Stanford Rises, Washington and Arizona State Fall in Week 5 Pac 12 Power Rankings
Saturday Blitz Pac 12 Power Rankings Week 5
11. Utah Utes, 3-1 (0-1), Lost to Washington State Cougars 28-27 Last Saturday
The Utah Utes are still a very good team and can accomplish a lot of things this year, but Saturday’s home loss to Washington State was a terrible look. With the Cougars at 1-3 and the Utes having a two-score lead late in the game, there is no reason they should have allowed that comeback. But after that loss, even though it’s only 1 point and the only loss on the season, we have to question how good Utah is.
For that they have dropped to No. 11 in our Pac 12 Power Rankings. The offense, which has been incredibly balanced and ranked in the Top 20 in scoring with 42 points per game, could not move the ball against a Washington State team coached by Mike Leach and known for not playing defense. The defense wasn’t a problem, only allowing 28 points and 19.8 points per game on the year, but how could the offense go so cold late? That makes us question how mentally tough the Utah Utes are.
And with Pac 12 play set to take off, things are not going to get any easier for this team. UCLA is up next, and then comes a bye before a trip to Oregon State and a home date against USC. Then you have Arizona State, Oregon, and Stanford down the road. What was originally a 3-0 team could now fall to 3-7 very quickly.