SI Pac-12 Football Power Rankings: UCLA is Unanimous No. 1; Cal Slips to Ninth

The Bruins will be tested at Oregon in duel of teams both 3-0 in conference play.

UCLA becomes the first unanimous No. 1 in our weekly SI Pac-12 Football Power Rankings since Utah in the preseason poll but the Bruins’ hold on the top spot faces a severe test on Saturday.

Now the Pac-12’s only unbeaten team at 6-0, UCLA visits Oregon this week in a game big enough that ESPN is taking its Game Day crew to Autzen Stadium. The game matches the only two teams still undefeated in conference play.

Oregon has won five straight games since opening the season with a 49-3 loss to Georgia at Atlanta, and is averaging nearly 57 points in three home victories. The Ducks reside at No. 4 in our rankings.

This also will be an opportunity for UCLA coach Chip Kelly to show off his team in Eugene, where he built the Ducks into a powerhouse a decade ago.

The game will feature UCLA returning quarterback Dorian Thompson-Robinson but also Oregon's Bo Nix, one of a handful of productive QBs who transferred into the Pac-12. Cal defensive coordinator Peter Sirmon talks in the video at the top of this story about those impactful newcomers.

The Bruins were No. 1 a week ago but two voters still favored USC at that point. When the Trojans sustained their first loss of the season at Utah, all seven voters in our SI network of Pac-12 beat writers cast their ballots for UCLA.

Utah has climbed past USC for No. 2, appropriately by one point — the same margin as in its 43-42 victory over the Trojans.

Voters have no idea what to make of Cal after its 20-13 overtime road defeat to previously winless Colorado. The Bears dropped a spot to ninth the rankings after three voters had them No. 8, one at No. 9, one at No. 10, one at No. 11 and, yes, one at No. 12.

WEEK 8 - - SI PAC-12 FOOTBALL POWER RANKINGS

1. UCLA 6-0, 3-0 (7) . . . 84 points

2. Utah 5-2, 2-1 . . . 71

3. USC 6-1, 4-1 . . . 70

4. Oregon 5-1, 3-0 . . . 59

5. Washington 5-2, 2-2 . . . 54

6. Oregon State 5-2, 2-2 . . . 51

7. Washington State 4-3, 1-3 . . 40

8. Arizona 3-4, 1-3 . . . . 31

9. Cal 3-3, 1-2 . . . 25

10. Stanford 2-4, 0-4 . . . 22

11. Arizona State 2-4, 1-2 . . . 21

12. Colorado 1-5, 1-2 . . . 8

-- JAKE CURTIS, CAL SPORTS REPORT

1. UCLA; 2. Utah; 3. USC; 4. Oregon; 5. Washington; 6. Oregon State; 7. Washington State; 8. Cal; 9. Arizona; 10. Arizona State; 11. Stanford; 12. Colorado

Comment: The top four teams are the only ones that matter and you could probably put them in any order you want. The Fab Four are bunched nicely in the AP rankings between No. 9 and No. 15. The bottom five teams are becoming an embarrassment. Cal should probably be dropped lower after Saturday's loss to Colorado, but none of the other four deserve to be higher.

-- MAX TORRES, DUCKS DIGEST

1. UCLA; 2. Oregon; 3. USC; 4. Utah; 5. Washington; 6. Oregon State; 7. Washington State; 8. Arizona; 9. Arizona State; 10. Cal; 11. Stanford; 12. Colorado

Comment: Oregon was on their bye week ahead of a massive showdown against UCLA. It's great to rest up before a big game, but the challenge this week will be maintaining that momentum from their Arizona win. Utah's win over USC is significant, as Oreon and UCLA are the only remaining teams without a Pac-12 loss. Cal losing to Colorado is absolutely embarrassing after things were looking a bit more promising this year in Berkeley.

-- KEVIN BORBA, ALL CARDINAL

1. UCLA; 2. USC; 3. Oregon; 4. Utah; 5. Washington; 6. Oregon State; 7. Washington State; 8. Cal; 9. Arizona; 10. Stanford; 11. Arizona State; 12. Colorado

Comment: I will gladly admit that up to this point we were completely wrong about UCLA. The Bruins will again have a chance to prove how good they are with GameDay in Eugene for their matchup against Oregon. Lincoln Riley led defenses have always been an issue, and continue to be the thing that holds his teams back. Stanford had a HUGE win over Notre Dame that may have saved jobs, morale, and their season. They are playing a bad Arizona State team at the perfect time.

-- SAM CONNON, ALL BRUINS

1. UCLA; 2. Utah; 3. Oregon; 4. USC; 5. Washington; 6. Oregon State; 7. Washington State; 8. Arizona; 9. Cal; 10. Arizona State; 11. Stanford; 12. Colorado

Comment: It feels like there's a "Game of the Year" every week at this point, and that just goes to show how genuinely good the top of the Pac-12 is this year. Last Saturday, it was Utah defending its home turf and beating USC. This week, it's UCLA and Oregon facing off following byes with ESPN sending "College GameDay" to spotlight the showdown in Eugene, and the winner will ultimately be in the driver's seat for the conference crown.

-- WYATT ALLSUP, ALL TROJANS

1. UCLA; 2. Oregon; 3. USC; 4. Utah; 5. Oregon State; 6. Washington; 7. Washington State; 8. Arizona; 9. Arizona State; 10. Stanford; 11. Colorado; 12. Cal

Comment: Utah narrowly beat USC Saturday, but it never felt like they were the better team. Oregon takes on UCLA this week to contend for the top spot in the conference. Overreaction: Colorado picks up its first win on the season and gets to jump Berkeley this week.

-- COLE BAGLEY, ALL UTES

1. UCLA; 2. Utah; 3. USC; 4. Oregon; 5. Oregon State; 6. Washington; 7. Washington State; 8. Arizona; 9. Stanford; 10. Arizona State; 11. Cal; 12. Colorado

Comment: Someway, somehow Utah kept their Pac-12 Championship hopes alive and defeated USC in dramatic fashion to shake things up amongst the top four. This week, a matchup between UCLA and Oregon will provide a similar situation as the Bruins hope to stay on top but Oregon is nearly unbeatable at home. Outside of these four programs, nobody really seems to be a threat and it'll be a tight race to the finish line as there are still several matchups that involve the top teams.

-- DAN RALEY, INSIDE THE HUSKIES

1. UCLA; 2. Utah; 3. USC; 4. Oregon; 5. Washington; 6. Oregon State; 7. Stanford; 8. Cal; 9. Washington State; 10. Arizona; 11. Arizona State; 12. Colorado

Comment: This Pac-12, this next-to-last conference as we know it, is about as fun as it gets. Upsets. Lots of points. Great quarterbacks. UCLA will be hard-pressed to go unbeaten and hold off Utah. Any one of the top four looks like a complete team. Washington could have the best offense of all, but oh that secondary, makes it a mortal team. Can’t wait for the next six weeks of games.

Cover photo of Oregon quarterback Bo Nix by Ben Lonergan, Register-Guard

Follow Jeff Faraudo of Cal Sports Report on Twitter: @jefffaraudo