Pac-12 Power Rankings, Week 1: Washington is for real
By Brad Weiss
6. California Golden Bears (1-0), Last Week: Win vs Hawaii 51-31
In what seems like forever ago, the California Golden Bears traveled down to Australia to take on Hawaii on August 27. There were plenty of questions coming into the game, as the team was playing without quarterback Jared Goff for the first time since 2012. Goff was the first overall pick in the 2016 NFL Draft, so replacing him seemed like a tall order.
No such problem, as new starter Davis Webb did his best to make people forget about Goff, even if it was for one game. The transfer from Texas Tech looked great in his first game for the Golden Bears, lighting up the Hawaii defense all game long. He finished the game with 441 yards passing, throwing for four touchdowns against zero interceptions.
His main target was Chris Hansen, who had arguably the best game of any receiver in college football in Week 1. Hansen caught an NCAA-high 14 balls, racking up 160 yards. He caught two of Webb’s four touchdowns, as Cal made easy work of Hawaii. Losing a player like Goff is a big deal, but the Golden Bears offense did not skip a beat in Week 1.
5. Utah Utes (1-0), Last Week: Win vs Southern Utah 24-0
The Utah Utes are a sleeper pick in the Pac-12 in 2016, and they cruised to an easy victory against Southern Utah in Week 1. The Utes showcased their first-class defense, which could be one of the top units in the conference. They did not need much offense in the game, as the defense pitched a shutout in the opener.
The two Troys went to work early and often on the Thunderbirds, combining for all three Utah touchdowns. Quarterback Troy Williams threw for two scores, both the wide receiver Tim Patrick, in a highly efficient performance. Running back Troy McCormick added a score on the ground, while also catching three balls for 55 yards.
Offense aside, this game was about the Utah defense. In total, the Utes allowed only 42 passing yards, which is incredible no matter who you play. Utah plays in a very pass heavy conference, so their secondary is going to need to bring it every time they step on the field. Their defense could lead them to a possible Pac-12 Championship Game appearance.
4. UCLA Bruins (0-1), Last Week: Loss to Texas A&M 31-24 (OT)
Rough first game for the UCLA Bruins, who many believed would challenge Stanford for the Pac-12 crown in 2016. Playing in a very hostile environment, the offense never really got it going, as Kyle Field was rocking on Saturday. The Texas A&M defense hounded Bruins quarterback Josh Rosen all game long, forcing him into some forgettable throws.
For Rosen, it was not the start of his sophomore season that he was looking for. Despite saying crowd noise would not be a factor, Rosen looked rattled all game long. He consistently made bad decisions, forcing balls, while tossing three interceptions in the game.
The Bruins showed a lot of heart on Saturday, scoring two touchdowns in the final 4:19 to send the game into overtime. However, A&M found a way to get it done, stopping the Bruins after scoring with the first possession of OT. Rosen had two chances from the five-yard line to tie the game, but both of his passes fell incomplete. The Bruins welcome UNLV to the Rose Bowl on Saturday, so expect them to get back on the winning track.
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