Pac-12 Week 5 Power Rankings: Who Are This Year’s Real Conference Contenders?

SALT LAKE CITY, Utah – The Pac-12 lost some swagger on the national stage after losing steam during the fourth quarter against Notre Dame in one of the highest-profile games of the season. The loss at the top of the Pac-12 potentially knocks the conference out of the top tier of the college football playoff race.

The conference lost one team in the Top 10, with Stanford dropping to No. 14. With Washington’s convincing 35-7 win over then Top-20 BYU, they moved up a spot to No. 10.

Both teams have one non-conference loss to Top 10 teams – but with eight undefeated teams still among the remaining Top 10, the Cardinal and Huskies still need some help to get back into serious playoff contention.

Stanford and Washington will likely battle it out for the top of the Pac-12’s North Division, meaning their both in the fight to even get into the conference championship.

Here’s how the Pac-12 schools did in the fifth week of play. Teams are listed by division, in order of their KSL Sports Power Ranking.

NORTH:

1. Washington (4-1, 2-0 Pac-12)

Result: Beat BYU 35-7 at home

Recap: Huskies quarterback Jake Browning became Washington’s all-time leading passer. He put up 277 yards and one touchdown. Running back Salvon Ahmed ran in two touchdowns to go with 86 yards on the ground. Tailback Myles Gaskin added 81 yards and one touchdown. Washington’s defense held BYU to just 34 rushing yards and scoreless for 59 minutes.

Previous Ranking: 2

Next up: at UCLA, Saturday at 5:30 p.m. on FOX

Records are made to be broken.

Jake Browning becomes the Huskies’ all-time passing leader. pic.twitter.com/NNPOMeIGg6

— FOX College Football (@CFBONFOX) September 30, 2018

2. Stanford (4-1, 2-0 Pac-12)

Result: Lost to No. 8 Notre Dame 38-17 on the road

Recap: Trailing 24-17 to start the fourth quarter, Stanford get over the hump as they went scoreless in the final quarter and allowing Notre Dame to score two touchdowns. Cardinal running back Bryce Love rushed 17 times for 73 yards and one touchdown before going to the locker room early in the fourth quarter with a left ankle injury. He is questionable against Utah on Saturday.

Notre Dame running back Dexter Williams made his 2018 debut rushing for 161 yards and one touchdown. Fighting Irish quarterback Ian Book threw four touchdowns on 278 yards passing.

Previous Ranking: 1

Next up: vs. Utah, Saturday at 8:30 p.m. on ESPN

Bryce Love’s left ankle turned outward on this run. It’s the same ankle that was injured in 2017. pic.twitter.com/3MA2mJEjC3

— Yahoo Sports College Football (@YahooSportsCFB) September 30, 2018

3. Oregon (4-1, 1-1 Pac-12)

Result: Beat No. 24 California 42-24 on the road

Recap: Three touchdowns in the second quarter was the difference for Oregon as they handed Cal their first loss of the season. Ducks quarterback Justin Herbert had 225 yards and two touchdowns through the air. 221 of Oregon’s 260 rushing yards came from running backs Travis Dye and CJ Verdell. The defense forced five turnovers with four interceptions and one forced fumble.

Previous Ranking: 3

Next up: Bye week

4. Washington State (4-1, 1-1 Pac-12)

Result: Lost to USC 39-36 on the road

Recap: After an offensive onslaught in the first half that led to a tie at 21 apiece at the half, Washington State scored their only second half touchdown on the play of the game. Quarterback Gardner Minshew connected with wide receiver Easop Winston for 89 yards, putting the Cougars on top and squeak out the win. Minshew threw for a blistering 445 yards, three touchdowns and one interception. Winston ended up with 115 receiving yards and wide receiver Dezmon Patmon collected 112 yards through the air.

Previous Ranking: 5

Next up: at Oregon State, Saturday at 7 p.m. on the Pac-12 Network

Our play of the game!#GoCougs | @M_Chaz pic.twitter.com/qX2OlLMQpR

— WSU Cougar Football (@WSUCougFB) September 30, 2018

5. California (3-1, 0-1 Pac-12)

Result: Lost to No. 19 Oregon 42-24 at home

Recap: Two interceptions from both Cal quarterbacks Brandon McIlwain and Chase Garbers hurt the Golden Bears in their attempt to upset the Ducks. McIlwain racked up 123 yards and one touchdown on the ground. As a team, Cal rushed for 241 yards, but were held to 186 yards passing. Their defense couldn’t stop the balanced Oregon offense, allowing 485 yards of total offense.

