Pac 12 Football: Week One Power Rankings

Published Jun. 30, 2017 6:28 p.m. ET

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Week one Pac-12 conference games had some unusual action. Both the Pac-12 and the NCAA kicked off its season “down under” in Australia on Friday the 26th of August, as the Cal Bears took on the Rainbow Warriors of Hawaii. The Conference waited close to another week to get the momentum going again playing their full slate of games starting last Thursday and finishing up on Saturday.

The Conference waited close to another week to get the momentum going again playing their full slate of games starting last Thursday and finishing up on Saturday.

Top 25 ranked games included:

The first week is always the out-of-conference games, and the Pac-12 handled themselves well. Winning every game favored to win except for the stink bomb the Washington State Cougars put up against the FCS conference representative in the Eastern Washington Eagles.

Washington State was favored by 27.5 points and ended up losing 45-42 in Washington. This loss marks the second straight season the Cougars lost their opening game.

In 2015, they came up short against Football Championship Subdivision Portland State. Eastern Washington is not a stranger to upsetting Pac-12 teams as they beat #25 Oregon State three-years ago 49-46 in Oregon.

I will be using Ryan Young’s pre-season article Pac 12 Football: Preseason 2016 Conference Power Rankings as a springboard for my week one Power Rankings article.

Sep 1, 2016; Minneapolis, MN, USA; Oregon State Beavers running back Tim Cook (20) rushes for a touchdown in the second half against the Minnesota Golden Gophers at TCF Bank Stadium. The Gophers won 30-23. Mandatory Credit: Jesse Johnson-USA TODAY Sports

Oregon State beavers

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Last week: 30-23 L vs. MinnesotaLast rank: 12th

All eyes were on how new quarterback Darell Garretson would do against the Golden Gophers of Minnesota. He was solid completing 25 of 40 (62.5%) of his passes for 225 yards and three touchdowns. This game would have a different outcome if the offensive line could block better and kept Garretson from getting sacked. His two fumbles resulting from being sacked led to two Minnesota touchdowns.

The running game was solid for Oregon State. Ryan Nall led the team in both receiving and rushing. He combined for 151 total yards. He carried the rock 13 times for 71 yards (5.5 yards per carry) and then caught eight passes for 80 yards which led all receivers.

The receivers were a mess. They had a hard time hanging on to the ball, and their central star Jordan Villamin caught only one pass for five yards. The one that stood out was last season’s quarterback Seth Collins who converted to wide receiver and will be a multi-dimensional threat for Oregon State. Collins caught five passes for 50 yards which were second in receptions against Minnesota.

The defense played reasonably well. The line couldn’t force much pressure but did a solid job containing the run. The linebacker crew did a better job in getting into the backfield and covered well. The secondary shut down the pass as quarterback Mitch Leidner was only able to get 130 yards passing. He also completed just 50 percent of his passes.

Inside linebacker Manase Hungalu and cornerback Xavier Crawford led the defense with eight tackles, while defensive backs Treston Decoud, and Devin Chappell had seven.

Sep 3, 2016; Pullman, WA, USA; Washington State Cougars safety Suli Hameed (2) is ejected during a against the Eastern Washington Eagles during the second half at Martin Stadium. The Eagles won 45-42. Mandatory Credit: James Snook-USA TODAY Sports

Washington State cougars

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Last week: 45-42 L vs. Eastern WashingtonLast rank: 7th

When looking at their schedule, the Washington State Cougars had to believe that Eastern Washington out of the Big Sky Conference, a team that went 5-3 in their conference last season, would pose little threat. Either that or the Cougars should sit out their first game of the season as this marks the second consecutive year they lost to a much smaller school.

The offense was fantastic for Washington State. Both Luke Falk and Gabe Marks showed off their talent. Marks finished the game with ten receptions for 108 yards and two touchdowns while Falk was on target 41-of-51 passes for 418 yards and four touchdowns with just one interception. This duo looked like they have been connecting for years and will be hard to stop for any defense.

Both Gerard Wicks and Jamal Morrow shared the carries and finished with 97 yards and two touchdowns. Morrow caught one pass on the right flat near the sidelines and leaped over a defender for a first down.

The defense was an obvious joke. Nobody could figure out how to stop quarterback Gage Gubrud (34/40, 474 yards, and five touchdowns) running roughshod over them for 77-yards and one touchdown, while wide receiver Cooper Kupp was wide open most of the day catching 12 passes for 206 yards and three touchdowns.

