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- Washington (8-1, 5-1 conference) - Congratulatoins to Washington, who were the big winners this week. Besides another dominating performance against rival Oregon, the Huskies saw potential playoff contenders Ohio State and Penn State fall, which opens up a shot at a return trip to the CFP. This team is maybe an Oklahoma loss away from being able to win out and guarantee a spot in the playoffs.
- Southern California (8-2, 6-1) - The real Trojans have finally shown up, just in time to wrap up the South Division thanks to convincing victories over ASU and Arizona in consecutive weeks. USC just needs one win in the next two weeks to lock up the division, and considering their opponents are Colorado and UCLA, that seems like a lock to happen.
- Washington State (8-2, 5-2) - The Cougs appear to have righted the ship, posting a solid victory over Stanford. That said, this team has been shaky on the road, and unfortunately, their last two games of the season are road contests at Utah and Washington.
- Arizona (6-3, 4-2) - At this point, Arizona and Stanford are basically tied for 4, but I’m giving the edge to Arizona for storming back in the second half to tie USC before ultimately fading at the end of the game.
- Stanford (6-3, 5-2) - It also doesn’t help the Stanford cause that Bryce Love doesn’t look to be fully healthy, and the Cardinal appear to lack the playmakers outside of him to truly threaten opposing defenses.
- Arizona State (5-4, 4-2) - I still can’t get a handle on the Sun Devils. They’re not consistent by any stretch, going from dominant defensive performances against Washington and Utah to poor defensive efforts against USC and Colorado, but I wouldn’t be surprised if the good defense shows up this week.
- Colorado (5-5, 2-5) - Meanwhile, Colorado seems to have started to figure things out, but it might not be in time to save their season and make a bowl game. Still, that’s at least something to build on going forward.
- Utah (5-4, 2-5) - It’s hard to say Utah has figured things out, considering their opponent, but that second half was one of the better halves of football they’ve played all season.
- UC Berkeley (5-5, 2-5) - Cal looks poised to earn bowl eligibility in the coming weeks, a feat that didn’t seem possible at the beginning of the season. Crazy what happens when you hire a good coaching staff.
- Oregon (5-5, 2-5) - Oregon, too, can earn bowl eligibility in the coming weeks, but it’s been a disappointing road for the Ducks, who are still struggling on defense and have had offensive struggles in this stretch without their top QB Justin Herbert. At this point, you have to wonder if Oregon decides not to risk Herbert for the final 2 games of the year.
- UCLA (4-5, 2-4) - This team is not good.
- Oregon State (1-8, 0-6) - Neither is this team, but at least they don’t have the same head coach who started the season.