UCLA stars Dorian Thompson-Robinson, Jake Bobo, and Zach Charbonnet.
Last weekend, the Pac-12 had another week of compelling football. Pacific Northwest Sports continues our 2022 PAC-12 football power rankings, which run through the last bowl game.
Rumors of the Pac-12’s demise appear to be greatly exaggerated. The conference now has four teams in the Top 25, led by undefeated and 7th-ranked USC.
Here are our Power Rankings for the week ending October 10, with a Pacific Northwest twist.
Last Game: Arizona 43 – Colorado 20 (10/1)
Colorado lost one of their best chances to pick up a “W” this season. The loss was the final straw for Karl Dorrell, who is out as head coach.
Colorado was on a bye last week. They couldn’t lose if they didn’t play.
This Week: vs. California, 11 AM – Pac-12 Networks
The Buffs will have their hands full at home against Cal. They’ll have to find a way to stop the Bears’ run game, or it will be a long day.
Last Game: OSU 28 – Stanford 27
For the second straight week, the Cardinal scored 27 points. And they lost to a team from Oregon for the second straight week.
While QB Tanner McKee had his usual above-average game, Stanford couldn’t run the ball. They couldn’t stop the run, either.
The Cardinal carried a 24-10 lead into the fourth quarter. Unfortunately, they ran out of gas as OSU uncorked some big plays and scored three touchdowns.
This Week: at Notre Dame, 4:30 PM – NBC
It’s time for the annual Stanford – Notre Dame clash. The Cardinal will have their hands full on Saturday.
The Fighting Irish lost their first two games of the season, including a 26-21 defeat at the hands of Marshall. Since then, Notre Dame has turned it around, winning three straight.
Last week they upended #16 BYU. The Golden Domers did it with a balanced offense that passed for 262 yards and ran for 234 more.
Last Game: ASU 42 – Washington 32
Everyone who saw this result coming say, “aye.” Crickets. The Sun Devils showed Washington and the rest of the Pac-12 that they might be down but are far from out.
Starting quarterback Emory Jones went down early in the game. Trenton Bourguet came off the bench to spark his team with 3 touchdown passes.
ASU scored more points on Saturday than they combined for in the two previous weeks (45-38).
This Week: Bye
After all Arizona State has been through this year, the Sun Devils have an extra week to relish their big win.
Last Game: Oregon 49 – Arizona 22
Arizona was the Ducks’ latest victim. Their defense had few answers for Oregon’s high-powered offense led by Bo Nix.
The Cats’ offense had its moments. Running backs Jonah Coleman and DJ Williams combined for 139 yards and a touchdown on 15 carries. Each man had a run of at least 40 yards.
This Week: at Washington, 2:30 PM – Pac-12 Networks
No doubt Washington is in a funk after losing two straight. But this is still the Washington Huskies. Arizona will face a team on a mission that plays very well in front of their home fans.
It doesn’t look promising. Then again, that’s what everyone thought before Washington lost to ASU.
Last Game: WSU 28 – California 9 (10/1)
California was on a bye last Saturday. Two weeks ago, the Bears had 311 yards of total offense against Washington State. But 30% of it came on one 90-yard drive. And over half of that was the result of a 49-yard pass from Jack Plummer to Jeremiah Hunter.
This Week: at Colorado, 11:00 AM – Pac-12 Networks
Justin Wilcox made a ton of changes to his starting group. The bye gave him an extra week to get the Bears ready. Look for Jaydn Ott to run wild on Colorado’s defense.
The offensive line must do a better job of protecting Plummer.
Last Game: OSU 28 – Stanford 27
Oregon State went into this road game missing their starting quarterback, Chance Nolan. It took over half the game for the offense to really click with Ben Gulbranson under center.
Once OSU got it going, they dominated, ending with 442 yards, 192 of which came on the ground.
Tre’shaun Henderson’s 56-yard touchdown reception with 0:13 seconds left in the game finally put the Beavers ahead.
This Week vs. Washington State, 6 PM – Pac-12 Networks
This should be a really good game. These teams matchup well against each other.
OSU has one of the better rushing offenses in the conference. They’ll feed Wazzu a steady diet of Deshaun Fenwick and Jam Griffin.
The Beavers would probably feel better about their chances if Nolan plays this week.
Last Game: ASU 42 – Washington 32
Going by the stat sheet alone, most people would think that Washington won this game handily.
They won total plays (87-62), time of possession (32-28), first downs (32-23), total yards (458-397), passing yards (324-241), and fewest penalties (4-10). Each team had one turnover.
In the end, ASU won the most important stat – final score.
Washington’s defense didn’t make stops when they needed them. The pass rush was almost non-existent, and ASU had too much time to find open receivers.
On the bright side, quarterback Michael Penix had his sixth straight 300-yard passing game. Receiver Rome Odunze had his third straight game with at least 8 receptions and over 100 yards (9 for 115). Additionally, Cam Davis ran 9 times for 77 yards (8.6 yards per carry) and 3 touchdowns
Sun Devil Stadium is the Washington Huskies Kryptonite. UW hasn’t won a game in Tempe since October 14, 2000.
