Monday, December 10, 2012

Weekly Pac-12 Rankings

More movement than usual, seeing as I took a break last week. Again, these rankings are based on actual performance shown so far this year.

1 Oregon (8-1) | Two weeks ago: #4: The Ducks scare me.  I realize they haven't played the toughest schedule as of late, but they've demolished the teams they have played. We remember what they did against good teams in Vegas; and I think they've even improved since then.
2 Arizona (7-0) | Two weeks ago: #6: The Wildcats got their first real test and passed. I admit I was worried about the game at Clemson because Arizona already had some close calls at home against lower-level opponents. But they took care of business. I can't wait for the home matchup against Florida; it's their chance to really burst onto the scene.
3 Oregon State (5-2) | Two weeks ago: #3: I know: Oregon State keeps playing well but keeps sinking in these rankings. They don't have a single bad loss or letdown against lower caliber opponents. If they keep this up, they won't leave the top-3.
4 Arizona State (8-1) | Two weeks ago: #5: They're making the most of their soft non-conference schedule. I think the momentum and development will pay dividends come conference play.
5 California (6-2) | Two weeks ago: #2: DirecTV Classic champions one week, two-game losing streak two weeks later. They almost beat a ranked UNLV this weekend; they'll get another chance for an upset against Creighton next week. Or maybe lose their third-straight ...
6 Colorado (7-2) | Two weeks ago: #1: Very tough week for Colorado. Lost their first game of the year at Wyoming, then got rolled against former Big XII rival Kansas. That, plus a couple other close-calls, make the Baylor win seem like ages ago.
7 Stanford (6-3) | Two weeks ago: #9: Took the week off. They should smash UC Davis on Saturday before the big road test against NC State next week.
8 UCLA (6-3) | Two weeks ago: #12: Beat their Big XII counterpart deep in the heart of Texas. It's not enough to fix the disastrous season they've had so far, but there's still time to build momentum before big after-Christmas game against Missouri and conference play.
9 Utah (6-3) | Two weeks ago: #8: Stunning victory against Boise State and nearly pulled off a big upset at the Marriott Center. They're certainly holding their own and representing the conference well.
10 Washington State (6-4) | Two weeks ago: #10: Two-point loss to #10 Gonzaga makes three close losses (out of four) already this year.
11 Southern Cal (3-6) | Two weeks ago: #7: The Trojans' schedule has been an absolute murders' row. You can't really blame them for any of those losses. On the other hand, you can't reward them for not winning. That's why they're #11 this week.
12 Washington (4-4) | Two weeks ago: #11: The biggest disappointment of the whole group. Even if they beat the four teams between now and the UConn game, it may not be enough to move out of this 12th spot.

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