The good, the bad and the unknown week two: USC liftoff...

The Good

Huge slate of games - Weeks one was kind of sparse, but week two had more great Pac-12 games than you could even watch. Stanford and USC sorted the conference out a bit in just week two again, Washington State had an endless classic with Boise State, the Ducks held off a Nebraska rally, the Arizona schools fought hard in big non-conference games and Utah played a big rivalry game, all in one day.

USC’s confirmation - The Trojans had their doubters given their recent history of not living up to preseason hype and some concerns they showed against Western Michigan, but they made their statement against Stanford, handling the Cardinal with care. The Trojans look to be a legit Playoff contender two weeks into the season.

Sam Darnold - They hype is crazy, but so is his game. He was unstoppable against Stanford and plays in a way that I legitimately can say I haven’t really seen other Pac-12 quarterbacks play in my lifetime.

Bryce Love - Stanford looked pretty pedestrian across the board against USC, except for Love, who looked like a star in the making and the next deadly weapon at running back for the Cardinal offense.

The UnCoug - The Cougars did what other teams stereotypically do to them, but raging back against Boise State for a huge non-conference win. Plus, the Cougars did it with defense and without Luke Falk in crunch time - two great signs for the program this year.

Washington State’s defense - The Cougar defense scored two touchdowns, knocked out a quarterback and held up when they really needed to. The Cougars could be a strong challenger in the North if their defense catches up with their offense.

Oregon’s first half - It looked like 2013 for a half in Eugene as the Duck offense was unstoppable the defense caused turnovers and kept Nebraska mostly out of the end zone. Other Pac-12 fans across the conference had to be scared of what they saw.

Justin Herbert - He looks more and more like the next Mariota (but not as good of a runner and better passer) with each game. He was exquisite against Nebraska’s defense and is going to give Pac-12 defenses fits for a long time.

UCLA’s follow up - Saturday’s game was a game where UCLA would typically struggle after a big win in recent history, but they didn’t, dusting a solid Hawai’i team and showing that they might be turning a corner.

Tyler Huntley - The Utes might finally have a playmaker at quarterback, and that could make them much more dangerous in 2017.

The Bad

Luke Falk’s injury - This guy just can’t stay healthy. Here is to hoping Falk is right back for the Cougars as soon as possible.

Oregon’s second half - The Ducks reverted to 2016 form in the second half against Nebraska, getting outscored 21-0 as they nearly let the Huskers tie it up in the final minutes. They got the win, but it was a scary second half for Oregon.

The state of Arizona thud - Arizona and Arizona State had chances to get wins at home against strong mid-major programs that would show that they would be good teams in 2017. They didn’t.

Oregon State - I can safely say three games into the season that the Beavers have not turned a corner and are clearly the worst team in the Pac-12 right now.

The Unknown

Is USC elite? The Trojans are certainly very good, but the rest of the season will decide if they are just a very good team, or a team capable of winning a national championship.

How good is Stanford’s defense? USC’s offense might be deadly, but I can’t help but think that Stanford’s defense might not be as good as anticipated coming into the season. Was Saturday just a hiccup against a very good team for the Stanford D?

Can Stanford pass the ball? The Cardinal look to be able to run with an improved offensive line and Bryce Love, but it’s unclear if they will be able to pass against decent defenses and that could cause them to struggle in Pac-12 play.

Is Oregon back? The Ducks are not what they were in the early-2010s, but are they back to being a team that can win 10 games? They looked like it one half and then didn’t the other. Which half against Nebraska was closer to the true Oregon team?