A team solely dependent on Christian McCffrey for offensive production is a team with severe flaws in my eyes.

7. Arizona State: Despite Todd Graham’s motivational screaming, this team appears to have fallen short of its sky-high expectations. On the bright side, Sun Devil fans can at least say their team has a quarterback. The team below cannot say the same.

8. Oregon: Oh boy. Saturday night was BAD. I don’t need to delve further into other words because we’ve all heard their regurgitations by now. “Bad” suffices.

9. Oregon State: The Beavers showed glimpses of promise in their loss to Stanford. OSU also has a freshman quarterback to build around, unlike their in-state rivals.

10. Washington: Freshman quarterback Jake Browning isn’t quite experiencing the same amount of success as Josh Rosen. If only Keith Price were eligible, the Huskies would be destined for seven wins!

11. Washington State: I know better than to rank a Mike Leach team dead last in any power rankings, as trivial as they may be. Remember, the Air Raid Offense works most effectively when unheeded.

12. Colorado: The Buffs won 48-0 last week! Colorado also has a stable quarterback. The team they’re playing this week does not.