Pac-12 Power Rankings week 2

A good week for the Pac-12 who went 8-4, with two losses coming from conference foes. Promising starts for all the North teams but OSU, less so for the South. This weekend serves as a breather for a few teams, but a tough challenge for others. Utah, Washington, Washington State all face their toughest opponents so far this season. How will the Pac-12 measure up in Week 3?

NORTH
1. Stanford (2-0, 0-0 Pac-12)
LW 1
Another easy win against an easy opponent. Andrew Luck was impressive, but how will he and the Cardinal fair against an opponent with a pulse?

2. Oregon (1-1, 0-0)
LW 2
Ducks bounced back from their loss to LSU by pounding Nevada. A virtual bye this week playing FCS foe Missouri State.

3. Washington (2-0, 0-0)
LW 5
Huskies secondary was picked apart by Hawaii just as it was by Eastern Washington the week before, but the Husky offense featuring a monster performance by QB Keith Price powered the Dawgs to another close win. Did I mention the Huskies had a defensive 2 point conversion?

4. Cal (2-0, 0-0)
LW 3
A back and forth battle against Pac 12 South basement team Colorado, with Cal squeaking out a win in OT isn’t exactly a confidence booster for the Bears, but its still a 2-0 start.

5. Washington State (2-0, 0-0)
LW 5
Cougars fans are feeling good with a 2-0 start for the first time in years, but WSU’s opponents make Stanford’s look tough. Will they be able to win against a foe that can fight back?

6. Oregon State (0-2, 0-0)
LW 6
After an embarassing close lose to FCS Sacramento State the Beavers just rolled over and played dead for Wisconsin who shut out Oregon State. A home game against struggling UCLA gives them a shot to turn things around.

SOUTH
1. ASU (2-0, 0-0)
LW 2
It wasn’t a pretty win, the two teams contributed for 23 total penalties, but it was a win against a ranked opponent and QB Brock Osweiler had an outstanding performance with 43 completions for over 600 yards and 5 TDs. Still one has to wonder if the Sun Devil’s sloppy play will catch up to them.

2. USC (2-0, 0-0)
LW 1
The Trojans game against the Utes, the first Pac 12 game ever, was closer than he final score indicated, a score that didn’t even become set until two hours after the game. This is still not the dominant USC of the past decade.

3. Utah (1-1, 0-0)
LW 3
Like I said the game was closer than the final score would indicate, the Trojans scoring as the clock expired to extend the lead. The Utes showed they can compete in a Pac-12 game, now can they start winning them?

4. Arizona (1-1, 0-0)
LW 4
Arizona didn’t stand a chance in this game after being shut out 21-0 in the first quarter. Now its home games against the top two Pac-12 teams Stanford and Oregon. Rough way to start the year for the Wildcats.

5. UCLA (1-1, 0-0)
LW 5
An unimpressive win against an unimpressive team. The Spartans of San Jose State were in the game til the end. A mere 43,000 fans made it out to the game. Win or no, Rick Neuheisal is sitting on the hottest seat in the conference right now.

6. Colorado (0-2, 0-0)
LW 6
A near win may be a move in the right direction for the beleaguered Buffalo but its still not an actual win. So far Colorado looks the same in its new home as it did in its old home. When will this former power return to glory? Not this year, thats for sure.