Pac-12 power rankings, Week 5: Stanford gets back on track

6

Stanford Cardinal (2-2)

Last week: W 58-34 vs. UCLA
Last rank: 9

The Stanford Cardinal got back to their winning ways this past weekend, and did it in grand fashion against the UCLA Bruins. Running back Bryce Love went nuts against the UCLA defense, racking up 263 yards and one touchdown on the ground. As a team, the Cardinal ran for over 400 yards collectively, while finding the end zone five times against a porous UCLA front.

For Love, he did most of the damage, as UCLA had no answer for him all game long. Love’s understudy, Cameron Scarlett, found the end zone three times, and has become kind of a touchdown hog for the Cardinal. He has been a pleasant surprise for a Stanford team that had to overcome starting quarterback Keller Chryst going down in the first quarter.

Stanford originally went to Ryan Burns when Chryst went down, but it was third-stringer K.J. Costello who led the way in this one. Costello threw for 123 yards and two touchdowns, while doing a nice job protecting the ball.

5

Colorado Buffaloes (3-1)

Last week: L 37-10 vs. Washington
Last rank: 3

In one of the worst losses of the Pac-12 schedule this past weekend, the Colorado Buffaloes really laid an egg against the Washington Huskies. The game was billed as an elite defense going up against an elite offense, but it was the Huskies domination on both sides of the ball that became the story. Washington just may repeat in the Pac-12, as their effort against Colorado was kind of eye-opening.

Steven Montez had played so well in recent weeks for Colorado, but he struggled mightily against an opportunistic Washington defense this past weekend. Montez was intercepted three times, and threw for only 171 yards in the game. Philip Lindsay rushed the ball well, but the lack of a passing game really hurt the Buffaloes against the Huskies.

Washington has one of the best quarterbacks in the country, though Colorado’s defense was able to keep Jake Browning in check. However, Huskies running back Myles Gaskin ran wild against a very good Colorado front, racking up over 200 yards on the ground. Hopefully for Colorado, this game was just a bump in the road, and not a sign of things to come.