NORTH
1. Stanford — Christian McCaffrey was his usual spectacular self as he led Stanford to a 27-10 win over USC. The Cardinal might need to watch McCaffrey’s touch count as he already has 67 touches in two games. His 33.5 touches per game are actually more than last year when he averaged 31 and this should only increase in conference play.
2. Washington — Poor Portland State did not stand a chance as the Huskies handled them 41-3. Now conference play starts and Washington has the chance to move up from their ninth-ranked position.
3. Oregon — Once Royce Freeman went down, the Ducks’ offense was shot down by a hungry Cornhuskers squad. The one bright spot from this loss was that it was non-conference so they still have a shot in the division.
4. Washington State — The Huskies beat Idaho 56-6 and now have a bye to rest up before Oregon. Both teams are playing catch up with Stanford and Washington so they need this game for positioning.
5. California — Cal edged out then No. 11 -ranked Texas in a 50-43 shootout. This somehow was not enough to add the Golden Bears to the top 25 while Texas is currently No. 21. Apparently, the pollsters are not entertained so Cal will need to beat ASU to earn more respect.
6. Oregon State — In an epic moment that may not happen any time in the near future, Oregon State emerged victorious against Idaho State 37-7. They get Boise State at home this week so maybe the Beavers can ride the momentum.
SOUTH
1. UCLA — BYU almost came back against UCLA after trailing 17-0 but the Bruins held on. Now they get Stanford this week which means they are staring .500 right in the eyes this week.
2. Utah — The Utes are back in the top 25 as they check into the AP polls at No. 24 this week. They get a USC team coming off of a loss against Stanford so this matchup is crucial to both teams.
3. ASU — The Sun Devils are undefeated heading into conference play and could be contenders for the division. Kalen Ballage has more rushing touchdowns than Christian McCaffrey, Freeman and Myles Gaskin combined just like we all expected. Don’t look now, but they could be two games ahead of USC and UCLA next week.
4. USC — Their defense decided to leave McCaffrey completely uncovered and that went about as well as expected. Credit them for playing a tough schedule but it does not matter if you lose all of your matchups to good opponents.
5. Arizona — Brandon Dawkins put on a show against Hawaii and now he will likely again with Arizona competing against ninth-ranked Washington. If he somehow pulls off the upset against Washington, there is no reason not to start him when Anu Solomon is healthy.
6. Colorado — The Buffaloes were so close to leapfrogging most of the standings but they could not finish. And just like that, they are back in the Pac-12 South cellar after a brief sabbatical. They can make it back out again if Washington destroys Arizona again like last year.
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