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It's probably too early to draw too many statistical conclusions, but here is a quick look at some Pac-12 numbers and how they stack up nationally.

Number to the left is national rank.

Scoring offense
3. Oregon, 62.5 points per game
T5. UCLA, 58.0
7. Arizona State, 55.0
T11. Utah, 50.0
T17. Arizona, 46.5

Total offense
3. Oregon, 664.5 yards
7. UCLA, 647.0
9. Washington, 592.0
11. California, 582.5
22. Utah, 539.0
25. Arizona State, 523.0

Note: Welcome to the show, Utes. So how did these guys get these numbers? See below.

Rushing offense
2. Oregon, 425.0 yards per game
7. Arizona, 351.5
8. UCLA, 345.0
24. Washington, 268.0

Passing offense
1. California, 472.5 yards per game
3. Oregon State, 436.5
8. Colorado, 370.5
9. Arizona State, 365.0
24. Washington, 324.0

Note: Washington has to like the balance it showed against Boise State, but will the Huskies maintain it on the road at Illinois? Cal is getting huge production from freshman QB Jared Goff. Did Buffaloes fans think Connor Wood would be putting up such big numbers?

Scoring defense
T1. Arizona State, 0.0
6. Washington, 6.0
T7. Arizona, Oregon, 6.5
19. USC, 11.5
T22. Stanford, 13.0

Total defense
2. Arizona State, 167.0
12. USC, 226.5
14. Stanford, 251.0
19. Arizona, 276.0
24. Washington State, 293.5

Note: USC's defense under new coordinator Clancy Pendergast isn't the problem. It's way early but it appears the Arizona and Washington State defenses are much improved.

Tackles for a loss (per game)
2. UCLA, 11.0
T3. USC, 10.0
T15. Utah, 8.5
T22. Arizona, Oregon, 8.0

Rushing
3. Bishop Sankey, Washington, 161.0
4. Jordan James, UCLA, 155.0
16. Tre Madden, USC, 130.0
T20. De'Anthony Thomas, Oregon, 126.0
25. Marcus Mariota, Oregon, 117.5

Note: Arizona RB Ka'Deem Carey's 171 yards on just 16 carries at UNLV don't officially count because of the requirement a player participate in 75 percent of the games thus far. The big test is James at Nebraska. Johnathan Franklin ran all over the Cornhuskers last year.

Pass efficiency
3. Taylor Kelly, Arizona State
6. Travis Wilson, Utah
14. Sean Mannion, Oregon State
16. Keith Price, Washington

Note: Wilson, Mannion and Price are answering big preseason questions for their teams. At least so far.

Receiving yards per game
1. Paul Richardson, Colorado, 208.5
4. Brandin Cooks, Oregon State, 144.0
7. Bryce Treggs, California, 133.0
24. Jaydon Mickens, Washington, 109.0

Note: Guessing more than a few folks are going, "Oh, yeah, that Paul Richardson." Here's a quiz: Who's the big name missing here? Hint: Marqise Lee, the best receiver in the country.

When an unranked team beats a ranked team, there is a knee-jerk reaction to place the blame squarely on the ranked team for “not taking care of its business.” Case in point: Washington State’s win Saturday night at the Los Angeles Coliseum over the No. 25 USC Trojans.

The last 72 hours has seen a media blitz of assaults on USC coach Lane Kiffin (deservedly so), criticism of USC’s two quarterbacks (deservedly so) and open-ended questions about what the heck is wrong in Troy.

Lost in all of that hot-seat banter (except maybe in Pullman, Wash.) is the fact that Washington State won the football game. Most of the East Coast probably woke up Sunday morning and said “Really? How’d that happen. Trojans must have tanked.”

Maybe. Or maybe Washington State should be getting more credit for winning on the road.