Alex Kacmarcik led the team with nine tackles while Samson Ebukam had two sacks.

Sep 3, 2016; Glendale, AZ, USA; Arizona Wildcats running back Nick Wilson (28) celebrates a touchdown against the Brigham Young Cougars during the second half at University of Phoenix Stadium. The Cougars won 18-16. Mandatory Credit: Joe Camporeale-USA TODAY Sports

Arizona wild cats

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Last week: 18-16 L vs. BYULast rank: 10th

The Wildcats defense kept BYU at bay for most of the game, but the Cougars came alive when they needed to most. Down by one point, BYU started its final drive on its own 31 and moved down the field to set up freshman’s Jake Oldroyd’s winning field goal.

The Cougars had a 9-0 lead with just under six minutes remaining when kicker Josh Pollack connected on a 46-yard field goal for the Wildcats first points. After a Colby Pearson six-yard touchdown pass from Taysom Hill, BYU led 15-3 after a failed two-point conversion. Then it became the Nick Wilson show.

Wilson rushed for 138-yards and two touchdowns, 64 of that total came on two runs of 15 and 49 which both resulted in scores. The longest gain put the Wildcats in the lead for the first time 16-15 with just 1:26 seconds left to play. Wilson took the hand-off went straight up the middle and was barely touched as he took it to the house.

For quarterback Anu Solomon, it was a difficult day for the signal caller. He completed a solid 66 percent of his passes, but two key interceptions hurt Arizona.

Defensively the Wildcats could have been better. They allowed over 400 total yards and didn’t force a turnover. Cougars also lead in time of possession by a wide margin 37:37 to 23:22

Sep 2, 2016; Denver, CO, USA; Colorado Buffaloes wide receiver Shay Fields (1) runs for a sixty yard reception in the first quarter against the Colorado State Rams at Sports Authority Field. Mandatory Credit: Ron Chenoy-USA TODAY Sports

Colorado buffaloes

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Last week: 44-7 W vs. Colorado StateLast rank: 11th

A complete disaster occurred in the state of Colorado as the Colorado University Buffaloes dismantled rival Colorado State Rams 44-7. In the Rocky Mountain Showdown, Colorado had a 21-0 lead at the end of the first quarter and was leading 31-0 at half-time.

You could see the dominance from the stat sheets. In the first quarter alone, CU had 12 first downs and CSU had none. The yardage total in the opening 15 minutes: CU 253. CSU 10.

Sefo Liufau connected on 23-of-33 passes for 318 yards and one touchdown. He also ran for 66 yards. Phillip Lindsay ran for two short-yardage touchdowns and finished with 95 yards on 20 carries (4.8 yards per carry).

The receivers for CU did most of the damage. Devin Ross finished with eight receptions and 97 yards while Bryce Bobo had five receptions for 99 yards. Ross caught the only touchdown pass.

The defense was a giant wall for any of the Colorado State running backs, and they couldn’t get the passing game going at all. Faton Bauta could only muster up 32 yards on 6-of-9 passing and starter Nick Stevens wasn’t much better as he finished with only 31 yards while completing 6-of-20. Bauta did add another dimension to the Rams offense as he scampered for 39 yards. It will be interesting to see who the starter for Colorado State will be next week.

Jul 14, 2016; Hollywood, CA, USA; California Golden Bears coach Sonny Dykes during Pac-12 media day at Hollywood & Highland. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports

California golden bears

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Last week: 51-31 W vs. HawaiiLast rank: 9th

I can almost guarantee this was the sweetest loss that Hawaii will suffer all season. There are not many opportunities to play in Australia, so being there probably took away some hurt in those harsh lessons.

You also have to hand it to Hawaii as they started the college season opener with a tricky onside kick that ultimately failed. Almost immediately after, Cal put up their first score of the season as running back Khalfani Muhammad took the hand-off and ran 40-yards.

Quarterback Davis Webb then made a beautiful pass to wide receiver Chad Hansen for 17-yards. Webb made a quick throw with perfect placement as the ball dipped right over the defender’s hands into the grasp of Hansen.

After a couple of field goals from the California Golden Bears, Webb caught Hansen all alone about the 34-yard line of Hawaii, and hit him in the flat, Hansen did the rest and raced down the sideline for a touchdown and a 27-14 lead. With just seven seconds left in the half, Webb faked a hand-off, took it himself and banged into a linebacker. He used his 6’5″ 194-pound frame to carry him and the linebacker through into the end zone for the touchdown and a 34-14 halftime lead.

