Power Rankings: Week 5

Chaos has officially taken over in the Pac-12.

California – yes, the Golden Bears – are the lone undefeated Pac-12 team standing as we are about to close out the September slate here in Week 5.

Justin Wilcox’s team put forth a strong performance in SEC country, knocking off an Ole Miss squad that fought to the end and came up inches (or perhaps seconds) short of a potential tying score.

The challenge now for Cal – and so many other Pac-12 teams – is backing up a big performance with another strong effort a week later. Colorado failed two weeks ago when it lost to Air Force, as did USC when it lost to BYU. Then Arizona State swallowed that pill this past weekend against Colorado.

Now, it is the Sun Devils who seek to knock the Golden Bears from their high horse with a Friday night outing in Berkeley. And as we saw last week, Friday night games have not been kind to Pac-12 frontrunners in recent years.

Meanwhile, the Trojans get a second chance to back up their upset over Utah. Despite being down to their third quarterback, USC is 2-0 in conference play. Moving to 3-0 having played the likes of Stanford, Utah and Washington, would be impressive. However, this is a bigger game for the Huskies, who cannot afford to drop to 0-2 in conference play.

Further South, suddenly high-flying UCLA heads to Tucson for a pivotal game featuring second-year head coaches. Both teams are coming off impressive wins for different reasons. One side is going to take a winning streak into October, while the other falls back into the basement of the South Division.

In Salt Lake City, it’s a make-or-break game for Utah and Washington State. Both are smarting from losses last week, which means one of these teams will see their season turn to disappointment quicker than they imagined a week ago.

Up North, two teams already mired in disappointment square off in Corvallis. Stanford has been outclassed three weeks in a row and there are lfew signs the Cardinal are on the verge of breakthrough. Playing Oregon State gives them hope to start turning things around, but the Beavers are hungry and pesky for a Pac-12 win of their own.

Moving to the national scene, Georgia, Auburn and Wisconsin all delivered victories against Top 25 teams. While the Tigers (at Texas A&M) and Badgers (Michigan) each delivered knock-out blows to the contention aspirations of their foes, the Bulldog’s win over Notre Dame actually proved the Irish worthy of a Top 10 ranking this week. The Irish played physical and, had it not been for so many penalties, could have given Georgia an even bigger scare.

Otherwise, not much shakeup in the Top 10. The picture is becoming clearer, which means its times for some craziness to set in nationally just like it has in the Pac-12.

Here’s what things look like heading into Week 5.

Pac-12 Power Rankings

Pac-12 South

1. USC (3-1, 2-0 Pac-12))

Last Game: Won vs. Utah, 30-23
Next Game: Saturday at Washington

Down to their third quarterback, the Trojans pulled off a mild surprise given the circumstances last Friday against Utah. Turns out, USC was battle-tested enough in the trenches and had the talent to make big plays when needed. They will need that again this week in yet another pivotal game.

2. Utah (3-1, 0-1 Pac-12)

Last Game: Lost at USC, 30-23
Next Game: Saturday at Washington State

The Utes showed vulnerability once again on the offensive line, struggling to establish a rush attack and making things difficult for quarterback Tyler Huntley. Alarmingly, the defense also showed some cracks, especially in the secondary. That must be fixed quickly with Washington State coming to town.

3. Colorado (3-1, 1-0 Pac-12)

Last Game: Won at Arizona State, 34-31
Next Game: vs. Arizona (Oct. 5)

Credit Mel Tucker and his staff. The Buffaloes could not handle prosperity following the big win against Nebraska as they dropped their next contest against Air Force. But they swallowed their medicine and got right back on track with a nice win at Arizona State, which also couldn’t deal with its own prosperity.

4. Arizona (2-1, 0-0 Pac-12)

Last Game: Won vs. Texas Tech, 28-14 (Sept. 14)
Next Game: Saturday vs. UCLA

As much as Arizona’s defense raised some eyebrows with the performance against Texas Tech, this week’s opponent – UCLA – stunned everyone with an offensive explosion on the Palouse. Which side wins out this week in Tucson? And which Year 2 head coach emerges with a jolt of confidence and a winning streak heading into October?

5. Arizona State (3-1, 0-1 Pac-12)

Last Game: Lost vs. Colorado, 34-31
Next Game: Friday at California

Similar to Colorado a week earlier, a step backwards really was not surprising following the emotional win over Michigan State. There are some good lessons to learn for the Sun Devils, but it better be on a sharp curve as the short week takes them to Berkeley Friday night.

6. UCLA (0-3, 1-0 Pac-12)

Last Game: Won at Washington State, 67-63
Next Game: Saturday at Arizona

The Bruins were beaten badly once again until something sparked them to a comeback for the ages at Washington State. Was it a turning point game for Chip Kelly or was it an aberration? We find out Saturday in Tucson.

Pac-12 North

1. Oregon (3-1, 1-0 Pac-12)

Last Game: Won at Stanford, 21-6
Next Game: vs. California (Oct. 5)

Don’t look now, but the Ducks’ defense has been dominating. Imagine where this team – and the conference – would be if it were not for some missed opportunities in the opener against Auburn.

2. California (4-0, 1-0 Pac-12)

Last Game: Won at Ole Miss, 28-20
Next Game: Friday vs. Arizona State

The Golden Bears went into SEC country and came back with a very solid win, solidifying their place in the AP Top 25 for another week. The offense pieced some things together, showing more confidence in Chase Garbers. If he continues to make plays, this team can continue to surprise.

