Pac-12 Power Rankings: All Good Things Must Come To An End
Nov 21, 2023, 11:50 AM
SALT LAKE CITY – The Pac-12 is rounding the corner into the final stretch of its existence (in regard to football) unfortunately illustrating the saying, “all good things must come to an end”.
108 years of rich, football history is about to experience its last weekend as we know it. The final game will appropriately be played in the historic Rose Bowl with a late kickoff- one final #Pac12AfterDark before the Conference of Champions goes dark.
Before we get too lost in our feels, here is a look back at how week 12 shook out and where things are headed in the final regular-season weekend of the Pac-12.
Final week of the #Pac12FB schedule has been finalized ⤵️ pic.twitter.com/au5PCuBcND
— Pac-12 Conference (@pac12) November 19, 2023
Pac-12 Power Rankings 2023 Season: Week 12
There was a lot of buzz heading into the 2023 football season for the Pac-12 and rightfully so.
The league looks as strong as ever after having finished the previous season with six ranked teams. At week 12 the Conference of Champions has four ranked teams represented in the AP Top 25.
Those efforts have showed well the past 12 weeks giving fans a lot of great memories while also leaving an air of sadness about where things are heading during the league’s final weeks.
Something in the Way 🍎☔️
Game week vs WSU 😤#USvsUS x @jackwestover0 pic.twitter.com/1NT7us0z2E
— Washington Football (@UW_Football) November 21, 2023
1. Washington (11-0, 8-0)
Washington 22 | Oregon State 20
I’m putting Washington back in first. Oregon very well could actually be the better team and they likely will have an opportunity to prove it in Las Vegas, but until that happens you can’t argue with an undefeated record playing against four ranked opponents along with one that eventually became ranked. UW is on the verge of doing something that has never happened in the Pac-12. Get through an entire season undefeated. They still have a way to go, and they may have some vulnerabilities, but they keep finding ways around it and that is what great teams do.
This week: at home against Washington State, 2:00 pm MT, FOX
2. Oregon (10-1, 7-1)
Oregon 49| ASU 13
This Ducks team is on a collision course for a rematch with Washington to settle once and for all which team is better in the Pac-12 in 2023. Oregon just can’t slip up for one more week and it won’t necessarily be easy. Oregon State has been a tough act in 2023 and it’s a rivalry game to boot. Weird things can and do happen.
This week: at home against Oregon State, 6:30 p.m. MT, FOX (Friday)
3. Oregon State (8-3, 5-3)
Oregon State 20 | Washington 22
Oregon State played a great game against Washington. I think it’s pretty clear they are the third best team in the Pac-12 in 2023 and it’s not close. They will have one more, big test this weekend against a hated in-state foe.
This week: at home Oregon, 6:30 p.m. MT, FOX (Friday
4. Arizona (8-3, 6-2)
Arizona 42 | Utah 18
Take a bow Arizona. You’ve worked very hard for this for the past three seasons under head coach Jedd Fisch. The year started a tad rocky, but the Wildcats settled down and found a groove that has made them a force late in the 2023 season. Future looks bright here.
This week: at Arizona State, 1:30 p.m. MT, ESPN
5. Utah (7-4, 4-4)
Utah 18 | Arizona 42
It’s been a difficult year for the Utes in regard to injuries combined with strength of schedule, but they’ve navigated it pretty well all things considered. Looking back even three years ago, I don’t know that Utah would have been able to pull of what they have this year playing third and sometimes fourth string players in various key spots. It’s a testament to how much this program has grown in the recruiting world and how well they develop their players. There is obviously still some growth to be done in building depth, but looking at where they were at where they were to start this Pac-12 journey to where they are at the end of it is pretty impressive. There are a lot of teams that would kill for that kind of success.
6. UCLA (7-4, 4-4)
UCLA 38 | USC 20
After a rather embarrassing loss the week before, UCLA took it all out on rival USC. They have one more game to get through this week- hosting the very last regular-season Pac-12 game ever against Cal. The Bruins should be able to get a win here and end their year with a decent record.
This week: at home against Cal, 8:30 p.m. MT, ESPN
7. USC (7-5, 4-4)
USC 20 | UCLA 38
USC needs to take a long, hard look in the mirror at themselves starting with head coach Lincoln Riley before they head to the Big Ten. This is a team that literally has everything at their fingertips and consistently fails to do anything with it due to ego and a lack of true leadership and culture from top to bottom. It’s all fixable, but that requires owning some hard truths and so far, that has not happened. It will only get tougher from here.
This week: BYE
8. Washington State (5-6, 3-5)
Washington State 56 | Colorado 14
You can stop now. They are dead. To everyone’s shock Washington State absolutely unleashed on Colorado last week. It was good to see the Cougars alive and kicking again after weeks of flailing around.
9. Cal (5-6, 3-5)
Cal 27 | Stanford 15
The Golden Bears got the “dub” over their rival and will now move their attention to one last “Pac-12 After Dark” in the Rose Bowl. Let’s make it weird for old time’s sake.
This week: at UCLA, 8:30 pm MT, ESPN
10. ASU (3-8, 2-6)
ASU 13 | Oregon 49
Yes, ASU got obliterated by Oregon, but so have most teams in 2023. They still have managed to earn a better in-conference record thus far than two other teams so here we are.
This week: at home against Arizona, 1:30 pm MT, ESPN
11. Stanford (3-8, 2-7)
Stanford 15 | Cal 27
The Cardinal move up a bit this week after keeping it relatively close against Cal and for having one of the next best in-conference records.
This week: at home against Notre Dame, 5:00 pm MT, Pac-12 Networks
12. Colorado (4-7, 1-7)
Colorado 14 | Washington State 56
What I said about USC also applies here with different names inserted. Make of that what you will.
This week: at Utah, 1:00 p.m. MT, Pac-12 Networks
Michelle Bodkin is the Utah Utes Insider for KSLsports.com and host of both the Crimson Corner Podcast (SUBSCRIBE) and The Saturday Show (Saturday from 10 a.m.–12 p.m.) on The KSL Sports Zone. Follow her on X, Instagram, and Threads: @BodkinKSLsports
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