2020-21 College Football Power Rankings: PAC-12 North

With the door slightly opened for college football to return, I felt it was time to start up a new series for the 2020-21 college football season. Today, we start the first installment of our 2020-21 College Football Power Rankings with the PAC-12 conference and examine the North division.

PAC-12 North

1. Oregon (10-2 overall, 8-1 PAC-12 North): Even after the departure of star QB Justin Herbert, Oregon continues to find ways to re-tool and re-build. With a schedule against tough opponents such as Ohio State (Sept. 12), Washington (Oct. 3), and USC (Nov. 7), the Ducks look to make a statement in the PAC-12 and attempt to claim an evasive College Football Playoff berth. In order to claim a bid into the Playoff, it is imperative the Ducks grab that non-conference victory over the Buckeyes early in the season as well as win the PAC-12. If they can muster up the courage necessary to accomplish those feats, we could finally see Oregon back in the CFP.

2. Washington (7-5 overall, 5-4 PAC-12 North): The Huskies have always been a team that fights and claws their way into Playoff discussion, and then somehow fall right out of contention when it matters most. This year, however, I don’t believe they have what it takes to be in the discussion towards the back-half of the season. Chris Petersen has managed to put a solid product out on the field to continue to compete for PAC-12 titles. However, the Huskies lost three of their most productive players on offense: QB Jacob Eason, RB Salvon Ahmed, and TE Hunter Bryant. It looks as if UW will have to rely on sophomore QB Jacob Sirmon (2/3, 19 yds) to lead the way on offense, and if he proves to be unreliable, the win total predicted could drop significantly.

3. California (6-6 overall, 4-5 PAC-12 North): Cal seems to surprise the college football world every now and then and potentially finishing third in the PAC-12 North could be the surprise finish many wouldn’t expect. Athlon Sports has the current Bears roster ranked 44th in the nation after pulling in the 38th best-recruiting class in 2020. With returning impact players such as third-year QB Chase Garbers and RB Chris Brown Jr., the Cal Golden Bears could potentially raise eyebrows in the PAC-12.

4. Washington State (6-6 overall, 4-5 PAC-12 North): Washington State has the potential to spiral out of control in the year 2020. With the loss of star QB Anthony Gordon to the NFL and HC Mike Leach to Mississippi State, the Cougars' only chance to stay relevant this year relies on the long-standing streak Washington State's flag has made appearing on College Gameday. Although 6-6 is not a terrible prediction for the season, if incoming coach Nick Rolovich cannot produce on the field or on recruiting trail (currently ranked 69th), Pullman, WA could see some dark clouds headed their way.

5. Stanford (5-7 overall, 4-5 PAC-12 North): Coming in at fifth and rounding out the three-way tie for third place are the Stanford Cardinal. With HC David Shaw involved in rumors potentially jumping to the NFL, it is imperative that Shaw is looking to make a statement this season proving his commitment to the program. After finishing 4-8 overall and 3-6 in the North, I don’t predict any kind of jump or decline for the Cardinal program. With Stanford only inside the Top 50 in one major statistical category according to NCAA (T-33 Defensive TD’s: 2), Shaw needs to find success quick or he could find himself on the hot seat.

6. Oregon State (4-8 overall, 2-7 PAC-12 North): Coming in at the bottom is…you guessed it…Oregon State. While many other programs at the university are successful, the OSU football team has yet to find any kind of success in recent history. This upcoming season will be no different. Opening up week 1 against Oklahoma State will not provide any kind of confidence boost as the Beavers will face the likes of Washington (Oct. 10), Utah (Nov. 14), Oregon (Nov. 28), and others later in the season. The Beavers look to improve upon their 5-7 finish a year prior, however, I do not see improvement on Oregon State’s horizon.

I hope you enjoyed the first installment of the ‘College Football Power Rankings’ series! Next time, we will be examining the PAC-12 South as well as predicting the PAC-12 Championship. Let us know in the comments section if you enjoy this series and which conference you would like to see us examine next! Until then, stay tuned for the second installment of the College Football Power Rankings.