Pacific Takes Week Five Power Rankings: USC climbs back up in the South

North

1. Oregon 4-0 1-0 (1)

The Ducks got a much-needed bye week and hold onto their top spot. Their biggest task of the week off was to try and get tackle Jake Fisher healthy for Arizona, but I haven’t heard anything about his status.

2. Stanford 3-1 1-1 (2)

Stanford solidified their spot below Oregon by getting a touch win at Washington in a must-win situation to avoid going 0-2 in-conference. The Cardinal now just need to lay in wait and win games they should until they get Oregon in early-November.

3. Washington 4-1 0-1 (3)

The Huskies get to keep their spot here by taking Stanford down to the wire, but they are going to have to prove from here that they can win games in a very competitive from top-to-bottom Pac-12. Their defense looks very strong, but their offense is going to have to start making strides if they hope to stay in the top half of the North.

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

The Cougars bounced back against Utah and bounced back out of the Pac-12 North cellar. The Cougars still have an overall losing record, but have been very impressive in Pac-12 play.

5. Cal 3-1 1-1 (5)

It looks like it is going to be a very tense season for Bears fans as they try to outshoot every one of their opponents. The Bears got a must-win at home against Colorado and now will have to start improving on defense if they hope to get back to a bowl as their schedule gets tougher with each week.

6. Oregon State 3-1 0-1 (4)

Kind of an overreaction maybe, but the Beavers did look simply awful in their Pac-12 opener at USC. The pressure is now on the Beavers this week to get a win against an improved Colorado team on the road.

South

1. UCLA 4-0 1-0 (1)

The Bruins proved that they deserve this spot by undressing Arizona State in Tempe. The win gives them a huge leg up in the South as they get Arizona, Utah and USC all in the Rose Bowl.

2. USC 3-1 2-0 (4)

I thought the Trojans would get a convincing win over Oregon State, but I didn’t think they would dominate them in the way that they did. The Trojans now look like the main competitor to UCLA in the South.

3. Arizona 4-0 1-0 (5)

The Wildcats got a nice week off after running in overdrive for a quarter to comeback and shock Cal, but now have to head to Eugene to face off with a rabid Oregon team. I will be very impressed if the Wildcats can make a game of it against the Ducks and it could mean that they are a legit contender for the South.

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

The Sun Devils got absolutely deflated by UCLA and even though they did not have Taylor Kelly, it doesn’t excuse how many points they gave up. They will now have to find a way to get through a gauntlet in their next three games playing at USC and Washington and hosting Stanford.

5. Utah 3-1 0-1 (3)

More South deflation. The Utes were riding high, up 21-0 against Washington State, but it all came tumbling down and they ended up losing one of the most winnable Pac-12 games on their schedule at home.

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

The Buffs were oh-so-close to getting a huge win at Cal, but came up just short. Unfortunately for them, they are going to have to win a bunch of games they will be heavy underdogs in now to get to a bowl game.