The rankings remained fairly unchanged this week with four teams having a bye. The big change was USC, which swapped spots with OSU after it beat the Beavers 31-14 in Corvallis. Here are the Week 10 power rankings:
1(1). Oregon (8-0, 5-0 Pac-12) – It’s that time of the season for the Ducks, who had a bye this week. The momentum, pressure and expectations are all building towards a berth in the Pac-12 Championship Game and potentially the National Championship. The Ducks have had one slip-up every year, and next Thursday’s game at Stanford could be this year’s big loss.
2(2). Stanford (7-1, 5-1 Pac-12) – The Cardinal were dream killers last year and have been presented with the same opportunity this year. Oregon’s trip to Palo Alto this year is a little bigger, though. National Championship hopes are on the line for both teams along with Pac-12 North title implications.
3(3). ASU (6-2, 4-1 Pac-12) – The Sun Devils are really starting to hit their stride and won their first road game of the season Thursday night over WSU. Redshirt junior quarterback Taylor Kelly accounted for the seven total touchdowns. The Sun Devils are clearly the best team in the Pac-12 South at the moment, but they have another road test next Saturday against Utah.
4(4). UCLA (6-2, 3-2 Pac-12) – Redshirt sophomore quarterback Brett Hundley and the Bruins got back on track against Colorado, winning their first game since Oct. 12. Hundley threw for 273 yards and two touchdowns while adding two more on the ground. Their hellish Pac-12 road schedule continues this week when the Bruins travel to Tucson to face an upstart UA team. The loser of that game will more than likely be eliminated from Pac-12 South title contention.
5(8). USC (6-3, 3-2 Pac-12) – Junior receiver Marqise Lee is back and so are the Trojans. Lee caught a 71-yard touchdown pass on the opening drive against OSU, the first action he’s seen since hurting his knee against ASU. The Trojans were impressive against the Beavers and are legit contenders again in the Pac-12 South. Another winnable road game lies ahead for Ed Orgeron’s squad this week when he takes them up to Berkeley to face one-win Cal.
6(7).UA (6-2, 3-2) – The Wildcats are gaining more confidence each week, and it’s all on account of the improved play of redshirt senior quarterback B.J. Denker. Denker rushed for three touchdowns and added another through the air in the Wildcats’ 33-28 victory over Cal. The Wildcats still don’t have a signature win to date but have the chance this week as UCLA comes to town in a matchup filled with Pac-12 title implications.
7(6).UW (5-3, 2-3 Pac-12) – The Huskies are going to end up with a nice three-week break after their brutal three-loss stretch to Stanford, Oregon and ASU. Last week, they beat up on California. This was their bye week, and next week is a home date with a struggling Colorado team. The Huskies should be bowl-eligible a week from now.
8(5). OSU (6-3, 4-2) – The Beavers laid an egg against the Trojans and lost any shot they had of winning the Pac-12 North. They were outplayed and outcoached, especially on offense. The Beavers once again look like a middling Pac-12 team, especially against quality conferences teams and defenses. They’ll have some time to think about their back-to-back losses with their bye week coming up.
9(9). WSU (4-5, 2-4 Pac-12) – There were high hopes for the Cougars heading into their Halloween matchup against ASU. Frankly, the Cougars fell on their face. They were dominated in all facets of the game and were never really in it, trailing 21-0 after the first quarter and 42-14 at halftime. The road to bowl eligibility doesn’t get any easier for the Cougars, who have to travel to UA next Saturday.
10(10). Utah (4-4, 1-4 Pac-12) – The Utes had a bye week, and they needed it in the most desperate of ways. They mustered only three points against USC and are quickly 1-4 in the Pac-12, even with the upset over Stanford. The Utes have a chance to play spoiler again with Pac-12 South leader ASU coming to town next Saturday.
11(11). Colorado (3-5, 0-5 Pac-12) – The Buffaloes kept their road game against UCLA close in the first half, which was an improvement over the 47-6 beatdown ASU put on them a few weeks ago. Unfortunately, the Buffaloes didn’t muster enough to make it a four-quarter game. The road won’t get any easier this week, literally, because the Buffaloes are headed to Seattle to face the Huskies.
12(12). California (1-8, 0-6) – The good news for the Golden Bears is they were actually competitive against UA. It also looks like they have a future stud in freshman receiver Kenny Lawler, who made two spectacular catches against the Wildcats. The bad news is the Golden Bears lost their seventh straight game, and number eight looks likely with an improved USC squad coming to Berkeley this week.
Reach the reporter at dsshapi1@asu.edu or follow him on Twitter @DsShapi
