After three weeks of Pac-12 Conference play, there is one thing that is clear, aside from the fact that this is a terrible year for the conference. The Cal Bears and Stanford Cardinal have been the class of the conference so far in the 2011-2012 season, as both Bay Area schools sit atop the Pac-12 basketball standings:
| Pac-12 Basketball Standings | ||||||
| Team | Conf. | Overall | Last Week | Sagarin Rating | Pomeroy Rating | Next Week |
| California | 5-1 | 15-4 | 2-0 | 24 | 16 | at Washington, at WSU |
| Stanford | 5-1 | 15-3 | 2-0 | 40 | 42 | at WSU, at Washington |
| Washington | 4-1 | 11-6 | 2-0 | 84 | 94 | Cal, Stanford |
| Oregon | 4-2 | 13-5 | 2-0 | 79 | 95 | USC, UCLA |
| Arizona | 3-2 | 12-6 | 1-1 | 65 | 52 | at Utah, at Colorado |
| Colorado | 3-2 | 11-6 | 0-2 | 91 | 107 | ASU, Arizona |
| UCLA | 3-2 | 10-7 | 1-0 | 92 | 67 | at OSU, at Oregon |
| Arizona State | 2-3 | 6-11 | 1-1 | 186 | 171 | at Colorado, at Utah |
| Washington State | 1-4 | 9-8 | 0-1 | 124 | 121 | Stanford, Cal |
| Utah | 1-4 | 4-13 | 0-2 | 291 | 316 | Arizona, ASU |
| Oregon State | 1-5 | 11-7 | 0-2 | 94 | 74 | UCLA, USC |
| USC | 0-5 | 5-13 | 0-1 | 165 | 147 | at Oregon, at OSU |
The conference hasn't had a team ranked in the top 25 of either the Associated Press poll or ESPN/USA Today coaches poll in six weeks, and that doesn't figure to change any time soon. Stanford was the only team to receive any votes, finishing 35th in both polls. This week will let us know whether or not the Washington Huskies (4-1, third place in the Pac-12) are for real.
The UCLA Bruins and USC Trojans travel to the Pacific Northwest this week for battles with Oregon and Oregon State. The Oregon Ducks had a big week this last week with a rare sweep in Arizona.
For more local Pac-12 basketball news, be sure to read Bruins Nation and Conquest Chronicles.