Pac-12 Power Rankings: Picture little-changed following Week 10 games
The Pac-12 continued to provide fairly expected results on Saturday, following the handful of major games in the league that established the current pecking order in our Pac-12 Power Rankings.
The top contenders in the league all held serve on Saturday, with each of the top four teams winning by at least two touchdowns.
Other than one switch in the middle of the rankings, things really didn’t change this week. Still, let’s go through things and provide some commentary.
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Today we update the Pac-12 Power Rankings following Week 10 games.
2022 Pac-12 Power Rankings – Week 10
Bo Nix‘s Heisman Trophy level campaign continues, complete with a four-touchdown performance in a 49-10 dismantling of Colorado. Nix threw for 274 yards and a pair of scores, while rushing for 16 yards and two touchdowns on the ground. The Ducks get Washington up next before a major showdown with Utah.
UCLA played without running back Zach Charbonnet for undisclosed reasons, but managed to jump out to a 28-10 halftime lead and then hold on for a 50-36 win over Arizona State. Quarterback Dorian Thompson-Robinson accounted for four scores. UCLA hosts Arizona before the pivotal showdown with USC in two weeks.
Quarterback Cameron Rising was back against Arizona, but Utah seemed intent on leaning on its run game. It certainly worked. Rising didn’t have to do much as Utah piled up 306 yards rushing in a 45-20 win. The Utes will now host Stanford before a crucial road trip to Oregon on Nov. 19.
USC pulled ahead early against California and then held on late, even as the Bears managed to outscore USC 21-7 in the fourth quarter. USC won 41-35 as quarterback Caleb Williams threw for 360 yards and four touchdowns while also adding 38 yards and a score on the ground. The Trojans get lowly Colorado next before a monumental meeting with UCLA.
- Washington (+1)
Pac-12 After Dark turned literal in Washington’s Friday night 24-21 win over Oregon State, with a fourth-quarter delay following a section of the stadium lighting going out due to a power outage. When play resumed, quarterback Michael Penix capped a strong night by leading a 92-yard scoring drive that resulted in the game-winning field goal with eight seconds remaining. Washington gets its chance to make a real move in the Pac-12 Power Rankings and conference race this week when it travels to Oregon.
- Oregon State (-1)
The Beavers couldn’t get a stop when they needed to in the 24-21 loss to the Huskies. Once again playing without quarterback Chance Nolan, Oregon State managed to total just 87 yards passing in the game. The Beavers are already bowl eligible but can improve their bowl destination by closing strong. Up next is a home game against California.
Washington State blasted Stanford 52-14 but can’t move any higher in this week’s Pac-12 Power Rankings due to its head-to-head loss to Oregon State in mid-October. The Cougars ran for 306 yards, led by Nakia Watson‘s 166-yard outing. Arizona State at home is next on the schedule.
The Wildcats were outclassed by the Utes over the weekend, unable to stop Utah’s ground game in a 45-20 loss. Worse, quarterback Jayden de Laura was really kept in check. He finished just 10-of-20 passing for 159 yards without a score. Arizona must win out to gain bowl eligibility, starting with a road trip to UCLA this week.
The Cardinal couldn’t stop the Cougars, with Washington State winning 52-14 on Saturday. Stanford allowed 306 yards rushing while picking up just 71 on the ground itself in the loss. Like Arizona, Stanford must win out to become bowl eligible. It will have to travel to Utah this week and produce an improbable result to keep those hopes alive.
Credit California for fighting until the final whistle, but the Bears dug themselves too big a hole to climb out of down 27-7 early in the third quarter. Jaydn Ott did what he could to support quarterback Jack Plummer in the comeback attempt against the Trojans, scoring two touchdowns on the ground in the 41-35 loss. Plummer threw for three touchdowns and 406 yards, but it wasn’t quite enough.
Good news and bad news for Arizona State in a 50-36 loss to UCLA. First, the good news is the game was competitive and quarterback Trenton Bourguet continues to provide a boost to the passing game. The bad news is the Sun Devils might have discovered Bourguet too late in the season. He threw for 349 yards and two touchdowns, but Arizona State had few answers for Thompson-Robinson on the other side.
Colorado was smoked by Oregon Saturday and there’s not a ton to say here. The Buffaloes are clearly the weakest team in the league and have been mired at the bottom of our Pac-12 Power Rankings for a while. Now Colorado must travel to USC and Washington in back-to-back weeks before finishing at home against Utah.
Want to see how this week’s power rankings compare to our previous edition? Check out the 2022 Week 9 Pac-12 Power Rankings here!