Utah and Colorado could highlight the Pac-12's 2nd half

The game illustrated the rise of the Huskies, off to their best start (6-0, 3-0 Pac-12) since 1992, and the quick fall of the Ducks, who played for the national championship two seasons ago but have dropped four straight to sit at the bottom of the Pac-12 North (2-4, 0-3.)

Washington coach Chris Petersen said the task at hand now is keeping the players focused on the next game — and off the hype that comes with the undefeated start and the national ranking.

Depending on how the season shakes out, Washington could be the first North team besides Stanford or Oregon to play for the Pac-12 title since the league championship game was created in 2011.

The Utes and Buffaloes sit atop the division standings with 3-1 records, ahead of USC with two losses.

While Utah has seen a steady rise with its hard-nosed defensive play in recent years, the Utes have never made it to the Pac-12 championship game.

Colorado is the more dramatic upstart in the south at 5-2 and vying to become bowl eligible for the first time since 2007.

The Wildcats started 17-year-old freshman Khalil Tate at QB in a 48-14 loss to USC last week and when he struggled, they turned to third-string TE Matt Morin.

The team was so thin at running back that the Utes coaxed Joe Williams out of retirement last week to help against Oregon State.

Stanford's Christian McCaffrey, last season's AP Player of the Year and the runner up for the Heisman Trophy, did not play last weekend against Notre Dame because of an injury.