Here’s a look at the power rankings that Drew and I have compiled after the third week of Pac-12 games. Here we go!
T1. California, 5-1: The Golden Bears hold steady for the third straight week after going 2-1. The week started with a solid 70-46 thrashing of Georgia, but as good as that game was, the next one was ten times worse. In front of a heavily pro-Tiger crowd in Kansas City, Missouri dominated California, 92-53. The 39-point loss was one of the worst in school history, and as coach Mike Montgomery prophetically said after the game, “We really didn’t have much going.” California ended the week with a 21-point win over Denver on Saturday. Up Next: 11.28 vs McNeese State
T1. Stanford, 5-1: The Cardinal are tied at the top after a great week in New York City. After a 15-point blowout win over Oklahoma State (Which was never really that close), Stanford hung with Syracuse all afternoon before falling, 69-65. Despite the loss, the Cardinal proved that they will be a force to reckon with in the Pac this season. Up Next: 11.28 vs Pacific
T3. Oregon State, 5-1: The Beavers concluded their ten-day road trip with a 1-1 record. They started off the week on Monday with a heartbreaking, two-point loss against Vanderbilt. The Beavs did not play again until Saturday (A 66-46 win over Towson), but they used the week on the east coast to visit New York City and spend time with the First Family. Up Next: 12.4 vs Montana
T3. Washington, 4-1: The Huskies had just a single game this week after their devestating loss against Saint Louis last Sunday. They were able to wash a little bit of the bad taste out of their mouths on Friday with a 23-point beatdown of Houston Baptist. Sophomore guard C.J. Wilcox led the Huskies with 19 points. Up Next: 12.2 @ Nevada
T5. Oregon, 3-1: The Ducks made sure their only game of the week was a good one as they marched into Lincoln, Nebraska and stole a seven-point win over the Cornhuskers. Nebraska is no pushover in the Big 12 and has already defeated USC earlier in the year. Up Next: 11.29 vs UTEP
T5. Arizona, 4-2: The Wildcats’ lone loss in week three wasn’t a terrible one, but for a conference that is trying to build a reputation from the ground up, the 61-57 loss at the hands of San Diego State is just another step backward. It was also Arizona’s second loss in a row, going back to last Friday. Up Next: 11.29 @ New Mexico State
T7. Colorado, 3-2: The Buffaloes only played one game in week three, but like Oregon, they made sure it counted. Colorado knocked off Air Force in overtime in Colorado Springs last Wednesday, getting the Buffaloes to three wins and putting them over the .500 mark. Up Next: 11.28 vs Georgia
T7. USC, 3-4: It was a busy week for the Trojans, and all things considered, a pretty good one for Kevin O’Neill’s bunch. SC started and finished the week with victories (over Morgan State and South Carolina), and in between was an 11-point loss against UNLV. Up Next: 11.30 @ UC Riverside
T9. Washington State, 2-4: We knew there would be growing pains early on for the Cougars, but no one expected it to to be THIS bad. The Cougs have now lost three in a row, the worst of which came on Sunday against UC Riverside. Up Next: 11.30 vs Grambling State
Cougar guard DaVonte Lacy has been one of the few bright spots for Washington State this year. (credit: Dean Hare)
T9. Arizona State, 2-4: Could Arizona State be this year’s version of the usual Oregon State OOC-craziness? Early indications say yes. Both of their wins have been solid (Montana State and Wake Forest), but they have also posted losses against teams like Pepperdine and Fairfield. Up Next: 12.3 @ Tulsa
T9. UCLA, 1-4: The Bruins did get their first win of the season on Monday against Chaminade, but blowout losses against Kansas and Michigan spoiled the trip to Maui. Up Next: 11.28 vs Pepperdine
12. Utah, 1-5: Utah is terrible, to put it nicely. If you didn’t see their scores from the Battle 4 Atlantis tournament, consider yourself lucky. The Utes fell by 28, 24, and 22 points against Harvard, Massachucetts, and UNC-Asheville, respectively, in the Bahamas. I’ll just let those scores speak for themselves. Up Next: 12.3 @ Fresno State