USC on top, followed by Arizona, Colorado

The Pac-12 power ratings will appear weekly on the Hotline until the conference tournament, although the publication day will change once football season ends.

Pac-12 teams posted an 11-1 record in season openers, an encouraging start that nonetheless requires a morsel of context.

Last year, the conference was 10-2 in openers, but the initial success quickly gave way to a gruesome overall showing in non-conference games that impacted its NCAA Tournament bids and seeds.

November and March are deeply interconnected through the multiplier effect in the NET rankings.

We’ll track the Pac-12 non-conference performance each week in this space.

1. USC (1-0)

Result: beat Kansas State 82-69
Next up: vs. Cal State Bakersfield (Thursday)
Comment: The Trojans couldn’t have scripted a better debut for heralded freshman Isaiah Collier, who had 18 points (on nine shots) and six assists. Check that — they could have scripted fewer than six turnovers and five fouls for Collier. But still, an impressive performance.

2. Arizona (1-0)

Result: beat Morgan State 122-59
Next up: at Duke (Friday)
Comment: The last time guard Caleb Love took the court in Cameron Indoor Stadium, he was 5-of-15 from the field in a six-point loss with his former team, North Carolina.

3. Colorado (1-0)

Result: beat Towson 75-57
Next up: vs. Grambling (Friday)
Comment: If the Buffaloes aren’t undefeated headed into an early-December duel with Miami, something has gone sideways. The schedule simply isn’t challenging until that point.

4. UCLA (1-0)

Result: beat St. Francis 75-44
Next up: vs. Lafayette (Friday)
Comment: We expect several UCLA opponents to score in the 40s this season. The question is, will the Bruins?

5. Oregon (1-0)

Result: beat Georgia 82-71
Next up: vs. Montana (Friday)
Comment: The preferred outcome in a season opener against Georgia.

6. Arizona State (0-1)

Result: lost to Mississippi State 71-56
Next up: vs. Texas Southern (Saturday)
Comment: The only loss for the conference came on a neutral court (in Chicago) against a power conference opponent picked (by the media) to finish in the middle of the SEC standings and projected (by ESPN) to qualify for the NCAAs.

7. Stanford (1-0)

Result: beat Cal State Northridge 88-79
Next up: vs. Sacramento State (Friday)
Comment: If the Cardinal also loses to Sacramento State on the hardwood, it might be time to consider moving the athletic department to Division III.

8. Washington (1-0)

Result: beat Bellarmine 91-57
Next up: vs. Northern Kentucky (Thursday)
Comment: If Koren Johnson and Keion Brooks combine for 47 points another 18 or 20 times this season, the Huskies might blow past expectations.

9. Utah (1-0)

Result: beat Eastern Washington 101-66
Next up: vs. UC Riverside (Friday)
Comment: Even in the transfer portal era, it was a tad jarring to see wing Cole Bajema in a color other than purple.