Pac-12 Football Power Rankings, Week 8: Bow down to Jayden Daniels

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PALO ALTO, CALIFORNIA – OCTOBER 05: Aaron Fuller #2 of the Washington Huskies catches a pass against the Stanford Cardinal during the first quarter of an NCAA football game at Stanford Stadium on October 05, 2019 in Palo Alto, California. (Photo by Thearon W. Henderson/Getty Images) /

The Cardinal were on a bye week, after getting a lot of positive momentum in back-to-back wins against Oregon State and Washington. They’ll have a great chance to keep that going at home against UCLA. If this defense can continue to make big plays, they could turn this season back around to a bowl appearance.

Another team on a bye week, Cal definitely needed the rest and reps for their backup quarterback Devon Modster. This is the third best defense in the conference, and a team that has certainly had its fair share of luck in wins against Washington and Ole Miss, but injuries seem to be derailing them.

Their next game against Oregon State is a clash in styles, seeing a good offense against a good defense. Both teams will be looking to get a leg up in the standings.

The Wildcats were in the game for the first half, until giving up 38 points in the second half to the Huskies. This defense just continues to not be at the level of the offense, and it will hurt them throughout the season.

This is a big game, on the road at USC, as the winner will present itself as the challenger to the top two in the south.

Speaking of the Trojans, USC fell just short at Notre Dame, giving the Irish a good run for their money. I continue to be impressed with Kedon Slovis, as he had another 255 yards and two touchdowns.

The Trojans’ run defense, however, continues to struggle. They’ve given up 249 yards rushing per game in their last three games. Albeit, Utah, Washington and Notre Dame are very good teams, that still has to improve.

USC can now focus on the Pac-12 schedule. This was a grueling part of their schedule, and they went 1-2 in these three games. They now have four easily winnable games in their last six, and still have the tiebreaker over Utah for the Pac-12 South. They’ll just need to find a way to win on the road.

Of all the teams in the conference, I still have no idea where the Dawgs are. The definition of Jekyll & Hyde, the Huskies were down 17-13 at the half, before exploding for 38 points in the second half against Arizona to win 51-27.

This team has been really impressive at stretches, but then also lays an egg to Stanford and Cal. When Jacob Eason and the offense is rolling, the Huskies are a top 15 team. When they aren’t, it’s a completely different team.

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