North
1. No. 3 Oregon (1-0)
The Ducks blew out an FCS team as a light warm-up for the huge game this week. Oregon hosts defending Rose Bowl champion Michigan State in the national game of the week.
Last week: first, W vs. South Dakota 62-13
This week: Saturday vs. No. 7 Michigan State (1-0)
2. No. 13 Stanford (1-0)
The Cardinal also beat up on an FCS team at home as an appetizer for a big game this week. Stanford hosts USC in a matchup with major Daily Wildcat Pac-12 Conference Power Rankings implications — oh, and Pac-12 championship implications, too.
Last week: second, W vs. UC Davis 45-0
This week: Saturday vs. No. 14 USC (1-0)
3. Washington (1-0)
The Huskies held off Hawaii in Chris Petersen’s U-Dub debut. This week, they host an Eastern Washington team that is ranked No. 2 in the FCS and could be a threat to their big brother in Seattle.
Last week: third, W at Hawaii 17-16
This week: Saturday vs. Eastern Washington (2-0)
4. Oregon State (1-0)
The Beavers avoided a third loss to an FCS team in the last four years, but just barely. This week, they face a tough trip to the islands and could say “aloha” to their first loss.
Last week: fourth, W vs. Portland State 29-14
This week: Saturday at Hawaii (0-1)
5. California (1-0)
The Golden Bears equaled their 2013 win total and surpassed their number of victories against FBS teams from last year in one game on the road against a tough Northwestern squad. This week Cal faces a Sac State team that has beaten Oregon State and Colorado in recent years.
Last week: sixth, W v at Northwestern 31-24
This week: Saturday vs. Sacramento State (1-0)
6. Washington State (0-1)
In Seattle, the Cougars blew a 31-24 fourth quarter lead to Rutgers, which ESPN didn’t even have in the top 10 in its Big Ten preseason power rankings. Wazzu has now lost three in a row and three of four since beating Arizona last November.
Last week: Fifth, L vs. Rutgers (in Seattle) 41-38
This week: Friday at Nevada (1-0)
South
1. No. 11 UCLA (1-0)
The Bruins weren’t particularly impressive at Virginia, but it was a rare road win for the conference. “Survive and advance” is a key to the playoffs.
Last week: First, W at Virginia 28-20
This week: Saturday vs. Memphis (1-0)
2. No. 14 USC (1-0)
Despite all the drama in Hollywood, the Trojans opened up their season with an impressive win over Fresno State, who they whacked last year in the Las Vegas Bowl. This week we’ll learn a lot about USC when it travels to The Farm.
Last week: Second, W vs. Fresno State 52-13
This week: Saturday at Stanford
3. Arizona (1-0)
The Wildcats pounded probably the worst team on their schedule, so there shouldn’t be anything noteworthy. However, Arizona’s redshirt freshman quarterback Anu Solomon and the running backs shined, two big questions marks going into the season.
Last week: Third, W vs. UNLV 58-13
This week: Thursday at UTSA (1-0)
4. No. 17 ASU (1-0)
The Sun Devils feasted on an FCS cupcake in Weber State, so we didn’t learn much. It was impressive, though, as they scored 31 points in the first half.
Last week: Fourth, W vs. Weber State 45-14
This week: Saturday at New Mexico (0-1)
5. Utah (1-0)
The Utes were the last Pac-12 team to pick on an FCS team, beating up on Idaho State. This week, we’ll learn a lot more about the Utes and the strength of the conference when they play Fresno State, which was routed by USC.
Last week: Fifth, W vs. Idaho State 56-14
This week: Saturday vs. Fresno State (0-1)
6. Colorado (0-1)
The Buffaloes’ quest to reach their first bowl game since 2007 took a major hit when they got beat by arch-rival Colorado State in Denver. Despite the long trip to UMass, they should handle the Minutemen, but it’s hard seeing them getting to six wins now.
Last week: Sixth, L vs. Colorado State (in Denver) 31-17
This week: Saturday at Massachusetts (0-1)
—Follow James Kelley @jameskelley520