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A look at what we learned about the Pac-12 in Week 4.

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AP Photo/Marcio Jose SanchezStanford made short work of Arizona State on Saturday, showing that the Sun Devils aren't quite ready to compete with the Pac-12 elite.
1. The Pac-12 might be the deepest conference: The league wrapped up the majority of its nonconference slate with an impressive 29-4 record, including a mark of 21-3 against FBS teams. With Oregon State’s win over San Diego State and USC’s victory over Utah State, the Pac-12 moves to 10-0 this season against the Mountain West -- a lower-level conference that gave the league fits last season. Some wins were spectacular, some weren’t. But the fact that only Cal had a sub-.500 record out of conference speaks volumes about the league's depth. And even those two losses came against top-25 teams.
2. Arizona State isn’t there yet: After last week’s controversial ending against Wisconsin, the Sun Devils were eager to show that they were worthy of their top-25 ranking. But trailing 39-7, ASU simply didn't look like a team ready to contend with a top-five team on the road. Give it credit for fighting back and scoring 28 second-half points. It's not hard to imagine previous ASU teams throwing in the proverbial towel. And the Sun Devils still should be considered contenders for the Pac-12 South. We’ll know more when they host USC next week, but for now, the Sun Devils look more like a second-tier Pac-12 team than a group that could challenge Stanford and/or Oregon.
3. Apples good, potatoes bad (at least in football): Combined points for Washington and Washington State in Week 4: 98. Combined points for Idaho and Idaho State in Week 4: 0. Granted, this wasn’t the stiffest of competition. But Washingtonians from Aberdeen to Yakima to Pullman can feel pretty good about the state of football in their state. The Huskies have scored 34 points for three straight games for the first time since 2002. They posted their first shutout since 2009 and the margin of victory was the largest since beating Oregon 66-0 in 1974. And yes, it was very cool seeing Deontae Cooper get his first career touchdown. For the Cougars, it was their first shutout since 2005 -- which also came against Idaho. The defense posted a season-high five sacks.
4. A W is a W: While Washington, Washington State and UCLA cruised to easy wins, Oregon State, Utah and USC needed all four quarters to get the job done. Of course, there were different reasons for all three. Utah was playing a rivalry game against a team receiving top 25 votes. It was a hard-fought game and a solid victory for the Utes (you’re really going to throw a flag on Eric Rowe? For all the extra shoves and questionably late hits that went on in that game, that’s what gets the flag!?), USC was facing an extremely dangerous quarterback in Utah State’s Chuckie Keeton. But they sacked him four times for minus-15 rushing yards and kept him to just 179 yards in the air. The USC offense, however, continues to be a work in progress. And then there’s the Beavers ... oh, those Beavers. Credit them for coming from behind late to beat San Diego State. But don't lose sight of the fact that they had to come from behind late to beat San Diego State. Sean Mannion had another monster game, and Brandin Cooks had another monster game. But the defense and the running game continue to be issues that will get exposed if the Beavers can't fix them as they get deeper into conference play.
5. We can start thinking about league play! There’s only three “official” nonconference games left, and they all involve Notre Dame (still waiting on the possibility of Colorado and Fresno State rescheduling). But by this time next week, every team except UCLA will have played a conference game. Of the three league games we’ve had so far, the North has gone 3-0 against the South, with Washington State, Oregon State and Stanford all getting victories over USC, Utah and Arizona State, respectively. Next week we get some intra-division showdowns between USC and ASU, California and Oregon and Stanford and Washington State in Seattle. But it’s the inter-division matchups that are very intriguing. Undefeated Arizona travels to undefeated Washington -- where we’ll learn a little bit more about the Wildcats. And a confident Colorado team visits Oregon State in a game that seemed like a sure thing for the Beavers a month ago.

LOS ANGELES -- A look at the positives and negatives from USC’s 17-14 victory over Utah State on Saturday:

THREE UP

1. Team defense: For the fourth consecutive game the USC defense was flat-out stellar, limiting the Utah State offense -- which came into the game averaging 550.3 yards per game -- to 285 yards. Leonard Williams and the Trojans’ defensive line spearheaded an effort that resulted in four sacks and limited USU quarterback Chuckie Keeton -- who entered Saturday’s contest completing 78.1 percent of his passes -- to 21-of-39 passing (53.8 percent) for 179 yards and two touchdowns.

2. Kris Albarado: With the USC offense struggling, and the defense more than holding its own, punter Kris Albarado found himself playing a key role in a battle for field position, and it’s safe to say that he came through for the Trojans. The junior from Lake Charles, La., pinned five of his seven punts inside the Aggies’ 20-yard line, and he was a primary reason why Utah State’s average starting field position in the second half was at its own 16-yard line.

