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1. UCLA Bruins (11-2, 7-0)
More consistent than A Few Good Men on a rainy Sunday. Mick Cronin has done quite the job in beginning to stabilize the Bruins program, after years of an irrational fan base seemingly being discontent with any level of success. UCLA is back atop the Pac-12 and all is well in Westwood.
2. Oregon Ducks (9-2, 4-1)
The Ducks were on pause this week due to COVID-19 protocols, but managed to get in two games the week prior, one of which they dropped to the likes of Colorado. Oregon has a lot of potential and Chris Duarte has been prolific, so the rest of this crew needs to keep developing.
3. USC Trojans (11-2, 5-1)
Six straight victories have now fallen into the lap of the Trojans, who are hot on the tails of crosstown rival UCLA for the top spot in the league. Big man Evan Mobley is a double-double machine and veteran guard Tahj Eaddy has been exactly what Andy Enfield has been looking for.
4. Arizona Wildcats (10-3, 4-3)
Sean Miller may have lost second-leading scorer Jemarl Baker Jr. to injury for the rest of the year, but all hope is far from lost on the long-term abilities of this Wildcats group. If Terrell Brown Jr. finds more comfort in his expanded role, Arizona could avenge recent defeats to USC and UCLA.
5. Colorado Buffaloes (11-3, 5-2)
Why the lack of love for Colorado? I know Buffs fans (and Ralphie Report) won’t be happy with this ranking and I wouldn’t be able to argue with them too much. Tad Boyle has an NCAA Tournament team in Boulder that’s won four straight. If they keep going, they’ll be trending up into the top four.
6. Stanford Cardinal (8-5, 4-3)
Stanford is starting to look like one of those teams who may be playing itself out of the NCAA Tournament conversation, especially if they continue to give away games on the road like they recently did at Utah and Colorado. A rollercoaster group hails in Cardinal from Palo Alto.
7. Washington State Cougars (9-4, 2-4)
Kyle Smith’s squad could’ve free-fallen farther, but this is right around where the Conference of Champions starts looking really, really pedestrian. Washington State dropped three straight games to the likes of Stanford, UCLA and USC, dampening their blistering 9-1 start to the season.
8. Utah Utes (5-6, 2-5)
The Utes have dropped five of their last six games, mostly to stronger competition in hard-fought battles. That part of their season was comprehend-able. Their weekend loss to California was not. Utah spoiled a 12-point halftime lead at home and allowed 50 points in the second half alone.
9. Oregon State Beavers (6-5, 2-3)
As the old adage goes, consistency is key and in the case of Oregon State, the Beavers program just can’t find it. They handled California, lost to Stanford, got lambasted by Arizona and then bounced back against Arizona State. What does that mean for them? More confusion in Corvallis.
10. Arizona State Sun Devils (4-6, 1-3)
What the heck has happened to Bobby Hurley’s squad? Arizona State was a consensus Top 25 team in the preseason and many analysts even pegged them to be a potential Final Four sleeper. Ten games into the campaign, they’re 4-6 with just one Pac-12 win that came over California.
11. California Golden Bears (7-8, 2-6)
The good news for California is that they snagged a win over Utah on the road in one of the strangest “tale of two halves” I’ve seen in a while. They’ve also won two of their last three games overall. The bad news? The road ahead for the Golden Bears includes UCLA and USC.
12. Washington Huskies (1-11, 0-7)
Mike Hopkins suddenly finds himself in one of the weirdest coaching conundrums in the country. Could the two-time Pac-12 Coach of the Year really be on the hot seat in just his fourth season? The Huskies have eight straight losses to their name and only one victory on the season.