Pac-12 power rankings after Week 1 see Chip Kelly and UCLA falling while Washington tries to regroup after losing to Auburn.
The Pac-12 is known for producing some exciting football, as well as some of the best players in the country. Like the rest of the college football landscape, the conference had a full slate of games this past week, and some of the results were downright shocking in Week 1.
First, there are a number of new coaches in the Pac-12 this season, including guys like Herm Edwards, Chip Kelly and Kevin Sumlin. In addition, Mario Cristobal is taking over at Oregon, so there is no shortage of new faces when it comes to the head coaching positions in the conference.
Pac-12 power rankings for Week 1
The Oregon State Beavers had a daunting task to kick off their 2018 campaign, as they had to go into Ohio Stadium to take on the Ohio State Buckeyes. The outcome was pretty much what you could have expected, as they lost by over 40 points, but incredibly, there were a few bright spots for them in this one.
Oregon State had to go to backup quarterback Conor Blount early against a stout Buckeyes defense, as starter Jake Luton suffered a possible concussion on the game’s sixth play. Blount looked very good under center for the Beavers, as the sophomore threw for 169 yards and two touchdowns, despite getting smashed by Nick Bosa and company all game long.
In addition to Blount, Artavis Pierce showed his trademark speed against Ohio State, ripping off a few big runs en route to a 168-yard effort. He also found the end zone twice, and while the team moved to 0-1 on the season, they did put up 31 on Ohio State, so that is something to keep an eye on moving forward.
The Chip Kelly Era at UCLA has officially begun, although it did not quite get off to the kind of start the former Oregon head coach would have liked it to. After losing only seven games over a four-year span with the Ducks, Kelly got his Bruins career kicked off with a loss, as they fell at home at the Rose Bowl by the score of 26-17 to the Cincinnati Bearcats.
Kelly and the Bruins got out to a solid start, leading 10-0 after the first quarter, but it was all downhill from there. They did see flashes from freshman quarterback Dorian Thompson-Robinson, as well as running back Adarius Pickett, two guys who should be able to lead UCLA back to being a competitive team in the Pac-12.
For the Bruins, it does not get any better next weekend, as they have to travel to Norman, Oklahoma to take on one of the best teams in the country in No. 7 Oklahoma. Hopefully, for Bruins fans, Kelly can get this ship moving in the right direction eventually, but it certainly is not going to happen next Saturday.