Pac-12 power rankings, Week 8: Oregon takes top spot, Is USC back?

There is a new No. 1 in this week’s Pac-12 power rankings after Oregon outlasted Washington in overtime. Plus, Colorado loses their first game.

The Pac-12 had one of the biggest matchups on the college football slate this past weekend, as No. 7 Washington went into Oregon to take on the No.17 Ducks. Oregon came away with the victory, and are now the class of the Pac-12.

Here is our latest Pac-12 power rankings entering Week 8.

The Oregon State Beavers did not figure to make much noise in the Pac-12 this season, as they just do not have the kind of talent the rest of the conference does. They have only one win through their first six games, a blowout victory against Southern Utah, but it has been all downhill since that victory in Week 2.

Conor Blount has done a solid job under center, tossing seven touchdowns against only one interception this season while sharing the duties with Jake Luton. The big star for their offense has been a freshman, as Jermar Jefferson has been running all over Pac-12 defenses, which is pretty impressive considering he is likely the only member of the Beavers offense the opposition has to scheme for.

Oregon State is going to finish towards the bottom of the Pac-12 once again this season, but they do have some good young talent that could make them a decent team in a year or two. They will try to get their first Pac-12 victory when they return to the field this Saturday, as they play host to the California Golden Bears in Week 8.

The California Golden Bears are definitely trending in the wrong direction, as they have yet to win another game after starting out 3-0 this season. On Saturday night, Cal went up against the winless UCLA Bruins and was shellacked at home, giving new Bruins head coach Chip Kelly his first victory at the helm of the program.

Cal struggled with the turnovers all game long, as they had five in total, including four in the second half. UCLA was able to run away with the game in the second half, scoring 17 points in the fourth quarter, and putting away a Cal team that had no answer for the Bruins rushing attack in this one.

For the Golden Bears, they got a very sub-par effort from quarterback Brandon McIlwain, who threw two interceptions and also lost two fumbles. Patrick Laird carried the ball well, nearly rushing for 100 yards, and the defense was led by Jordan Kunaszyk, who had an incredible 22 tackles in a game that had very few bright spots for the Golden Bears.