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College football conference power rankings: Week 1

By Nathaniel Reeves

COLUMBUS, OH - NOVEMBER 26: (R-L) Head coach Urban Meyer of the Ohio State Buckeyes and Head coach Jim Harbaugh of the Michigan Wolverines (Photo by Gregory Shamus/Getty Images)
COLUMBUS, OH - NOVEMBER 26: (R-L) Head coach Urban Meyer of the Ohio State Buckeyes and Head coach Jim Harbaugh of the Michigan Wolverines (Photo by Gregory Shamus/Getty Images) /
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PASADENA, CA – JANUARY 02: Quarterback Sam Darnold #14 of the USC Trojans looks on against the Penn State Nittany Lions during the 2017 Rose Bowl Game presented by Northwestern Mutual at the Rose Bowl on January 2, 2017, in Pasadena, California. (Photo by Harry How/Getty Images)
PASADENA, CA – JANUARY 02: Quarterback Sam Darnold #14 of the USC Trojans looks on against the Penn State Nittany Lions during the 2017 Rose Bowl Game presented by Northwestern Mutual at the Rose Bowl on January 2, 2017, in Pasadena, California. (Photo by Harry How/Getty Images) /

4. Pac-12 

With the No. 4 USC Trojans and No. 8 Washington Huskies likely on a collision course for the conference title game, the Pac-12 has a great shot of getting a team into the 2017 College Football Playoff.

USC closed out last season on a nine-game winning streak including a dramatic Rose Bowl victory over Penn State and enters 2017 as one of the national title favorites behind Heisman Trophy contender Sam Darnold. Washington’s roster might be just a hair worse than the 2016 version that reached the College Football Playoff, but the Huskies should have one of the most efficient offenses in the nation and enjoy the luxury of an entirely manageable schedule.

Lurking just behind the top two is Stanford, which is coming off yet another 10-win season in a “down” year. If quarterback Keller Chryst can return from a torn ACL while building on a promising junior campaign to back a dynamite defensive back seven that allowed just 95 passing yards in the 62-7 win over Rice, the Cardinal will be in contention for a New Year’s Six bowl berth.

That trio of teams is enough to put the Pac-12 above the Big 12, but it remains a distant fourth due dropping off after that. The No. 24 Washington State Cougars are the only other top 25 team in the conference and can challenge anyone thanks to quarterback Luke Falk, yet need to prove they have a double-digit win ceiling under Mike Leach.

Kyle Whittingham should grind another nine or so wins out of the Utah Utes and will be tough to beat at home despite some major question marks on offense. Arguably the most interesting team in the conference to watch will be the Oregon Ducks, as first-year head coach Willie Taggart inherits a talented offense while bringing in a terrific group of assistant coaches.

Outside of Colorado, there’s a whole lot of mediocrity (or worse) elsewhere, unless Josh Rosen can turn in a heroic performance for the UCLA Bruins. USC dropping either of its big nonconference games to Texas or Notre Dame could be disastrous for the Pac-12’s national prestige.

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