By Dane Miller, SuperWest Sports activities
The outcomes from Week Six added some readability out West.
The season has been underway lengthy sufficient to ignore any preseason expectations or model bias.
The outcomes on the sector are what matter, not the identify on the entrance of the jersey.
Consequently, there’s been some shakeup on the backside of the rankings. There’s a brand new staff within the combine, and a historic powerhouse has dropped out.
Right here’s how I view the Prime 10 Groups within the West heading into Week Seven.
1. Oregon (2-0, 5-0) ◄►
College GameDay is coming to Eugene for the matchup in opposition to No. 7 Indiana.
That’s a press release that will have been laborious to fathom a number of years in the past. But it surely highlights the numerous success of Oregon’s transfer to the Massive Ten.
Everybody is aware of that that is the kind of recreation the place Dan Lanning thrives.
A staff is barely pretty much as good as its most up-to-date outcome, and the Geese are about to ship one other message.
2. Arizona State (2-0, 4-1) ◄►
The Solar Devils are in a great place.
The convention victories over Baylor and TCU grew stronger over the weekend, with each the Bears and Horned Frogs securing wins.
Texas Tech seems to be the category of the Massive 12, although, as all the opposite packages jockey for the correct to play them within the Convention’s Championship Recreation.
Beating Utah this weekend could be a important step in getting there.
3. BYU (2-0, 5-0) ◄►
Just being straight up: A 14-point victory over West Virginia in Provo shouldn’t be a great look. Outdoors expectations are important.
Fashion factors matter. Failing to fulfill these expectations hurts the standing of this system.
BYU has now didn’t cowl in each of its Massive 12 video games this season. Prefer it or not, which means the staff is underperforming.
Certain, they’re 5-0 and that’s all that issues. However the Playoff Committee members will use any purpose they will to maintain Massive 12 groups out, and questionably shut outcomes give them a leg to face on.
4. Utah (1-1, 4-1) ◄►
It’s time to place up or shut up.
Utah performs Arizona State this week at Rice-Eccles Stadium in what looks like one other important recreation for this system’s repute.
The Utes responded properly to the Texas Tech loss by crushing West Virginia, which now gives a typical opponent comparability to BYU. The momentum is there.
However a loss to Arizona State would basically relegate Utah to the third tier of the Massive 12 hierarchy. There’s lots on the road this Saturday evening.
5. Washington (1-1, 4-1) ▲1
The Dawgs got here from behind and gained on the highway in opposition to Maryland.
The victory retains Jedd Fisch’s seat from getting heat whereas setting the usual for the remainder of the 12 months.
If Washington can beat the Terps on the highway, they need to be capable to care for Rutgers in Seattle. An eight-win season now appears doable.
But it surely’s nonetheless one recreation at a time. The primary hurdle has been cleared. Now, it’s on to the following.
6. USC (2-1, 4-1) ▼1
Coming off a bye, USC faces a litmus take a look at in opposition to No. 15 Michigan.
A loss would seemingly imply the staff’s ceiling is someplace round eight wins. A victory would preserve the Trojans’ Playoff hopes alive.
Because the early favourite, the expectations for a win are tangible. Lincoln Riley was not employed to lose video games like this one.
The executive decision-makers who engineered the transfer to the Massive Ten count on to win these kinds of video games. It’s now or by no means.
7. UNLV (1-0, 5-0) ◄►
Now that’s a win I can respect. UNLV lastly put collectively an applicable margin of victory in opposition to a decent sufficient opponent.
Successful on the highway in Laramie shouldn’t be simple, and particularly not within the snowy hail.
It was the Rebels’ first victory at Wyoming since 2003 and this system is 5-0 for the primary time since 1974. The staff deserves to be ranked within the Prime 25.
However management what you possibly can management. Don’t overlook Air Drive this week.
8. Arizona (1-1, 4-1) ▲NR
The Wildcats regained some respect with a blowout win over Oklahoma State.
Now with two victories over conventional Massive 12 opponents, this system is taking clear steps in the correct course.
The protection is taking part in elite and is the one unit within the nation that has not allowed a passing landing this season.
This weekend’s matchup in opposition to BYU in Tucson is the largest recreation of the season to this point. Win that one, and the trajectory of this system adjustments.
9. Fresno State (2-0, 5-1) ▲1
The outcome in opposition to Nevada was not precisely confidence-building.
The offense stalled out and the protection couldn’t decelerate the Wolfpack’s backup true freshman quarterback.
However Fresno State is now 5-1 and controls its personal future. Hold profitable video games and the margins of victory develop into much less necessary.
But, from a style-points perspective, the exhibiting was brutal and raises issues for the ceiling of this 12 months’s staff.
10. San Diego State (1-0, 4-1) ▲NR
Sean Lewis is cooking. The Aztecs are driving excessive and appear to be a menace within the Mountain West.
Beating Colorado State with a convincing margin of victory is the kind of outcome we like to see. The Vegas oddsmakers had been anticipating a detailed recreation and SDSU despatched a message.
The one loss on the season is a highway recreation in Pullman, which is a troublesome place to depart with a win.
With a tricky schedule to complete the 12 months, San Diego State is about to point out us what they’re made from.
Dropped Out: Boise State, Cal
Miller covers Faculty Basketball and Faculty Soccer in addition to System 1 racing as a Senior Author and Assistant Editor for SuperWest Sports activities.