Previous Ranking: 4

Next up: at Arizona, Saturday at 8 p.m. on FS1

6. Oregon State (1-4, 0-2 Pac-12)

Result: Lost to Arizona State 52-24 on the road

Recap: Oregon State’s defense allowed 10 points or more in three of the four quarters, while allowing the Sun Devils to rack up 558 yards of total offense. Arizona State running back Eno Benjamin set the school rushing record with 312 yards on 30 carries to go with three touchdowns. Oregon State running back Jermar Jefferson countered with 254 yards and two touchdowns on the ground.

Previous Ranking: 6

Next up: vs. Washington State, Saturday at 7 p.m. on the Pac-12 Network

SOUTH:

1. Colorado (4-0, 1-0 Pac-12)

Result: Beat UCLA 38-16 at home

Recap: After a competitive first half that saw the Buffs holding a slim lead, 14-13 at halftime, they blew the game open in the second half by outscoring UCLA 24-3. Colorado Quarterback Steven Montez threw for 237 yards and ran for another 81 with three total touchdowns. Running back Travon McMillian’s 102 rushing yards and wide receiver Laviska Shenault Jr.’s 126 receiving yards lifted the Buffs to 477 total yards on offense. Colorado’s 4-0 start has them ranked No. 21 in the AP poll.

Previous Ranking: 1

Next up: vs. Arizona State, Saturday at 2 p.m. on the Pac-12 Network

2. Arizona State (3-2, 1-1 Pac-12)

Result: Beat Oregon State 52-24 at home

Recap: Arizona State running back Eno Benjamin set the school rushing record with 312 yards on 30 carries to go with three touchdowns, he was named Pac-12 Offensive Player of the Week. Quarterback Manny Wilkins threw three touchdowns, one of them to wide receiver N’Keal Harry to go with his 84 receiving yards. The Sun Devils had an impressive 558 yards of offense to go with their first Pac-12 win of the season.

Previous Ranking: 3

Next up: at Colorado, Saturday at 2 p.m. on the Pac-12 Network

SINGLE GAME RUSHING RECORD 😤

Eno Benjamin set the @ASUFootball record for rushing yards in a game with 312 yards, shattering the previous record of 250 yards set by Ben Malone in 1973! pic.twitter.com/XQWDpBVNj1

— Arizona State Sun Devils (@TheSunDevils) September 30, 2018

3. USC (3-2, 2-1 Pac-12)

Result: Beat Arizona 24-20 on the road

Recap: USC held a 24-20 lead with 10:36 remaining in the third quarter, Arizona made a comeback, outscoring the Trojans 20-0 and fell just short of the win. USC running back Aca’Cedric Ware had 173 yards and two touchdowns to bolster their running attack, while running back Stephen Carr added 80 yards on the ground. Arizona’s run game was held in check with 98 rushing yards, including 50 yards from running back J.J. Taylor.

Previous Ranking: 4

Next up: Bye week

FINAL: USC 24, Arizona 20

The Trojans earn their first road win of the season and their sixth straight against the Wildcats.#FightOn pic.twitter.com/L1l2bjE3An

— USC Trojans (@USC_Athletics) September 30, 2018

4. Utah (2-2, 0-2 Pac-12)

Result: Lost to Washington State 28-24 on the road

Recap: The Utes stuck with their game plan in the first half, which was to feed running back Zack Moss. The junior would finish with 106 yards and one touchdown on 30 carries. Utah lost the lead late in the fourth quarter when Washington State wide receiver Easop Winston caught an 89-yard touchdown pass from quarterback Gardner Minshew. Utah converted two fourth down plays on the final drive but were negated by penalties.

Previous Ranking: 2

Next up: at No. 14 Stanford, Saturday at 8:30 p.m. on ESPN

5. Arizona (2-3, 1-1 Pac-12)

Result: Lost to USC 24-20 at home

Recap: Arizona running back J.J. Taylor was held in check with 50 yards rushing. Quarterback Khalil Tate connected on 232 yards passing and two touchdowns. The Wildcats defense couldn’t stop the USC rushing attack, allowing 253 yards and three touchdowns.

Previous Ranking: 5

Next up: vs. California, Saturday at 8 p.m. on FS1

6. UCLA (0-4, 0-1 Pac-12)

Result:  Lost to Colorado 38-16 on the road

Recap: UCLA stayed in the game through the first half, trailing by only one point, 14-13. The wheels fell off in the second half, only scoring three points. The lone bright spot for UCLA’s offense was running back Joshua Kelley, who rushed for 124 yards on 12 carries.

Previous Ranking: 6

Next up: vs. No. 10 Washington, Saturday at 5:30 p.m. on FOX