North
1. No. 12 Oregon (4-1, 1-1 Pac-12 Confrence)
After getting blacked out by Arizona last week, the Ducks have an immediate chance to rebound with UCLA this week. A loss puts the Ducks out of the playoff hunt.
Last week: First, L vs. Arizona 31-24
This week: Saturday at No. 18 UCLA (4-1, 1-1)
2. No. 25 Stanford (3-2, 1-1)
The Cardinal was close to beating Notre Dame on the road but couldn’t stop the Irish on fourth and 11 or manage the clock late. This week, it gets a chance to recover with Wazzu coming to town.
Last week: Second, L at No. 9 Notre Dame 17-14
This week: Friday vs. Washington State (2-4, 1-2)
3. Washington (4-1, 0-1)
The Huskies avoided what @NotBillWalton called college football’s Red Wedding by not playing. This week, they travel to California for an interesting match-up; someone must lose.
Last week: Third, Bye
This week: Saturday at California (4-1, 2-1)
4. California
Remember last year when the Golden Bears didn’t beat a single Football Bowl Subdivision team and went 1-11? Well, now Cal sits on top of the North, and, if the season ended today, it’d play Arizona in the championship game.
Last week: Fifth, W at Washington State 60-59
This week: Saturday vs. Washington
5. Oregon State (4-1, 1-1)
The Beavers barely escaped Boulder, Colo., with the win to stay alive in the Rose Bowl race. Fun fact: we saw the OSU band and pom line going to the game at Portland International Airport on Friday.
Last week: Third, W at Colorado 36-31
This week: Thursday vs. No. 24 Utah (4-1, 1-1)
6. Washington State
“Couging it” is defined by Urban Dictionary as the ability of Washington State University to find a way to lose “despite all odds.” Last week, the Cougars had the ball at the Cal four -yard line and couldn’t score any points at the end of the game, losing despite Connor Halliday’s NCAA record 734 yards. If only he had 738.
Last week: Sixth, L vs. California 60-59
This week: Friday at Stanford
South
1. No. 10 Arizona (5-0, 2-0)
The Wildcats are not only the Pac-12’s last unbeaten team; they improved to 4-8 against ranked teams under head coach Rich Rodriguez. Fun fact: since the start of the 2013 season, Arizona is 2-0 against top-10 teams while Alabama is 0-3.
Last week: Third, W at Oregon 31-24
This week: Saturday vs. USC (3-2, 2-1)
2. No. 18 UCLA (4-1, 1-1)
Given two chances to save the game against Utah, the Bruins failed, missing a 55-yard field goal as time expired and then a 50-yarder with no time after a Utah penalty. After the impressive win over ASU, the Bruins face the prospect of back-to-back losses and finding themselves two games back of Arizona.
Last week: First, L vs. Utah 30-28
This week: Saturday vs. Oregon
3. No. 20 ASU (4-1, 2-1)
Don’t bury the Sun Devils just yet. They took a page out of the Wildcats’ playbook to record their first win at USC this century. The Trojans live by the Hail Mary, getting one against OSU, and die by the Hail Mary, losing on one to ASU.
Last week: Fourth, W at USC 38-34
This week: Bye
4. Utah
The Utes recovered from their disastrous home loss to Washington State to shock UCLA at the Rose Bowl and move into the AP rankings. Maybe their win over Stanford wasn’t a fluke.
Last week: Fifth, W at UCLA 30-28
This week: Thursday at Oregon State
5. USC
The Trojans’ defense against ASU in the fourth quarter was worse than Troy’s in the Trojan War, so they tumble in the rankings. It’s like USC’s D did an impression of LA fans and left early.
Last week: Second, L 38-34 vs. ASU
This week: Saturday at Arizona
6. Colorado (2-4, 0-3)
While all the teams ahead of them shook up the power rankings and made it an unenviable task to rank the Pac-12, good ol’ Colorado didn’t fidget from its place in sixth. The Buffaloes are getting close to winning a conference game, though.
Last week: Sixth, L vs. Oregon 36-31
This week: Bye
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Follow James Kelley on Twitter.
