clock menu more-arrow no yes mobile

Filed under:

Pac-12 Power Rankings: Week 6

Beavs keep winning = Beavs keep climbing

NCAA Football: Washington at Oregon State Soobum Im-USA TODAY Sports

Welp, the Pac-12 Conference may have officially seen their College Football Playoff aspirations go down in flames this weekend. Buuuuuut Oregon State fans don’t care and are currently enjoying one of the best runs of Beaver wins in quite possibly a decade...


12. Arizona Wildcats (0-4 Overall, 0-1 Conference)

Arizona took a bye this past weekend. They now prep for a matchup against UCLA this upcoming weekend.

Next Game: vs UCLA Bruins

11. Colorado Buffaloes (1-3 Overall, 0-1 Conference)

The Buffs were quickly dispatched by USC this past weekend. Colorado found themselves behind the ball from the get-go, as they went down 20-0 before their first points of the game. Brendon Lewis and the passing attack were fairly useless throughout the game while the run game failed to eclipse 100 total yards between five different rushers. The offense turned the ball over twice and gained just under 250 total yards. Meanwhile, the defense allowed 37 points and nearly 500 yards of offense to the Trojans. All in all, a tough day for the Buffs who roll into a much-needed bye week to recover and refocus.

Next Game: Bye

10. California Golden Bears (1-4 Overall, 0-2 Conference)

Just a week ago, Cal took the Washington Huskies into overtime in an intense game where they showed a lot of promise. This week they found themselves laying a dud of a game against Washington State at home. Chase Garbers was downright awful during this game. The run game gave Cal a slight boost with 121 yards on the ground. The defense played well enough to give the Golden Bears a chance, but the offense just couldn’t get much going all game. The story for Cal heading into the season was that they would be limited by their offense and so far to date, such has proven the case with this Bears team. A tough loss with a much-needed bye week coming up.

Next Game: Bye

9. Washington State Cougars (2-3 Overall, 1-2 Conference)

On the other side of the Cal-Wazzu game stands the victors. Undoubtedly the best performers for the Cougs was their defense. They limited Cal to just six points and allowed less than 300 total yards. On top of that, they notched four sacks and seven tackle-for-losses. Normally, Wazzu is known for a lights-out offense with a sub-par defense. Such was not the case this weekend, as the defense stifled the Golden Bears and made this game non-competitive by the second half. Wazzu gets a much-needed win to get a nice confidence boost. They now get ready to take on a red-hot Beavers team this weekend in Pullman.

Next Game: vs Oregon State Beavers

NCAA Football: Washington State at California Kyle Terada-USA TODAY Sports

8. Washington Huskies (2-3 Overall, 1-1 Conference)

The Huskies found themselves on the losing end of a dogfight against Oregon State this past weekend. Dylan Morris had a rougher game but was bailed out by a rushing offense that tallied nearly 200 yards and two touchdowns. The defense also played strongly for the Huskies by keeping Oregon State to under 300 total yards and forced two turnovers as well. Ultimately, it was a tight contest and Oregon State just happened to have the ball last. The Huskies started the season as Pac-12 North favorites, but have quickly seen their hopes of playing in the Pac-12 championship disappear.

Next Game: Bye

7. Utah Utes (2-2 Overall, 1-0 Conference)

Utah rested on a bye this past weekend. They play USC this week in a game that could be massive for the Pac-12 South title chase down the road.

Next Game: @ USC Trojans

6. USC Trojans (3-2 Overall, 2-2 Conference)

USC bounced back nicely and quickly dispatched Colorado this past weekend. Kedon Slovis put on a strong performance and accounted for three touchdowns on the day. The rushing game was also out in force for USC and tallied 218 yards on the ground. Keaontay Ingram received the bulk of the carries and put on a show with 124 yards on 14 carries. Sure, they beat up on an inferior team. But a win like this was desperately needed by USC after a bad loss. They now get ready to take on a tough team in Utah this weekend.

Next Game: vs Utah Utes

NCAA Football: Southern California at Colorado Ron Chenoy-USA TODAY Sports

5. UCLA Bruins (3-2 Overall, 1-1 Conference)

UCLA again found itself on the unluckier side of a difficult contest against Arizona State. Dorian Thompson-Robinson and the offense played pretty well as they kept pace with the Sun Devil offense until the second half. UCLA was scrambling to try and finish drives with points in the second half while ASU kept finding ways to score. It’s a tough game for the Bruins because they didn’t play badly, despite what the score says. They ran out of steam in the second half and ultimately just couldn’t finish. They will travel to Arizona where they hope for a bounceback tune-up game against the Wildcats.

Next Game: @ Arizona Wildcats

4. Stanford Cardinal (3-2 Overall, 2-1 Conference)

Stanford did it, bless their hearts. The Cardinal stunned the number three ranked Ducks and took down Oregon 24-31 in overtime. Tanner McKee left the game with a rib injury for one play only to return and throw the game-tying touchdown to go to OT. Stanford always plays Oregon tough and while this wasn’t an offensive shootout, there was plenty of offensive excitement to satisfy everyone. I mentioned it before, but Stanford has flashed glimpses of being a great team. They put it together this week to take down Oregon and I speak for every Beaver fan when I say “thank you”.

Next Game: @ #22 Arizona State Sun Devils

3. #8 Oregon Ducks (4-1 Overall, 1-1 Conference)

Oh, the poor Ducks. What a shame to see Oregon lose. SIKE. As a Pac-12 fan, I’m disappointed that the conference has torn apart probably it’s last, best chance to appear in the CFP. But as a Beaver fan, I do not care. In a matchup that warrants high expectations every season, the Ducks lost to the Cardinal despite playing a pretty even matchup across the board. The Ducks offense cleared 400 total yards and found their strength to be the rushing attack throughout the game. It ultimately proved to not be enough as Stanford was more opportunistic in it’s scoring and defensive stops. The Ducks need to use the bye week to refocus as they now play little brother to the Beavers in the Pac-12 standings for the time being.

Next Game: Bye

2. Oregon State Beavers (4-1 Overall, 2-0 Conference)

The Beavers halt a nine-game losing streak to the Huskies with a walk-off field goal to win the game this past weekend. Not only did they vanquish their demons by beating the Huskies, the Beavs now own first place in the Pac-12 North. B.J. Baylor was once again the main star of the Beaver offense as he tallied 111 yards and two touchdowns on the evening. Chance Nolan did not have a great game, but the Beavs were able to demonstrate that different pieces of the team can pick up the pace when another group was struggling. The Beavs ultimately found a way to win ugly, something this team has not done in quite a while. As the Beavs sit at 4-1 with a slate of winnable games coming up, Beaver fans should be thinking of much more than just bowl eligibility.

Next Game: @ Washington State Cougars

1. #22 Arizona State Sun Devils (4-1 Overall, 2-0 Conference)

A new week, a new number one. After relying on the running game heavily throughout the first four games of the season, it was Jayden Daniels and the passing attack that propelled Arizona State to victory this past weekend. Daniels racked up 286 yards passing and two touchdowns through the air. The defense was also opportunistic with four sacks and several turnover on downs during the second half to bring the Bruin offense to a halt. This was a huge win for ASU and puts them in the driver seat in the Pac-12 South.

Next Game: vs Stanford Cardinal

ASU v UCLA Photo by Harry How/Getty Images

What are your thoughts on this list? Is one team ranked too high? Too low?

Give your thoughts in the comment section!