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 (6-0/3-0 Big Ten)
Last week: 1
Result: beat Ohio State 32-31
Next up: at Purdue (Friday at 5 p.m. on Fox)
Comment: The material impact of the mammoth victory lies in the cushion provided: The Ducks can drop two games in the regular season — or two in the regular season and a third in the Big Ten championship game — without fear of squandering their spot in the College Football Playoff.
2. Brigham Young (6-0/3-0 Big 12)
Last week: 2
Result: beat Arizona 41-19
Next up: vs. Oklahoma State (Friday at 7:15 p.m. on ESPN)
Comment: We aren’t suggesting the Cougars’ toughest remaining game will be the Nov. 23 trip to Arizona State, but we aren’t not suggesting that, either. What a conference.
3. Boise State (5-1/2-0 Mountain West)
Last week: 3
Result: won at Hawaii 28-7
Next up: idle
Comment: In the dead of night on the West Coast, the wondrous Ashton Jeanty cleared the 200-yard mark for the third time this season and left us with a sentence we never expected to type this deep into any college football season: Barry Sanders’ record remains in sight.
4. Arizona State (5-1/2-1 Big 12)
Last week: 8
Result: beat Utah 27-19
Next up: at Cincinnati (9 a.m. on ESPN+)
Comment: Kenny Dillingham’s signature win added to the role reversal playing out along I-10 in the Arizona desert — a development as unexpected as the script flip unfolding along I-15 on the western slope of the Wasatch Range in northern Utah.
5. Washington State (5-1)
Last week: 9
Result: won at Fresno State 25-17
Next up: vs. Hawaii (12:30 p.m. on The CW)
Comment: The Cougars will be favored in every game the rest of the way. If they take care of business, 11-1 is within reach. But the ‘1’ most likely will keep them out of the CFP.
6. USC (3-3/1-3 Big Ten)
Last week: 4
Result: lost to Penn State 33-30 (OT)
Next up: at Maryland (1 p.m. on FS1)
Comment: That’s three-come-from-ahead losses in conference play, two of which (Minnesota and Penn State) featured USC on the wrong end of bad Big Ten officiating. Then again, if you cannot stop one player (Penn State tight end Tyler Warren) when the entire stadium knows the ball is headed his way, you don’t deserve to win.
7. Colorado (4-2/2-1 Big 12)
Last week: 6
Result: lost to Kansas State 31-28
Next up: at Arizona (1 p.m. on Fox)
Comment: We chuckled at coach Deion Sanders bemoaning the 8:15 p.m. local kickoff against K-State. The Buffaloes switched conferences, not time zones. The networks want quality late-window content, and CU provides that on a consistent basis.
8. Washington (4-3/2-2 Big Ten)
Last week: 7
Result: lost at Iowa 40-16
Next up: idle
Comment: There is, in fact, rest for the weary — but not for long. When their gauntlet resumes, the Huskies must make two more cross-country flights (Indiana and Penn State) and a trip to Eugene. Combined record of their three remaining road opponents: 18-0.
9. UNLV (5-1/2-0 Mountain West)
Last week: 11
Result: won at Utah State 50-34
Next up: at Oregon State (7 p.m. on The CW)
Comment: Can’t believe we are suggesting the Rebels are vulnerable to looking past OSU with the Boise State showdown looming, but that’s exactly what we are suggesting.
10. Arizona (3-3/1-2 Big 12)
Last week: 10
Result: lost at Brigham Young 41-19
Next up: vs. Colorado (1 p.m. on Fox)
Comment: The Wildcats’ 2024 struggles when expectations were high lend context to the magical 2023 ride that came from nowhere. They caught something last fall that might not be replicated for years.
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11. Utah (4-2/1-2 Big 12)
Last week: 5
Result: lost at Arizona State 27-19
Next up: vs. TCU (7:30 p.m. on ESPN)
Comment: Kyle Whittingham’s postgame comments on Cam Rising remaining in the game even though he could not run or throw — “He felt very strongly that he wanted to play” — left us wondering why the decision apparently was left to the injured quarterback and not the (future) Hall of Fame coach.
12. Cal (3-3/0-3 ACC)
Last week: 12
Result: lost at Pittsburgh 17-15
Next up: vs. N.C. State (12:30 p.m. on ACC Network)
Comment: Justin Wilcox’s decision to attempt a two-point conversion after the first touchdown left the Bears chasing points the rest of the game … and ended up costing them the game. Why coaches do that, we cannot fathom. Kick the extra point unless time-and-score demands an alternate strategy.
13. Oregon State (4-2)
Last week: 13
Result: lost at Nevada 42-37
Next up: vs. UNLV (7 p.m. on The CW)
Comment: We aren’t suggesting the loss in Reno will keep the Beavers out of the postseason, but as the Hotline noted early in the week, it makes their path forward extremely difficult. The schedule has one soft spot, Air Force, and a slew of challenges.
14. Stanford (2-4/1-2 ACC)
Last week: 14
Result: lost at Notre Dame 49-7
Next up: vs. SMU (5 p.m. on ACC Network)
Comment: Our current projections have Stanford finishing 3-9, with the remaining victory coming against Wake Forest later this month. Best-case scenario is 5-7; worst case, 2-10.
15. San Jose State (4-2/2-1 Mountain West)
Last week: 15
Result: lost at Colorado State 31-24
Next up: vs. Wyoming (1 p.m. on NBC Sports Bay Area)
Comment: No great options for the final spot, but the Spartans are more deserving than one-win UCLA despite the loss in Fort Collins.
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