There are two long, hard months ahead for USC, Utah, Oregon and Washington, plus whatever postseason fate awaits — and some daunting history.

Not since the 1982 season has the conference placed four teams in the top 15 of the final Associated Press poll, when No. 5 UCLA, No. 6 Arizona State, No. 7 Washington and No. 15 USC carried the banner for what was indisputably the best league in the land.

Since then, the Pac-12 has come close to repeating the feat on several occasions, most recently in 2016.

Is USC headed for a slide?

Or could it be Oregon or Washington?

Perhaps Utah, the defending conference champion, isn’t up to the task.

The website fivethirtyeight.com, which focuses on politics and relies on advanced analytics, recently published college football projections and gave USC a 34 percent chance of winning the Pac-12 title, followed by Utah (25 percent), Oregon (16 percent) and Washington (15 percent).

 

ESPN’s Football Power Index takes a slightly different view, with No. 9 (nationally) USC and No. 10 Utah closely paired, then a drop to No. 18 Washington and No. 21 Oregon.

The Hotline wants to hear from you in our Twitter poll:

Of the four teams currently ranked, which is the imposter?

 

The mere fact that we’re having the discussion speaks to the Pac-12’s strong start, particularly from the Huskies — the lone member of the ranked quartet that wasn’t included in the AP preseason poll.

But three blowout wins and an impressive performance against Michigan State catapulted 15th-ranked Washington onto the national stage for the first time since the 2019 season.

Before last weekend, we would have pegged No. 13 Oregon as the team most likely to fade by season’s end.

But the come-from-behind victory at Washington State, fueled by quarterback Bo Nix’s sizzling second half, made us reconsider the Ducks’ trajectory.

Meanwhile, another Week Four result resonated deeply on the Hotline: Michigan State’s 34-7 home loss to Minnesota, in which the Spartans’ only touchdown came with 17 seconds remaining.

The abysmal display caused us to recalculate the magnitude of Washington’s victory over MSU. Maybe the Spartans weren’t a sufficient barometer. Perhaps the Huskies aren’t nearly as good as they looked.

Or could sixth-ranked USC be the imposter?

The offense mustered just two touchdowns last weekend despite four Oregon State turnovers. Quarterback Caleb Williams looked frustrated; receiver Jordan Addison was quiet.

Meanwhile, the Trojans’ defense is relying on turnovers at a rate that cannot be maintained.

Our eye, too, is on Oregon’s inexperienced coaching staff and its ability to navigate the conference schedule while keeping the schemes fresh and creative.

Once October arrives and opponents have gobs of film on the Ducks, countermoves are inevitable. How will Dan Lanning and his lieutenants adjust to the adjustments?

Utah has looked sharp since the season-opening loss at Florida, showing no signs of backsliding one year after its first conference title.

But the loss of tight end Brant Kuithe to a season-ending injury strips the 12th-ranked Utes of an elite playmaker. Also, they will get every opponent’s best shot, week after week, month after month.

Are they resourceful enough to repeat? Our skepticism has grown in recent weeks.

But you tell us: Of the four teams ranked in the top 15, which one is the imposter?

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