North
1. Oregon (5-1, 2-1 Pac-12) Previous position: 1
Oregon did everything it needed to against UCLA in order to reassert its dominance after a loss to Arizona. They moved the ball with relative ease and bottled up UCLA’s pass offense for three quarters. Redshirt junior quarterback Marcus Mariota threw for two touchdowns and ran for two more, and freshman running back Royce Freeman had 121 yards running and two scores of his own. It was enough to keep No. 9 Oregon in the College Football Playoff picture and to bump them back into the top 10.
2. Stanford (4-2, 2-1 Pac-12) Previous position: 3
After a narrow loss to Notre Dame, Stanford also got the bounce-back win it needed, defeating Washington State 34-17. It was a step in the right direction for the Cardinal offense, bumping its season scoring average up to No. 89 in the nation at 26.3 points per game, but it came against a porous Cougar defense that allows 35 points per contest. Stanford will need to continue to improve its offense, with games against high-scoring teams like Arizona State, Oregon and UCLA still on the schedule. Its defense isn’t a problem though. Stanford has allowed the fewest points per game in the nation and held Washington State to its second lowest scoring output of the season.
3. Washington (5-1, 1-1 Pac-12) Previous position: 4
Holding Cal, the nation’s No. 10 offense, to just seven points is no small task. In its 31-7 win, Washington held Cal to just 64 yards rushing and kept sophomore quarterback Jared Goff out of the end zone. Offensively, sophomore quarterback Cyler Miles rebounded from his poor performance against Stanford, completing 22 of his 29 passes and throwing for three touchdowns. With a matchup against Oregon looming this week, Washington will need a repeat performance from the whole team to stay in the game.
4. Oregon State (4-1, 1-1 Pac-12) Previous position: 5
The Beavers had the week off and jumped a spot in these rankings in the process. With a 4-1 record, Oregon State has been solid but unspectacular this season. The Beavers have faced just one unranked opponent – USC – and lost 35-10. They won by just five points against Colorado in their last game as well. With consecutive games against No. 20 Utah and No. 23 Stanford, Oregon State will need to have improved over the bye week to stay afloat in the North.
5. Cal (4-2, 2-2 Pac-12) Previous position: 2
This drop was a long time coming for the Golden Bears. Cal barely escaped with wins against Colorado and Washington State the past two weeks, so against an actual team in Washington, Cal’s 31-7 loss makes sense. While its offense can put up lots of points behind Goff, Cal needs a ton of work on the defensive end; facing any team with a competent offense means the Golden Bears will have to work hard for a win.
6. Washington State (2-5, 1-3 Pac-12) Previous position: 6
If statistics could tell a story, it was in Washington State’s 34-17 loss to Stanford. The Cougars passed 69 times for a respectable 292 yards; they ran for -26. That’s Washington State’s season in a nutshell. Redshirt senior quarterback Connor Halliday has had a blistering start to the season with 3,344 yards and 28 touchdowns through seven games. But just about everything else has been nothing short of awful for the Cougars. With three of its final five games against currently-ranked opponents, things won’t be getting easier either.
South
1. USC (4-2, 3-1 Pac-12) Previous position: 5
The gap between the top five teams in the South is all but indiscernible at this point in the season, but the Trojans jumped out to a slim lead by toppling No. 10 Arizona 28-26. Fitting with the theme for many of the conference’s top teams, it was a bounce-back performance for USC after its loss to Arizona State the previous week. But the Trojans very well could have lost, as the Wildcats missed a potentially game-winning 36-yard field goal as time expired; USC came away with the win only after Arizona missed a last-minute 36-yard field goal.
2. Arizona (5-1, 2-1 Pac-12) Previous position: 1
Even with the loss, Arizona proved something to the rest of the Pac-12. They’re for real. Sure, USC isn’t a powerhouse team, but the Wildcats are a field goal away from being 6-0 right now. They have yet to be truly outplayed this year and have proven they know how to keep games close. They may not have the same big name players as other programs, but they’re still a pesky and dangerous opponent.
3. Utah (4-1, 1-1 Pac-12) Previous position: 3
After taking down UCLA last week, Utah had its bye week, so the task for the Utes this week as they face Oregon State is carrying that momentum over the two week gap. Utah is No. 20 in the nation right now, but five of its final seven games come against other ranked opponents – so the real challenge is yet to come.
4. Arizona State (4-1, 2-1 Pac-12) Previous position: 4
The Sun Devils are also coming off a bye, but still jumped three spots in the AP poll to No. 17. Redshirt senior quarterback Taylor Kelly returned to practice last week but was limited in his drills. Even if he’s not available this week against Washington, backup redshirt junior Mike Bercovici has proven himself a more than serviceable replacement, with nearly 1,000 yards in his two starts.
5. UCLA (4-2, 1-2 Pac-12) Previous position: 2
Oh how the mighty have fallen. Two weeks ago, the Bruins were No. 8 in the nation. Now they’re absent from the top-25 after back-to-back losses. The way the Bruins respond will be interesting. UCLA plays this week against Cal at Berkeley, where it hasn’t won since 1998. With UCLA’s leaky pass defense, which ranks No. 94 in the nation, the team will have to contain Cal and its No. 4 passing offense. It could be up to UCLA’s offense to outscore the Golden Bears if the Bruins want to avoid a third consecutive loss.
6. Colorado (2-4,0-3 Pac-12) Previous position: 6
Just three games into its conference schedule and Colorado has all but eliminated itself from contention in the South with three losses. If there’s a bright side for the Buffaloes, it’s how close their losses were. Two of those three conference defeats were by five or fewer points. But similar to Washington State, four of Colorado’s last six games come against ranked opponents. Going winless in the Pac-12 is a real possibility.