Melquise Stovall, the freshman wide receiver, got into the action with 14-yard touchdown pass from Davis Webb. Stovall beat his defender on the right sideline, and Webb was able to connect with him on a nice over-the-shoulder pass. Jordan Veasy closed out the scoring with a 33 Yd pass from Davis Webb on a slant pattern.

There was no stopping Davis Webb or the California offense. Webb finished the game with 441 yards and four touchdowns. Hansen was the primary beneficiary of Webb’s passing catching 10 for 160 yards and two touchdowns. Look out for Melquise Stovall. He was outstanding in his debut catching 4 for 61 yards and one touchdown.

California’s defense sputtered in the beginning as Hawaii was able to put up 14 first quarter points before Cal could lock down defensively. Quarterback Ikaika Woolsey passed for 234 yards and a touchdown, both Diocemy Saint Juste and Steven Lakalaka combined for 179 yards rushing and two touchdowns.

Looking at the time of possession, first downs, and yards gained there was not much of a difference. Turnovers is what made the difference in this game. Five times the Hawaii offense turned the ball over and couldn’t force one for themselves.

Sep 3, 2016; Arlington, TX, USA; USC Trojans wide receiver JuJu Smith-Schuster (9) runs during the second half against the Alabama Crimson Tide at AT&T Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jerome Miron-USA TODAY Sports

USC Trojans

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Last week: 52-6 L vs. AlabamaLast rank: 5th

This one was just ugly for the Trojans of USC. Alabama gave them such a beating that it might take two weeks to wake up from that coma of hurt. Lucky for them, they face Utah State next week lessening the pain.

The offense only managed 194 yards to Alabama’s 465. Interestingly enough the time of possession, turnovers, and first downs was very close together. Most times than not this signifies the team scoring in quickly and in bunches which Alabama surely did.

With this type of game, it would appear that Alabama controlled from the opening quarter, but that did not happen. In fact, USC was ahead and looked like the better team in the first quarter, leading 3-0.

It was what the Crimson Tide did after that quarter that made all the difference. Quarterback Jalen Hurts and crew stomped out 17 points in the second, 21 in the third, and 14 in the fourth. There was no answer for Hurts or wide receiver ArDarius Stewart who caught four passes for 113 yards and two touchdowns. Running back B.J. Emmons did little for the “Tide” as he rushed for 18 yards on six carries.

Even though the defense could do little to stop the offensive juggernaut of Alabama, running back, Ronald Jones III looked good against this stout defense. Jones ran for 46-yards on seven carries. It should be interesting to see how he fares against a weaker team in Utah State and then another test in Stanford the following week.

Sep 3, 2016; Tempe, AZ, USA; Arizona State Sun Devils running back Demario Richard (4) celebrates a touchdown with offensive lineman Stephon McCray (77) during the second half against the Northern Arizona Lumberjacks at Sun Devil Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Matt Kartozian-USA TODAY Sports

Arizona State Sun Devils

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Last week: 44-13 W vs. Northern ArizonaLast rank: 8th

It wasn’t the start that Arizona State wanted against a team that plays their conference games in the Big Sky (Northern Arizona). I would have loved to hear what the locker room sounded like at halftime when head coach Todd Graham met with the team leading only by seven points (10-3).

It must have gotten much uglier when Northern Arizona pulled in within four in the third quarter after a field goal was converted by kicker Griffin Roehler. The score would never get any closer, however, as the Sun Devils rattled off 17 straight points. Then another 17 straight after the Lumberjacks scored a touchdown to make it 26-13.

The total yards were very close (456-425) but fell in favor for Arizona State, the time of possession went to Northern Arizona (33:34-26:26), the Sun Devils also had a -2 turnover ratio, but led in first downs (27-16). The first down conversion rate is what separated the two teams, as the Lumberjacks struggled to convert on their opportunities, while the Sun Devils optimized their chances.

I enjoyed how both quarterbacks played. Manny Wilkins (ASU) beat Northern Arizona with both his feet (14-89-1) and his arm (20-27-180). Case Cookus had the better game passing for 369 yards and one touchdown.

Demario Richard did not have a very successful game on the ground for Arizona State as he only had 78 yards on 19 carries, but did score a touchdown. For the Sun Devils, it was just the opposite. They scored with five different running backs.

