There are more questions than answers in the Pac-12 as 10 teams get set to kick off conference play this Saturday. It's been a hectic three weeks of football throughout the Conference of Champions, so let's begin with the obvious:
1) No. 7 Stanford (2-0, 1-0 Pac-12)
Stanford is the only undefeated Pac-12 team to play exclusively FBS teams, so they get the edge at the top. Wins over Kansas State and USC have the Cardinal with the most impressive list of wins in the conference, which isn't necessarily a positive for the Pac-12. Christian McCaffrey is still doing Christian McCaffrey things and Ryan Burns has looked good enough to supplement his production in the backfield, so it looks like boring old Stanford will just snooze past opponents to another double-digit win season.
2) No. 9 Washington (3-0)
I have no idea what to make of the Huskies, but no team stands out to eclipse them in the rankings. Washington blew out its first three opponents, but it's not like there's a murderer's row in front of the team from Seattle. Idaho and Rutgers probably wouldn't be bowl eligible if you combined their 2016 win totals and Portland State is an FCS team. That being said, you can only beat who you play, and Washington has.
3) No. 24 Utah (3-0)
The Utes were never the flashiest team and this iteration of the team is no different. Suffocating defense makes up for some lackluster, turnover-prone offensive play. But for replacing essentially the entire offensive skill unit, Utah is progressing well and should keep it up in its conference home opener against USC.
4) UCLA (2-1)
Not exactly the best start for my preseason College Football Playoff dark horse. Sophomore quarterback Josh Rosen has, statistically, one of the worst supporting casts in college football in terms of pass protection and dropped passes, and he doesn’t look comfortable in the pocket. The Bruins scored just 83 points through three games, and it doesn't get any easier as Stanford heads to the Rose Bowl next week.
5) Oregon (2-1)
Imagine the conflict Oregon State fans felt watching its old coach, Mike Riley, beat Oregon for the first time in his career after ditching the Beavers for Nebraska. Now the Ducks sit at 2-1, but with wins over UC-Davis and Virginia — an FCS team and one of the worst teams in the ACC. The loss of Devon Allen is big, but if there's one thing the Ducks have a lot of, it's skill position players.
6) ASU (3-0)
The Sun Devil faithful may not be thrilled with the performance of Todd Graham's squad, but ASU is still unbeaten. An impressive offensive performance against Texas Tech is the saving grace for the Sun Devils, but their ground game should keep the offense going against less than stellar defenses throughout the conference.
7) Colorado (2-1)
The Buffaloes jumped out to an early lead in Ann Arbor against No. 4 Michigan on Saturday, but let it slip away. To makes matters worse, the Buffs also saw senior quarterback Sefo Liufau leave the game with an injury. With Liufau’s future uncertain, Colorado’s strong start to the year may be overshadowed and a trip to Eugene, Oregon is on the docket, whether the quarterback is healthy or not.
8) Cal (2-1)
The high-flying, Bear Raid offense outgunned Texas to the tune of a seven-point win in Berkeley last week, but not without some controversy. Next, the Golden Bears face the worst pass defense in the conference in ASU, which you'd think would be a huge advantage. Then you remember that Cal's rush defense is third worst in the country and ASU has junior running backs Kalen Ballage and Demario Richard.
9) Arizona (2-1)
The Wildcats finally put together an impressive performance in a win over Hawaii Saturday night in Tucson, but a loss in Phoenix to Brigham Young University and a too-close-for-comfort comeback win over Grambling State hasn't garnered much confidence in Arizona moving forward.
10) USC (1-2, 0-1 Pac-12)
You have to feel for the Trojans here. Their two losses are to teams ranked in the top seven in the country, but USC looks hapless in the process. The schedule lightens up considerably, but have the first three games provided a hit to the confidence that can’t be reversed?
11) Oregon State (1-1)
The Beavers choked away what could have been an expectation-changing season-opener on the road at Minnesota, then dominated Idaho State in a foregone conclusion. Oregon State has already used its bye week, making it 10 games in 10 weeks from here on out, so I hope they got enough rest.
12) Washington State (1-2)
Mike Leach went off after his Cougars lost to Boise State to fall to 0-2, but Wazzu bounced back with a blowout win over Idaho, who was also blown out by Washington. The Cougars are still in trouble with Oregon and Stanford upcoming and no time to rework the team's struggles, so Leach just has to think, what would Blackbeard do?
Reach the reporter at mtonis@asu.edu or follow @Tonis_The_Tiger on Twitter.
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