Pac-12 power rankings, Week 4: USC struggles, Washington rolls
By Brad Weiss
In our latest Pac-12 power rankings, a new No. team emerges, as USC struggles to find consistency against a mediocre Texas team on Saturday.
The college football season continues to roll along, and for the Pac-12, Week 3 was certainly an interesting one. The consensus front-runner to win the conference was forced into double overtime by the Texas Longhorns, barely escaping with the victory. UCLA, who has looked so good this season, was beaten by Memphis on the road, which truly throws a wrench in our rankings this week.
Some other teams continue to look strong, including Washington, Oregon, Colorado, and Utah. Washington State has been prolific on offense this season, and their quarterback racked up six touchdown passes this past weekend. Stanford suffered another bad loss, though this time it was at the hands of San Diego State.
With all this movement, we take a look at our Pac-12 power rankings entering Week 4.
Oregon State Beavers (1-3)
Last week: L 52-23 at Washington State
Last rank: 12
It is going to be a long season for the Oregon State Beavers, who were blown out by the Washington State Cougars on Saturday. The Beavers came into the game as a big underdog, and Cougars quarterback Luke Falk made quick work of them in this one. Falk threw for nearly 400 yards and six touchdowns, as the Cougars rolled.
For the Beavers, there were few bright spots, but one was a familiar one. Running back Ryan Nall has been the leader of their offense for the last two seasons, and he rushed for over 100 yards in this one. The senior racked up two touchdowns on the ground as well, though this game was not very competitive from the start.
On defense, the Beavers were led by Austin Hudson, who had 12 tackles in the game. The junior safety had 2.5 tackles for a loss, and a half sack, and was really the only star on the defensive side of the ball. The Beavers have already played four games and will have a bye this upcoming week. They definitely need to regroup, as the season is starting to slip away from them.
Arizona Wildcats (2-1)
Last week: W 63-16 at UTEP
Last rank: 10
The Wildcats actually looked pretty good this past weekend, as they went on the road and beat UTEP pretty badly. Quarterback Brandon Dawkins, who has been battling injuries this season, was the star in this one, as he was pretty much their entire offense. Dawkins not only threw for three touchdowns, but he also rushed for three more, leading the team to a 63-16 victory.
In the passing game, Dawkins hit three different receivers for scores, as he showed incredible poise in the pocket. On the other side of the ball, freshman linebacker Colin Schooler was the story in this one. Schooler returned an interception back 53 yards and led a defense that has been beaten badly through the first two weeks of the season.
Unfortunately for the Wildcats, the past weekend was the end of any easy games on the schedule for some time. They play host to Utah this coming weekend and then have to go on the road to play Colorado. After the Buffaloes, Arizona plays UCLA at home, and then Cal on the road, so this could be their last win for a while.