Pac-12 Football: Week 8 power rankings

The Colorado Buffaloes came into the 2016 season not really expecting too much. They had struggled to win games in the Pac-12 since coming over to the conference a few years ago, but that has not been the case this year. Colorado is now 4-1 in the conference after a huge road win against Stanford, and have their eyes set on a possible Pac-12 Championship.

Anytime you play Stanford on the road it is going to be a tough game, and it was certainly not a typical Colorado game on Saturday. After defeating the Cardinal 10-5, there was a brief celebration in the locker room, but then the focus shifted right back to their main goal of winning the Pac-12. Colorado has not been bowl eligible in over a decade, and with their latest ranking in the top-25, have now been ranked twice this season.

The Colorado defense held Stanford without a touchdown for the first time all season, as they were able to keep Christian McCaffrey in check for the most part. McCaffrey did run for 92 yards, but failed to reach the end zone in the game. Counterpart Phillip Lindsay out-dueled McCaffrey, rushing for 131 yards on only 12 carries. Quarterback Sefo Liufau was able to start and finish the game, as he continues to battle back from injuries. He went 12 of 25 for 135 yards and a touchdown. Colorado will have a bye this week, before hosting UCLA on November 3.

The Utah Utes did what they had to do on Saturday, going into UCLA and defeating the Bruins in a high-scoring affair. The win sets up a huge matchup this week against No. 4 Washington, in a battle of two teams atop their divisions in the Pac-12. The game could be a possible Pac-12 Championship Game preview, and it is certain to garner national headlines.

Previously retired running back Joe Williams continues to dominate in his return to the Utes, as he broke the school record for yards in a single game on Saturday. Williams rushed for 332 yards against the Bruins, breaking Mike Anderson’s school record that was set in 1999. The yardage total was also the most amount of yards that UCLA has allowed to a single back in the history of the program. Quite an effort from a guy who was not even on the roster three weeks ago.

Expect a heavy dose of Williams this week, as Utah tries to stay on the field as long as possible against the Huskies. Washington has the best quarterback in the conference, and as long as he is on the sidelines, he is not going to be able to hurt them. It is going to be a tall order for Utah this week, but if they can pick up first downs, they should be able to put themselves in position for a possible upset.