Pac-12 Power Rankings: Huskies looking leaky, Ducks Soar in Utah

8. California (1-4, 3-5):

Cal’s leaky defense reared its ugly head again in their 50-49 loss to the USC Trojans. The irony of Justin Wilcox and the Bears struggling on defense while the offense shows improvement is lost on no one here at Headquarters. It will be interesting to see how Wilcox adjusts defensively, playing with a less conservative offense.

7. #18 Utah Utes (3-2, 6-2):

Give Kyle Whittingham and the Utes credit. They’ve done an outstanding job of winning ugly. They’re missing several key players from their offense and defense, yet with attitude and guts; they still win games. There are still some winnable games left on the schedule. Also, they play Washington in two weeks so that they could spoil the Huskies’ playoff hopes.

6. #20 UCLA Bruins (6-2, 3-2):

The Bruins might have the best defense in the Pac-12. Ethan Garbers might be the answer at quarterback based on how UCLA is defending. The Bruins’ last four games are winnable. A ten-win season is not out of the question and would be a great accomplishment for the Bruins.

5. #16 Oregon State Beavers (6-2, 3-2):

The Beavers’ loss to Washington State earlier this season could haunt them after this most recent loss to Arizona. Give credit where credit is due; the Wildcats are playing good football. It was a tight game, but Arizona held on to win. Despite the loss, Oregon State is having an outstanding season again. How long until someone notices what Jonathan Smith is doing in Corvallis?