Pac-12 Power Rankings: All Eyes Are On SLC As Oregon, College GameDay Roll In
Oct 24, 2023, 9:57 PM
SALT LAKE CITY – The Pac-12 power rankings continue to sort themselves out as all eyes look to Utah as the No. 8 Oregon Ducks and College GameDay roll into town.
The “Conference of Champions” is off to the strongest start they’ve had as a conference of 12 making it all the more ironic this will also be its last as we know it. Six teams in the Pac-12 are currently ranked in the AP Top 25.
Here is how the Pac-12 shook out in week eight.
8th straight week with at least six #Pac12FB teams ranked in the @AP_Top25 🏈 pic.twitter.com/ivh6qQWpSq
— Pac-12 Conference (@pac12) October 22, 2023
Pac-12 Power Rankings 2023 Season: Week Eight
There was a lot of buzz heading into the 2023 football season for the Pac-12 and rightfully so. The league looks as strong as ever after having finished the previous season with six ranked teams which is where they sit eight weeks into the 2023 season. Those teams returned most of the same talent, while others went to work stepping up their game.
Those efforts have showed well the past eight weeks leaving Pac-12 fans feeling good (and admittedly a little sad) about where things are heading during the league’s “farewell season”.
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Utah showed the world they may be down some key players, but they are not out as they made it four in a row against USC last weekend. The effort sets up another big game for the No. 13 Utes as they play host to the No. 8 Ducks and ESPN’s College GameDay.
Oregon handled business against Washington state, UCLA rolled against Stanford, while ASU gave Washington a bit of a scare.
1. Washington (7-0, 4-0)
Washington 15 | ASU 7
Washington showed that they are only human too over the weekend. The Huskies struggled more than they should have with ASU, however, they pulled it together enough to remain the only unbeaten team in the Pac-12 and that is worth something for now.
This week: at Stanford, 5:00 pm MT, FS1
2. Oregon (6-1, 3-1)
Oregon 38| Washington State 24
This game ended up being a little closer than I would have thought, but the Ducks took care of business which is partially why College GameDay is coming to Salt Lake City this weekend.
This week: at Utah, 1:30 p.m. MT, FOX
3. Oregon State (6-1, 2-1)
BYE
The Beavers have done a great job so far this season and remain in third due to the fact they beat Utah. Their matchup out of their BYE has the potential to be really good.
4. Utah (6-1, 3-1)
Utah 34 | USC 32
USC had a Heisman Trophy winner leading the charge, Utah had a pig farmer. It didn’t matter. The Utes went into LA like men on a mission and they came out victorious in a way the Trojans wish they could. Who knows where everything leads for this Utah football team, but despite no Cam Rising, and no Brant Kuithe among several other key players, this team continues to evolve and find ways to stay in the thick of things.
This week: at home against Oregon, 1:30 p.m. MT, FOX
5. USC (6-2, 3-1)
USC 32 | Utah 34
USC remains where they are because their record is the next best in the Pac-12. However, they better figure some things out and quick, otherwise they will be in for a very rude awakening in 2023. (You could argue that has already happened.) So far in the aftermath of their loss to Utah, it doesn’t appear things are heading in the right direction.
6. UCLA (5-2, 2-2)
UCLA 42 | Stanford 7
UCLA’s defense is really, really good. Their offense is learning, but they had a terrific showing last weekend against a Stanford team that had to be feeling a bit more confident after taking down Colorado the week before. It’s the Bruins’ turn to take on the Buffs this week.
This week: at home against Colorado, 5:30 p.m. MT, ABC
7. Arizona (4-3, 2-2)
BYE
Arizona enjoyed a nice BYE weekend but will be back in the thick of things with a pretty big test against Oregon State. I said it earlier in the Beaver’s blurb, but this game has some high-entertainment potential in my mind.
This week: at home against Oregon State, 8:30 pm MT, ESPN
8. Washington State (4-3, 1-3)
Washington State 24 | Oregon 38
I already mentioned this game was closer than I anticipated, but Oregon still walked away with a pretty convincing win. After getting off to a hot start Wazzu has really struggled in Pac-12 play. This will be a good week to get back on track.
9. Colorado (4-3, 1-3)
BYE
Colorado had a lot to think about over their BYE weekend. In fact, they and USC have very similar problems. It’ll be interesting to see how and if those problems were addressed. Their next opponent should give us a pretty good idea if the Buffs have got it back together or not.
This week: at UCLA, 5:30 pm MT, ABC
10. Cal (3-4, 1-3)
BYE
Cal will be coming off of some rest, relaxation, and reflection. USC will be coming off a second-straight loss and what appears to be some internal chaos. Could be interesting.
This week: at home against USC, 2:00 pm MT, Pac-12 Networks
11. Arizona State (1-6, 0-4)
Arizona State 7| Washington 15
Call me crazy. Arizona States’ record is worse than Stanford’s, but I feel like the Sun Devil’s efforts have been better. They didn’t get the win, but they pushed the Huskies to their limits and that’s not the first time this team has done that to one of the “big dogs” in the conference.
This week: at home against WSU, 6:00 p.m. MT, Pac-12 Networks
12. Stanford (2-5, 1-5)
Stanford 7 | UCLA 42
The Cardinal got absolutely obliterated by the Bruins last weekend after an exciting overtime win over Colorado the week before. This week they have to face Washington.
This week: at home against Washington, 5:00 p.m. MT, FS1
Michelle Bodkin is the Utah Utes Insider for sports.ksl.com and host of both the Crimson Corner Podcast (SUBSCRIBE) and The Saturday Show (Saturday from 10 a.m.–12 p.m.) on The KSL Sports Zone. Follow her on X, Instagram, and Threads: @BodkinKSLsports
