Sunday, September 28, 2008
My, oh my, what a week for the Pac 10. USC isn't as good as we all thought, Oregon appears to adhere to the "QB is Optional" philosophy, the far northwest schools are among the very best... high school teams in the state of Washington, and the poor overall performance continues. Parity, or just poor play?

Someone mentioned on a thread that my Power rankings were the kiss of death, ala the Sports Illustrated cover. Well, we'll see after this week. So with that being said, here's how I rank 'em.

1. California (3-1)

Last weeks #2 did nothing to hurt their momentum. Taking down Colorado State 42-7, illustrated that they had no major hang over after the upset loss at Maryland. Look for Cal to try and make a statement next week at home against ASU.

2. Oregon (4-1)

No bye weeks, and four QB's later? No problem. This Oregon team has got to feel like they are bullet proof right now considering how great their offense is playing with a true freshman at QB. They're going to need to feel like they are bullet proof as next week they head to Los Angeles for a date with USC.

3. Southern Cal (2-1)

Yes, I know that USC lost at OSU, but I still can't drop them that far. After all, if USC wins out there is still a better than average chance that they play for the BCS championship. More importantly, they know it. if USC takes down Oregon next week, it will be business as usual, but if they lose again, it could be a struggle the rest of the way for the Trojans.

4. Oregon State (2-2)

Oregon State...wow. What a performance against OSU. I'm sure the majority of you will disagree, and have Oregon State ahead of USC... after all, they beat USC head-to-head. Given, however, the fact that Oregon State had a couple bad losses early and their win against USC was at home, I think it is going to be easier for USC to overcome this loss than Oregon State to overcome their first two losses. Still, unbelievable game by OSU.

5. Arizona (3-1)

Honestly, I hate to drop a team when they have a bye week, but how could you not, after the performance of the Oregon schools. Fear not UA, you'll have you chance next week when you put up 60 points and 800 yards against the beloved Dawgs of Montlake.

6. Arizona State (2-2)

not much to say. ASU had a bye and with a huge test next week against cal, ASU is certainly going to move up or possibly down in a week.

7. Stanford (3-2)

Well, Stanford took down Washington at home. I would love to say it was a monumental upset and that Stanford should be moved up to #2 or 3 in the Power rankings, but unfortunately, it's just not that way these days. A victory on the road at UW is about as rare a blizzard in Montana in January.

8. UCLA (1-3)

UCLA has been an interesting story. First, they were number one. Then, they dropped as low as #9 last week, and this week, despite their third consecutive loss, they move UP one spot? Quite telling as to how bad #9 and #10 must be. So the question of the week... who is the worst in the Pac 10 this week?

9. Washington (0-4)

I've been pondering all day, but as poor as UW is playing and as bad as they are likely to be, I still don't see them being quite on the level of Washington State. Two of the worst defenses in the nation in every category, but Washington seems to have an offense that can do some things, unlike Washington State, at least as of now.

10. Washington State (1-4)

Take heart Wazzu fans, the good news is that there are plenty of games left for UW to prove to be more futile than you. Just give it a little time. The team who wins one Pac 10 game between WSU and UW is almost certainly going to finish #9.

DM14
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