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 (2-0)
Last week: 1
Result: beat Baylor 23-12
Next up: at Utah State (1:30 p.m. on CBSSN)
Comment: The Utes should handle Utah State regardless of the QB1 situation, but they need Cam Rising back for the double-dip that will frame the entire season: at Oklahoma State on Sept. 21 and home against Arizona on the 28th. So he can miss one week, but not two and definitely not three — they cannot afford to start 0-2 in conference play.
2. USC (2-0)
Last week: 2
Result: beat Utah State 48-0
Next up: idle
Comment: The Trojans opened as 12-point underdogs for their Sept. 21 trip to the Big House when the lines were released in the spring. The spread dropped to 10.5 and now stands at 8.5. We suspect it could fall to a touchdown if Michigan isn’t sharp in Week 3 against Arkansas State.
3. Oregon (2-0)
Last week: 4
Result: beat Boise State 37-34
Next up: at Oregon State (12:30 p.m. on Fox)
Comment: Sacks allowed by the Ducks in 13 games in 2022: five. Sacks allowed by the Ducks in 14 games in 2023: five. Sacks allowed by the Ducks in two games in 2024: seven.
4. Boise State (1-1)
Last week: 5
Result: lost at Oregon 37-34
Next up: idle
Comment: The close call in Eugene could sway the selection committee (in a positive fashion) if the Broncos become engaged in a resume showdown with Memphis, for example, for the top Group of Five ranking.
5. Arizona (2-0)
Last week: 3
Result: beat NAU 22-10
Next up: at Kansas State (Friday at 5 p.m. on Fox)
Comment: Fan fretting over the defense after Week 1 has given way to mild concerns about the offense. Pardon the perspective, but the Wildcats have two double-digits victories on the books and the longest winning streak (nine games) in the country.
6. Washington (2-0)
Last week: 6
Result: beat Eastern Michigan 30-9
Next up: vs. Washington State (12:30 p.m. on Peacock)
Comment: We have noticed some social media chatter about Jonah Coleman being perhaps the best tailback on Montlake since Corey Dillon — and their running styles are certainly comparable. But let’s not overlook Mr. Myles Gaskin, folks. He did everything well.
7. Cal (2-0)
Last week: 11
Result: won at Auburn 21-14
Next up: vs. San Diego State (7:30 p.m. on ESPN)
Comment: Given the results in the ACC thus far, we would not be surprised to see the Bears 1) win in Tallahassee in two weeks, 2) finish in the top five of the conference or 3) produce the best regular-season record of the Justin Wilcox era. (The bar stands at 7-5.)
8. Arizona State (2-0)
Last week: 7
Result: beat Mississippi State 30-23
Next up: at Texas State (Thursday at 4:30 p.m. on ESPN)
Comment: Perspective touched down in Tempe on Saturday afternoon, when Wyoming’s loss to Idaho went final. It then spent a few hours indoors to escape the heat and emerged at Mountain America Stadium around 11 p.m. with the victory over MSU. Yes, ASU is better than last year, much better. But it’s all relative.
9. Washington State (2-0)
Last week: 9
Result: beat Texas Tech 37-16
Next up: vs. Washington (12:30 p.m. on Peacock)
Comment: John Mateer runs like a tailback, which provides WSU’s offense with loads of optionality. But at some point, he will have to throw like a quarterback. And that point could very well be Saturday afternoon at Lumen Field.
10. Brigham Young (2-0)
Last week: 10
Result: won at SMU 18-15
Next up: at Wyoming (6 p.m. on CBSSN)
Comment: We spent considerable time pondering whether the result in Dallas was more reflective of BYU’s strengths or SMU’s weaknesses and eventually decided it was some of both — and that the Cougars should stay right where we had them last week.
11. Oregon State (2-0)
Last week: 12
Result: won at San Diego State 21-0
Next up: vs. Oregon (12:30 p.m. on Fox)
Comment: Congratulations to the Hotline on OSU’s first road shutout since the scoreless tie at Oregon in 1983. Why is that, you might ask? Because it provides a (rare) chance to reference the game known as the “Toilet Bowl” — the last scoreless tie in major college history and a true epic in the annals of the sport.
12. Colorado (1-1)
Last week: 8
Result: lost at Nebraska 28-10
Next up: at Colorado State (4:30 p.m. on CBS)
Comment: “I’m trying to be polite and say it, because you know I can say the same thing you’re thinking, but if I say it, you’d say I’m throwing my guys up under the bus. I’m not doing that whatsoever,” Deion Sanders said as he, in fact, did exactly that.
13. UNLV (2-0)
Last week: 14
Result: beat Utah Tech 72-14
Next up: at Kansas (Friday at 4 p.m. on ESPN)
Comment: Worth noting that one week after UNLV pummeled Houston, the Cougars lost to Oklahoma by just four points. Comparative scores can lead to errant conclusions, especially early in the season, but they are always fun.
14. UCLA (1-0)
Last week: 13
Result: idle
Next up: vs. Indiana (4:30 p.m. on NBC)
Comment: The Hoosiers just scored 77 points against Western Illinois, which might not mean everything but does mean something: It means UCLA quarterback Ethan Garbers had best not play as poorly as he did in Honolulu.
15. Stanford (1-1)
Last week: 15
Result: beat Cal Poly 41-7
Next up: idle
Comment: A week off to prepare for the ACC opener at Syracuse (on a Friday). And from the looks of it, the Cardinal needs the time: The Orange just beat Georgia Tech, which beat Florida State, and has a quarterback, Kyle McCord, who started for Ohio State last year.
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