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. Oregon (8-0/5-0 Big Ten)
Last week: 1Result: beat Illinois 38-9Next up: at Michigan (12:30 p.m. on CBS)Comment: Thus far, Oregon’s three road games have been against teams (UCLA, Oregon State and Purdue) with a combined record of 7-15. (That’s one reason the Ducks are No. 2 on my AP ballot behind Georgia.) The caliber of competition improves this week in the Big House, but by how much? The Wolverines have no aerial game to speak of.
2. Brigham Young (8-0/5-0 Big 12)
Last week: 2Result: won at UCF 37-24Next up: idleComment: After a thoroughly impressive victory in Orlando, the Cougars have two weeks to prepare for the Holy War — so does Utah, by the way — and a stretch run in which they should be favored in each game. Yes, perfection is possible. It might even be described as probable.
3. Boise State (6-1/3-0 Mountain West)
Last week: 3Result: won at UNLV 29-24Next up: vs. San Diego State (Friday at 5 p.m. on FS1)Comment: With UNLV dispatched and Colorado State not on their schedule, the Broncos’ road to the Mountain West championship is open — more open, to be sure, than Ashton Jeanty’s running lanes were Friday night in Las Vegas.
4. Colorado (6-2/4-1 Big 12)
Last week: 5Result: beat Cincinnati 34-23Next up: idleComment: The Buffaloes are bowl-eligible for the first time since 2016, but that’s not all: They are one of four teams contending for a berth in the Big 12 championship, which, of course, would place them one win from the College Football Playoff. Around the Hotline, we call that “ESPN’s dream scenario.”
5. Washington State (7-1)
Last week: 4Result: won at San Diego State 29-26Next up: idleComment: The Cougars will be favored in their final four games, placing them in the CFP conversation. But as we explained a few days ago, they need significant help. And one of the teams in position to assist them immensely, Texas Tech, lost on Saturday.
6. UNLV (6-2/2-1 Mountain West)
Last week: 6Result: lost to Boise State 29-24Next up: idleComment: The Mountain West schedule-makers did the Rebels a huge favor placing their bye after the showdown against Boise State. They have two weeks to recover from the disappointment before heading to Hawaii to demolish the Rainbow Warriors.
7. Arizona State (5-2/2-2 Big 12)
Last week: 7Result: did not playNext up: at Oklahoma State (4 p.m. on FS1)Comment: Coach Kenny Dillingham explained on a recent podcast that he has no plans to let tailback Cam Skattebo play defense (in Travis Hunter style), even though it’s abundantly clear the 215-pounder could slide into any position on the field and inflict tremendous punishment.
8. USC (4-4/2-4 Big Ten)
Last week: 8Result: beat Rutgers 42-20Next up: at Washington (4:30 p.m. on Big Ten Network)Comment: Not on our bingo card for the 2024 season: The Trojans visiting Seattle in a must-win game for both teams to avoid the bowl math morphing from basic algebra into advanced calculus. Early line from FanDuel: USC -2.5. Hmmmm.
9. Washington (4-4/2-3 Big Ten)
Last week: 9Result: lost at Indiana 31-17Next up: vs. USC (4:30 p.m. on Big Ten Network)Comment: Big Ten teams crossing multiple time zones in conference play are 5-14 straight up and, perhaps more significantly, 5-13-1 against the spread. The Huskies are 0-3 in both categories, if you’re curious, and their most difficult trek, to Penn State, is still to come.
10. Cal (4-4/0-4 ACC)
Last week: 13Result: beat Oregon State 44-7Next up: idleComment: Not sure why the Bears didn’t settle for a 31-7 victory over Oregon State and apply the 13-point savings to their losses to Florida State (by five points), Pittsburgh (two), NC State (one) and Miami (one). Seems like poor scoreboard management. Sheesh.
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11. San Jose State (5-3/3-2 Mountain West)
Last week: 10Result: lost at Fresno State 33-10Next up: idleComment: With a trip to Oregon State in two weeks and a home date with Boise State in three, the Spartans have multiple chances to play the spoiler role while securing a bowl berth for themselves.
12. Arizona (3-5/1-4 Big 12)
Last week: 11Result: lost to West Virginia 31-26Next up: at UCF (12:30 p.m. on FS1)Comment: We asked the Hotline’s supercomputer to identify Arizona’s problems, and it crashed. But here’s an obvious issue: The Wildcats are so depleted on defense that their offense has zero margin for error. They need at least 35 points to win each week but aren’t nearly efficient enough to hit the mark.
13. Utah (4-4/1-4 Big 12)
Last week: 12Result: lost at Houston 17-14Next up: idleComment: If you ever wondered what rock bottom feels like, it’s the Big 12 preseason favorite losing at Houston by three points while holding the Cougars to two touchdowns and fewer than 300 yards. Look out, beloooooow!
14. UCLA (2-5/1-4 Big Ten)
Last week: 15Result: did not playNext up: at Nebraska (12:30 p.m. on Big Ten Network)Comment: At least the Bruins aren’t starting at 9 a.m. Pacific in Lincoln. By our count, it’s the first break with the schedule they have received all season.
15. Oregon State (4-4)
Last week: 14Result: lost at Cal 44-7Next up: idleComment: Good thing OSU secured the future of the Pac-12 when it did. Imagine going through this nosedive with conference membership uncertainty swirling.
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