No surprises with the first selection committee rankings. The Hotline preview had the top-six teams correct and in order, save for flipping No. 3 and 4.

Washington’s position (No. 12) was in the expected range, and it’s worth noting that the committee viewed UW’s resume with the same skepticism it applied to those of Wisconsin and Miami.

The Badgers and Canes are undefeated but, like UW, lack quality wins.

They were slotted, No. 9 and 10, respectively, a notch above the one-loss Huskies.

The committee has repeatedly stated that schedule strength and quality wins carry enormous weight The decisions to slot Georgia No. 1 and include Notre Dame and Clemson in the top four are the latest proof.

But Washington’s positioning by no means eliminates the Huskies from climbing into the race — they have enough high-level games remaining to make the jump into the top six.

They must run the table, and they need help. With the release of the first committee rankings, we now have a better feel for the nature of that help.

So much can happen, but four matters come immediately to mind:

* Assume the SEC will have at least one participant (Alabama or Georgia) and same with the Big Ten (either undefeated Wisconsin, or one-loss Ohio State/Penn State).

That leaves, at most, two spots. Get Pac-12 Conference news in your inbox with the Pac-12 Hotline newsletter Sign Up

* Stanford and USC need to win every game, except when they play the Huskies.

The stronger the finish for UW’s opponents, the stronger UW’s resume.

* Stanford must beat Notre Dame (7-1), if the Irish don’t lose prior to the Nov. 25 duel.

At 11-1, with a close loss to Georgia and a slew of quality wins (Michigan State, N.C. State, USC, Stanford and Miami), the Irish would be a lock for the playoff.

As such, they would reduce the number of spots available for the Power Five champions.

* Both Oklahoma and TCU must lose again.

Both teams are ahead of UW and both have quality win opportunities ahead — it would be difficult for UW to overtake the Horned frogs if they win out and impossible to pass one-loss Oklahoma (because of its victory at Ohio State).

I could go on, and on with scenarios and permutations, but that seems like enough to consider for now.

We’ll examine the Pac-12 playoff scenarios each week.

To the power ratings …

1. USC (7-2/5-1)

Last week: 3

Result: Won at Arizona State 48-17

Next up: vs. Arizona

Comment: Bad news for the resurgent defense, which might not be resurgent for long: Outside linebacker Porter Gustin won’t play Saturday because of a setback wit his toe.

2. Washington (7-1/4-1)

Last week: 1

Result: Beat UCLA 44-23

Next up: vs. Oregon

Comment: Wins vs. teams in CFP top 25: Zero. Games vs. teams in CFP top 25: Zero. Potential upcoming games vs. teams in CFP top 25: Three.

3. Arizona (6-2/4-1)

Last week: 6

Result: Beat Washington State 58-37

Next up: at USC

Comment: October began with a 2-2 record, Brandon Dawkins at quarterback and Rich Rodriguez’s job security seemingly fragile. November dawns with the Cats No. 23 in the CFP rankings. Related Articles Pac-12’s greatest games No. 20: When the officials really did suck (Oregon vs. Oklahoma)

Weekend wrap: Bellyflops and faceplants, stars and stats, booms, swoons and UCLA’s run for history

College Football Playoff: Mocking the bracket, the path for two-loss teams and what it means to the Pac-12

Pac-12 need-to-knows: Exposure issue for Tate and Love (updated with Neuheisel audio), key games for Cal and Oregon

4. Stanford (6-2/5-1)

Last week: 4

Result: Won at Oregon State 15-14

Next up: at Washington State

Comment: Run the table, and the Cardinal could collect four top-25 wins. Would that be enough fuel for a jump into the top four? Not impossible but highly unlikely.

5. Washington State (7-2/4-2)

Last week: 2

Result: Lost at Arizona 58-37

Next up: vs. Stanford

Comment: Reasonable to wonder if benefits of home-heavy early schedule have dissipated and Cougars are starting to wear down from nine-week bye-less stretch.

6. Arizona State (4-4/3-2)

Last week: 5

Result: Lost to USC 48-17

Next up: vs. Colorado

Comment: Defensive performance in Salt Lake City is easily explained — Utah is a mess — but the shutdown of Washington is perplexing given how ASU has played in every other game.

7. Oregon (5-4/2-4)

Last week: 10

Result: Beat Utah 41-20

Next up: at Washington

Comment: Starting to wonder if Justin Herbert’s injury secretly orchestrated by the milk industry.

8. Colorado (5-4/2-4)

Last week: 11

Result: Beat Cal 44-28

Next up: at Arizona State

Comment: Where was that execution in Week Four … and Week Five … and Week Six … and Week Eight? Three more performances like that, and the Buffs might collect two more wins.

9. Cal (4-5/1-5)

Last week: 7

Result: Lost at Colorado 44-28

Next up: vs. Oregon State

Comment: Not that the Hotline monitors such matters, but the Bears (conference games only) are 3-0 against the spread at home and 0-3 on the road. Not unusual for this stage of a rebuild.

10. UCLA (4-4/2-3)

Last week: 9

Result: Lost at Washington 44-23

Next up: at Utah (Friday)

Comment: Put the run defense in context Monday (link). As for the rushing offense: Better, but not nearly good enough. It’s like the Bruins are channeling their inner Texas Tech.

11. Utah (4-4/1-4)

Last week: 8

Result: Lost at Oregon 41-20

Next up: vs. UCLA (Friday)

Comment: Every few days, it seems, Kyle Whittingham issues honest but damning insight. The latest utterance: There “just seems to be a little something missing.”

12. Oregon State (1-7/0-5)

Last week: 12

Result: Lost to Stanford 15-14

Next up: at Cal

Comment: The support for Cory Hall is impressive, but hiring as head coach someone who hasn’t even been a coordinator at the college level is a colossal risk.

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