Obviously, the defense struggled against Cookus. It would be interesting to see how Northern Arizona’s running game would have fared against this defense if they hadn’t gotten so far behind the scoreboard and abandoned the run.

Sep 3, 2016; College Station, TX, USA; Texas A&M quarterback Trevor Knight (8) pats UCLA Bruins quarterback Josh Rosen (3) on the head after the Aggies 31-24 overtime victory. Mandatory Credit: Ray Carlin-USA TODAY Sports

UCLA Bruins

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Last week: 31-24 L vs. Texas A&MLast rank: 3rd

Interestingly enough, unranked Texas A&M Aggies was the slight favorite when they hosted #16 UCLA Bruins in the first game of the season. The odds makers turned out to be right, imagine that.

UCLA could have had a different outcome if Josh Rosen didn’t play like a freshman at times and the offensive line gave him better protection. Rosen was sacked five times.

After, Texas A&M scored 17 straight points to take the lead into the fourth quarter 24-9. UCLA became more aware and started a comeback of their own.

With just a little over four minutes left, Josh Rosen was able to lead the Bruins down the field and running back Bolu Olorunfunmi was able to score from nine yards out to make it an eight-point deficit. After the Aggies had gone three-and-out, UCLA took over again at their 23-yard line. Just three plays later Kenneth Walker III scored on a 62-yard pass from Josh Rosen, who then capitalized to tie the game at 24 when Rosen hit Austin Roberts for the two-point conversion.

UCLA managed to get the ball back after the defense once again forced another punt after the offense went three-and-out. On the second play, Josh Rosen threw his third interception of the game, and it forced over time.

Texas A&M received the ball first and scored on a fourth, and one run by quarterback Trevor Knight, and the defense was able to force a turnover by UCLA when Josh Rosen was incomplete on his fourth down.

Even though Rosen threw three picks, he played reasonably well. He accounted for 343 passing offense but just one touchdown. The defense for the Bruins did force one turnover which was an interception, but other than that; the Aggies did what they wanted with the ball up to the end of the fourth quarter when they finally tightened and forced several three-and-out drives.

Sep 1, 2016; Salt Lake City, UT, USA; Utah Utes wide receiver Tim Patrick (12) catches a touchdown pass in the fourth quarter against the Southern Utah Thunderbirds at Rice-Eccles Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jeff Swinger-USA TODAY Sports

Utah Utes

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Last week: 24-0 W vs. Southern UtahLast rank: 6th

The Utah Utes went on to win their ninth straight opening game by beating the Southern Utah Thunderbirds 24-0. It was a closer contest than the score represents as Utah quarterback Troy Williams had a hard time getting going in the first quarter and the team could only muster a field goal.

It then took just under 11 minutes into the second quarter to get their first touchdown and just three minutes later the Utes took a 17-0 lead into halftime when Williams hit Tim Patrick for a two-yard touchdown score. Utah would take nearly a quarter and a half to score again. With nine and a half minutes remaining Williams connected with Patrick for a 57-yard touchdown.

Even though Williams finished the day with 272-yards passing and two touchdowns, the star was the defensive unit of Utah. They apparently manhandled the smaller Southern Utah school out of the Big Sky conference. The Thunderbirds could only garner 158 yards of total offense, 21:10 of possession time, and just seven first downs. Whenever they faced a third down situation, they could only convert two-of-twelve.

Utah will now take on a much tougher team in the BYU Cougars who beat Arizona this week 18-16. Look for another defensive game out of these two teams, and I wouldn’t be surprised if the score ended nearly the same. The advantage will be to Utah as they are going to be at home and are favored by 2.5 points at this time.

Sep 3, 2016; Seattle, WA, USA; Washington Huskies wide receiver John Ross (1) celebrates in the end zone after catching a touchdown pass during the first quarter against the Rutgers Scarlet Knights at Husky Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jennifer Buchanan-USA TODAY Sports

Washington Huskies

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Last week: 48-13 W vs. RutgersLast rank: 4th

This game was complete domination by the Washington Huskies. Not only was their defense impressive, but so was their offense and special teams units. Stated loud and clear that the #14 nationally ranked Huskies would be a team to reckon with and could be a force in the PAC-12.

It took just one quarter for Washington to put up 24 points as they just swarmed the Rutgers Scarlet Knights offense. It would have been 27 points if Cameron Van Winkle didn’t miss a tough 47-yard field goal. The second quarter provided more fireworks for the Huskies as John Ross took the kickoff 92 yards for a touchdown, bringing a 34-3 lead into the locker room.