“I don’t worry about any credit,” said Washington State coach Mike Leach. “We had the game. We came out on top and it was a really tightly contested game. USC is a great team. This was one of the great defensive battles. It was back-and-forth. It was a very exciting game even though there wasn’t a lot of points. Maybe they’ll replay it so I suggest people on the East Coast watch it because it was an entertaining game.”

In a contest Leach described as “a bloodbath in the trenches with all kinds of body punches,” it was the Cougs who threw one more haymaker than the Trojans -- who lost at home to Washington State for the first time since 2000.

With neither team’s quarterback(s) playing particularly well, Leach credited his defense for staying poised and being opportunistic. Both defenses combined for 18 tackles for a loss, five sacks and five turnovers. Damante Horton, recently named the Pac-12 Defensive Player of the Week, snatched a pair of interceptions, returning one 70 yards for a touchdown just before halftime. Andrew Furney’s 41-yard field goal was the difference.

“Games unfold in a funny kind of way and you have to adapt throughout the course of the game,” Leach said. “It was a tight game. As time went on it became a battle of defensive lines. Both defensive lines were the most dominant forces in the game. USC’s defensive line was dominant. Our defensive line was dominant. It became a major trench war with the upper hand being both defensive lines so you kind of adapt accordingly. I don’t think the quarterbacks on either side settled in and both sides adapted around that.”

Players speaking to the media Monday said several times that they went into the game “expecting to win.”

“I think that was one of our main focuses, was confidence,” said defensive lineman Ioane Gauta. “We had confidence in each other making plays. Our secondary handled the game real well and we feel like we dominated the front seven. Our linebackers made plays. They made big tackles for losses. We’re proud of that.”

This game might serve as a turning point in the Mike Leach era at Washington State. Because it’s one thing to talk about expecting to win. It’s another to actually play like you believe it.

“The most important thing is to remove as much clutter as you can from your mind and focus on what you and your abilities can do and where they can take you and just go out there and do your best and do it without any hesitation,” Leach said. “Together, expect to be successful and do it over and over. Sometimes people do it with the game as a whole. I think instead it needs to be each individual battle you play and some of that has to be the enjoyment of engaging in one battle after the next and then trying to win each battle. I think our team in particular has done a better job of that.”

With an FCS opponent in Southern Utah coming up this week, players are doing their best to put the USC victory behind them and focus on what’s ahead.

“We finished, and I’m proud of them for that,” Leach said. “We went out there and played hard and not let things disrupt our composure … the biggest question is are we focused on Southern Utah right now? Because that’s what we need to do.”

Here's a quick look at Week 3 in the conference. All games are on Saturday and times are ET.

No. 16 UCLA (1-0) at No. 23 Nebraska (2-0), noon, ABC: Series tied at 6-6. UCLA won 36-30 last year in the Rose Bowl. With 4,014 career passing yards, sophomore QB Brett Hundley needs 74 yards to move into UCLA’s top-10 list, passing former Bruin and 1967 Heisman Trophy winner Gary Beban (4,087 yards). In the season-opener, Hundley connected with 10 different receivers. In last year’s win over Nebraska, the Bruins had 653 yards in total offense (344 rush/309 pass).

No. 5 Stanford (1-0) at Army (1-1), noon, CBS Sports Network: Series is tied 5-5. Army won the last meeting 17-13 in 1979. Stanford senior FS Ed Reynolds had a game-high 12 tackles (9 solo) to go with an interception in Stanford’s 34-13 victory over San Jose State. His interception extended Stanford’s streak of consecutive games with a takeaway to 25, the longest streak in the nation. Stanford’s current streak of being in the top five of the AP poll for three consecutive ranking periods is one week shy of the school’s best of four weeks achieved during the 1940 season.

