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Pac-12 Football Power Rankings, Week 3: USC makes case for No. 1

By Kyle Grondin

LOS ANGELES, CA - SEPTEMBER 07: Running back Vavae Malepeai #29 of the USC Trojans points to the sky after scoring a touch down in the fourth quarter of the game against the Stanford Cardinal at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum on September 7, 2019 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Jayne Kamin-Oncea/Getty Images)
LOS ANGELES, CA - SEPTEMBER 07: Running back Vavae Malepeai #29 of the USC Trojans points to the sky after scoring a touch down in the fourth quarter of the game against the Stanford Cardinal at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum on September 7, 2019 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Jayne Kamin-Oncea/Getty Images) /
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Week two of Pac-12 football begins to separate the contenders and the pretenders. There have been some surprises but which ones are here to stay?

Two weeks into the college football season, we have a very telling two game sample of our Pac-12 hopefuls. We can already write off a few teams (sorry, Bruins fans), and have a few teams with surprise contention.

When the season began, we had a South division that looked like Utah, and then everyone else. Now, it might even be better than the North.

USC, Colorado, Arizona State and Utah all stand undefeated, and three of them can realistically contend for the Pac-12 title. While the North has some ground to make up, Washington State and Cal sit at the top, hoping to finally topple the powerhouses at Oregon, Washington and Stanford. I’m not sure they’ll stay there, but they are enjoying this moment nonetheless.

Which team stands at No. 1 in Week 3?

I said last week that this spot was reserved for Oregon State until proven otherwise, well this is otherwise. UCLA has been abysmal through two games this season. The offense hasn’t been able to move the ball, they’ve had six turnovers in two games and they lost their first game to San Diego State University ever. Chip Kelly’s offense looks like it’s stuck in 2008.

Oregon State lost to Hawaii, and still moved up, thanks to UCLA. The Beavers led this game by 14 on two occasions, first going up 21-7 at the start of the second quarter and 28-14 just before halftime. They had zero points in the second half which led to their demise.

There were positive signs for Oregon State. The Beavers had 263 rushing yards and they averaged over six yards a carry. I don’t think this Oregon State team will go winless. Nine penalties were a problem.

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