Pac-12 Power Rankings: Washington State on the rise after big upset
By Dante Pryor
8. Oregon Ducks (1-1)
The Oregon Ducks got over its 45-3 shellacking against the Georgia Bulldogs by taking it out on FCS Eastern Washington. Bo Nix threw five touchdown passes against the Eagles. The Ducks have another challenging non-conference game against the BYU Cougars, who defeated Baylor this past Saturday.
7. UCLA Bruins (2-0)
UCLA defeated Alabama State at the Rose Bowl on Saturday and has one more tune-up against South Alabama before beginning its conference schedule against Colorado. The Bruins should be undefeated before they host Washington on September 30.
The Bruins could be a sleeper team in the Pac-12 south if quarterback Dorian Thomspon-Robinson plays up to his potential.
6. California Golden Bears (2-0)
The Bears are off to a 2-0 start as they travel to South Bend to take on the reeling Notre Dame Fighting Irish. The Golden Bears are conservative offensively, as evidenced by their first two games.
California could manage only 20 points against UNLV. Though the Rebels look much improved from last season, a Power Five team should be able to score more than 20 points against a team that allowed 32.8 points per game last season.
5. Washington Huskies (2-0)
On the one hand, how Huskies head coach Kalen DeBoer has improved the offense early this season is exciting if you are a Washington fan. However, you hope quarterback Michael Penix, Jr. can stay healthy for an entire season. The Indiana transfer has been excellent, completing nearly 70 percent of his passes for 682 yards and six touchdowns.
The Huskies host the Michigan State Spartans in what should be a sterner test than Kent and Portland State. However, the Spartans did have the worst pass defense in all of college football last season. Penix and the Huskies could still score a lot of points against the Spartans.