California Golden Bears quarterback Fernando Mendoza (15) runs for yardage during the fourth quarter of their game at Memorial Stadium in Berkeley, Calif., on Saturday, Oct. 5, 2024. The Miami Hurricanes defeated the California Golden Bears 39-38. (Jose Carlos Fajardo/Bay Area News Group)
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 (5-0/2-0 Big Ten)
Last week: 1
Result: beat Michigan State 31-10
Next up: vs. Ohio State (4:30 p.m. on NBC)
Comment: If you’re curious, the Ducks are early 1-point favorites, although the line could move to Ohio State by the end of the week. This much is sure: If Dillon Gabriel throws two interceptions in the Red Zone, as he did Friday night, the Ducks have little chance.
2. Brigham Young (5-0/2-0 Big 12)
Last week: 3
Result: Idle
Next up: vs. Arizona (1 p.m. on Fox)
Comment: The ugly but gritty Week 2 victory at SMU looks better and better as the Mustangs (5-1) gobble up victories in the ACC — first Florida State, then Louisville.
3. Boise State (4-1/1-0 Mountain West)
Last week: 4
Result: beat Utah State 62-30
Next up: at Hawaii (8 p.m. on CBSSN)
Comment: Tailback Ashton Jeanty’s epic start is resonating beyond Boise State’s usual audience, and here’s the proof: On Sunday morning, he was one of the top stories on ESPN.com’s main page, along with Shohei Ohtani, Vanderbilt’s mega-upset, Coco Gauff, the Yankees, a UFC title fight and a handful of other national stories.
4. USC (3-2/1-2 Big Ten)
Last week: 2
Result: lost at Minnesota 24-17
Next up: vs. Penn State (12:30 p.m. on CBS)
Comment: Three things, equally true: The Trojans have improved defensively under new coordinator D’Anton Lynn; the Trojans are allowing 196.3 rushing yards per game in Big Ten play; that performance won’t get them anywhere near the conference championship game.
5. Utah (4-1/1-1 Big 12)
Last week: 5
Result: Idle
Next up: at Arizona State (Friday at 7:30 p.m. on ESPN)
Comment: A highly challenging game in Tempe for the Utes was not on our Big 12 bingo card this season. Then again, very little about the Big 12 season thus far was on our Big 12 bingo card. It’s utter mayhem, and it’s absolutely glorious.
6. Colorado (4-1/2-0 Big 12)
Last week: 6
Result: Idle
Next up: vs. Kansas State (7:15 p.m. on ESPN)
Comment: Did the week off kill Colorado’s momentum? Perhaps. But the Wildcats face a comparable challenge: After stomping Oklahoma State on Sept. 28, they were idle this weekend, as well.
7. Washington (4-2/2-1 Big Ten)
Last week: 11
Result: beat Michigan 27-17
Next up: at Iowa (9 a.m. on Fox)
Comment: The Huskies are close losses to Washington State and Rutgers away from being undefeated, but that’s true of plenty of teams. (Hello, USC!) Seasons unfold on the margins, with a handful of plays serving as the difference between 10 wins and seven wins, or between nine wins and five wins.
8. Arizona State (4-1/1-1 Big 12)
Last week: 12
Result: beat Kansas 35-31
Next up: vs Utah (Friday at 7:30 p.m. on ESPN)
Comment: ASU’s four victories are against teams with a combined record of 6-15: Wyoming (1-4), Kansas (1-5), Mississippi State (1-4) and Texas State (3-2). And you know what that means? Absolutely nothing. The Sun Devils are out of the gutter and unapologetically strutting down the street alongside every other four-win team across the FBS.
9. Washington State (4-1)
Last week: 8
Result: Idle
Next up: at Fresno State (4 p.m. on FS1)
Comment: We’ll just go ahead and assume the extra week was devoted to stabilizing the offensive line. If successful, the Cougars just might run the table. Fresno State, Hawaii, San Diego State, Utah State, New Mexico, Oregon State and Wyoming can hardly be considered a gauntlet.
10. Arizona (3-2/1-1 Big 12)
Last week: 7
Result: lost to Texas Tech 28-22
Next up: at Brigham Young (1 p.m. on Fox)
Comment: The trip to Provo will be as challenging as the Week 2 visit to Kansas State. It’s not a Friday affair, but the Cougars will have had two weeks to prepare. They are tough enough on regular rest. The extra time relative to Arizona’s preparation is a massive advantage.
11. UNLV (4-1/1-0 Mountain West)
Last week: 9
Result: lost to Syracuse 44-41 (OT)
Next up: at Utah State (Friday at 6 p.m. on CBSSN)
Comment: In two starts, quarterback Hajj-Malik Williams has completed 34-of-41 passes, rushed for 172 yards and accounted for eight touchdowns — and he didn’t cost the Rebels $100,000.
12. Cal (3-2/0-2 ACC)
Last week: 10
Result: lost to Miami 39-38
Next up: at Pittsburgh (12:30 p.m. on ESPN)
Comment: Put the Saturday night Callapse on the short list of torturous losses in the past two decades along with not scoring in the Red Zone at the end of the USC game in 2004, which ultimately kept the Bears out of the Rose Bowl, and the three-point loss to Oregon State in 2007, which prevented them from ascending to No. 1.
13. Oregon State (4-1)
Last week: 13
Result: beat Colorado State 39-31 (OT)
Next up: at Nevada (4:30 p.m. on CBSSN)
Comment: The Beavers are averaging 264.4 rushing yards per game, which is 100 yards more than last year. But their yards-per-pass-attempt has cratered, from 8.3 to 6.2. Stop the ground game, and you stop OSU.
14. Stanford (2-3/1-2 ACC)
Last week: 14
Result: lost to Virginia Tech 31-7
Next up: at Notre Dame (12:30 p.m. on NBC/Peacock)
Comment: The quarterback play was subpar with starter Ashton Daniels healthy. Once he went down with a lower-body injury at Clemson, the Cardinal morphed into a one-dimensional offense that quality teams like Virginia Tech can stop in their sleep.
15. San Jose State (4-1/2-0 Mountain West)
Last week: Not ranked
Result: beat Nevada 35-31
Next up: at Colorado State (12:30 p.m. on truTV)
Comment: When selecting the final team, we considered the following question: Could the Spartans beat UCLA on a neutral field right now? It took 1.37 seconds to settle on the answer.
*** Send suggestions, comments and tips (confidentiality guaranteed) to wilnerhotline@bayareanewsgroup.com or call 408-920-5716
*** Follow me on Twitter/X: @WilnerHotline
Originally published at Jon Wilner