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With week seven of the college football season set to get underway, BeaversEdge continues our article series power ranking the 12 teams in the Pac-12 Conference...
Hear from Publisher Brenden Slaughter, Recruiting Analyst Dylan Callaghan-Croley, and EDGE writer/KEJO host TJ Mathewson as they give their rankings and analysis!
MORE: WATCH: MBB At Pac-12 Media Day | WATCH: Defense Previews UCLA & MORE | WATCH: OSU WBB At Pac-12 Media Day | WATCH: Offense Recaps Cal & Previews UCLA | Beavers In The NFL: Week 5 Recap | Notes & Quotes From Jonathan Smith | Snap Counts + Takeaways vs Cal
T.J.'s Picks
1. Washington
2. Oregon
3. USC
4. OSU
5. UCLA
6. WSU
7. Utah
8. Colorado
9. Arizona
10. Cal
11. Arizona State
12. Stanford
The seven top-25 teams occupy the top seven spots in my power rankings, but I think we are going to see a slight bit of separation from the top tier and the rest of the pack. The winner of Oregon-Washington is locked into my No. 1 spot next week, barring a blowout USC win in South Bend. The top three stay put after a bye for the Ducks and Huskies, and an overtime win at home for the Trojans. The defense looked better, but still not selling me to the point of moving them up in these rankings.
The winner of Oregon State/UCLA, depending on how the outcome shakes out, has a chance to jump into tier #1, but for now, the two sit a notch below the top three after quality wins last week. (Isn’t it great to have four of the top five playing each other??)
Both Washington State and Utah have had their flaws exposed the last times they played, flaws that would clearly hold them back from winning a conference championship. I find it hard for them to move up further in these rankings knowing what sits beyond the horizon in Pac-12 play.
Colorado showed some nice moxy in the win over ASU, so did Arizona and Cal in their respective losses, so they stay put as well. The bottom two stay clear-cut: Arizona State, then Stanford.
- T.J. Mathewson
