By some measurements the PAC 12 should really be considered the best conference in the game. They suffer from 9-game-scheduleitis and it has consistently kept them from sending a team to the National Championship game since 2010. The league is getting even deeper, meaning that fantastic teams like Oregon and Stanford are losing multiple conference games a year.
1. #11 Stanford 11-3 (7-2 PAC 12)
As always, the question is Stanford or Oregon. Stanford won the head to head and played a harder schedule. The Cardinal defeated Oregon, UCLA, Washington, Notre Dame, and Arizona State (TWICE!). Losses to Utah and USC on the road marred their regular season and showed that while Stanford prepared for their best opponents and could defeat them they could slip up when looking ahead to other opponents. Stanford also lost the 100th Rose Bowl to a Michigan State team that was one controversial Notre Dame game away from a National Title berth.
2. #9 Oregon 11-2 (7-2 PAC 12)
Oregon was solid as always, except when they weren't. The Ducks absolutely killed every opponent they played, including the likes of UCLA, Texas, and rival Washington. The Ducks nearly slipped up against archrival Oregon State but would not be denied. The two cases where Oregon lost were to Stanford (understandable) and Arizona (not understandable at all). It's that 9 game conference schedule I swear. I'd consider the Ducks for first place in the PAC 12 a bit more had they not skipped both USC and Arizona State.
3. #21 Arizona State 10-4 (8-1 PAC 12)
The owner of the best conference record in the PAC 12 was none other than the Arizona State Sun Devils. They fell only to Stanford in Palo Alto and Notre Dame at a neutral site during the regular season. ASU thankfully passed up playing Oregon, but ended up playing and losing to Stanford a second time in the PAC 12 Championship Game. The loss to Texas Tech in the Holiday Bowl was unfortunate, ASU was clearly the better team coming into the matchup and it made the PAC 12 look worse than they really are.
4. #16 UCLA 10-3 (6-3 PAC 12)
The Bruins have surged under the two year watch of Jim Mora. Losses to ASU, Oregon, and Stanford place them at fourth on this list but no lower. UCLA is a force to be reckoned with but still have a little ways to go before they are at the top of the PAC.
5. #19 USC 10-4 (6-3 PAC 12)
It was between SC and Washington as to who would snag this spot, but USC took it making them the third team from the golden state in the top 5. USC missed Oregon but they were beat the immovable object that is Stanford. USC managed to win 10 games this year with three different head coaches, with all the controversy surrounding their comings and goings it's almost a miracle unless you remember the talent that they had to work with. They'll begin 2014 with yet another coach, who is somewhat familiar with the next team on this list...
6. #25 Washington 9-4 (5-4 PAC 12)
Steve Sarkesian should be given high praise for resuscitating the Husky program from the horrible depths he found them at. They finished the year as the sixth team ranked in the top 25 for the PAC 12. Their only losses are to the 4 best teams in the conference. Incoming coach Chris Petersen inherits a great team, but he also inherits a terrifyingly competitive division. Breaking the Oregon/Stanford ceiling is the first and only priority.
7. Arizona 8-5 (4-5 PAC 12)
The Wildcats have found themselves fielding good teams but stymied by tough opponents. The win over Oregon was a huge boost to the program's reputation and serves notice that they shouldn't be slept on. Still, it's a long way to the top for Rich Rodriguez.
8. Oregon State 7-6 (4-5 PAC 12)
The Beavers had some kind of odd symmetry to their season. Lose their first game then win 6 in a row. Then lose 5 in a row and win their final game. Chalk it up to a back loaded schedule, but we all kind of knew that Oregon State wasn't ever a frontrunner after their loss to FCS Eastern Washington.
9. Washington State 6-7 (4-5 PAC 12)
If getting Washington back on the rails was hard, credit should also be thrown Mike Leach's way. Leach had the Cougars bowling for the first time in a decade with his high flying air raid offense. Their unfortunate (and pretty boneheaded) loss to Colorado State in the New Mexico Bowl marred and otherwise promising season. Wazzu is still fifth in the PAC 12 North and have a long way to go before they'll compete for a division title, but there is hope.
10. Utah 5-7 (2-7 PAC 12)
This part of the list is where hope slides into apathy. The Utah Utes looked good, beating in-state rivals Utah State, Weber State, and BYU in their nonconference slate and shocking the nation with their huge upset of Stanford. But the Utes took this competitive spirit and proceeded to do nothing for the rest of the year. As the PAC 12 gets better it is becoming more and more apparent that a team only 3 years removed from the Mountain West (however good they may have been in that conference) is still a long ways for being competitive on a weekly basis.
11. Colorado 4-8 (1-8 PAC 12)
Colorado is improving, slowly. At least they beat in-state rival Colorado State, who they should beat every year if the team played up to their past standards. Mike McIntyre is a good coach and it'll be a long and painful recovery for the beleaguered Buffaloes, but it appears as though they already bottomed out in 2012 and and are trending up, even just a little.
12. California 1-11 (0-9 PAC 12)
Cal was so bad this year. The more I think about it the more it's likely that they were the maybe the worst AQ team. Their one victory was Portland State by exactly one touchdown. The ever aspired to Cal Rose Bowl looks as distant as the sun, burning and taunting the Golden Bear faithful for generations.