In the third quarter, the special teams unit took over once again when Dante Pettis returned a punt for 68 yards and a touchdown. The Huskies would go on and put up another touchdown late in the third quarter to close out their scoring massacre and win 48-13.

The three turnovers and then two touchdowns from special teams were the key differences in this game. Rutgers owned the time of possession (33:15 to 26:45) more so because Washington was scoring so many points, and they also led the game in converting first downs (21-17). They held the Scarlet Knights to just 304 yards.

The offensive stars were the return of John Ross who missed last season with an injury and sophomore quarterback, Jake Browning. The signal caller threw for 287 yards and three touchdowns with one interception. Ross was spectacular catching five passes for 90 yards and two touchdowns. Myles Gaskin was disappointing, as he rushed for just 57-yards on 15 carries.

Sep 3, 2016; Eugene, OR, USA; UC Davis Aggies defensive lineman Zak Pettit (90) reaches out to tackle Oregon Ducks wide receiver Charles Nelson (6) in the third quarter at Autzen Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Scott Olmos-USA TODAY Sports

Oregon Ducks

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Last week: 53-28 W vs. UC DavisLast rank: 2nd

The Oregon Ducks were slow out the gate. The defense struggled to allow the first touchdown to go to quarterback Ben Scott on a nine-yard run on their first offensive series of the game. Then they couldn’t find the rhythm on offense as they had to punt on their first two possessions. Eventually, they pulled it together by the end of the first quarter with running back Royce Freeman’s 6-yard scoring run. The Ducks went on to score 33 straight points before the UC Davis Aggies could put up another score. The two teams then traded touchdown blows to close out the game finalizing the score 53-28.

The time of possession was owned by UC Davis (37:17-22:43), and they won the turnover battle 2-1. Oregon won the first down battle 22-21. The real victory was in the way the Ducks continuously attacked the weak defense of the Aggies.

The star was quarterback Dakota Prukop who threw for 271 yards and three touchdowns and added 36-yards on 11 carries including one touchdown on the ground. Running back Royce Freeman was also impressive as he carried the ball 11 times and rushed for 87 yards with two scores, also catching two passes. Wide receiver Darren Carrington was the primary beneficiary of Prukop as he reeled in seven receptions for 117 yards and one touchdown.

The Ducks defense was less impressive than the offense as quarterback Ben Scott threw for 303-yards and completed 27 of his 47 attempts (57.4%) and just one interception. Manusomoa Luuga had 22 carries for 96 yards and three touchdowns. The defense couldn’t find a way to stop Keelan Doss either, as he caught seven passes for 116 yards.

September 2, 2016; Stanford, CA, USA; Stanford Cardinal running back Christian McCaffrey (5) runs with the football past Kansas State Wildcats defensive back Dante Barnett (22) and defensive back Donnie Starks (10) during the second quarter at Stanford Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Kyle Terada-USA TODAY Sports

Stanford Cardinals

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Last week: 26-13 W vs. Kansas StateLast rank: 1st

The Stanford Cardinals didn’t have it easy when facing the Kansas State Wildcats defense. Only a field goal separated the teams after the first quarter, but when Stanford quarterback Ryan Burns hit Michael Rector on a 40-yard touchdown pass in the second quarter the Cardinals rallied. Four minutes later Christian McCaffery took the handoff and went 35-yards for the score.

The second half was completely the opposite. The Cardinals could not get anything going as they led out the gate with a fumble and four punts. Luckily the defense was there to bail the offense out. The only points was a McCrane 30-yard field goal.

After the Cardinals defense had recorded a safety, Kansas State came back with a touchdown of their own. Quarterback Jesse Ertz connected on a 15-yard pass to Isaiah Zuber to make the score 19-13 with a 1:49 remaining on the clock. After a failed onside kick, McCaffery put the game away when he busted up the middle and took it down the left sidelines for a 41-yard touchdown.

The Cardinals defense delivered with allowing just 335-yards of total offense and collected eight sacks, one safety, and two turnovers. K-State also showed their grit on defense by allowing just 272-yards and 13 first downs.

I am slightly concerned about how Burns will do in this offense. He started the game on fire after converting his first five third-down passes into first downs, but then couldn’t get anything going. The Cardinal had just one first down in the second half before McCaffrey’s second TD run.

This game was won mostly because of Kansas State’s lack of talent, which won’t be the case when playing in the PAC-12.