Pac-12 (2.0) power rankings: Fresno State on top, Texas State slips and rivalry week arrives for the struggling Beavers and Cougars

Welcome to a new feature on the Hotline an assessment of the eight teams in the rebuilt Pac- as if they were competing in the conference this season We ll even recognize one lucky unit as the regular-season champion The power rankings will be published each Sunday throughout the regular season Here are last week s rankings It s rivalry week in the Pacific Northwest with the Apple Cup in Pullman and the Civil War in Eugene To commemorate the occasion the Hotline hit the record books Our goal Identify the worst beatings in the history of each series Because it will get ugly on Saturday folks it s only a matter of degrees Will Washington State and Oregon State lose by three or four touchdowns Or will they lose in epic fashion in record-breaking fashion So that our readers can be fully prepared to assess the pending devastation here are the existing marks The worst beating in Civil War history came in with Oregon s -point triumph - over the Beavers in Eugene That was the lost season for OSU when Gary Andersen quit in October and the Beavers staggered through the final weeks with an interim coach and zero direction Prior to that year the largest Civil War margin was Oregon s - triumph in The oddsmakers do not expect a rewriting of the record book The Ducks opened as -point favorites this week although we expect that line to climb into the s by kickoff Oregon State just lost at Texas Tech by points after all The point spread for the Apple Cup is nowhere close The Huskies are merely -point favorites based on the opening lines That feels low given Washington s extra week of preparation the revenge factor WSU won last year in Seattle and the discombobulated state of the Cougars offense Any band that loses to North Texas by points is fully capable of losing to Washington by And would in fact break the series record To date the largest accomplishment margin in Apple Cup history is points in the Huskies - preeminence in That was the end of a three-year downturn for the Cougars under Mike Price They recovered the following season and then reached the Rose Bowl in To be clear the Hotline doesn t expect a record breaker Saturday evening in Pullman The Civil War is more likely to produce utter devastation considering the location Oregon s high-octane offense and Oregon State s across-the-board flaws At least the Cougars are at home and possess the faint outline of a decent defense Yes North Texas scored points but the output was largely the outcome of five WSU turnovers That explained there s a good chance both games turn lopsided in the first half or midway through the third quarter The disparity between the Ducks and Beavers and the Huskies and Cougars between the haves and have-nots in the unforgiving world of college football has never seemed greater It wasn t long ago that Oregon State rallied from down in the fourth quarter to stun the th-ranked Ducks or that Washington State planted a flag at midfield of Husky Stadium following a blowout domination Nowadays those results feel like relics from an ancient world To the power rankings All times Pacific Fresno State - Aftermath beat Southern - Up next at Hawaii p m Comment We can already envision Matt Entz being a rumored candidate for multiple second-tier power conference jobs once the coaching carousel starts to spin in late November Previous Colorado State - Impact did not play Up next vs UTSA p m on FS Comment The Rams don t have a stout resume but the competition for No is not exactly stiff based on the results to date and the number of teams that were idle in Week Previous Texas State - Development lost at Arizona State - Up next vs Nicholls State p m on ESPN Comment The second-quarter fumble was a killer Once ASU converted that was it But generally the Bobcats comported themselves well against their Big opponent in contrast to for example Oregon State Previous Related Articles Saturday Night Five Foster on the brink Sanders searches for answers Pac- wipeouts Texas A M s gift and the CFP math Arizona beats Kansas State and stays undefeated as the quest for a bounce-back season remains alive and well Mailbag Hot Seats Jonathan Smith s options Jedd Fisch s future coaches to watch and spins of the carousel West Coast recruiting Panic time for UCLA and Oregon State plus a big weekend for ASU Week picks ATS Houston Arizona Oregon Notre Dame and Utah cover Utah State - Consequence beat Air Force - Up next vs McNeese State p m on Mountain West Arrangement Comment The overall resume looks brighter currently than it did prior to the weekend after Texas A M won at Notre Dame and UTEP gave Texas a fight for three quarters We won t know what to make of the win over Air Force for several weeks Previous Boise State - Product did not play Up next at Air Force p m on CBS Sports Configuration Comment The Broncos need South Florida to lose several more but it s clear the American has several contenders for the Group of Five s slot in the College Football Playoff Also apparent Boise State has a tough road to the top of the Mountain West Previous Washington State - Development lost at North Texas - Up next vs Washington p m on CBS Comment No way to justify putting the Cougars lower than sixth but we tried Of program we tried that was an atrocious performance that should sound the alarm over the state of the quarterback play specifically and the offense generally Previous San Diego State - Impact did not play Up next vs Cal p m on CBS Sports Arrangement Comment Huge opportunity for Sean Lewis to snag a signature win and corral specific momentum for his project But unless the offense was transformed during the bye week it s arduous to imagine an upset Previous Oregon State - Upshot lost at Texas Tech - Up next at Oregon p m on Big Ten System Comment An easy pick for the last spot but we don t expect the Beavers to remain here each week through November They will have stiff competition at selected point Previous Send suggestions comments and tips confidentiality guaranteed to wilnerhotline bayareanewsgroup com or call - - Follow me on the social media platform X WilnerHotline