Morning links: the Pac-12 is heating up

The Pac-12 is pretty well settled at the top. Arizona and Utah are fighting for the conference throne, followed up Stanford and upstart Oregon State.

Everything gets pretty muddled after that. Four teams have 3-4 Pac-12 records thus far and so far there isn’t all that much to separate No. 5 Oregon (4-3 Pac-12) and No. 10 Arizona State (2-5).

Injuries at Colorado and a shocking dismissal aren’t making the conference hierarchy any more apparent.

— Yesterday WSU coach Ernie Kent spoke to the media about his team’s current and upcoming challenges .

— It’s hard to see how Washington returns to the rankings after dismissing Robert Upshaw.

— The Pac-12 goes behind the scenes with Arizona basketball.

— ASU’s freshman point guard is out for the season with a fractured foot.

— California added a wide receiver to its recruiting class.

— Colorado has raised millions of dollars for a new athletic complex.

— Gary Payton The Younger won Pac-12 Player of the Week.

— Stanford will be the first team to benefit from UW’s big loss.

— Jonah Bolden is a little closer to contributing to UCLA’s basketball team.

— Are things getting better at USC under Andy Enfield?

— Jordan Loveridge has scored more than 1,000 points for Utah.