Pac-12 Football: Week 8 Power Rankings

The leaders remain the same, but now have some breathing room entering the second half of the year. What is the state of the Pac-12 following Week 7 of play? Check out what House of Sparky's Kaelen Jones and Connor Pelton think.

The North

Breakdown

Jones' Picks

Stanford and Cal are locked in at the No. 1 and 2 spots, respectively, for another week. However, Oregon's win over Washington is enough for cause to monitor their play in the upcoming weeks, and Washington State has looked like a competitive group this year. It shouldn't surprise anyone if things get manic in the North within the next few weeks.

Pelton's Picks

Only change form last week is that Washington tumbles after losing at home to Oregon. With a healthy Vernon Adams and an improving secondary, the Ducks are playing better than their current ranking would suggest. But Washington State still has that head-to-head road victory, so I'm keeping the Cougars in the top three for now. We will learn a lot more in two weeks when Oregon plays at Arizona State and Washington State takes on Stanford.

The South

Breakdown

Jones' Picks

The Utes have clearly separated themselves from the rest of the pack. With everyone besides Arizona losing in Week 7, it makes it nearly impossible to advance anyone here. Although, I felt fairly compelled to push USC up following their 10-point loss at Notre Dame last week.

Pelton's Picks

Man, this division is looking a lot weaker than it did just a couple of weeks ago. Outside of Utah, who should be considered a legit national title contender at this point, you've got five teams that all have major questions on offense, defense, or both. A more realistic set of rankings would have the Utes on top and Colorado in last, with Arizona State, UCLA, Arizona, and USC all tied in the middle. But if we have to put them in order, this way seems to make the most sense to me.

Pac-12 Overall