Pac-12 football power rankings, Week 5: Colorado plummets

3. No. 9 Oregon (4-0, 1-0)

Oregon head coach Dan Lanning and his team felt disrespected because all the attention was on Colorado, not them. They responded as such. The Ducks dominated the Buffaloes in its 42-6 win, and the game was not that close. It could have been worse, but Lanning took his foot off the pedal.

The Ducks have it all in front of them as well. They play Utah, Oregon State, USC, Washington, and Washington State, so the conference is right there in front of them. Bo Nix is playing as well as any quarterback in college football, and the defense is ornery.

2. No. 8 USC (4-0, 2-0)

Quarterback Caleb Williams is playing as well — if not better — than he did last season. The offense is humming along. However, some of those defensive issues reared its ugly head against Arizona State again. Poor tackling, an inability to set the line of scrimmage, and being out of position were issues against the Sun Devils.

With a schedule that includes No. 11 Notre Dame, No. 7 Washington, and their nemesis No. 10 Utah, will the defense cost the SoCal Trojans a playoff berth?

1. No. 7 Washington (4-0, 1-0)

There’s an argument that the Huskies have not played a demanding schedule thus far, which is sound. However, they have dismantled their opponents. There is not a team in the country playing better than U-Dubb. They aren’t “playing with their food” like some other teams.

They scored 45 first-half points against California to put that game away early. Their November could put them in the College Football Playoff or the Cheeze-It Bowl. They play USC, Utah, Oregon State, and Wazzu in the Apple Cup.