Pac-12 power ratings: The Oregon-Washington brawl starts an epic series of Saturday showdowns

The final Pac-12 football season is at the midway point and just getting started.

Oregon’s hotly-anticipated trip to Washington this weekend marks the onset of an unprecedented barrage of conference matchups between ranked teams over the final seven Saturdays.

In fact, it’s not even the only game of its kind this week.

Once the No. 7 Huskies and No. 8 Ducks are finished with their 12:30 p.m. blood feud, No. 18 UCLA and No. 15 Oregon State take the stage on Fox for a primetime showdown.

Expecting a stellar season long before they knew it would be the last season, Pac-12 executives in charge of the schedule crafted a lineup that would offer one premier game each week for ESPN and Fox.

Turns out, there could be more than one.

Over the next seven weeks, the Pac-12 has 12 conference games scheduled between ranked teams, based on the current AP top-25 poll.

Oct. 14
No. 8 Oregon at No. 7 Washington
No. 18 UCLA at No. 15 Oregon State
(Also: No. 10 USC at No. 21 Notre Dame)

Oct. 21
No. 19 Washington State at No. 8 Oregon
No. 16 Utah at No. 10 USC

Oct. 28
No. 8 Oregon at No. 16 Utah

Nov. 4
No. 7 Washington at No. 10 USC

Nov. 11
No. 10 USC at No. 8 Oregon
No. 16 Utah at No. 7 Washington

Nov. 18
No. 7 Washington at No. 15 Oregon State
No. 18 UCLA at No. 10 USC

Nov. 24 and 25
No. 15 Oregon State at No. 8 Oregon
No. 19 Washington State at No. 7 Washington

Of course, one or more of the seven ranked teams could tumble from the AP poll due to the eat-your-own nature of conference play. As a result, a few matchups listed above could lose heft by the time kickoff arrives.

But the beauty of having so many top-25 teams — not just for the Pac-12 but any Power Five conference — is the vastly higher floor.

AP voters typically don’t punish ranked teams that lose to other ranked teams in the same fashion they downgrade teams for losing to unranked opponents.

So the eat-your-own damage could be mitigated, leaving the stellar lineup of showdowns largely intact.

To the power ratings …

1. Oregon (5-0/2-0)
Last week: 1
Result: did not play
Next up: at Washington (12:30 p.m. on ABC)
Comment: We’ll have much more on the showdown later in the week, but let’s pose the first of two central questions here and now: How much pressure on Michael Penix Jr. will the Ducks generate with only four or five rushers? Because if they need to send six to disrupt UW’s aerial game, there will be plenty of open space downfield for Rome Odunze and Co.

2. Washington (5-0/2-0)
Last week: 2
Result: did not play
Next up: vs. Oregon (12:30 p.m. on ABC)
Comment: The second central question: How frequently will UW’s defensive front hold Oregon’s running game to five yards or less on first down? Because if the Ducks regularly have second-and-short, Bo Nix and Co. will be difficult to slow.

3. Oregon State (5-1/2-1)
Last week: 5
Result: won at Cal 52-40
Next up: vs. UCLA (5 p.m. on FOX)
Comment: The 52 points scored by the offense is slightly more impressive than the 40 allowed by the defense is troublesome. However, that’s two conference road games (Berkeley and Pullman) and 78 points allowed. It appears OSU’s defense doesn’t like to travel.

4. USC (6-0/4-0)
Last week: 4
Result: beat Arizona 43-41 (3OT)
Next up: at Notre Dame (4:30 p.m. on NBC)
Comment: It has been overlooked in all the furor over the yards and points allowed by Alex Grinch’s defense, but let’s not forget: Last year, USC’s turnover margin was +1.5 per game, tops in the nation. This year, it’s +0.67 per game. Over the course of 12 games, that difference is significant.

5. UCLA (4-1/1-1)
Last week: 7
Result: beat Washington State 25-17
Next up: at Oregon State (5 p.m. on FOX)
Comment: It appears the Bruins have undergone a complete personality change since last season, with a first-rate defense — the best of the Chip Kelly era, by far — and an erratic offense. We aren’t sure the end result (a middle-of-the-pack finish) will be any different.

6. Washington State (4-1/1-1)
Last week: 3
Result: lost at UCLA 25-17
Next up: vs. Arizona (4 p.m. on Pac-12 Networks)
Comment: Now it gets interesting: UCLA offered upcoming WSU opponents a blueprint for confusing quarterback Cam Ward and slowing the Cougars. Will first-year offensive coordinator Ben Arbuckle find a solution this week? (He sure didn’t offer an effective adjustment on Saturday.) If not, the early success could fade quickly.

7. Utah (4-1/1-1)
Last week: 6
Result: did not play
Next up: vs. Cal (12 p.m. on Pac-12 Networks)
Comment: Given the extent of the injuries to Cam Rising’s knee — basically, every ligament, tendon, fiber and cell was shredded — we’re left to wonder why the Utes didn’t clamp down on expectations for his early-season return. How could he possibly have been ready for Florida? There are only so many benefits to keeping your opponents guessing.

8. Arizona (3-3/1-2)
Last week: 9
Result: lost at USC 43-41 (3OT)
Next up: at Washington State (4 p.m. on Pac-12 Networks)
Comment: Yes, the unnecessary penalties doomed the Wildcats on Saturday night. But we would argue they resulted from the same searing emotional core that produced the effort that enabled Arizona to take USC to the wire. In other words: Penalties and performance were inseparable. We saw the same thing last month with Colorado State’s hot-headed approach in the overtime loss at Colorado.

9. Colorado (4-2/1-2)
Last week: 8
Result: won at Arizona State 27-24
Next up: vs. Stanford (Friday, 7 p.m. on ESPN)
Comment: USC struggled with Arizona; TCU was beaten soundly at Iowa State; Colorado State was run off the field by Utah State; and Nebraska has one Power Five victory. The results elsewhere help paint the Buffaloes as much-improved yet still not very good. This, in a sport that absolutely detests nuance.

10. Cal (3-3/1-2)
Last week: 10
Result: lost to Oregon State 52-40
Next up: at Utah (12 p.m. on Pac-12 Networks)
Comment: When you have two quarterbacks, you really have no quarterbacks. When you have three quarterbacks, you have a program stuck in the multi-year muck with little opportunity to escape, no chance for a bowl bid and a head coach under increasing pressure to get it figured out.

11. Arizona State (1-5/0-3)
Last week: 11
Result: lost to Colorado 27-24
Next up: idle
Comment: After their bye, the battered Sun Devils have no breaks — none, zero, zip: They play Washington, WSU, Utah, UCLA, Oregon and Arizona in succession. In other words, 0-9 in conference play became a very real possibility Saturday night.

12. Stanford (1-4/0-3)
Last week: 12
Result: did not play
Next up: at Colorado (Friday, 7 p.m. on ESPN)
Comment: The extra week is a huge advantage for the Cardinal given the taxing affair Colorado played Saturday in Tempe. Heck, it might even help Stanford stay competitive for three whole quarters.

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