SI Pac-12 Week 8 Power Rankings: UCLA and Oregon Set to Battle for Top Spot

The Bruins continued to move up the conference ranks with their second straight win over the weekend.

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 7.

UCLA football (5-2, 3-1 Pac-12) moved up from No. 3 to No. 2 in the latest edition of the SI Pac-12 Power Rankings following its win over Washington on Saturday. There was almost a consensus on the Bruins' standing, although one voter gave them extra kudos and another docked them a couple spots from the median.

Ducks Digest was the highest on UCLA, placing them at No. 1. Cal Sports Report was the most negative towards them, slotting them in at No. 4. All Bruins, All Sun Devils, All Trojans and Husky Maven all placed the Bruins at No. 2.

Oregon, despite nearly getting upset by the lowest-ranked team in the North in Cal over the weekend, retook the top spot with a near-unanimous vote. Arizona State had held the No. 1 position the prior two weeks, but after losing to Utah by two touchdowns, the Sun Devils stumbled a bit down to No. 4 while the Utes grabbed No. 3.

The past few power rankings to come out were becoming more and more stratified with clear lines starting to show between the different tiers of teams. Those lines were apparently blurred this weekend, as only 13 points separate UCLA in second and Oregon State in fifth, plus Washington State, Stanford and USC are all within a few points of each other not far behind.

Here are the full Week 8 power rankings, as well as some brief thoughts from each of the publishers:

SI PAC-12 FOOTBALL POWER RANKINGS

1. Oregon (5-1, 2-1), 71 points (5 first-place votes)
2. UCLA (5-2, 3-1), 65 (1 first-place vote)
3. Utah (4-2, 3-0), 57
4. Arizona State (5-2, 3-1), 55
5. Oregon State (4-2, 2-1), 52
6. Washington State (4-3, 2-2), 39
7. Stanford (3-4, 2-3), 37
8. USC (3-3, 2-3), 32
9. Washington (2-4, 1-2), 22
10. Colorado (2-4, 1-2), 17
11. Cal (1-5, 0-3), 15
12. Arizona (0-6, 0-3), 6

DONNIE DRUIN, ALL SUN DEVILS

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

Comment: This conference looks less impressive by the week. Arizona State implodes after holding a 21-7 lead over Utah and other conference powerhouses squeeze by in their wins. I’m excited to book travel plans to the Sun Bowl! 

JAKE CURTIS, CAL SPORTS REPORT

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

Comment: Oregon may not be the best team right now, but I rank based on resumes, not suppositions, and Oregon has the best resume. The Ducks' game against UCLA this week should clear things up a little.

MAX TORRES, DUCKS DIGEST

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

Comment: Utah continues to impress after knocking off Arizona State, giving the Sun Devils their first conference loss of the year. Oregon still only has one loss, but once again did not impress in the win over Cal. The upcoming game against UCLA should tell us a lot about who the Ducks really are and perhaps help clarify the Pac-12 picture. Washington State got in on the chaos and knocked off Stanford in an upset a lot of people probably didn't see coming. 

SAM CONNON, ALL BRUINS

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

Comment: The Ducks won ugly, but they stayed afloat and it was all they needed to leapfrog Arizona State after they lost to Utah. The Utes are the only defeated team left in Pac-12 play, which is why they're towards the top. Still, UCLA and Oregon are going head to head on Saturday, and with so much buzz building around the matchup, whoever wins that game at the Rose Bowl will take complete control of the conference with a month left to play.

CLAUDETTE MONTANA PATTISON, ALL TROJANS

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

Comment: The USC Trojans are coming off a bye week, but have a big contest ahead in South Bend, Indiana. USC will take on longtime rival Notre Dame in what might be its toughest game on their schedule. Week 8 should be telling for how the Men of Troy can perform through the second half of the 2021 season. 

DAN RALEY, HUSKY MAVEN

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

Comment: In modern times, I can't remember a supposed contender tanking worse than Washington. There's talent in Seattle but no leadership, on or off the field. Jimmy Lake better not sit down. The seat is hot.

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