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1. Oregon (8-1, 5-1) ◄►

The Ducks overcame a poor start to rout California. It wasn’t a perfect game by any means, but it was a successful bridge to this week’s showdown with USC.

The College Football Playoff Committee had to take notice of the 63-19 win over the Bears, even if none of them were able to watch the game on the Pac-12 Network.

Expected to remain ranked below the Huskies in the CFP Rankings, barring a UW loss, the Ducks must win out and claim the Pac-12 Championship to make the Playoff.

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2. Washington (9-0, 6-0) ◄►

That’s more like it. After struggling with some of the worst teams in the Pac-12, Washington got it together against USC.

The 10-point victory in the Coliseum answered some questions about the trajectory of the team after the two-week slump in performance.

Successfully hurdling the Trojans on the road, the doubters can begin to come back to the water. The Dawgs’ run game, nonexistent most of the year, shined in L.A., providing a new factor in Kalen DeBoer’s offense.

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3. Arizona (6-3, 4-2) ▲1

“I used to pray for times like this, to rhyme like this. So I had to grind like that to shine like this.” The lyrics from Meek Mill’s “Dreams and Nightmares” perfectly encapsulate the state of Arizona Football.

After Kevin Sumlin destroyed the program, Jedd Fisch rebuilt it from the ground up. With a combination of elite recruiting and elite player development, Fisch has transformed Arizona into a monster.

With depth at every position on offense and an elite defense boosted by high-level coaching, the Wildcats are one of the top teams in the deepest conference in the nation.

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4. Utah (7-2, 4-2) ▼1

Andy Ludwig and the Utah offense got the bounce-back they needed. The 55 points scored on the Sun Devils was the highest total of the year and the Utes did it against a respectable defense.

On the other side of the ball, Morgan Scalley’s defense held Arizona State to one of their worst offensive performances in history.

The 83 yards allowed was ASU’s fewest since the 1940s and the 52-point margin of defeat was their worst conference loss since joining the Pac in 1978.

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5. Oregon State (7-2, 4-2) ◄►

A win is a win. The Beavers held on for a victory on the road and return to the State of Oregon for their final three games.

But the program is 2-2 in conference road games this season and can’t get over the proverbial hump until those issues are fixed.

The Beavs arguably should have beaten both Washington State and Arizona this season. Had they done so, OSU would be sitting atop the Conference with three games left.

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6. UCLA (6-3, 3-3) ◄►

The reality of the Chip Kelly era has set in. When his hire was announced prior to the 2018 season, the expectations were to catapult the program to new heights.

But after six years, Kelly is 33-32 and UCLA Football is treading water. The defense is the best it’s been since he arrived, yet his offense is incompetent.

It’s an odd twist of fate for a coach historically known for his offensive prowess. Until the Bruins fix their offensive line and get a strong quarterback, the transition to the Big 10 could be rough.

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7. USC (7-3, 5-2) ◄►

What happened on the field against Washington doesn’t matter as much as what Lincoln Riley finally did on Sunday. It was three-quarters of a season late, but Alex Grinch has finally been fired.

The program can now begin to address its glaring issues on defense. Talent has never been the problem and the Trojans will continue to bring in some of the top players in the country.

If combined with a coordinator who has elite schemes, formation, game planning, and adjustments, USC should be in a much better position moving forward.

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8. Colorado (4-5, 1-5) ◄►

Deion Sanders made an odd decision to demote offensive coordinator Sean Lewis. The former head coach of Kent State was brought in to implement his offense and call the plays.

It was astoundingly successful, too. Lewis’s system produced one of the top-scoring offenses in College Football despite fielding an offensive line that couldn’t block anyone.

But Coach Prime decided to take away the playcalling duties and the result was a lousy game with 238 yards of total offense. Make it make sense. You can’t. Because it doesn’t.

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9. California (3-6, 1-5) ◄►

The Bears were never going to beat Oregon and the blowout loss must quickly be forgotten.

Washington State and Stanford are both winnable games that have the chance to put California on the brink of bowl eligibility.

After facing four-straight ranked opponents, the lessons learned from those defeats have to be put to good use. Fernando Mendoza is the leader Cal needs and its run game can bring it to .500.

But, all that being said, the matchup with Wazzu this weekend feels like a must-win for Justin Wilcox’s job.

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10. Stanford (3-6, 2-5) ▲2

Troy Taylor’s program is ahead of schedule. The Cardinal are up to three wins on the season and two of them were on the road.

That’s a positive sign for a team that is using this year as a transition. Ashton Daniels has emerged as the clear starting quarterback while backup Justin Lamson has carved out his role in the ground game.

It’s a unique arrangement somewhat similar to Ja’Quinden Jackson at Utah. But hey, if it works, it works. The Cardinal will take the wins however they come.

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11. Washington State (4-5, 1-5) ▼1

What’s wrong with Washington State? That’s what everyone is asking after the program started the year 4-0 and has since completely collapsed.

Surely it can’t be a rumor linking the head coach to the opening at Michigan State?

No, it has to be something more fundamental like a failure to adequately recruit, stalled player development, and an offensive coordinator that can’t get his system going.

Whatever it is, Wazzu has problems that aren’t going to be fixed this season.

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12. Arizona State (2-7, 1-5) ▼1

Ugly. That’s the only way to describe what happened in Salt Lake City.

It was one of the worst offensive performances in school history while the defense got lit up by a Utah offense that had been floundering.

Arizona State is in the midst of its worst stretch of football in decades. Injuries have played a substantial role, but there are deeper problems at play.

The NIL situation is poor, the fanbase wants Athletic Director Ray Anderson fired, and there are looming NCAA sanctions. That’s a recipe for disaster that makes the transition to the Big 12 worrying.