Colorado and Deion Sanders move up in Pac-12 power rankings

The Buffs rise after an impressive home opening win over Nebraska

It’s been an incredible start to the season for the Pac-12. There are now eight teams ranked in the top 25, and it will almost certainly stay that way through next week.

Power Rankings (through week 2)

No. 1 USC Trojans (3-0): Offensive outputs of 56, 66, and 56 are jaw dropping. They have the bye this weekend before traveling to Arizona State and then it’s on to Boulder, CO.

No. 2 Washington (2-0): Two solid home wins but, now it gets interesting. Michigan State is embroiled in controversy. Their soon to be fired Head Coach, Mel Tucker, has been shut down. Harlon Barnett will lead the team through this interim period. Michael Penix Jr. played well during his last visit to Spartan Stadium. This was as a member of the Indiana Hoosiers. He threw two touchdowns in a 24-0 shutout victory.

No. 3 Colorado (2-0):  Remember all the so-called experts who predicted 2-10, or worse? We are about to see a 3-0, top 15 team, with two Heisman Trophy candidates, when the next rankings come out on Sunday. The Buffaloes face in-state rival Colorado State on Saturday night.

No. 4 Oregon State (2-0): They are sneaky good. But, we may not learn as much from this upcoming weekend. They host San Diego State, who was just clobbered by UCLA. 

No. 5 Washington State (2-0): The Cougars jump up three spots after an impressive win over a ranked Badgers squad. That’s back-to-back wins for Wisconsin native Jake Dickert and Washington State. They next host Northern Colorado on Saturday.

No. 6 Utah (2-0): I’m still thinking mostly meh after beating Baylor.

No. 7 Oregon (2-0): Tough win over Texas Tech. Should roll over Hawaii before an undefeated showdown vs. Colorado.

No. 8 UCLA (2-0): Good victory over the Aztecs. Bruins take on North Carolina Central at the Rose Bowl on Saturday. We’ll know a lot more when then matchup with Utah the following week. 

No. 9 Stanford (1-1): Troy Taylor taking on his former employer, Sacramento State. He had a win loss record of 30-8 in three years at SSU. Stanford is looking to bounce back after getting trounced by USC.

No. 10 Arizona (1-1): We can’t knock the effort in the Wildcats overtime loss at Mississippi State. Interesting couple of games coming with them hosting UTEP and traveling to Stanford. They have a chance to rise in the power rankings.

No. 11 Cal (1-1): I still like Cal but, Im thinking they may not be very good.

No. 12 Arizona State (1-1): After a close win over an FCS school, ASU dropped a home game to Oklahoma State. They host Fresno State on Saturday.