Stanford Rises, Washington and Arizona State Fall in Week 5 Pac 12 Power Rankings
Saturday Blitz Pac 12 Power Rankings Week 5
3. USC Trojans, 3-1 (2-0), Defeated Oregon State Beavers 35-10 Last Saturday
USC is back among the college football Pac 12 elites after a blowout win against Oregon State Saturday. Just like Stanford, the Trojans should not have had the loss they have, and it’s the only thing keeping them from being in the Top 2 of the Pac 12 as well. With both teams having a loss and a quality win, and USC beating Stanford, they have to be above the Trojans for right now.
The problem with the Trojans is that they have a very weak rush defense that obviously got massively exposed in a fluke loss to a Boston College team that has now proven it is overrated. However, many of the teams the Trojans face this year want to focus much more on throwing the football, which plays right into their hands. That’s the good news that gives them a great chance to still compete for the Pac 12 South title.
Arizona State and Arizona are the next two games, and ironically they could be two of the toughest tests because both teams actually do like to run the ball more than other Pac 12 teams, but they still rely on a heavy passing game. USC needs to beat both team and honestly make it to 9-1 before the final two games against UCLA and Notre Dame to keep the respect they’ve gained.