3. Washington (3-1, 0-1 Pac-12)

Last Game: Won at BYU, 45-19
Next Game: Saturday vs. USC

Unphased by the momentum BYU gained with wins at Tennessee and against USC a week prior, the Huskies dominated throughout. Quarterback Jacob Eason gives the offense a different dimension, and they need to use that to their strength. However, Washington better come to play Saturday against USC because an 0-2 start in conference play could spell doom in the North Division.

4. Washington State (3-1, 0-1 Pac-12)

Last Game: Lost vs. UCLA, 67-63
Next Game: Saturday at Utah

Mike Leach and the Cougars are probably still scratching their heads following a disastrous second-half collapse against UCLA. Yet, opportunity awaits with a trip to Salt Lake City this week. Beat Utah, and things are back on track.

5. Stanford (1-2, 0-2 Pac-12)

Last Game: Lost vs. Oregon, 21-6
Next Game: Saturday at Oregon State

It continues to be surprising to see the fall Stanford has taken. The program that once prided itself on dominating opponents with physicality is no longer the tougher team on the field. And they aren’t explosive enough in other areas to make up for it. Better win this week.

6. Oregon State (1-2, 0-0 Pac-12)

Last Game: Won vs. Cal Poly, 45-7 (Sept. 14)
Next Game: Saturday vs. Stanford

The Beavers are going to knock off someone in the next four or five weeks. Maybe they knock off multiple teams. Would it really be a surprise if it started this week against struggling Stanford?

National Top 10

1. Clemson (4-0, 2-0 ACC Atlantic)

Last Game: Won vs. Charlotte, 52-10
Next Game: Saturday at North Carolina

It’s status quo for the Tigers. Their biggest opponent continues to be complacency. So far, they are winning big.

2. Georgia (4-0, 1-0 SEC East)

Last Game: Won vs. Notre Dame, 23-17
Next Game: at Tennessee (Oct. 5)

The Bulldogs did not dominate, but they still won a significant non-conference game that will hold weight in the CFB Playoff discussion as the season goes along. Now it’s a week off to fine tune until stepping back into SEC action.

3. Alabama (4-0, 1-0 SEC West)

Last Game: Won vs. Southern Miss, 49-7
Next Game: Saturday vs. Ole Miss

It’s not going to be pretty this week for Ole Miss, but it will be interesting to watch the Rich Rodriguez-coached Rebel offense try to attack the Crimson Tide. That’s about all that will be interesting here.

4. Ohio State (4-0, 1-0 Big Ten East)

Last Game: Won vs. Miami (Ohio), 76-5
Next Game: Saturday at Nebraska

College GameDay will be in Lincoln this week, but only because it’s a very unappealing slate for games with national significance. Ohio State is a national storyline, however. They may be playing the best football of any team in the country.

5. Oklahoma (3-0, 0-0 Big 12)

Last Game Won at UCLA, 48-14
Next Game: Saturday vs. Texas Tech

The Sooners got off to a hot start and that should continue following a bye week. Texas Tech is also coming off a bye, but based on their performance in Tucson two weeks ago, it’s unlikely the Red Raiders are ready to challenge the Big 12 favorite.

6. LSU (4-0, 1-0 SEC West)

Last Game: Won at Vanderbilt, 66-38
Next Game: Vs. Utah State (Oct. 5)

Yes, LSU really did score 66 points in an SEC road game. It doesn’t matter if that was against Vanderbilt, the Tigers are playing so well offensively they probably don’t want the bye week to be here. When they return, they have a sneaky tough Group of 5 opponent coming to town in Utah State.

7. Auburn (4-0, 1-0 SEC West)

Last Game: Won at Texas A&M, 28-20
Next Game: Saturday vs. Mississippi State

It was another impressive effort for Auburn going into College Station and controlling much of the game. The road doesn’t get easier with another tough SEC West battle this week, then a trip East to Florida the following week.

8. Wisconsin (3-0, 1-0 Big Ten West)

Last Game: Won vs. Michigan, 35-14
Next Game: Saturday vs. Northwestern

I was really impressed with Wisconsin their first two games despite the lack of competition. They backed that up with a dominant win against Big Blue. While they have to take care of business against some usual Big 10 suspects over the next few weeks, it’s looking like the Badgers could get to 7-0 heading into a late October showdown at Ohio State.

9. Notre Dame (2-1, Independent)

Last Game: Lost at Georgia, 23-17
Next Game: Saturday vs. Virginia

The Irish proved they can contend with the best in the nation with an impressive performance in a losing effort at Georgia. Now can Notre Dame prove it deserves to remain a contender of its own? An under-the-radar Virginia squad could pose problems.

10. Florida (4-0, 2-0 SEC East)

Last Game: Won vs. Tennessee, 34-3
Next Game: Saturday vs. Towson

It’s a much-needed bye week for the Gators, who face SEC West foes Auburn (home) and LSU (road) once returning to action in October. The Gators will need to win at least one of those games to remain a contender in the SEC East and, more far-fetched, the CFB Playoff picture.

Dropped Out: (10) Michigan – It was ugly at home against Army and a bye week before the trip to Madison did nothing to clean up the image of Michigan football. The Wolverines should be able to fix a few things this week vs. Rutgers, then it’s another test against Iowa.

View last week’s Power Rankings here.

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