Week 1

Here’s how the conference shakes out after the first weekend of conference play.

1. Arizona State (10-4, 1-1)

ASU is the class of the Pac. Punctuated with an 80-76 win over then top-ranked Kansas, the Sun Devils are the best squad in the conference when they play up to their potential.

2. Arizona (11-4, 2-0)

Arizona has a great shot at a Pac-12 crown. With several long win streaks and two quick wins in conference play, the Wildcats are a dangerous team in the Pac.

3. UCLA (9-6, 2-0)

Despite a long four game skid in December, the Bruins started conference play 2-0. Look for this Bruins team to stay frisky in the Conference of Champions.

4. USC (9-6, 2-0)

The Trojans of South California started December 0-4, but the bunch bounced back, cruising to four straight victories as conference play commences. The Trojans likely won’t be players in the NCAA Tourney but in a weak Pac-12, they have a chance to earn a top four seat in the conference tournament.

5. Washington (10-4, 1-0)

The Huskies are a sleeper team to win the Pac-12. Outside of an 88-66 throttling by Auburn, UW hung tough with teams in Minnesota, (10) Virginia Tech and (7) Gonzaga. This team has a chance to make noise in the conference.

6. Oregon State (9-4, 1-0)

The Beavers represent a sharp fall-off in the conference. Although OSU has only four losses, the team has no marquee wins and will likely fall off sharply as conference play continues.

7. Oregon (9-5, 0-1)

The Ducks are a very similar team to the Beavers. A tight loss in the Civil War drops Oregon below Oregon State.

8. Colorado (9-5, 0-1)

Colorado’s 9-5 record hides the weaknesses in this team. A weak non-conference schedule led the Buffs to an impressive record, but after being blown out by ASU, expect this team to fall off quickly.

9. Stanford (7-7, 0-2)

Stanford leads a group of four teams who are in the midst of lost seasons. The Cardinal cannot find success this season, and their 7-7 record is riddled with bad losses. However, a tight loss to the then No. 1 ranked Kansas should give Stanford fans a glimmer of hope.

10. Utah (7-7, 1-1)

A stunning 96-86 win should not distract from the shortcomings of this Utah team. The Utes need to turn things around quickly if they want to keep their season alive.

11. Washington State (7-7, 0-1)

What more can be said about the Ernie Kent led Cougars? WSU is only 14 games into their season and fans are already looking forward to football season.

12. Cal (5-9, 0-2)

Cal has separated themselves in the worst possible way. The Golden Bears are on their way to another 12^th place finish in the conference.