3. Tre Madden: This wasn’t the best outing of 2013 for Madden -- in fact, it marked the first time all season that he failed to eclipse the 100-yard plateau on the ground -- but he performed solidly nonetheless in a game where the rest of the offense was non-existent for large stretches. Carrying the ball 24 times for 93 yards and one touchdown, while also making three catches for 15 more yards, he was especially effective early on before the Aggies switched to an eight-man front on defense.

THREE DOWN

1. Offensive energy and crispness: After appearing to have made strides in the team’s win over Boston College last week, a very stale-looking USC offense took a pronounced step back against Utah State, especially in terms of the passing game. Quarterback Cody Kessler completed just 13 of 27 passes for 164 yards and one touchdown, and he received little help from those around him, including his receivers who dropped two key throws. In the second half Utah State provided every opportunity for the Trojans to run away with the game, giving the offense tremendous field position time after time, but USC could only muster one field goal as a result.

2. Offensive line: One significant contributing factor in the stagnant play of the offense was another less-than-stellar performance by the USC offensive line, particularly when it came to pass-protection -- something it has grappled with throughout the team’s first four games. Allowing three sacks on the day, the unit struggled more and more as the game wore on, and Kessler had a steady flow of pass-rushers coming at him late in the contest that made it difficult for him to get a rhythm going.

3. USC third-down conversions: With the offense failing to move the ball on a consistent basis, the Trojans continued to have a tough time on third down. Coming into the game against Utah State having successfully converted on just 29.7 percent of the team’s third-down plays -- the No. 104 mark nationally -- the Trojans were just 3-of-14 (21.4 percent) on Saturday, and 0-for-8 in the second half.

So who deserves a helmet sticker for a job well done?

Hau'oli Kikaha, DE, Washington: Kikaha, formally known as Jamora, had 2 1/2 sacks in the Huskies' blowout win over Idaho State.

Leonard Williams, DT, USC: The true sophomore led the Trojans' dominant defensive effort against Utah State with eight tackles, three of which came for a loss. USC held the Aggies to just 285 yards in a 17-14 win.

Travis Wilson, QB, Utah: The difference in the Holy War was Utah's ability to pass efficiently and BYU's inability to do so. Wilson completed 24 of 35 passes for 273 yards with two touchdowns and no interceptions in the Utes' 20-13 victory.

Sean Mannion, QB, Oregon State: Mannion completed 38 of 55 passes for 367 yards with three touchdowns and no interceptions in the Beavers' 34-30 comeback win over San Diego State. He did that without any running game, leading a comeback from a 13-point fourth-quarter deficit. Assist to WR Brandin Cooks, who caught 14 passes for 141 yards.

Jordan James, RB, UCLA: James rushed for 164 yards on 19 carries with two touchdowns in the Bruins' 59-13 win over New Mexico State.

Gabe Marks, WR, Washington State: Marks caught 11 passes for 146 yards and two touchdowns in the Cougars' 42-0 win over Idaho.

While the Pac-12 versus Notre Dame trilogy has yet to be written, and we still need to see if Colorado-Fresno State gets rescheduled (it's looking unlikely), it’s safe to say that the Pac-12 as a whole came out of its nonconference slate in impressive fashion.

Through the first four weeks, the league flexed its muscles against weaker competition, gutted out wins against comparable foes and showed considerable top-to-bottom depth. Oregon and Stanford announced national title intentions without incident and teams like Washington and UCLA have steadily climbed the Top 25 ladder.

After three straight weeks of just one league game, every game in Week 5 will be Pac-12 on Pac-12, meaning the league had the opportunity to put a nice little bow on the bulk of its nonleague schedule in Week 4. And that’s exactly what it did, adding six more nonconference wins, headlined by Utah’s victory over arch-nemesis BYU.

Not only is it the fourth straight win for the Utes over BYU, but with the teams not playing again till 2016 they now get two extra years to savor the flavor of their 20-13 victory over the Cougars. This year's Holy War had everything we’ve come to expect from a Utah-BYU showdown. Hard hits, flared tempers and drama right until the final play.

With many wondering if BYU was a Top 25 team after blasting Texas two weeks ago (it was receiving votes in the coaches poll), the Utes proved to be the stronger team, bouncing back from last week’s overtime loss to Oregon State to win on the road. And with a 3-0 mark in its nonconference games, Utah is slowly proving that it’s making strides as a full-fledged Pac-12 program.

Some nonconference numbers for your consideration:

• After going 25-11 out of conference last season (not including bowl games), the Pac-12 is 29-4 against nonconference teams through the first four weeks.
• The Pac-12 is 21-3 against FBS opponents.
• The league went 3-2 against the Big Ten and 10-0 against the Mountain West.

Why is this important? The Pac-12 will see both leagues a couple of more times in the postseason.

There were signature wins, such as the aforementioned Holy War victory, UCLA’s win at Nebraska, Washington’s win over Boise State and Oregon’s pasting of Tennessee. Yes, even Arizona State's win over Wisconsin qualifies as a signature victory.

