Pac-12 football power rankings

Cougars jump in power rankings after Saturday’s win

SHAWN P. O'CONNOR, Evergreen reporter

  1. (14) Washington (1-0, Last: 1)

Jacob Eason and company didn’t miss a beat from last year’s Rose Bowl squad, crushing Eastern Washington 47-14. Eason completed 75 percent of his passes for 349 yards and four touchdowns, and the Huskies racked up 200 yards on the ground.

2. (13) Utah (1-0, Last: 3)

Utah defeated BYU 30-12 to claim the Holy War title once again. The Utes scorched Brigham Young with 262 yards on the ground. Quarterback Tyler Huntley played a supplementary role, completing north of 80 percent of his passes for 106 yards. The Utes are the class of the South until further notice.

3. (22) Washington State (1-0, Last: 4)

Minshew who? While the Coug faithful might not be ready to forget their gunslinging hero, Anthony Gordon put on a show Saturday night, completing 22 of his first 23 passes, finishing the night with 420 passing yards and five touchdowns in a 58-7 dismantling of New Mexico State. Max Borghi joined in the fun, racking up 128 rushing yards and a touchdown on 10 carries. A big congratulations is due to Gage Gubrud. The EWU graduate transfer eclipsed the 10,000-yard passing mark with a 26-yard pass to Kassidy Woods in the third quarter.

4. (16) Oregon (0-1, Last: 2)

The Ducks led Auburn 21-6 with less than five minutes in the third quarter before the wheels fell off. Auburn signal caller Bo Nix led three touchdown drives in the final 20 minutes, including a 26-yard touchdown dagger right through the heart of Eugene with six seconds remaining. Oregon quarterback Justin Herbert looked good, passing for 242 yards and a score, but the Ducks’ defense couldn’t get the job done when it counted most.

5. (23) Stanford (1-0, Last: 6)

A defensive slugfest broke out on a Pac-12 football field, and Stanford held off a quality Northwestern team 17-7. The Cardinal defense forced four turnovers with one resulting in a touchdown, lifting the K.J. Costello-less team to a victory. Costello left the game with an apparent head injury after a targeting-like hit by Northwestern’s Earnest Brown IV. The Cardinal desperately need Costello back if they plan on competing for the North title.

6. Colorado (1-0, Last: 8)

Colorado defeated Colorado State to win the Rocky Mountain Showdown in Mel Tucker’s Colorado coaching debut. Senior quarterback Steven Montez threw the ball well, completing 13 of 20 passes for 232 yards and two scores. The Buffs ran the ball for 243 yards, more than half of their total production.

7. Arizona State (1-0, Last: 10)

Freshman quarterback Jayden Daniels played well in his debut, passing for 284 yards and two touchdowns and ran for another in his collegiate debut as the Sun Devils beat Kent State 30-7. Herm Edwards and company will look to keep the good times rolling when they host Sacramento State next weekend.

8. California (1-0, Last: 5)

The Golden Bear’s got quite a scare last weekend, trailing UC Davis for most of the first half before pulling away late to win 27-13. Cal’s offense moved the ball but struggled to score against Davis. California’s defense was stout, allowing only three points in the final three quarters and 264 total yards in the contest.

9. Southern California (1-0, Last: 7)

The Trojans collected an impressive 31-23 win over Mountain West powerhouse Fresno State, but the victory came at a massive cost. Sophomore quarterback JT Daniels tore his ACL and meniscus in the second quarter. Kedon Slovis struggled in relief, completing only six passes for 57 yards and an interception. The Trojans need to recover quickly, as a home date with Stanford awaits next Saturday.

10. Oregon State (0-1, Last: 12)

This bump is more indicative of the disappointing showing of the Wildcats and Bruins than success by the Beavs. OSU’s defense is next-level bad, allowing 555 total yards to a meddling Big 12 side. Oregon State should be able to produce on offense but won’t win many games with such a porous defense.

11. Arizona (0-1, Last: 11)

The Wildcats were idle this week. UA hosts Northern Arizona Next week.

12. UCLA (0-1, Last: 9)

Rock bottom for the Bruins after a 24-14 loss to Cincinnati. UCLA’s sophomore quarterback Dorian Thompson-Robinson was awful in the loss, completing only eight of 26 passes for 156 yards, two touchdowns, and two interceptions. UCLA’s defense allowed the Bearcats to rack up more than 400 total yards of offense in the embarrassing road loss. UCLA hosts the always tough San Diego State Aztecs this weekend.