College football conference power rankings: Week 2

ATLANTA, GA - SEPTEMBER 02: Bo Scarbrough #9, head coach Nick Saban, and Jalen Hurts #2 of the Alabama Crimson Tide celebrate with the Chick-fil-A Kick-Off Game trophy after defeating the Florida State Seminoles 24-7 in their game at Mercedes-Benz Stadium on September 2, 2017 in Atlanta, Georgia. (Photo by Scott Cunningham/Getty Images) /

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LOS ANGELES, CA – SEPTEMBER 02: Sam Darnold #14 of the USC Trojans celebrates the touchdown of Steven Mitchell Jr. #7 to take a 28-21 lead during the fourth quarter at Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum on September 2, 2017 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Harry How/Getty Images) /

4. Pac-12

Although the Pac-12’s top two teams struggled against lesser competition, the conference went a perfect 11-0 in week one and is on the verge of moving into the top three.

Saturday’s opener was nearly a disaster for the No. 4 USC Trojans, who fell behind massive underdog Western Michigan in the third quarter before pulling away for an 18-point win. The No. 8 Washington Huskies didn’t fare much better in the first half of a 30-14 win at Rugters, and have to be a little concerned about being pushed around in the trenches by the Scarlet Knights.

In the biggest upset of the week for the Pac 12, the California Golden Bears got a four-touchdown performance out of quarterback Ross Bowers in Justin Wilcox’s head coaching debut. After losing several key pieces off of last year’s South champion, the Colorado Buffaloes’ defense looked as stout as ever in a 17-3 win over rival Colorado State. Jim Mora’s job security looked to be in serious jeopardy when UCLA got run off the field by Texas A&M in the first half, but a heroic comeback by Josh Rosen could spark a run this season.

Five Pac-12 teams rolled past FCS squads, including a 77-point showing from the Oregon Ducks under new head coach Willie Taggart and rare shutout from Mike Leach and the Washington State Cougars. The Oregon State Beavers needed a late touchdown to beat the Portland State Vikings, but Gary Andersen will take whatever he can get at this point.

Next week’s Pac-12 slate is headlined by a critical conference showdown between USC and the No. 14 Stanford Cardinal, a possible title game preview. Taggart will also get his first test against Nebraska, while Utah will travel to Provo for the Holy War versus BYU.

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