Pac-12 football power rankings: Washington survives, Utah has USC’s number

4. No. 13 Utah Utes (6-1, 3-1)

Kyle Whittingham for National Coach of the Year; you heard it here first. How are the Utes — without starting quarterback Cam Rising and several impact players on defense — 3-1 in the Pac-12? That comes down to coaching, culture, and belief. If I’m a contender, I might not want to play Utah down the stretch.

3. No. 11 Oregon State (6-1, 3-1)

The Beavers might be the most underrated 6-1 team in college football. That messy 38-35 loss to Washington State could have the Beavs wondering what might have been at the end of the season. With Oregon and Washington left on the schedule, Oregon State might have a hand in the outcome of the Pac-12 race, including getting to the title game themselves.

2. No. 8 Oregon Ducks (6-1, 3-1)

Dan Lanning and Oregon did a tremendous job of not letting Washington beat them twice. It was not pretty, but they did the job against the Cougars 38-24. They have arguably the best running back in the Pac-12 in Bucky Irving, and an NFL-caliber receiver Troy Franklin. The Ducks need the Huskies to lose twice, and they need to win out to have a shot at the Pac-12 title game.

1. No. 5 Washington Huskies (7-0, 4-0)

The Huskies did what championship teams need to do to win championships. The Huskies won their clunker. Fortunately for Washington, Arizona State can’t score, or the outcome might have differed. However, U-Dubb survived and advanced. The back end of their schedule is brutal.

It includes No. 24 USC, No. 13 Utah, and No. 11 Oregon State back to back to back. They’ll have to be at their best to get through that gauntlet undefeated.