Pac-12 Power Rankings: Who wins the ranked v. ranked matchups?

Does Shedeur Sanders’ magic travel?

6. # 19 Colorado (3-0): Do you believe? Can the Buffaloes pull off the upset of the early season on the road against #10 Oregon? It’s going to be hard; the Ducks are playing good football. Colorado plays hard for their coach and one another, but they are deeply flawed. Quarterback Shedeur Sanders has taken a lot of hits.

Not having Travis Hunter in this game does not help, either. Colorado and the Sanders crew make it interesting for three quarters, but the Ducks pull away in the fourth quarter of this one. If the Buffaloes can get through this back-to-back without another significant injury, they have two winnable games on the schedule.

5. #11 Utah (3-0, 1-0): If we don’t see quarterback Cam Rising against #22 UCLA, push the panic button because the knee is more severe than anyone thought. Rising injured the knee in the Rose Bowl last year and was supposed to be ready for the start of the season. Rising was not cleared against Florida or Baylor.

If Rising plays this weekend, it likely means the Utes kept him out against Weber State for an extra week of rest. Utah will need Rising healthy for the season; they play #5 USC, #8 Washington, and #10 Oregon this season.

4. #14 Oregon State (3-0): There were rumors that Aiden Childs was close to beating out Clemson transfer DJ Uiagalelei for the starting quarterback job. Uiagalelei won the job, and the Beavers have been one of the pleasant surprises of college football. Having the NCAA’s 8th-leading rusher on your team doesn’t hurt.

The Beavs have two challenging games against #21 Washington State and #11 Utah.