Pac-10 Power Rankings: U-C-L-A

1. UCLA Bruins (19-4)
4 straight wins all by double digits. On paper this UCLA team is not as good as last year’s but it is finding its stride. The Bruins even embarrassed the reigning Big East Player of the Year and Notre Dame with a 26-point win last weekend. UCLA is clearly the best in the west.

2. Washington Huskies (17-6)
The Huskies navigated a tough 4-game road stretch about as well as you could hope for, getting the split. Now it will be able to beat up on the Oregon schools before a showdown with UCLA next week.

3. Arizona State Sun Devils (18-5)
The No. 18 Sun Devils get an opportunity to shake things up in the Pac-10 with a home meeting with No. 6 UCLA Thursday night. The Sun Devils are the only team to win at UCLA this season and will look to pull off the season sweep over the Bruins

4. Cal Golden Bears (18-6)
Back-to-back wins over Washington and Washington State has Cal making a nice little run in Pac-10 play. With Stanford at home next, where the Bears are 14-1 this season, followed by Oregon and Oregon State, Cal should make it over the 20-win mark next week.

5. Arizona Wildcats (16-8)
The Wildcats got off to a slow start but have now rattled off 5 straight wins. The Cats have a serious test at home Thursday with USC, but Arizona has been very solid at home with a 12-2 record this season. Jordan Hill and Chase Budinger are one of the better scoring tandems that no one ever talks about.

6. USC Trojans (15-7)
The Trojans have won 5 of their last 7 with those 2 losses coming at Washington and at UCLA. This team is very dangerous at home because of how solid it is defensively, but you have to be able to score a little bit to win on the road and that is why the Trojans have struggled away from home.

7. Stanford Cardinal (15-7)
Stanford won the battle for this position with a big win over Washington State last week. The Cardinal have won 2 of 3 and have a big rivalry matchup with Cal Thursday.

8. Washington State Cougars (12-11)
A very tough stretch has taken its toll on the Huskies and the result has been 5 losses in their last 6 games. They have played 4 straight on the road and only came away with 1 win. This team is a lot like USC in that it defends well but does not have the firepower to really be strong on the road. Washington State is of course the extreme version as it is one of the worst offensive teams in the nation (323rd). I’m not used to seeing the Huskies so far down in my rankings.

9. Oregon State Beavers (10-12)
The Beavers spent some time at No. 8 last week but they drop right back down with back-to-back home losses to Arizona and Arizona State. A home game against Stanford and a March 1st meeting at Oregon look to be the Beavers’ best chances at a couple more wins.

10. Oregon Ducks (6-17)
0-11 in the Pac-10 and everyone else has at least 4 wins. March 1st at home against rival Oregon State could be the Ducks’ best shot to end their skid.

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