We’re only just beginning to learn about the Pac-12, so it’s not as though the claims we make or the observations we put forth about the conference are final verdicts or long-term declarations. However, the landscape in the Pac-12 certainly feels different compared to preseason expectations.
The obvious, foremost example: the Washington Huskies.
Talk to anyone who followed the Pac-12 in the offseason and looked at rosters and coaching staffs. The USC Trojans, Oregon Ducks, and Utah Utes were widely acknowledged as the three best teams in the conference. The spoilers with a chance to mess up the conference’s hierarchy: Oregon State, Washington State, and UCLA. Those were the six teams at the heart of the conversation, the top tier and the second tier.
Washington was not part of that conversation. The Huskies are definitely in the mix now after pounding Michigan State.
Let’s take stock of the Pac-12, keeping in mind that the big conference games are only starting to arrive. Week 4 has USC at Oregon State and Oregon at Washington State. The fun is about to start, but there’s still a lot to say: