Pac-12 power rankings: Everyone is a winner

Literally, for now.

It’s not just that the Pac-12 is undefeated — 13-0! — after the first full week of the 2023 college football season.

It’s also that each conference team is intriguing in its own way, with several harboring legitimate conference championship hopes, others enjoying renewed optimism related to a coaching change and a couple attempting to reinvent themselves with new schemes or promising young talent.

Think about it: are there any lame-duck or water-treading circumstances in the league this year? The closest thing might be UCLA and Chip Kelly, though even he is coming off the best season of his Bruins tenure, and his acquisition of a five-star quarterback is reason enough to pay attention. There’s also Justin Wilcox at Cal, but the Golden Bears initiated a hefty portal overhaul and brought in a bright new offensive coordinator — then scored 58 points in their opener.

Everyone else is either gunning for a spot in the Pac-12 title game or rallying around new coaches or essential personnel.

And for now, they’re all undefeated.

Here’s how I see the league one week in.

(These rankings are intended as a snapshot of the conference at this specific point in time, and not a predicted order of finish.)