Pac-12 roundup: I was just joking about Utah carrying this conference

Saturday, before the Utah-BYU game, I jokingly sent out the following tweet in response to the lopsided losses UCLA and Washington saw in their out of conference games:

Just joking guys, really

Obviously this was just a joke. I mean, c'mon now, Utah isn't going to carry the Pac-12 Conference. 

Unfortunately, at least Saturday, I wasn't that far off. The Utes, by far, had the best performance of any Pac-12 team in out of conference play, rolling their rivals 54-10 on their home field. 

Washington eventually fell to Nebraska and UCLA was completely embarrassed by Texas. To top the night off, Arizona State, the perceived top team in the Pac-12 South, stumbled against Ron Zook and Illinois.

It wouldn't be so damning if, you know, the Illini weren't coached by Ron Zook. 

Yeah, that guy...

Though SC easily beat Syracuse, in the games that mattered, roadies against BCS opponents and solid programs, the conference kind of took it on the chin last weekend. 

The Pac-12 Power Poll after the jump...

Team of the Week: Utah. Hard not to slot the Utes here after their 54-10 drubbing of BYU Saturday.

Team of the Weak: UCLA. Remember last year when the Bruins went on the road and upended a ranked Texas team? Yeah, well, so do the Longhorns. They returned the favor by absolutely destroying UCLA 49-20 in a near-empty (at least it looked and sounded that way) Rose Bowl. 

As they like to say, paybacks are a...

Pac-12 North: 

1. Stanford Cardinal (3-0) - Not quite as polished as last year's squad, but still pretty damn impressive.

2. Oregon Ducks (2-1) - This offense clicks well when it's not going up against SEC defenses. 

3. Washington Huskies (2-1) - Kept their game close against Nebraska before wilting away during an awful third quarter.

4. California Golden Bears (3-0) - I don't know quite what to make of Cal. They're undefeated, but haven't played anyone. That changes, though, this Saturday as they face Washington.

5. Washington St. Cougars (2-1) - Looked poised for an unexpected 3-0 start. Unfortunately, returned to old selves in the fourth quarter of their roadie against San Diego State. 

6. Oregon St. Beavers (0-2) - Hopefully that bye week helped the Beavers, who host UCLA in a must-win contest. 

Pac-12 South: 

1. USC Trojans (3-0) - Hard not to put an undefeated Trojans team here. But they've lucked out with three straight home games to start the season. 

2. Utah Utes (2-1) - The Utes looked impressive in their victory over BYU Saturday. But that win means absolutely nothing in the Pac-12 standings. 

3. Arizona St. Sun Devils (2-1) - I think we've just got to concede that the Sun Devils are not bound for greatness. 

4. Arizona Wildcats (1-2) - The Wildcats are on the verge of losing control of their season. It doesn't get any easier with Oregon coming to town. 

5. Colorado Buffaloes (1-2) - The Buffs are riding high after defeating instate rival Colorado State. Now comes the daunting task of playing Ohio State in Columbus.

6. UCLA Bruins (1-2) - So, who's gonna be the Bruins' next head coach? How 'bout bringing back Rocky Long? 

Game of the Week: USC @ Arizona State. The Sun Devils can't afford to drop a game here if they're serious about contending for the Pac-12 South.