Week 3 Pac-12 Preview, now with Power Rankings!
Utah is finally back (?), and Oregon State will get a win right before C*v*l W*r Week. Also I rank every team in the conference.
Some super last minute Covid scheduling again this week, but I think I’ve seen enough in the first two weeks to make me an expert in the Pac-12.
So, using my brain and expertise, I’ll now be releasing my Official Weekly Ditch Rich Pac-12 Power Ranking Index (or, OWDRP12PRI, for short):
Oregon
Colorado
USC
Arizona State
Washington
Arizona
Wazzu
UCLA
Oregon State
California
Stanford
Utah
“James, what are the defending Pac-12 South Champs, Utah, doing at the bottom of your rankings? Surely you can’t think they’re worse than OSU, Cal, and Stanford, right?”
I absolutely do. I’ve seen life and promise from Oregon State and Cal, and even Stanford fought back against Colorado with a healthy Davis Mills. I already didn’t believe Utah would be half as good as they were last year, and now I can’t imagine they’re ready to start things off against USC after two weeks of turmoil. Even though USC is also fraudulent.
Maybe it won’t be totally representative of where the Utes end the year, but I expect to see an unprepared mess coming out of Salt Lake City, honestly. That’s why these are Power Rankings. They’re a snapshot. If there was one Pac-12 team I would bet against this week, it would be Utah.
There are your uber-improtant Power Rankings, and here’s your Saturday viewing guide:
(All times Pacific)
Cal (0-1) at Oregon State (0-2) - 12:30 PM, FS1
Somebody has to win this one, right?
Right?
Look, the Beavs got absolutely boondoggled by the referees in last week’s Husky game.
Late in the game they effectively got two first downs in row—one on third & short, and again on fourth & shorter—but the spot of the ball kept moving further back somehow.
If not for the Seattlespotting of it all, Gebbia and Jefferson would’ve surely gotten one over on Jimmy Lake for the first time in a long time.
The rest of the game didn’t look pretty, I can admit, but neither did that Cal game. Maybe the G-Bears just needed a full week of practice under their belts, but I continue to place all my faith and Respect™ in the Corn Valley Smithies.
Beavs by a touchdown.
Arizona (0-1) at Washington (1-0) — 5:00 PM, FOX
Wildcat QB Grant Gunnell was one of the bigger surprises of last weekend as he threw for 286 yds, 3 TD, and 1 INT. I had exactly zero expectations for Arizona going into their USC game last week, and they ended up impressing a lot of folks.
How much of that is USC’s rampant mediocrity? And Clay Helton’s knack for doing very little with a lot?Time will continue to tell, but the Cats were the best losers last week, for sure.
On the other side, I also expected next to nothing from the Huskies and they pretty much met that metric. They had so much trouble holding a yet-to-be-realized OSU squad, and I’m not sure their OC hire is the answer up there.
Maybe the cold weather is the best asset for the Huskies, but if Gunnell can have another dynamic game, watch out.
Arizona by a field goal.
CANCELLED- Arizona State (0-1) at CU (2-0)
Arizona State narrowly escapes the wrath of Sam Noyer and the red-hot Buffs. Lucky them.
CANCELLED- Wazzu (1-1) at Stanford (0-2)
The “We lost to Oregon” Bowl was cancelled Friday afternoon, but I this one was primed for a weird 48-42 true AfterDark game. Sigh.
#Pac12AfterDark
USC (2-0) at Utah (0-0) - 7:30 PM, ESPN
I’ve already made it clear that I think USC are a bunch of capital F, Frauds, but they might be safe this week.
Utah won’t be ready for this week. Testing, practice restrictions, and overall uncertainty are going to make this a tough turnaround for the u, and they are unfortunately going up against a team that is somewhat functioning in the Trojans.
The only thing in Utah’s favor is that it’s SLC in #Pac12AfterDark—where weirder things have happened. Also, if Kyle Whittingham could go out and win this game by one point and lock in the 2021 Pac-12 Coach of the Year right then in there.
That’d be just his luck.
There is your official Power Rankings and viewing guide for the weekend. It’s always #FireLarryScott
Go Ducks.