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 need more production from tailback Quali Conley and the running game.
8. Washington (2-1)
Last week: 6
Result: lost to Washington State 24-19
Next up: vs. Northwestern (4 p.m. on FS1)
Comment: Based on what we have seen from the Huskies, they should handle Northwestern for victory No. 3. Beyond the Wildcats, it’s difficult to find three more wins, especially with how well Indiana is playing. And that, folks, is exactly why the Apple Cup was so important to UW’s bowl math.
9. UNLV (3-0)
Last week: 13
Result: won at Kansas 23-20
Next up: idle
Comment: It appears Memphis, Northern Illinois and Boise State have competition for the College Football Playoff berth that goes to the top team in the Group of Five. And if this season is an audition for the Rebels with a Pac-12 invitation in the balance, their timing is perfect.
10. Arizona State (3-0)
Last week: 8
Result: won at Texas State 31-28
Next up: at Texas Tech (12:30 p.m. on FS1)
Comment: Full credit the Sun Devils for a gritty performance at Texas State and their surprising start. But the Hotline is all about context, so we feel compelled to point out: 1) Wyoming is 0-3 after losing at home to Idaho and Brigham Young; and 2) Mississippi State just got blown out at home by Toledo. That said, all you can do is beat the teams on the schedule.
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11. Brigham Young (3-0)
Last week: 10
Result: won at Wyoming 34-14
Next up: vs. Kansas State (7:30 p.m. on ESPN)
Comment: As we noted in the Arizona State comment, Wyoming is struggling under the leadership of a first-year coach, Jay Sawvel, so don’t give BYU’s 20-point win much weight. Even so, the Cougars are as well positioned for success in the Big 12 as they could have hoped with the exception of the injuries to their top tailbacks.
12. Colorado (2-1)
Last week: 12
Result: won at Colorado State 28-9
Next up: vs. Baylor (5 p.m. on Fox)
Comment: All things considered, the victory in Fort Collins is on the short list of most impressive wins in the Deion Sanders era. Sure, there have only been six wins in the Sanders era, but the Buffaloes were solid on both sides of scrimmage and looked like they could be competitive in the Big 12.
13. Oregon State (2-1)
Last week: 11
Result: lost to Oregon 49-14
Next up: vs. Purdue (5:30 p.m. on The CW)
Comment: If you’re looking for hope in the aftermath of a wipeout, consider this: Bad as they looked, the Beavers should win their next three (Purdue, Colorado State and Nevada), which would propel them to the brink of a postseason berth with six games left. But a single loss to that aforementioned trio makes the bowl math challenging.
14. UCLA (1-1/0-1 Big Ten)
Last week: 15
Result: lost to Indiana 42-13
Next up: at LSU (12:40 p.m. on ABC)
Comment: We have seen nothing from the Bruins thus far — Hawaii just got blown out by Sam Houston State, in case you missed it — to suggest first-year coach DeShaun Foster is ready to thrive in his role. Then again, the Foster hire, like the move into the Big Ten, was a play for the long haul, not the present.
15. Stanford (1-1)
Last week: 15
Result: idle
Next up: at Syracuse (Friday at 4:30 p.m. on ESPN)
Comment: We gave serious consideration to San Jose State for this spot following a 3-0 start under new coach Ken Niumatalolo. But a victory over winless Kennesaw State wasn’t enough to vault them over a team that did not lose.
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