The Best of the West offers fans a candid assessment of the top teams in the western third of the country — a collection of schools now scattered across five conferences: the ACC, Big 12, Big Ten, Pac-12 and Mountain West.
The rankings will be published weekly on the Hotline throughout the regular season.
(All times Pacific)
1. Oregon (11-0/8-0 Big Ten)
Last week: 1
Result: did not play
Next up: vs. Washington (4:30 p.m. on NBC)
Comment: The Hotline has not budged from our belief that the Ducks would be better off losing in the Big Ten championship game and earning the No. 5 seed in the CFP. In that scenario, they would host the No. 12 in the opening round, then face the No. 4 in the quarterfinals. The opponents are likely to be Boise State and the Big 12 champ, respectively. But if the Ducks win the Big Ten title and receive the No. 1 seed, their quarterfinal opponent could very well be Georgia, Notre Dame or Tennessee. Which path gives them a better chance to reach the semifinals? That should be obvious.
2. Arizona State (9-2/6-2 Big 12)
Last week: 4
Result: beat Brigham Young 28-23
Next up: at Arizona (12:30 p.m. on Fox)
Comment: The Sun Devils control their fate in the Big 12 race thanks to having the best record against common opponents among the tied teams. In other words, losing to Cincinnati and Texas Tech — and not a different combination of teams — was, like so much else about this magical season, fortuitous.
3. Boise State (10-1/7-0 Mountain West)
Last week: 2
Result: won at Wyoming 17-13
Next up: vs. Oregon State (Friday at 9 a.m. on Fox)
Comment: The Broncos have looked bored in recent weeks with a seven-point victory at home over Nevada, a close game late in the third quarter at San Jose State and the four-point win at lowly Wyoming. That’s slightly problematic with style points likely playing a major role in their seed (if they win the Mountain West).
4. Brigham Young (9-2/6-2 Big 12)
Last week: 5
Result: lost at Arizona State 28-23
Next up: vs. Houston (7:15 p.m. on ESPN)
Comment: Credit the Cougars for the resolve shown in Tempe and putting themselves in position to win after trailing by three touchdowns. But there’s mounting evidence that they peaked in October.
5. Colorado (8-3/6-2 Big 12)
Last week: 3
Result: lost at Kansas 37-21
Next up: vs. Oklahoma State (Friday at 9 a.m. on ABC)
Comment: CU’s defense picked a bad time to turn back the clock to 2023. Not only did the Jayhawks rush for 333 yards, they averaged 6.1 yards per carry. Put another way: KU had 14 more rushing attempts (55) than the Buffaloes had total offensive plays (41).
6. UNLV (9-2/5-1 Mountain West)
Last week: 6
Result: won at San Jose State 27-16
Next up: vs. Nevada (5 p.m. on CBS Sports Network)
Comment: Colorado State’s loss (at Fresno State) opened the door for the Rebels to advance to the Mountain West championship game and a rematch against you-know-who, although it would be on the blue turf, not a neutral field.
7. Washington (6-5/4-4 Big Ten)
Last week: 8
Result: did not play
Next up: at Oregon (4:30 p.m. on NBC)
Comment: The Huskies are 19.5-point underdogs in Eugene, the largest point spread in the rivalry (either way) since 2014, when playoff-bound Oregon was favored by 20 points (and won by 25).
8. USC (6-5/4-5 Big Ten)
Last week: 10
Result: won at UCLA 19-13
Next up: vs. Notre Dame (12:30 p.m. on CBS)
Comment: Two factors frame our outlook for the finale: The Trojans have struggled in recent weeks against three teams (Washington, Nebraska and UCLA) that are not in Notre Dame’s class; and the Irish have the motivational edge with a playoff berth at stake. Yet Notre Dame is favored by just 3.5 points. Good chance that number climbs by kickoff.
9. UCLA (4-7/3-6 Big Ten)
Last week: 9
Result: lost to USC 19-13
Next up: vs. Fresno State (12:30 p.m. on the Big Ten Network)
Comment: As of today, everything should be geared toward preparing for the stout start to the 2025 schedule, with Utah in the opener and then a trip to UNLV. The Bruins cannot afford another lost September.
10. Washington State (8-3/0-1 Pac-12)
Last week: 7
Result: lost at Oregon State 41-38
Next up: vs. Wyoming (3:30 p.m. on The CW)
Comment: At no point this season did we confuse WSU’s defense with a slab of granite. But there is no excuse for surrendering 1,018 yards to New Mexico and Oregon State. Obviously, WSU must focus its offseason NIL efforts on keeping quarterback John Mateer, but the defense needs reinforcements — and plenty of them.
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11. Cal (6-5/2-5 ACC)
Last week: 11
Result: beat Stanford 24-21
Next up: at SMU (12:30 p.m. on ESPN2)
Comment: A gargantuan Big Game victory for coach Justin Wilcox and the Bears, who were as close to winning nine games this season as they were to losing seven. And with SMU assured of a berth in the ACC title game, there might be an opportunity to steal one in Dallas.
12. Arizona (4-7/2-6 Big 12)
Last week: 12
Result: lost at TCU 49-28
Next up: vs. Arizona State (12:30 p.m. on Fox)
Comment: We are not prepared to say Brent Brennan is coaching for his job in the Territorial Cup, but we aren’t prepared to say he’s not. And the fact that the Hotline bothered to type that sentence speaks to the Wildcats’ colossal, almost unfathomable regression over the past three months.
13. Oregon State (5-6/1-0 Pac-12)
Last week: Not ranked
Result: beat Washington State 41-38
Next up: at Boise State (Friday at 9 a.m. on Fox)
Comment: Credit Trent Bray and the Beavers for mustering their best effort in weeks just when it appeared they had packed up and headed home for the holidays. That said, the potential for a wipeout on Friday is significant.
14. Utah (4-7/1-7 Big 12)
Last week: 15
Result: lost to Iowa State 31-28
Next up: at UCF (Friday at 5 p.m. on Fox)
Comment: What kind of odds could you have gotten on Sept. 21, after the Utes beat Oklahoma State in Stillwater and improved to 4-0, that they would not become bowl-eligible? Here’s the answer: The bet wouldn’t have existed because that scenario only seemed possible in an alternate universe.
15. Colorado State (7-4/5-1 Mountain West)
Last week: 13
Result: lost at Fresno State 28-22
Next up: vs. Utah State (Friday at 12:30 p.m. on FS1)
Comment: Nice of CSU to lose at Fresno State and allow UNLV to slide into the conference championship game, thereby giving Boise State the chance to beat a ranked opponent and improve its position for a top-four seed in the CFP. Very magnanimous of the Rams.
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