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What a week off will do to your chances. By virtue of Arizona State’s loss, the Oregon State Beavers are now your No. 3 ranked team in the Pac-12.
Let’s get right to it:
No. 1 — Oregon Ducks; No change
You don’t have two Heisman Trophy frontrunners and not get ranked No. 1 here. The Ducks have Justin Herbert leading the conference in a bevy of efficiency statistics while CJ Verdell has been the back-to-back Pac-12 Offensive Player of the Week, capping this last week’s performance with five touchdowns. This team is as good as they come in the country, not just the Pac-12.
No. 2 — Washington Huskies; No change
The Huskies got a strong defensive performance like we’ve come to expect against Stanford in Week 6 and that’s what they can rely on through out. Jacob Eason threw it at will and though he did make a few errant throws, it was all with a big lead. This Huskies team is the only real challenge, at this time, to the Ducks throne.
No. 3 — Oregon State Beavers; +1
The Beavers were off in Week 6, and thus, they stayed undefeated. We’re not ready to crown them yet, but this team has looked solid in their five victories to date but we’ll need to see them in action against top-tier opponents. They’ll keep all their games interesting and as their schedule toughens down the stretch, we hope this isn’t the last time we see them near the top.
No. 4 — Washington State Cougars; +1
They got back at it with a dismantling of the Cal Bears secondary. Anthony Gordon torched the defense of the Bears for 403 yards and four more scores as they also scored on the ground as well in this blowout victory over Cal. Their rain game against Stanford is now clearly in the rear-view mirror and this is not a team that any team with an ailing defense wants to face.
No. 5 — Arizona State Sun Devils; -2
They got a dose of reality after traveling to South Bend and facing off against Notre Dame. The Fighting Irish stymied the Sun Devils offense for most of the game and Jayden Daniels took home his first loss. It’s on to conference play where they should have a good leg up on most of their remaining schedule.
No. 6 — UCLA Bruins; +1
Though they looked shaky against Nebraska a few weeks ago, the Bruins gave us one of the most exciting wins of the season with their double-overtime win over Utah. Temper your expectations, however, because it was just against Utah. The Bruins needed double overtime to beat the worst team in the conference, and their backup QB.
No. 7 — USC Trojans; -1
USC has looked sluggish as of late and their rain game from two weeks ago didn’t help that. They were off in Week 6 and will look to rebound against a tough Arizona team before they have to take on Notre Dame in Week 8. This game against Arizona all of a sudden became a must-win.
No. 8 —Arizona Wildcats; No change
The Wildcats, like their opponents this week, got a much-needed Week 6 bye. Arizona lost an absolute thriller against Washington in Week 5 and their fans are likely still reeling from that bad call in that one. The Wildcats don’t get much easier of an opponent, though their record may not indicate it this year, as USC and their Air Raid offense plays host to Khalil Tate and Co. in Week 7. It’s a must-win for both sides.
No. 9 — California Golden Bears; +1
This defense did not look like itself against Washington State, but then again, who really has so far this year. There’s a reason Gordon is leading the country in passing yards and the Bears secondary is part of it now. Chase Garbers has to be more efficient for Cal to win any games and they’ll have to stay healthy. UCLA plays host this week after they needed double OT to knock off Utah on Thursday night last week.
No. 10 — Stanford Cardinal; -1
The Cardinal are a mess in 2019. This team does not have an identity and can’t figure out their quarterback situation, even if they keep residing with K.J. Costello. Week 7 brings with it a possible remedy as they take on Utah, who has clearly been a shell of what everyone thought they could be this year.
No. 11 — Colorado Buffaloes; -1
The Buffs were no match for Oregon in Week 6 and saw even their backup quarterback dice ‘em up. Colorado can hang their hat on the fact that they didn’t allow Justin Herbert to torch them through the air, but they forgot how to tackle when CJ Verdell had the ball. They have to tighten up if they want to win a conference game this year.
No. 12 — Utah Utes; No change
They were close. Oh, so close. And it was because of some Jason Shelley magic that they even saw double overtime against the Bruins. This team has also no identity and their defense has crumbled as of late. They’re just two wins away from a losing record this year and some serious grumblings about their head coach may start to come up if they can’t figure it out.
Reminder, this is a fictional take on our recreation of the 2019 NCAA football season using last year’s updated rosters and playing the games in NCAA Football 14 on a Playstation3. For more information, check out our intro story.