Pac-12 Power Rankings 2023: Can Washington win it all?

Welcome to the Pac-12, where predictions are as pointless as the cannibalistic conference's push to place a team in the College Football Playoff and yet we're here, presenting our Pac-12 Power Rankings, weeks away from the start of the 2023 college football season.

Pac-12 Power Rankings 2023

Our Pac-12 Power Rankings for the 2023 college football season takes into account a number of factors. Overall roster, coaching staff changes, schedule, and predicted record all play a part in ranking the 12 Pac-12 programs from first to worst.

1) Washington Huskies

Let's kickstart our Pac-12 Power Rankings with something that some might consider a little spicy. Yet, it shouldn't be. They might not have received the same national attention as their Californian-based conference contemporary, but the Washington Huskies were arguably the Pac-12's best team in 2022 -- and there's nothing to suggest that can't be the case again in 2023.

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USC might have a QB advantage, but Michael Penix Jr. is no slouch, and his ability is weaponized by two of the best WRs in the nation in Rome Odunze and Jalen McMillan. The Huskies' offense can roll with the Trojans, and their defense gives them an advantage. The edge duo of Bralen Trice and Zion Tupuola-Fetui could do unspeakable things to offenses this season.

2) USC Trojans

This is a Lincoln Riley-led USC team so we know one thing for sure: Their offense is going to be absolutely lights out. Ignore the debate over the 2024 NFL Draft QB1, Caleb Williams is the best college football quarterback in the nation, and the Trojans added Dorian Singer and true freshman Zachariah Branch to an already stacked wide receiver room led by slot-sensation Mario Williams.

We know defense was a problem last season, and Riley made several moves to address it. Five of the projected starting front seven are newcomers, led by Georgia lineman Bear Alexander. Returners Eric Gentry and Calen Bullock are both extremely talented. However, question marks linger over DC Alex Grinch. Can his unit hold Washington, Oregon, and even Notre Dame?

3) Oregon Ducks

You'd be quackers to overlook the Oregon Ducks in the Pac-12 this season. They may come in third in our Pac-12 Power Rankings, but you could ultimately throw a bedsheet over the top four teams, and the cannibalistic nature of the conference means any of them could come out on top at the end. Dan Lanning's team is every inch a competitor for the conference crown.

The return and continued development of Bo Nix is huge for the program. Oregon also boasts one of the best backs in the nation in Bucky Irving, and the addition of Junior Angilau and Ajani Cornelius is exciting for the offensive line. Jestin Jacobs was an underrated pick-up at linebacker, while the return of Brandon Dorlus and the recruitment of Matayo Uiagalelei are huge for the defense.

4) Utah Utes

Back in 2021, the Utah Utes began the season as the fourth-ranked Pac-12 team and went on to win the next two conference titles. While they start the year in that position in our Pac-12 Power Rankings, that's not to say that a third consecutive crown is out of the question. Never write off Kyle Whittingham's team. That said, there are some obvious hurdles to overcome this fall.

The Utes lose their most productive playmaker from each side of the ball with Dalton Kincaid and Clark Phillips III's selections in the draft. Both have been a huge component of Utah's success. That said, Cameron Rising's return makes anything possible, as does the return of pass-catching TE Brant Kuithe. Experience on the defensive line is key to success, as is safety Cole Bishop.

5) Oregon State Beavers

The consensus among the College Football Network staff was that if there is one team to penetrate the top four of our Pac-12 Power Rankings, it would be the Oregon State Beavers. Jonathan Smith has turned around a team that went unranked for eight years into one that knocked off Oregon in 2022 and narrowly lost to Washington and USC. They embarrassed Florida in Las Vegas.

The Beavers deal with some substantial defensive losses, headlined by LB Omar Speights, but their unit should be strong enough to absorb those. Meanwhile, excitement comes on offense from second-year RB Damien Martinez and a strong o-line led by Taliese Fuaga. Intrigue comes from QB D.J. Uiagalelei, lured back to the west coast where he could revitalize his career.

6) UCLA Bruins

After a suboptimal start to his tenure with the Bruins, Chip Kelly has turned UCLA into a consistent force in the Pac-12 over the past two seasons. Consecutive six-win conference campaigns have had them hovering around mid-table. Can they push on and challenge at the very top in 2023? Our initial Pac-12 Power Rankings suggest that sixth might be their ceiling this year.

