NORTH
1. Oregon — Could the Ducks be on upset watch? No. 18 Utah comes to town, and Vernon Adams is not at 100 percent, so the Ducks should be able to coast until mid-November’s date against Stanford.
2. Stanford — The Cardinal seemed to have returned to form with its 41-31 victory over USC. While Oregon remains the clear-cut favorite in the North, Stanford’s showing that its loss at Northwestern University was just a fluke.
3. California — The Bears avoided a scare against Texas, and Jared Goff and the California offense continue to hit on all cylinders. The team could potentially compete for the Pac-12 North or they embark on a major losing streak when they face the meat of their schedule in October, so they must capitalize on their easy wins.
4. Washington — The Huskies must win at home this weekend against California if they want to go bowling this holiday season. With five-straight ranked opponents, starting next week with USC, they likely have to beat one ranked team to earn a bowl bid.
5. Oregon State — The team defeated San Jose State pretty handily and now faces a much tougher Bay-Area school in Stanford. Four wins seem likely unless they upset a few teams and shake up the conference.
6. Washington State — Other than its Colorado matchup in November, Wazzu likely will not be favored in any of its matchups. The boys in Pullman, Washington, are going to have to pull off a Cinderella season if they want to go bowling.
SOUTH
1. UCLA — Josh Rosen’s play has tailed off since his sensational debut, as he tallied only 106 yards and one touchdown to three interceptions. Luckily, Perkins ran for 219 yards as UCLA barely escaped No. 22 BYU to remain undefeated.
2. USC — Their cross-town rival overtook the Trojans last week as they had their yearly stumble to an unranked team. With five ranked opponents left on their schedule, including UCLA to end the season, the Trojans have to be pretty much perfect to make the playoff.
3. Arizona — With No. 9 UCLA coming to town and College GameDay broadcasting the game Saturday, Arizona has a great chance to show the nation that last season was not a fluke. The Wildcats may need a returned Scooby Wright III to shut down and fluster Rosen if they want to win.
4. Utah -— After a slow start, the Utes’ running game and special teams dominated as they defeated Fresno State by 21. Their date with the Ducks this week could prove if the Utes are for real or just a mirage.
5. ASU — A trendy pick for the playoff in the preseason, the Sun Devils get a USC team seeking revenge for last year’s outing. Last season Bercovici had 510 yards and five touchdowns including a last-second Hail Mary to beat the Trojans.
6. Colorado — The team gutted out a 27-24 win against rival Colorado State and get Nicholls State this week before its schedule gets ratcheted up. This might be Colorado’s last win until Washington State in November, so hopefully it ends September with a bang.
