1. USC Trojans (2-0) Last week: 1
So, USC is really good. In their 42-24 win over Stanford, the Trojans ran the ball for over 300 yards, with masterful outings from running backs Ronald Jones II and Stephen Carr, who each had two touchdowns and over 115 rushing yards. Quarterback Sam Darnold bounced back from his week one performance with four touchdown passes.
2. Washington Huskies (2-0) Last week: 2
This was another taking care of business game, meaning the Huskies did not screw up against a small-school opponent. And wow, Washington did just that when it beat Montana 63-7 on Saturday. Receiver Dante Pettis added to the fun with a punt return touchdown, giving him the most in Pac-12 history (7).
3. Stanford Cardinal (1-1) Last week: 3
Stanford is not getting penalized in our power rankings for losing on the road to USC. The Cardinal kept it close with USC for the good part of three quarters with inexperienced quarterback Keller Chryst. Stanford is going to be one of the big dogs in the Pac-12 — it just did not work out this weekend.
4. Washington State Cougars (2-0) Last week: 4
Well, it seems WSU sure loves the whole #Pac12AfterDark idea. After falling behind 31-10, the Cougars roared back to tie the game at 31-31, without the help of quarterback Luke Falk for most of the game too. Luckily, WSU quarterback Tyler Hilinski stepped in and played well, ending the triple overtime game with a 22-yard touchdown pass.
5. UCLA Bruins (2-0) Last week: 5
Oh, how one week can change everything. In week one, UCLA completed the comeback for the ages against Texas A&M, and on Saturday, the Bruins walloped Hawaii 56-23. Quarterback Josh Rosen stayed hot, tossing for five touchdowns in that game.
6. Utah Utes (2-0) Last week: 7
It wasn't pretty, but it was a meaningful win for the Utes. In this year's edition of the Holy War, Utah scraped by with a defensive 19-13 win over BYU. Offense was tough to come by, but Utah quarterback Tyler Huntley was the difference with 300 passing yards and a rushing touchdown.
7. Oregon Ducks (2-0) Last week: 9
The Ducks just keep moving up in the rankings. They took care of a small school in week one, and built upon it with a 42-35 win over Nebraska. It was an incomplete game from Oregon, as they went into half with a 42-14 lead and withstood a comeback from the Huskers.
8. Colorado Buffaloes (2-0) Last week: 6
The Buffaloes only move down because Utah and Oregon beat higher-quality teams. Colorado on the other hand, defeated Texas State 37-3. We'll get a better look at the Buffaloes in two weeks when they host Washington.
9. Cal Golden Bears (2-0) Last week: 8
Much like Colorado and Washington, the Bears took care of business against Weber State. It wasn't an overly impressive victory, as Cal won 33-20. The only downside for the Bears was that their passing defense allowed Weber State quarterback Stefan Cantwell to pass for 431 yards.
10. Arizona Wildcats (1-1) Last week: 11
We are diving into the dark and dreary part of the rankings. In this section, a competitive loss might actually move a team up. That's precisely what happened to the Wildcats when they lost to Houston at home on Saturday in a 19-16 game. Arizona still doesn't have a cemented starter at quarterback, so these losses will likely continue.
11. Arizona State Sun Devils (1-1) Last week: 10
The Sun Devils struggled with NMSU last weekend. On Saturday night, ASU came up penniless against the San Diego State Aztecs and running back Rashaad Penny, who gashed them for 216 rushing yards and a kickoff return in route to a 30-14 win. Up next for the Sun Devils is a road trip to Lubbock, TX to face the Texas Tech Red Raiders and their up-tempo offense. If history serves as an indicator, ASU will have to score a lot of points in order to win.
12. Oregon State Beavers (1-2) Last week:12
The two schools from the Grand Canyon State should be lucky OSU exists, because otherwise they would be in the cellar. The Beavers are horrendous. They lost 48-14 to the Minnesota Golden Gophers, who only managed to complete seven passes all game. Clearly, that didn't matter.
Reach the reporter at mpharri7@asu.edu or follow @Harris_Mark7 on Twitter.
Like State Press Sports on Facebook and follow @statepressport on Twitter.
