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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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LOS ANGELES, CA – SEPTEMBER 07: Quarterback Kedon Slovis #9 of the USC Trojans throws a complete pass for a first down in the first 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: Quarterback Kedon Slovis #9 of the USC Trojans throws a complete pass for a first down in the first 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) /

Speaking of wildly entertaining teams, what an explosion that was for the Trojans, dismantling Stanford 45-20. Clay Helton is coaching for his job, and he had no reason to sweat this weekend, as offensive coordinator Graham Harrell has a potential juggernaut on his hand. They made Stanford’s defense look division two, as they rushed for 120 yards and threw for 377 yards.

With all the talk on Bo Nix, Jayden Daniels and Hank Bachmeier, the best true freshman was on the bench in week one, as Kedon Slovis was clinical, throwing only five incompletions in the game and three touchdowns.

The win put the Trojans in the AP Top 25, but now it gets interesting. At BYU, home to Utah, then back-to-back road games against Washington and Notre Dame. We’ll truly see if the Trojans are back.

Ho hum, another 50-point Mike Leach performance. The Cougars look to be in mid-season form, as Anthony Gordon threw for another four touchdowns and 464 yards. This season, there seems to finally be an opening at the top for the Cougars in the north division, can they finally take advantage?

Utah survived the first half scare in week two, beating Northern Illinois 35-17 despite going down 7-0 early.

The Utes ended with 197 yards rushing and 5.2 rushing yards per carry, and this team has the same motto each game: Physical defense, getting four sacks and running the football.

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Running back Zack Moss only had 80 yards rushing, but Tyler Huntley made the throws when he needed to, and they got the win. This team is going to be in every game, controlling the clock and managing the game effectively.

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