SI Pac-12 Week 13 Power Rankings: UCLA Rides Late Surge to Top-3 Spot

A second-straight win lifted the Bruins into contention for a top spot in the conference following a weekend of chaos on the gridiron.

The Fan Nation and Sports Illustrated publishers of the Pac-12 have come together to for the latest update of the conference's hierarchy following Week 12.

UCLA football (7-4, 5-3 Pac-12) moved up a spot from No. 4 to No. 3 in the latest edition of the SI Pac-12 Power Rankings following a 62-33 win over USC on Saturday. There was nearly a consensus on the Bruins, but one voter is lower on them than most and another more favorable.

Four of the six outlets, including All Sun Devils, Cal Sports Report, All Bruins and All Trojans placed UCLA at No. 3. Ducks Digest leaned slightly more negative on the Bruins, slotting them in at No. 4, while Husky Maven penciled them in at No. 2.

In defeating Oregon, Utah took over as the No. 1 team in the Pac-12 in a unanimous sweep of the position. The Ducks has been sitting at the top for two months, ever since they beat Ohio State on the road back in September. The Utes will get a chance to defend their crown in the Pac-12 Championship game, where they will play either Oregon, Oregon State or Washington State in two week's time.

Overall, 11 of the 12 teams moved spots, with only Arizona staying put following the weekend of mayhem out west.

Here are the full Week 13 power rankings, as well as some brief thoughts from each of the publishers:

SI PAC-12 FOOTBALL POWER RANKINGS

1. Utah (8-3, 7-1), 72 points (6 first-place votes)
2. Oregon (9-2, 6-2), 61
3. UCLA (7-4, 5-3), 60
4. Oregon State (7-4, 5-3), 58
5. Washington State (6-5, 5-3), 46
6. Arizona State (7-4, 5-3), 45
7. Cal (4-6, 3-4), 32
8. Colorado (4-7, 3-5), 30
9. USC (4-6, 3-5), 25
10. Washington (4-7, 3-5), 19
11. Stanford (3-8, 2-7), 12
12. Arizona (1-10, 1-7), 7

DONNIE DRUIN, ALL SUN DEVILS

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

Comment: Decided to shake up my rankings a bit after another wild weekend in the Pac-12. Utah is playing the best football out of anybody, while Oregon/Oregon State/Washington all have a chance to capture the Pac-12 North next weekend. Since there's essentially no College Football Playoff berth up for grabs now with Oregon's loss, the race for the Rose Bowl has officially begun. 

JAKE CURTIS, CAL SPORTS REPORT

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

Comment: It's not a good look for the conference when its top team, ORegon, loses 38-7. But Oregon State is a mediocre team on the road, so Oregon should beat the Beavers and earn another shot at Utah, which may not be what the public wants to see.

MAX TORRES, DUCKS DIGEST

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

Comment: Oregon's one-dimensional offense finally ran out of steam and with it so did the conference's hope of sending a team to the playoff. Utah has the South wrapped up and is easily the Pac-12's best team after dismantling the Ducks. Nos. 7 through 10 on this list are almost interchangeable because so many teams have similarly poor records. Washington is further down because of the instability amid major coaching turnover and less overall talent on the roster than USC.

SAM CONNON, ALL BRUINS

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

Comment: With just one week to go, we have enough of a sample size to say that the entire bottom half of the Pac-12 is straight up bad. We kind of knew that for a while, though, so what really stands out as new this week is the shift of powers at the top. Oregon and Utah are more than likely going to meet again on a neutral field for the conference title game, and how those two teams perform this week will play very heavily into who ends up being favored in the rematch.

CLAUDETTE MONTANA PATTISON, ALL TROJANS

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

Comment: After allowing the UCLA Bruins to score 62 points on their home turf, USC continues to drop in my rankings. The Trojans have given up 225 points to Pac-12 opponents this year, and continue to struggle when playing at home.

DAN RALEY, HUSKY MAVEN

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

Comment: Welcome to Fight Club, Pac-12 style. Oregon never saw the punch coming. USC goes out on a stretcher. Stanford had to be helped out of the ring. Washington doesn't remember who it was. When are the new coaches showing up?

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