Ranking the Pac

1. California (6-1, 4-0)

The Cougars seem to think that Cal is the best team in the conference, and they get no disagreement here. The Golden Bears will have to beat USC in Los Angeles, but with that offense they’re capable of it.

2. USC (6-0, 4-0)

The Trojans have to lose sooner or later, don’t they? USC isn’t getting as much credit as it should for winning close games, but this team just isn’t good enough to finish 12-0.

3. Oregon (5-1, 3-1)

The offense is scoring almost 36 points a game and that will be enough to beat most teams in the conference. The Ducks aren’t good enough to win the league, but they’re not far off.

4. UCLA (4-2, 2-2)

Big, big drop from No. 3 to No. 4 as the Bruins get the nod despite playing a backup quarterback and having little star power. But Karl Dorrell’s team is playing well enough to get seven or eight wins.

5. Washington State (4-3, 2-2)

The Cougars could still end up as high as third and as low as eighth, and much of it will depend on red-zone offense. But WSU is clearly a notch above the worst teams and a notch below the best.

6. Arizona State (3-3, 0-3)

The Sun Devils’ record isn’t good, but they’ve faced the cream of the crop. Playing against lesser defenses will make things easier for Dirk Koetter’s team, even so it’s still a disappointing season.

7. Washington (4-3, 2-2)

Tyrone Willingham’s turnaround project took a big hit Saturday with a bad loss to the Beavers and, more importantly, an injury to quarterback Isaiah Stanback. The senior might have been the league MVP.

8. Oregon State (3-3, 1-2)

Oregon State beat Washington last week but still looks to be worse off with lesser prospects for improvement. Mike Riley probably has to finish better than this to keep his job.

9. Arizona (3-4, 1-3)

The Wildcats got a win against Stanford last week, but it’ll be an upset if they beat anyone else this season thanks to an anemic offense. The team that’s always a year away is so once again.

10 Stanford (0-7, 0-4)

The worst team in recent Pac-10 history watched things get even uglier with quarterback Trent Edwards getting injured. There’s no hope in Palo Alto, and one win is the absolute maximum.