This Week: vs. Arizona, 2:30 PM – Pac-12 Networks
The Huskies season that started so promising was derailed after their second straight loss. Both of those defeats came on the road. Put money on the fact that they will defend Husky Stadium with a vengeance.
While the cash is out, put some of it on Michael Penix. Washington’s signal caller didn’t have his best performance last week and still threw for over 300 yards.
Arizona gives up the second most points per game in the conference. Penix will attack the Wildcats’ defense with his cadre of talented receivers and tight ends.
Over the last two weeks, Washington’s pass rush disappeared. If for no other reason than pride, the front seven should be motivated to make some tackles for loss.
It’s gut-check time. Huskies fans will find out how big their player’s hearts are.
Last Game: USC 30 – WSU 14
Not many teams can go into Los Angeles Memorial Stadium and beat USC. Add the Washington State Cougars to that list.
The Cougs’ offense played a great first half but sputtered in the second. Quarterback Cameron Ward didn’t throw an interception on Saturday night, but the Washington State Cougars had a tough time getting anything going in the second half.
Ward finished the game 19 of 32 with 172 passing yards and two touchdowns. Receiver Renard Bell was injured in the first quarter, which seemed to take some steam out of the Cougs offense.
Jaylen Jenkins stepped in for injured Nakia Watson and excelled. The diminutive running back rushed for a career-high 130 yards on 13 carries and added 54 yards on two catches.
Middle Linebacker Daiyan Henley is a force. But even he was overwhelmed by the Trojan’s offense.
This Week at Oregon State, 6:00 PM, FOX
The Cougs showed resilience after they lost their first game. Expect Jake Dickert’s team to do it again after falling short against USC.
It feels like Washington State’s offense is due for an explosion. New starting running back Jaylen Jenkins could be the catalyst.
Quarterback Cameron Ward has been very effective in spreading the ball around. It will be a challenge for him to continue his good play without Renard Bell. Wazzu’s other receivers will have to step up.
The defense will need to tighten up a bit, but there is no reason to believe they won’t. Look for Henley to have a big game.
It was a shootout at the Rose Bowl, and Utah didn’t have enough bullets. The teams traded scores throughout the game.
Cameron Rising‘s 9-yard touchdown run with 11:39 left in the game pulled Utah to within 3 points at 28-25. Unfortunately, he couldn’t take the Utes home. After scoring the TD, Rising fumbled on their next possession.
Clark Phillips had a pick-six with 6 seconds left. It was his 4th interception in 2 games. But UCLA recovered the onside kick and ran out the clock.
This Week: vs. USC, 5:00 PM – FOX
Utah’s chances of repeating as Pac-12 Champions are on life support. If they can’t beat USC at Rice-Eccles, it’s over.
Their two losses came against good teams. Florida and UCLA. As usual, the Utes have an outstanding defense.
Utah allows the fewest yards and second-fewest points per game in the conference. They are not to be taken lightly by anyone, including USC.
Last Game: Oregon 49 – Arizona 22
The Ducks’ offense put on a show at Arizona Stadium. They scored over 40 points for the fifth game in a row and had 580 yards of total offense.
Leading the highlight reel once again was Bo Nix. Oregon’s quarterback completed 20 of 25 passes (80%) for 265 yards. He also ran 8 times, picking up 80 yards and 3 touchdowns.
Their defense was pretty good too. Oregon had 5 tackles for loss, 4 passes defended, 2 fumble recoveries, and an interception.
This Week: Bye
Oregon gets a well-deserved week off. They have time to heal up before hosting 11th-ranked UCLA.
Last Game: UCLA 42 – Utah 32
It was like a heavyweight title fight at the Rose Bowl. UCLA and Utah went blow-for-blow. Ultimately, the Bruins won it in the final round.
Running back Zach Charbonnet ran for 198 of UCLA’s 502 yards from scrimmage. Meanwhile, quarterback Dorian Thompson-Robinson passed for 299 yards and 4 touchdowns. He also ran 1 into the endzone.
This Week: Bye
UCLA has found another gear in recent weeks with back-to-back wins over Top 20 opponents. They get a week off before facing 12th-ranked Oregon on October 22.
Last Game: USC 30 – WSU 14
Once USC’s offense got going, Wazzu didn’t have much of an answer. The Dynamic Duo of Caleb Williams and Travis Dye overpowered Washington State.
While USC’s offense is the main attraction, their defense put on a show. They had 9 tackles for loss, 5 sacks, and 3 QB Hurries.
Of those 5 sacks, Tuli Tuipulotu had 3, and Nick Figueroa picked up the other 2.
This Week at Utah, 5:00 PM – FOX
The Trojans have another midday game on national television. They play the defending conference champs, who will be in desperation mode after losing at the Rose Bowl last week.
A wounded animal is dangerous. USC will need to bring their A-game to Salt Lake City to win this one.
It’s another big week in the Pac-12. Check back with us next Tuesday for our updated power rankings.