The lone stain was Oregon State’s loss to Eastern Washington in Week 1. The Beavers survived Saturday against San Diego State after another inexplicably poor performance -- save the two late interceptions. Ironic, I suppose, that it was the much-maligned defense that came up big in the end.

Outside of that, California’s losses to Northwestern and Ohio State are nothing to scoff at and Washington State went toe-to-toe with a vastly improved Auburn team. In fact, that’s a game the Cougs probably should have won.

In Week 4, the league took care of its business yet again with UCLA, Washington State and Washington all notching easy wins against teams that warrant easy wins.

USC’s defense continues to impress, sacking Utah State quarterback Chuckie Keeton four times, though the offense still leaves much to be desired. We’ve already seen how it faltered in a league game against Washington State. It’s only going to get tougher for the Trojans with ASU next week.

There are at least three more opportunities for the league to continue its nonconference dominance, starting with ASU’s showdown in Dallas with Notre Dame on Oct. 5. USC and Stanford will also see the Irish. Outside of that (or Colorado and Fresno State getting back on the books), the league will have to cannibalize itself in its nine-game conference schedule before it gets another opportunity to show the rest of the country what it can do in the bowl season.

As long as the SEC still holds its seven straight crystal balls, it will continue to be seen as the class of college football. But the Pac-12 stated its case through the first four weeks that, top to bottom, it belongs in the conversation.

LOS ANGELES -- USC was hoping to use the game against Utah State as a way to build some positive momentum, but the 17-14 victory over the Aggies showed that the Trojans still have a long way to go.

Make no mistake, it’s always nice to get the win but this is a game where the Trojans had a huge advantage in field position and also got the usual solid game from the defense. Unfortunately, the USC offense couldn’t take advantage of the opportunities to put the game away in the second half and, if not for some special teams miscues by Utah State, the result could have been very different.

“It was a very hard fought game today,” USC coach Lane Kiffin said. “Very much like what we anticipated. I felt like there was a rhythm early on when we were able to run the ball, but obviously we wanted to finish better in the second half.”

USC started off strong with a Tre Madden touchdown run on the second series of the game to go up 7-0. The Trojans defense put good pressure early on Utah State quarterback Chuckie Keeton, primarily with defensive linemen Leonard Williams and George Uko as well as outside linebackers Devon Kennard and Morgan Breslin. USC dodged a bullet when Utah State clanged a first-quarter field goal off the upright, a miss that would loom large.

Each team added a touchdown in the second quarter, and as the second half started it was clear it was anyone’s ball game.

The Trojans had their chances with the Aggies playing an eight-man front, leaving the USC receivers against man coverage. Normally, that would spell a big day for Marqise Lee and/or Nelson Agholor, but there were some dropped passes and some pressure on Cody Kessler which prevented the Trojans from capitalizing. Lee ended the day with six catches for 72 yards, while Agholor had two catches for 38 yards. Neither player reached the end zone.

“I missed some throws and we had some drops, but they are things we can fix,” Kessler said. “Thanks for the job our defense did, we were able to come away with the win.”

The USC defense is rapidly becoming known as the side of the ball which will win games for this team. Williams led the team in tackles with eight and added three tackles for loss. Uko had five tackles and a sack, Breslin had two sacks and Kennard added a sack. They did a terrific job of limiting Keeton -- who came into the game completing 78 percent of his passes -- to a rather pedestrian stat line of 21-of-39 passing for 179 yards and a pair of scores. Good numbers to be sure, but not enough to get it done against the Trojans.

“We had a good game plan from Coach O (Orgreon) the whole week,” Uko said. “We just wanted to angle in and rush tight and keep them in the box”

The battle for field position really started to impact the game in the second half, as the Trojans’ average starting field position was the Utah State 45, while Utah State started at its own 16. It didn’t help the Aggies that their punter had a shanked 12-yard kick at the end of the third quarter that led directly to a 25-yard Andre Heidari field goal, which proved to be the winning margin. There was also a strange fake punt from the Aggies on a fourth-and-11 from their own 34-yard line in the fourth quarter, resulting in an incomplete pass from tight end D.J. Tialavea.

If you’re looking for bright spots for the Trojans, look no further than punter Kris Albarado, who pinned five punts inside the Aggies’ 20-yard line to help win the field position battle. Little things like that are big on a day when the two teams are basically even in total yards (285 for USU to 282 for USC).

Madden fell short in his bid for a fourth-straight 100-yard rushing day but did run for 93 yards on 24 carries and a touchdown. Kessler completed 13 of 27 passes for 164 yards and a touchdown, but he was also sacked three times and took several big hits.

Now the Trojans turn their attention to a big road game next week in Tempe against Arizona State. There was hope that things would be clicking after a four-game opening stretch that included three games at home but at this point the offense can best be described as a work in progress. Thankfully the Trojans have their defense, a unit which once again put the team on their shoulders to come away with a tougher-than-expected win.