2022 Week 2 Pac-12 Football Power Rankings

2022 Week 2 Pac-12 Football Power Rankings

Preseason hype gave way to stark reality for some Conference teams in Week One

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Posted on September 6, 2022


  By Dane Miller, SuperWest Sports

Preseason hype gave way to stark reality for some Pac-12 teams in Week One of the College Football season.

Oregon was embarrassed in Atlanta by Georgia and Utah lost a heart-breaker to Florida, but Arizona dominated San Diego State, and Oregon State handled Boise State in Corvallis.

The opening weekend doesn’t define the year or lock the trajectory of each team’s outlook.

Yet, it provides enough of a basis to send our Senior Writers and Broadcasters back to the drawing board to re-rank the teams.

Below, find our composite Week Two Power Rankings for all 12 Pac-12 teams. The individual rankings of each voter appear at the bottom.

1. Utah (0-1, 0-0) ◄►

The Utes remain in contention for the College Football Playoff after losing to Florida on the road.

The defeat in The Swamp should remain a quality loss throughout the year, keeping Utah’s postseason goals alive well into the season.

However, the margin for error is gone and Kyle Whittingham’s team might have to win out to make the Playoff.

2. USC (1-0, 0-0) ▲1

The Trojans dominated Rice in a game not many people watched on a channel half the country doesn’t have.

usc logo The limitations of the Pac-12 Network may have kept USC’s 66-14 victory in a quiet corner of the College Football landscape, but the debut of Caleb Williams went as expected.

Yet, the four interceptions generated by Alex Grinch’s defense is arguably the primary takeaway from the blowout.

3. Oregon (0-1, 0-0) ▼1

One game doesn’t define a year, but it certainly has the potential to change the perception of a program.

Oregon Ducks Logo Pac-12 The Ducks were riding the wave from their upset of Ohio State last season, yet left Atlanta with a tarnished reputation.

The 49-3 defeat was substantially damaging to the Pac-12 as well, arguably taking the legs out of the Conference’s Playoff hopes before the paint of the new season dried.

4. Oregon State (1-0, 0-0) ▲1

With an elite secondary and offensive line, the Beavers dominated Boise State.

First-year coordinator Trent Bray’s defense snagged three interceptions and recovered two fumbles, while the OSU offense posted several chunk passing plays.

The long strikes downfield off play-action are indicative of an effective O-Line and are a welcome dimension to Oregon State’s offense.

5. UCLA (1-0, 0-0) ▼1

Chip Kelly’s offense remains in full form after opening the season with a 45-17 win over Bowling Green.

The Bruins put up 626 total yards of offense with Dorian Thompson-Robinson and Zach Charbonnet combining for 198 yards rushing and three scores on the ground.

The primary storyline should be Bill McGovern’s defense holding BGU to nine first downs and 162 total yards of offense, yet the shockingly low attendance at Rose Bowl Stadium takes the cake.

6. Washington (1-0, 0-0) ▲1

Kalen DeBoer’s offensive system is special. The shotgun spread attack put up 45 points in its Montlake debut, the most UW had scored in nine games.

Washington football pac-12 The efficiency and execution of the new scheme will be put to the test against stronger opponents, yet there’s no denying the sky-high ceiling the offense has.

Facing Portland State this weekend, Washington will have to wait until taking on Michigan State in Week Three to gain more respect.

7. Arizona (1-0, 0-0) ▲3

For the first time since 2017, Arizona posted a nonconference road victory, while the 38 points scored was UA’s highest since 2019.

Arizona football Pac-12 Physically superior to San Diego State’s well-respected defense, UA’s transfers had field days.

Jayden de Laura threw four touchdowns, Jacob Cowing scored three with 152 yards receiving, and DJ Williams averaged 6.3 yards per carry with a rushing touchdown.

It’s only one win, but the perception of Arizona Football has substantially changed.

8. Washington State (1-0, 0-0) ▼2

Offensive coordinator Eric Morris may have been hiding half his playbook, but the 7-point win over Idaho is not a good look.

Cam Ward was sacked three times and threw 15 incompletions, managing to guide Wazzu to just 358 total yards of offense.

The debut of the Coug Raid may be forgotten, though, if Washington State keeps it close with Wisconsin this weekend.

9. Stanford (1-0, 0-0) ◄►

The Cardinal’s season started off with a bang as E.J. Smith took the first play of the game to the house in an 87-yard rush.

The Tree blew out Colgate and put up nearly 500 yards of offense, yet turned the ball over four times.

The win sets the stage for a showdown with USC this weekend, followed by a gauntlet through the end of the year.

10. Arizona State (1-0, 0-0) ▲1

The Sun Devils started slow but ended up handling Northern Arizona with ease.

Emory Jones operated Herm Edwards’ offense with efficiency, scoring two touchdowns on the ground and completing 72 percent of his passes.

Facing Oklahoma State this Saturday, the ceiling of Arizona State’s season could be clarified by the result.

11. California (1-0, 0-0) ▼3

Jack Plummer’s debut in Berkeley arguably went better than expected. The 34 points scored fall on the higher end of Cal’s spectrum, slotting in as the fifth-most scored in the last three seasons.

The offensive output is a positive sign for Cal’s season, magnified by the production of true freshman running back Jadyn Ott.

Averaging 6.1 yards per carry on 17 totes, Ott has the potential to help carry the Bears to a bowl game.

12. Colorado (0-1, 0-0) ◄►

Through two quarters, Colorado was in contention to pull off the upset of TCU.

But the second half blew the doors off the house, ending in a lopsided result and questions regarding the starting quarterback.

Facing Air Force this week, the calls for J.T. Shrout to start under center are only growing louder.

How our Senior Football Writers and Broadcasters Voted

	Dane Miller	Jack Follman	Stephen Vilardo	Nick Bartlett	Steve Ritchie	Spencer McLaughlin
1	Utah	Utah	USC	USC	Utah	Utah
2	Oregon	Oregon	Utah	Utah	USC	USC
3	UCLA	USC	OSU	UCLA	OSU	Oregon
4	USC	OSU	UCLA	Oregon	Oregon	OSU
5	OSU	UW	Oregon	OSU	Arizona	UCLA
6	Arizona	UCLA	UW	UW	UW	Arizona
7	UW	Arizona	Cal	Arizona	UCLA	UW
8	ASU	WSU	Arizona	Stanford	Stanford	Stanford
9	Cal	Cal	ASU	WSU	WSU	ASU
10	Stanford	Stanford	WSU	ASU	ASU	WSU
11	WSU	ASU	Stanford	Cal	Cal	Cal
12	Colorado	Colorado	Colorado	Colorado	Colorado	Colorado