Pac-12 Power Rankings: Week 10

At this point, Oregon is just cruising. Granted, most teams have cruised against Colorado this year (sorry WSU), but the Ducks have yet to break a sweat in the 4th quarter. Will that be a factor as the season winds down and tougher games loom on the schedule? Not likely, but it's nice to think about isn't it?

Stanford rises as the de facto number two team in this week's rankings. It seems highly unlikely they will finish the season holding the number two spot, but Oregon State and USC's losses, plus the warts on Arizona and UCLA leaves no other choice.

The Beavers fall only one slot, and the season appears to be at a major turning point. Feisty Arizona State comes to Corvallis this weekend, and Oregon State has to travel to Stanford the week after. Their hold on the third slot is tenuous.

Arizona makes a big jump this week as The Greatest 5-3 Team in the History of Anything Ever. Moral victories still do not count, so the Cats still need to finish strong to gain bowl eligibility, and then improve the destination line on the airline ticket. If USC loses one more conference game this season, Arizona controls their own destiny to the Pac-12 title game and South Division title. Hold on to your hats.

USC and UCLA pair up together nicely at five and six. That seems fitting. Both teams can't quite seem to figure out if they are going to have a really good year, or just a pretty good year. How LA.

Washington probably deserves to be higher but it has only been one week since 52-17. The Huskies have the softest last four weeks of anyone in the Pac, so the opportunity is there to go bowling somewhere not called New Mexico.

Arizona State. Not a good loss to UCLA.

Utah beat fellow cellar-dweller Cal, whose season is nose-diving. Washington State and Colorado continue to enjoy the view from the basement floor. The Cougars were quite competitive in a loss at Stanford. But, you know what they say, horse shoes and hand-grenades.

The game of the week is Oregon at USC. Something tells me that Marqise Lee fellow is going to get some attention in the lead-up to kickoff.

1) Oregon (8-0, 5-0)

Next: @ USC

2) Stanford (6-2, 4-1)

Next: @ Colorado

3) Oregon State (6-1, 4-1)

Next: vs. Arizona State

4) Arizona (5-3, 2-3)

Next: @ UCLA

5) USC (6-2, 4-2)

Next: vs. Oregon

6) UCLA (6-2, 3-2)

Next: vs. Arizona

7) Washington (4-4, 2-3)

Next: @ Cal

8) Arizona State (5-3, 3-2)

Next: @ Oregon State

9) Utah (3-5, 1-4)

Next: vs. Washington State

10) Cal (3-6, 2-4)

Next: vs. Washington

11) Colorado (1-7, 1-4)

Next: vs. Stanford

12) Washington State (2-6, 0-5)

Next: @ Utah