North

1. Oregon — The Ducks lost a hard-fought battle to then No. 5 Michigan State, and while losing to them isn’t necessarily bad, giving up 197 yards on the ground is alarming. Last week, they gave up over 400 yards through the air , so the defense might have some cause for concern moving forward.

2. Stanford — After losing to a then unranked Northwestern, the Cardinal regained their defensive swagger by holding UCF to 181 yards of offense and only seven points. Kevin Hogan was spectacular with 341 yards and three touchdowns. Stanford will try to regain a top-25 ranking this week.

3. California — So far so good for the Golden Bears’ offense. Jared Goff piled up 321 yards and three touchdowns through the air while Daniel Lasco added 123 yards on the ground. Cal could potentially start the season 5-0 before playing four straight ranked opponents during conference play.

4. Washington — After losing to Boise State in Chris Petersen’s homecoming, the Huskies shellacked Sacramento State to the tune of 49-0. Still, their October schedule of USC, Oregon, Stanford and Arizona on Halloween is downright terrifying.

5. Oregon State — Michigan thrashed the Oregon State 35-7 in a game where the Beavers could only muster 138 yards of total offense. They must get things rolling in a hurry before their schedule really heats up with Pac-12 Conference play.

6. Washington State — While Wazzu did beat Rutgers in a thriller, we can’t ignore the loss to Portland State to open the season.

South

1. USC — Cody Kessler is garnering early season Heisman stock, like every USC quarterback before him, with 410 yards and three touchdowns in a win over Idaho. The Trojans could very well be favored in every game from here on, but USC is always due for a weird upset.

2. UCLA — Josh Rosen may not have had a great follow-up to his phenomenal debut, but running back Paul Perkins picked up the pace with 151 yards and two touchdowns. The defense completely shut down UNLV and the Bruins enter week three ranked No. 10 in the AP Top 25.

3. Arizona — The Wildcats improved to 8-0 when Nick Wilson averages at least five yards per carry, as the sophomore churned out 194 yards and three touchdowns against Nevada. With the injuries on defense, they still allowed just 20 points to the Wolf Pack.

4. Utah — The Utes became the fourth Pac-12 South team in top 25 after beating in-state rival Utah State 24-14. Now they play Fresno State before beginning Pac-12 play that will test the Utes’ mettle.

5. ASU — The Sun Devils were previously given the benefit of the doubt after losing to then unranked Texas A&M, but after needing two fourth quarter touchdowns to beat Cal Poly, any logic defending ASU was thrown out the window. This trendy playoff sleeper is making its believers look foolish early on.

6. Colorado — The stepchild of the Pac-12 South dominated UMass 48-14 and will look to keep their momentum going against in-state rival Colorado State. If the Buffs cannot capitalize on one of their easier opponents, the road ahead entering Pac-12 play will look even more bleak.

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