Pac-12 Power Rankings, Week 1: Washington is for real
By Brad Weiss
9. Colorado Buffaloes (1-0), Last Week: Win vs. Colorado State 44-7
In the battle of Colorado, the Buffaloes whooped up on the Colorado State Rams 44-7. Buffaloes quarterback Sefo Liufau was dominant all game long, and in the process, became the all-time leading passer in Colorado history. He threw for over 300 yards in the game, as the Buffaloes showed great consistency on offense.
Not to be outdone, Colorado’s tailback had quite a game himself. Phillip Lindsay is a nice looking back who could do some great things in 2016. He scored two touchdowns against the Rams, and helped Colorado build a 37-0 lead going into the fourth quarter.
This will be the story for Colorado all season. If Liufau plays well, the team is going to score points. However, his problem has been that he can be inconsistent, but he was the opposite of that in Week 1. They need to continue to give Lindsay the ball, and that will help open up some good reads for Liufau downfield.
8. Washington State Cougars (0-1), Last Week: Loss vs. Eastern Washington 45-42
In one of the bigger upsets of the weekend, the Washington State Cougars lost to an FCS team — again. Eastern Washington came into Martin Stadium ready to roll, and they lit up the Cougars defense for 45 points. Washington State head coach Mike Leach is a master of putting points on the board, but he fell a bit short in Week 1.
Washington State quarterback Luke Falk is one of the best in college football, and he was definitely not the problem against Eastern Washington. He threw for over 400 yards in the losing effort, tossing four touchdowns along the way. However, his counterpart, Gabe Gubrud, happened to be better, throwing for 474 yards and five touchdowns.
The Cougars play in way too good a conference to be allowing this kind of point total. If Gubrud can light them up like this, imagine what Boise State’s Brett Rypien is going to do next week. Leach is a master of turning things around, but his defense looked really bad on Saturday.
7. USC Trojans (0-1), Last Week: Loss vs. #1 Alabama 52-6
The USC Trojans drew the shortest straw on opening weekend, as they faced the No. 1 team in the land. Playing in beautiful AT&T Stadium, USC and Alabama did not live up to the hype, as the Crimson Tide destroyed the Trojans, 52-6. USC actually led 3-0 early, but was quickly disposed of by Alabama.
Where do we start on USC? New starting quarterback Max Browne looked lost at times, and will have to go back to the drawing board. He was facing the best team in the country in his first collegiate start, so he gets a bit of a pass. Luckily for him, he gets to go up against Utah State in Week 2, so he should be able to work some things out.
The bottom line is USC is not a national contender anymore, and Alabama made that clear. They have fallen out of the Top-25 ranking after the drubbing, and will have to battle to get back in. USC has talent up and down their roster, they just need to find the right recipe for success. After Utah State is Stanford, so they better get fixed quickly.
Next: No. 6-4