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Week two of Pac-12 basketball is complete, and after 20 games of play, every team has lost, including the two teams ranked in the top-20.
This conference is unpredictable, but after its best two teams split the Rocky Mountain trip, it makes it even more tough to understand.
Here are Pac-12 Standings to prove it.
Let’s get to the rankings.
Pac-12 Power Rankings -- Jan. 16
| Rank | Destin | Kaye | Tonis |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rank | Destin | Kaye | Tonis |
| 1 | Arizona | Arizona | Arizona |
| 2 | Stanford (+3) | Arizona State | Stanford |
| 3 | USC (+5) | Colorado (+1) | Colorado |
| 4 | ASU (-2) | UCLA (-1) | ASU |
| 5 | Colorado (-2) | Stanford (+2) | USC |
| 6 | UCLA (-2) | USC (+2) | UCLA |
| 7 | Oregon (+3) | Washington (-2) | Washington |
| 8 | Oregon State (+1) | Oregon (+2) | Oregon State |
| 9 | Washington | Utah (-3) | Oregon |
| 10 | Utah (-4) | Oregon State (-1) | Utah |
| 11 | California | Washington State | Washington State |
| 12 | Washington State | California | Cal |
Kaye: The rankings may say that ASU is the better team, but after eerily similar performances in the Rocky Mountain road trip, deciding who has the edge between the Sun Devils and Wildcats is too close to call. In situations like that, I think head-to-head is the best reference, and Arizona gets the check in that box.
The team that handed both desert teams losses and took the biggest step up the Pac-12 ladder was Colorado. What they did last week was remarkable, but before those two victories, they played sub-par at best — and without any showing of consistency this season, I couldn’t vault them over UCLA, who, at 3-1, has the best record in the Pac-12. Behind those four teams is a whole lot of mediocracy. Stanford showed some life this week by sweeping the L.A. schools, but winning one game in two overtimes and the other on a buzzer-beater isn’t exactly the way to exert your dominance. That’s the Pac-12 in a nut shell right now: Parity night in and night out — just two weeks into the conference slate and each team already has a conference loss.
Destin: In referencing the start of Pac-12 play, there isn’t a “best team.” Yes, UCLA has the best record at 3-1, but has played four teams with a combined 28 losses. Arizona and Arizona State each had the most impressive non-conference runs, so they own the top. Colorado earned back-to-back ranked wins, while Oregon State has beat Colorado. Washington has taken care of business expect against UCLA. Stanford inched out two thrilling wins, and Utah is better than 2-2. It showed against the Oregon schools and ASU.
In my bottom six, USC and Oregon are big surprises. The Trojans ranked No. 10 preseason, while Oregon was picked to finish fourth in the Pac-12 preseason media poll. Washington and Colorado, however, were picked to finish ninth and tenth, respectively.