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Kelly lost Zach Charbonnet to the NFL Draft but just went straight out and got another bulldozing back in MAC sensation Carson Steele. He'll run wild behind an offensive line that filled NFL departures with heavily-targeted portal players. Laiatu Latu and the Murphy twins bring the heat for the defense. However, UCLA's hopes hinge on true freshman QB Dante Moore or transfer QB Collin Schlee.

7) Washington State Cougars

Washington State isn't a team that you always associate with defense, but in the first full season under Jake Dickert, they finished third in the conference in scoring defense. That unit returns most of the productive components from last season -- minus LB Daiyan Henley. Pass rushers Brennan Jackson and Ron Stone Jr. are two pivotal Cougars to watch out for in 2023.

With road trips to Oregon and Washington, the defense will need to be on top of its game to give an offense led by enigmatic QB Cameron Ward and a host of transfer receivers a chance to compete with those high-scoring offenses. New offensive coordinator Ben Arbuckle -- of Western Kentucky fame -- might be the most impactful acquisition for the Cougars this offseason.

8) Arizona Wildcats

The Arizona Wildcats haven't had a winning season since Rich Rodriguez left town in 2017, but there are shoots of growth under Jedd Fisch. The program just landed its first five-star recruit in EDGE Elijah Rushing, and his recruitment is just a piece of a larger puzzle that suggests Arizona could become a major player in the Pac-12 sooner rather than later. How soon?

Our Pac-12 Power Rankings would suggest not as soon as 2023. Yet, there's definite potential to surpass their three-win conference campaign of last fall. Jayden de Laura is back and has a triple-headed WR monster to play with led by Jacob Cowing. Their defense was suspect last fall -- we're being kind -- but strengthened with several transfer additions led by Justin Flowe.

9) Arizona State Sun Devils

They might not like it, but both teams on either side of the Duel in the Desert rivalry have similarities heading into the 2023 college football season. They've had recent hardships, but they're in a place now where genuine and substantial development and improvement can take place. For Arizona State, the hire of Kenny Dillingham as head coach represents an exciting new era.

The Arizona State team that takes to the field in 2023 will be barely recognizable from last year, which is not a bad thing. That said, holdovers CB Ro Torrence and TE Jalen Conyers are amongst the best at their position. Dillingham's offenses have been exciting, and while the QB situation figures itself out, they have RB Cam Skattebo to terrorize behind an improved offensive line.

10) Colorado Buffaloes

While there's understandable excitement in Boulder about Deion Sanders' arrival and revolution of the Colorado Buffaloes, our Pac-12 Power Rankings urge caution and temper expectation. We've no doubt that Sanders will be successful in returning the program to its former glory, but a complete and instant turnaround of a team rooted to the bottom of most metrics is unrealistic.

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Nonetheless, the offensive possibilities are mouth-watering. Shedeur Sanders throwing to Travis Hunter or Jimmy Horn Jr. or Xavier Weaver is the stuff video game dreams are made of. Or simply hand it off to Alton McCaskill IV, the second-best RB in the conference. TCU, Oregon, and USC on the schedule will be a phenomenal test for a defense meshing at least 10 new starters.

11) Stanford Cardinal

Troy Taylor's arrival following the departure of David Shaw has had an enormous impact on the recruiting trail for Stanford. Meanwhile, he brings an offense that led Sacramento State to be one of the most entertaining FCS teams to the Cardinal. Like several teams in our Pac-12 Power Rankings, the team is trending upwards, but 2023 could be one year too soon for them.

The Cardinal have to overcome a schedule that contains an early road trip to USC, clashes with Oregon, Oregon State, and Washington without much experience at quarterback and with major defensive question marks. Nonetheless, E.J. Smith and Benjamin Yurosek are talented offensive playmakers, and clutch kicker Josh Karty can be a difference-maker in close games.

12) Cal Golden Bears

While there are signs of promise for multiple teams near the bottom of our Pac-12 Power Rankings, Cal's hopes of success -- and Justin Wilcox's tenure as head coach -- cling perilously to a sensational sophomore running back and the return of an offensive coordinator that led the team to 37.1 points per game with Davis Webb at QB but also got fired as HC at Texas State.

Leading rusher Jaydn Ott and pass-catcher Jeremiah Hunter returning give Jake Spavital some weapons to play with, but there are serious concerns at the quarterback position, with the duo of Sam Jackson V and Ben Finley ranked last in the Pac-12 in CFN's QB rankings. Jackson Sirmon and Jeremiah Earby should be defensive standouts, but the unit has to be much better in 2023.