The Pac-10 season is in full swing, but many of the big games (namely Stanford-UCLA) have not been played yet.
Here are the first power rankings of 2011 for a conference that is proving much tougher than last year.
1. Stanford (14-2, 5-0 Pac-10)
The top spot goes to the No. 4 Cardinal, the team that finally ended UConn’s incredible winning streak of 90 games.
Stanford has won 42 straight games against conference opponents and hasn’t lost at home since March 2007.
The Cardinal is currently second in the country in field goal percentage behind Connecticut. However, losses to DePaul and Tennessee mean the team does have weaknesses, although no one in the Pac-10 has figured out how to exploit them yet.
2. UCLA (15-1, 5-0 Pac-10)
The No. 8 Bruins are currently atop the Pac-10 standings but don’t have Stanford’s signature win.
However, UCLA will get that chance on Thursday, when they take on the Cardinal on the road.
Right now, the Bruins have the best defense in the conference. This facet has been key to their success so far.
3. USC (12-4, 4-1 Pac-10)
Three of the Trojan’s four losses have come against teams ranked in the top 10, including a loss to UCLA. Despite that, the Trojans have been perfect at home.
This season’s squad isn’t flashy, but is solid all the way around, and usually wins by a comfortable margin.
Big games at Cal and Stanford this weekend could help USC redeem themselves on the road.
4. Arizona State (11-4, 3-2 Pac-10)
After dropping two straight to Cal and Stanford, the Sun Devils responded with a dominating performance over UA on Sunday.
Like the Trojans, ASU hasn’t lost at home yet and has another two games against Washington and Washington State in Tempe before they hit the road again.
The team’s strength lies in its depth: 11 different players scored for ASU against the Wildcats. If the Sun Devils can find a few big away wins, they could be looking at a return to the NCAA tournament after a year away.
5. Arizona (11-5, 2-3 Pac-10)
The Wildcats are having one of the best seasons in a long time and are only three victories away from last season’s win total.
Despite the setback in Tempe, where their leading scorer was limited due to illness, UA has a high-powered offense ranked 3rd in the Pac-10.
If the Wildcats keep this up, they could be looking at their first NCAA berth since 2005.
6. Oregon (11-6, 2-4 Pac-10)
After a solid start to the season and despite having the top-ranked offense in the conference, the Ducks haven’t been able to find Pac-10 wins. They’ve only managed victories against lowly Washington and Washington State.
While OU has seen some success from behind the three-point line this season, they’ve had trouble outrebounding opponents and rank dead last in the conference on defense.
If the Ducks can find a presence inside, they may be able to get back on track.
7. California (10-6, 2-3 Pac-10)
Cal is currently underachieving. Picked to finish fourth in the Pac-10 preseason coaches’ poll, the Golden Bears beat both ASU and UA but then lost to Washington and Washington State, who both have losing records.
Currently sixth in the conference standings, Cal will have a chance to claw their way back up with upcoming home games against USC and UCLA.
If the Golden Bears can play the way they did against the Arizona schools, they could be a factor at the end of the season.
8. Washington (7-8, 2-4 Pac-10)
The Huskies’ upset against Cal on Sunday definitely provides a boost of confidence, but the team still has a long way to go.
UW is averaging 54 points a game, the worst in the conference, and it shows.
The Huskies are a solid defensive team, however, and have held opponents to just 36.7 percent shooting this season, second only to Stanford.
Any improvement on offense will be big for the squad but may come too late to save the season.
9. Washington State (4-14, 2-4 Pac-10)
The Cougars had a decently tough non-conference schedule and paid for it, going 1-6 in their first seven games.
Pac-10 play has been a little kinder with an upset over Cal, but the Cougars rank near the bottom three in nearly every conference category.
WSU doesn’t appear to be a factor this season.
10. Oregon State (7-10, 0-6 Pac-10)
After finishing dead last in the Pac-10 last season, the Beavers look set for a performance repeat this year.
The problems run deep for OSU. Only four players remain on the roster in June after a mass exodus led to the firing of head coach LaVonda Wagner.
New coach Scott Rueck had a lot of success with Division III George Fox and got off to a good start, adding eight more players to the roster and going 7-4 in non-conference play
But the tough Pac-10 schedule has taken its toll on the Beavers. The program will view this season as a rebuilding year.
Reach the reporter at egrasser@asu.edu.
