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 (7-0/4-0 Big Ten)
Last week: 1
Result: won at Purdue 35-0
Next up: vs Illinois (12:30 p.m. on CBS)
Comment: Because readers might come across my AP top-25 ballot and have questions, know that Georgia, not Oregon, is my No. 1 team this week. The difference in schedule strength is massive, cannot be ignored and offsets the difference in records. The Bulldogs (6-1) have played three high-level games away from home (Texas, Alabama and Clemson) and won two of them, whereas Oregon’s only equivalent matchup was at home (Ohio State). The best team the Ducks (7-0) have played on the road thus far is either Oregon State or UCLA.
2. Brigham Young (7-0/4-0 Big 12)
Last week: 2
Result: beat Oklahoma State 38-35
Next up: at UCF (12:30 p.m. on ESPN)
Comment: Are the Cougars a team of destiny on the 40th anniversary of their only national title? We aren’t prepared to go there, yet. But after the great escape against Oklahoma State, that time is fast approaching.
3. Boise State (5-1/2-0 Mountain West)
Last week: 3
Result: did not play
Next up: at UNLV (Friday at 7:30 p.m. on CBSSN)
Comment: In our view, the Broncos are better off with the extra week to prepare and trip to Las Vegas than they would have been in UNLV’s situation — as the home team on Friday but with a short week of preparation. The extra rest means more than the game location, especially for a team that already played Oregon on the road.
4. Washington State (6-1)
Last week: 5
Result: beat Hawaii 42-10
Next up: at San Diego State (7:30 p.m. on CBS Sports Network)
Comment: The cold, hard reality behind WSU’s incredibly slim College Football Playoff hopes — they are no greater than 10 percent — is that the Cougars need Washington to collect a few good wins in the Big Ten. That’s right. They should be rooting for the Huskies.
5. Colorado (5-2/3-1 Big 12)
Last week: 7
Result: won at Arizona 34-7
Next up: vs. Cincinnati (7:15 p.m. on ESPN)
Comment: Were the Buffaloes that good or was Arizona that bad? Yes.
6. UNLV (6-1/2-0 Mountain West)
Last week: 9
Result: won at Oregon State 33-25
Next up: vs. Boise State (Friday at 7:30 p.m. on CBSSN)
Comment: It’s good to be UNLV coach Barry Odom. It’s better to be Barry Odom’s agent, because the commission on Odom’s next contract (with the Rebels or elsewhere) will be quite large but won’t include all the pressure of actually having to coach.
7. Arizona State (5-2/2-2 Big 12)
Last week: 4
Result: lost at Cincinnati 24-14
Next up: idle
Comment: We are circling Nov. 9 as the date Arizona State becomes bowl-eligible because playing UCF at home is the easiest hurdle to clear of the five remaining. But if quarterback Sam Leavitt returns later than sooner, the Sun Devils could lose all five. Such is life on the knife’s edge.
8. USC (3-4/1-4 Big Ten)
Last week: 6
Result: lost at Maryland 29-28
Next up: vs. Rutgers (Friday at 8 p.m. on Fox)
Comment: To merely become bowl-eligible, the Trojans must win three of five against a manageable finishing schedule: Rutgers (home), Washington (road), Nebraska (home), UCLA (road) and Notre Dame (home). It’s hardly a lock, but we see three wins (or more) as the most likely scenario.
9. Washington (4-3/2-2 Big Ten)
Last week: 8
Result: did not play
Next up: at Indiana (9 a.m. on Big Ten Network)
Comment: An extremely difficult assignment in Bloomington appears more favorable with the news that Indiana quarterback Kurtis Rourke likely won’t play because of a thumb injury, per an ESPN report. The Huskies could use the break considering their November lineup of opponents.
10. San Jose State (5-2/3-1 Mountain West)
Last week: 15
Result: beat Wyoming 24-14
Next up: at Fresno State (5 p.m. on truTV)
Comment: Too high for the Spartans? Not if you have seen the teams below them play recently. It’s not a pretty sight.
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11. Arizona (3-4/1-3 Big 12)
Last week: 10
Result: lost to Colorado 34-7
Next up: vs. West Virginia (4 p.m. on FS1)
Comment: Not only is Noah Fifita not playing like the Noah Fifita we expected to see, he isn’t playing as well as Jayden de Laura was last year when he got Noah Fifita-ed by Noah Fifita. And if that’s confusing, our apologies. After watching Arizona’s offense, we have a pounding headache that’s making it difficult to think clearly.
12. Utah (4-3/1-3 Big 12)
Last week: 11
Result: lost to TCU 13-7
Next up: at Houston (4 p.m. on ESPN+)
Comment: Every week that results in the Utes dropping down the Best of the West rankings makes us more convinced they will win the Holy War and spoil BYU’s dream season. It’s all setting up perfectly, to the point that we wonder if it is a set-up. (Just kidding.)
13. Cal (3-4/0-4 ACC)
Last week: 12
Result: lost to NC State 24-23
Next up: vs. Oregon State (1 p.m. on ESPN2)
Comment: It’s not easy to lose four games by a combined nine points unless you’re trying to do it — and even then, we aren’t sure the laws of football physics would allow it. The Bears might have joined a conference on the opposite coast, but their season is unfolding in an alternate universe.
14. Oregon State (4-3)
Last week: 13
Result: lost to UNLV 33-25
Next up: at Cal (1 p.m. on ESPN2)
Comment: It says plenty about the state of the program when the Beavers lose at home to a Mountain West opponent and the only surprising element is that they were in position to force overtime. The stretch run is tough. We expect OSU to be home for the holidays.
15. UCLA (2-5/1-4 Big Ten)
Last week: Not ranked
Result: won at Rutgers 35-32
Next up: idle
Comment: That was the UCLA team we expected to see all along — a team that’s reasonably competent on both sides of the ball but finishes closer to the bottom of the Big Ten than the top because of a rugged schedule. It just took seven games for the Bruins to get there.
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