The Best of the West offers fans a candid assessment of the top teams in the western third of the country — a collection of schools now scattered across five conferences: the ACC, Big 12, Big Ten, Pac-12 and Mountain West.
The rankings will be published weekly on the Hotline throughout the regular season.
(All times Pacific)
1. Utah (3-0)
Last week: 1
Result: won at Utah State 38-21
Next up: at Oklahoma State (1 p.m. on Fox)
Comment: Two weeks from today, we will know the Utes’ position in the Big 12 race. If they sweep Oklahoma State and Arizona — the latter looks more like a quiz than a test — the path into the conference championship game will be wide open. Remember, the Utes don’t play Kansas State and have Iowa State at home.
2. USC (2-0)
Last week: 2
Result: idle
Next up: at Michigan (12:30 p.m. on CBS)
Comment: The Big Ten did USC a solid with the extra week to prepare for the Big House, but the Wolverines had an easy enough time with Arkansas State (21-3 entering the fourth quarter) that we don’t see a substantial competitive edge for the Trojans. Also, Michigan hasn’t left home yet.
3. Oregon (3-0)
Last week: 3
Result: won at Oregon State 49-14
Next up: idle
Comment: The Dillon Gabriel offense finally looked like the Bo Nix offense while Bryce Boettcher defense looked just like the — that’s right, we said the Bryce Boettcher defense. The baseball player-turned-linebacker had 11 tackles and set the tone early by breaking up two passes. From there, the Ducks were close to flawless.
4. Boise State (1-1)
Last week: 4
Result: idle
Next up: vs. Portland State (6:45 p.m. on FS1)
Comment: If you missed the news, know that the Portland State game is in jeopardy because of a whooping cough outbreak on the Vikings’ roster, which forced them to cancel Saturday’s date with South Dakota. Feels like a situation straight out of 1950 … or 2020.
5. Washington State (3-0)
Last week: 9
Result: beat Washington 24-19
Next up: vs. San Jose State (Friday at 7 p.m. on The CW)
Comment: One secondary development in a momentous week for the Cougars: John Mateer made enough plays with his arm to suggest the sophomore could develop into an elite all-around quarterback, not just a runner who’s hit-or-miss from the pocket.
6. Cal (3-0)
Last week: 7
Result: beat San. Diego State 31-10
Next up: at Florida State (4 p.m. on ESPN2)
Comment: Best Cal team of the Justin Wilcox era? We are leaning that way after seeing a stout defense, solid play along the offensive line and efficiency from quarterback Fernando Mendoza. And don’t look now, but the Bears have an exponentially better chance to be 4-0 (for the first time since 2019) than anyone could have imagined.
7. Arizona (2-1)
Last week: 5
Result: lost at Kansas State 31-7
Next up: idle
Comment: The Wildcats are starting to look like Colorado with their outsized reliance on a quarterback-receiver combination. Noah Fifita and Tetairoa McMillan are comparable in production to Shedeur Sanders and Travis Hunter, but that’s no way to contend for a conference title. They …read more
Source:: The Mercury News – Entertainment
