Pacific Takes Pac-12 Power Rankings Week 8: USC takes back the top spot in the South

North

1. Oregon 5-1 2-1 (1)

The Ducks fully staked their claim for the top spot, not just in the North, but probably the whole conference by taking care of UCLA in the Rose Bowl. The conference is looking completely different week-to-week, but right not Pac-12 fans believe Oregon has got a bit of their mojo back.

2. Stanford 4-2 2-1 (2)

But don’t write off the Cardinal just yet. Stanford looks to have the best defense in the conference, if not the nation and is laying in wait to jump up on the Ducks and take the North yet again.

3. Washington 5-1 1-1 (4)

The Huskies were a hard team to read for the first five games of the season, but they showed that they could be for real by dominating Cal on the road. The Huskies will have a chance to make a huge splash and truly compete for the North title if they can somehow beat Oregon in Eugene Saturday.

4. Cal 4-2 2-2 (3)

The Bears took a huge shot, getting thrashed at home by Washington and now continue deeper into the tough part of their schedule. They can easily hold onto this spot, but if they want to have a shot at the upper half of the North, they are going to have to pull some major upsets going forward.

5. Oregon State 4-1 1-1 (5)

The Beavers are quietly laying in wait here, hoping to bounce back from their embarrassing loss at USC. Most Pac-12 fans seem to be in a wait and see mode with the Beavers.

6. Washington State 2-5 1-3 (6)

It is really too bad that the Cougars dropped their opening two non-conference games because they are pretty good this season, but it is going to be very difficult for them to get back to a bowl because of that two-loss hole. The fact that the Cougars are here is a testament to how strong the middle and bottom of the conference is this year.

South

1. USC 4-2 3-1 (5)

The Trojans rocketed up from the bottom to the top. Think if they could have hung on against Arizona State…

2. Arizona State 4-1 2-1 (3)

Kind of crazy that the Sun Devils are here with how badly they got beaten by UCLA, but that win at USC is looming large right now. Like most spots in the South, I don’t think the Sun Devils will stick here long, for good or for bad.

3. Arizona 5-1 2-1 (1)

Tough loss for the Wildcats shoots them right back down to the middle of the conference. They can bounce right back after their bye week though.

4. Utah 4-1 1-1 (4)

The Utes are quietly right in the running for the South. Another team that is laying in wait, that will either rise or fall in the next few weeks.

5. UCLA 4-2 1-2 (2)

It has all been bad for the Bruins since that magical blowout in Tempe. Jim Mora and Co. desperately need to turn things around as soon as possible, especially considering that this was supposed to be their big year.

6. Colorado 2-4 0-3 (6)

The Buffs got a much needed bye week to try and figure out how to turn their improvement into conference wins.