Pac-12 power rankings, Week 3: USC beats Stanford, UCLA impresses
By Brad Weiss
Oregon Ducks (2-0)
Last week: W 42-35 vs. Nebraska
Last rank: 7
The Oregon Ducks struggled last season with head coach Mark Helfrich at the helm, and it appears they made the right decision to replace him. New head coach Willie Taggart has changed the atmosphere at Oregon, and the Ducks are off to a 2-0 start in his first season. After throttling their opponent in Week 1, the Ducks earned a nice win against the Big Ten’s Nebraska this past weekend, getting major production on offense.
Sophomore quarterback Justin Herbert continues to impress, and he went off against the Cornhuskers defense on Saturday. Herbert threw for 365 yards and three touchdowns against Nebraska, hitting Charles Nelson eight times for 117 yards. Star running back Royce Freeman also went nuts in the game, racking up 152 yards and two touchdowns in the game.
Oregon has an easy matchup on deck in Week 3, as they hit the road to take on the Wyoming Cowboys. For the Ducks, they have erased the memories of a disappointing 2016 campaign, and now could be one of the best teams in the conference. They have some tough games on the horizon, but you have to wonder how many teams have as balanced an attack on offense as they do this season.
Utah Utes (2-0)
Last week: W 19-13 at BYU
Last rank: 4
The Utah Utes have one of the best defenses in the Pac-12, and it was on full display this past weekend. The Utes hit the road to take on the BYU Cougars, and while the offense sputtered, their defense made it a living hell for BYU. In total, Utah racked up three interceptions as a unit and got a fantastic effort from Chase Hansen, who returns to collect eight sacks and two QB hurries.
On offense, the Utes struggled to move the ball consistently, although they continue to get solid play from their new quarterback. Tyler Huntley beat out senior Troy Williams this past Summer, and boy has that looked like the right decision by the coaching staff. Huntley was the entire offense for the Utes this past weekend, throwing for 300 yards while leading the team with 89 rushing yards.
His main target once again was former Oregon Ducks wideout Darren Carrington II, who hauled in seven passes for nearly 130 yards. The Utah defense is going to lead the way once again in 2017, and their unit is good enough to play with anybody in the conference. Huntley has gotten better in each of his first two starts for the Utes, and if he can get this offense to be somewhat reliable, Utah could be a team to beat in the Pac-12 this season.