Pac-12 women’s basketball power rankings: Colorado stuns LSU in Vegas, Baylor upsets Utah

I guess it had to end sometime.

After 31 straight wins by Pac-12 teams to open the season, the preseason conference favorite Utah Utes were the first to fall in an upset on the road to No. 21 Baylor.

Anyone have that on their bingo card?

Still, for games played through Nov. 14, the Pac-12 is 33-1, including several blowouts of previously top-10 ranked foes.

In the latest AP Poll, five Pac-12 teams soared up the ranks and are positioned inside the top-10.

Someone must sort through which of the unbeaten Pac-12 teams — and Utah — are the best, and I’m up for the challenge.

1. Colorado

Last week: 4

What to know: Why not? It’s still nonconference season and the Buffs have the best win, dismantling reigning champ and preseason No. 1 LSU, 92-78, in Las Vegas. That beatdown was enough to see Colorado soar from preseason No. 20 in the AP Poll to No. 5, which is still just third-best in the Pac-12. Tack on another Power Five win over Oklahoma State and Colorado is building quite the good nonconference resume early on.

2. USC

Last week: 6

What to know: Another team that has soared in the polls, No. 1 freshman JuJu Watkins had a standout debut for the Trojans against a top-10 Ohio State squad and has averaged 28.3 points per game through three contests so far. The question will be if Watkins can keep it up once Pac-12 season rolls around. So far, the reigning Gatorade High School Player of the Year is living up to the billing.

3. Stanford

Last week: 3

What to know: Discount the Cardinal at your own peril, Pac-12 coaches certainly won’t. Though not many saw Stanford as a legit title contender this season, the Cardinal made a statement early with a thorough victory over previously ranked No. 9 Indiana, 96-64. Star Cameron Brink is averaging 14 points, 12.5 rebounds, and 3 blocks through two games.

4. UCLA

Last week: 2

What to know: The Bruins have done exactly what has been expected of them so far, defeating Purdue, UC Riverside, and Bellarmine handily. The schedule ramps up significantly in the coming weeks with a Nov. 24 date against UConn on the horizon.

5. Utah

Last week: 1

What to know: Though the Utes are likely still the favorites to win the Pac-12, an 84-77 loss to No. 21 Baylor on the road is going to send them down the rankings for a bit. The No. 4 Utes will be just fine, and have a chance to climb right back up, with a matchup against No. 1 South Carolina on Dec. 10.

6. Arizona

Last week: 7

What to know: The Wildcats have taken care of business through three games, getting past New Mexico State in their opener before defeating Northern Arizona, Loyola Marymount, and San Diego. The young Wildcats are led by sophomore guard Kailyn Gilbert, who is averaging over 15 points a game, and true freshman forward Breya Cunningham, who is shooting over 80% from the field and averaging double figure scoring.

7. Washington State

Last week: 5

What to know: The Cougars had a rocky first week, having to come-from-behind in a win over Cal Poly and needing overtime to defeat Gonzaga in Pullman. Despite that, Washington State is still ranked No. 24 in the latest AP Poll. The Cougs have a big test against Maryland on Nov. 23 in Cancun.

8. Washington

Last week: 9

What to know: The Huskies have looked unstoppable, albeit against lowly Sacramento State and North Carolina Central. Sophomore Elle Ladine has averaged 18.5 points a game and freshman duo Ari Long and Sayvia Sellers are also averaging double-figure scoring for UW off the bench.

9. Oregon

Last week: 8

What to know: The Ducks have controlled two outings against Northern Arizona and Arkansas-Pine Bluff, but lost transfer guard Peyton Scott for the season just five minutes into their opener. Scott, expected to handle most of Oregon’s point guard duties for this season, will be sorely missed by a team hoping to make the NCAA tournament. The key for the Ducks will be how they adjust, and Chance Gray’s development as a lead guard.

10. Oregon State

Last week: 10

What to know: The Beavers got off to a slow start against Arkansas-Pine Bluff in their opener but roared back to win by double digits before taking down Villanova, 63-56. Though Nova likely isn’t the NCAA tournament team they were a year ago, that’s a big nonconference victory for an OSU team that will likely be on the bubble come tournament time.

11. Cal

Last week: 11

What to know: The Bears have controlled three outings against CSU Bakersfield, Santa Clara, and Cal Poly, and have an interesting date on the road against the SEC’s Auburn on Friday.

12. Arizona State

Last week: 12

What to know: The Sun Devils are already almost halfway to their win total from a year ago, starting their season 3-0 against UTSA, Montana State, and San Francisco. A trip to the Virgin Islands on Nov. 23 will provide a better look at how good ASU is with games against Texas and South Florida on tap.

Alec Dietz covers University of Oregon football, volleyball, women’s basketball and baseball for The Register-Guard. You may reach him at adietz@registerguard.com and you can follow him on Twitter @AlecDietz.

This article originally appeared on Register-Guard: Pac-12 women’s basketball power rankings: Utah falls, Buffs beat LSU