Pac-12 power ratings: Stanford and the 2 undefeated teams, Arizona and Colorado

Five more Pac-12 women's basketball games were postponed on Tuesday after a weekend in which only two conference games were played.

The latest COVID-related postponements mean Utah, Arizona State and Washington (and perhaps others) will have played no league games through the first two weeks of the round-robin schedule — and that all 12 teams will have missed at least one game.

How many will be made up, if any, is unknown.

Only a handful of teams have competed since the Hotline's power ratings were published just before Christmas, so there aren't radical changes.

But we're resetting the deck chairs and keeping fingers crossed that as many of the seven games still scheduled through this week actually are played.

(NET rankings are through Monday: The NCAA Evaluation Tool is used by the tournament selection committee to determine the seeds and at-large bids.)

1. Stanford (9-3/1-0)

Last week: 1

Results: beat Washington State 82-44

Next up: vs. Oregon (Friday)

NET ranking: No. 4 (change from Dec. 21: +3)

Comment: The Cardinal is ranked No. 2 (Associated Press) and No. 3 (USA Today) in the major polls with one first-place vote in the latter. It was missing five players due to COVID protocol against Washington State on Sunday but could have some back this week. "This is the world we live in," Cardinal coach Tara VanDerveer said after the WSU game.

2. Arizona (10-0/0-0)

Last week: 2

Results: at USC and UCLA, postponed

Next up: vs. Washington State (Friday)

NET ranking: No. 7 (change from Dec. 21: +1)

Comment: The Wildcats last played Dec. 17 and already have a postponement this week vs. Washington. They are No. 4/5 in the major polls with three first-place votes in AP and one in USA Today. There is, though, no reason to push Arizona ahead of Stanford, which is No. 3 nationally in strength of schedule. Arizona is No. 82.

3. Colorado (11-0, 0-0)

Last week: 3

Results: at Oregon State and Oregon postponed

Next up: vs. USC (Friday)

NET ranking: No. 29 (change from Dec. 21: +6)

Comment: Coach JR Payne's house made it intact through the wildfire that destroyed nearly 1,000 homes between Denver and Boulder, a non-COVID reminder about keeping athletics in perspective. The number of unbeaten teams in Division I is down to three: Colorado, Arizona and No. 19 North Carolina.

4. Oregon (7-4/0-0)

Last week: 5

Results: vs. Utah and Colorado, postponed; beat Carroll College 88-57

Next up: at Stanford (Friday)

NET ranking: No. 17 (change from Dec. 21: -2)

Comment: We're bumping the Ducks up one spot, not so much based on a one-sided win over an NAIA opponent but because of their improving health, including the return of guard Te-Hina Paopao. It's probably expecting too much too soon for a road upset of Stanford, but Oregon is almost certainly going to rise from its current ESPN projection as an NCAA Tournament No. 10 seed.

5. Utah (8-3/0-0)

Last week: 4

Results: at Oregon and Oregon State, postponed

Next up: California (Jan. 13)

NET ranking: No. 21 (change from Dec. 21: none)

Comment: Home games against UCLA and USC are off this week due to Utes' COVID issues, leaving them idle since a Dec. 21 loss at No. 23 Oklahoma. Their first game back is on a Thursday against Cal, which could be playing its third game in seven days.

6. Oregon State (7-3/0-0)

Last week: 6

Results: vs. North Carolina Central, canceled; vs. Colorado and Utah, postponed

Next up: at California (Friday)

NET ranking: No. 60 (change from Dec. 21: +4)

Comment: It remains something of a toss-up between Oregon State, Arizona State, UCLA and Washington State with not enough information to definitively sort it out. We're staying with the Beavers at the top of that tier for now, primarily based on a 4-1 December.

7. Arizona State (8-5/0-0)

Last week: 7

Results: at UCLA and USC postponed; beat Lipscomb 70-54

Next up: at Oregon (Jan. 13)

NET ranking: No. 43 (change from Dec. 31: -2)

Comment: The Sun Devils added a non-conference game last week, intending to knock off rust and fill a gap created by COVID issues for their opponents. Now, it's ASU dealing with COVID, forcing the postponement of home games against the Washington schools and leaving the Sun Devils with just one game played between Dec. 21 and Jan. 13.

8. UCLA (5-3/0-0)

Last week: 8

Results: vs. USC, Arizona State and Arizona, postponed

Next up: at Colorado (Sunday)

NET ranking: No. 66 (change from Dec. 21: -6)

Comment: It's getting hard to remember the last time UCLA played given the cancellation/postponement of six games, including one later this week (at Utah). Odds favor something positive injury-wise happening for the Bruins since their Dec. 11 game vs. No. 11 Connecticut.

9. Washington State (9-4/1-1)

Last week: 9

Results: beat California 69-42, lost to Stanford 82-44

Next up: at Arizona (Friday)

NET ranking: No. 75 (change from Dec. 21: -2)

Comment: Perhaps the biggest takeaway for the only team playing two Pac-12 games last week is the importance of 6-foot-1 forward Ula Motuga in balancing the Cougars offensively and stiffening their post defense, which gave up 44 points to Stanford even without Cameron Brink.

10. USC (7-3/0-0)

Last week: 11

Results: at UCLA, vs. Arizona and ASU, postponed

Next up: at Colorado (Friday)

NET ranking: No. 71 (change from Dec. 21: -1)

Comment: The Trojans carry a sizable NET ranking advantage over Washington and California, so they get a slight bump up this week despite not playing since Dec. 18. With the Utah game already postponed, the Trojans can throw everything they've got into testing unbeaten Colorado.

11. California (9-3/0-1)

Last week: 10

Results: lost Washington State 69-42

Next up: vs. Oregon State (Friday)

NET ranking: No. 107 (change from Dec. 21: -6)

Comment: Without Pac-12 scoring leader Jayda Curry, plus Dalayah Daniels and Jazlen Green, Cal was in a daze for the first half against Washington State, scoring just 14 points. "They're significant," Cal coach Charmin Smith said. "We missed them."

12. Washington (5-3/0-0)

Last week: 12

Results: vs. Stanford and California, postponed

Next up: at UCLA (Jan. 14)

NET ranking: 96 (change from Dec. 21: +9)

Comment: With this week's postponements against the Arizona schools, the Huskies will be off for 24 days between games. They are on a three-game winning streak under new coach Tina Langley, but it's going to be a bit like starting over next week.

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