Fresno State (2-0) at Colorado (2-0), 2 p.m., Pac-12 Network: Colorado leads the series 4-2, but Fresno State stomped the Buffaloes, 69-14, last year. In that game, Colorado was outgained 665 yards to 278. The Bulldogs rolled up 288 yards rushing. It was 35-0 after the first quarter, and it was 55-7 at the half. So, yeah, the Buffs should be motivated. Junior WR Paul Richardson grabbed 10 receptions for 208 yards in the season opener, then tallied 11 receptions for 209 yards in the win over Central Arkansas. It’s the first time in Pac-12 history that a receiver has posted back-to-back games of 200 or more yards receiving. The Buffs are looking to start the season 3-0 for the first time since 2008.

Boston College (2-0) at USC (1-1), 3 p.m., Pac-12 Network: USC leads the series 3-0. The Trojans last beat BC 24-13 in the 2009 Emerald Bowl. The Washington State pass defense held USC to 54 yards on 11 completions (4.9 ypc), while limiting All-American Marqise Lee to 27 yards on seven catches. Trojans coach Lane Kiffin named Cody Kessler the starting QB on Monday. The Trojan defense is playing well. It held Washington State to 7 yards rushing and now leads the nation in rushing defense (allowing 15.0 ypg) as well as sacks with 11 (5.5 per game)

Tennessee (2-0) at No. 2 Oregon (2-0), 3:30 p.m., ABC/ESPN: Oregon leads the series 1-0. It won 48-13 at Tennessee in 2010. In that game, the Ducks trailed 13-3 before scoring the final 45 points. Through two games, the Ducks have posted five 100-yard rushing performances -- two by De'Anthony Thomas, two by Marcus Mariota and one by Byron Marshall. Mariota is the first Oregon QB to rush for 100 or more yards in back-to-back games. Eight of Oregon’s nine scoring drives last week against Virginia were accomplished in under two minutes. That’s 17 of 19 scoring drives this season in less than two minutes (the other two drives were 2:11 and 3:08).

No. 19 Washington (1-0) at Illinois (2-0), 6 p.m., Big Ten Network: Washington leads the series 5-4. The Huskies won the last meeting 52-14 in Champaign. Illinois beat Washington in the 1964 Rose Bowl. The Huskies have now appeared in back-to-back AP polls for the first time since the 2003 season. Senior QB Keith Price has 56 TD passes in his career, most in school history, and ranks 25th all-time in the Pac-12. Junior RB Bishop Sankey has rushed for 100 or more yards in five of the last six games. He’s gained 368 yards over his last two games.

Southern Utah (2-0) at Washington State (1-1), 6:30 p.m., Pac-12 Network: First meeting between the two programs. With its 10-7 win over Southern Cal, Washington State snapped an eight-game losing streak to the Trojans. It was the Cougars' first win in The Coliseum since 2000. WSU leads the Pac-12, and is sixth in the FBS, allowing just 72.8 passing yards per game.

No. 4 Ohio State (2-0) at California (1-1), 7 p.m., Fox: Ohio State leads the series 6-1, including a 35-28 win last year in Columbus. Cal freshman QB Jared Goff has thrown for 930 yards in two games. His two-game total is just eight yards shy of the Pac-12 record two-game total of 938 yards set by former Cal Bear Pat Barnes in 1996. Barnes posted 435 yards vs. UCLA, then followed with a school-record 503 yards vs. Arizona. The last time Cal hosted a nonconference foe ranked among the top five was No. 4 Nebraska in 1998 (lost, 24-3).

Oregon State (1-1, 0-0) at Utah (2-0, 0-0), 10 p.m., Fox Sports 1: Oregon State leads the series 9-6-1, including a 21-7 win in Corvallis last year. Oregon State's junior QB Sean Mannion threw for 372 yards and four TDs in the win over Hawaii. It was fifth time he’s thrown for 350 or more yards in a game, while it was the sixth time he’s tossed three or more TD passes in a game. The Utes set a school mark for points in a quarter with 35 in the second of the 70-7 win over Weber State. This is the second time in school history Utah has amassed 100 points in the first two games (1973; 29-22 loss at Texas Tech, 82-6 win vs. UTEP). Sophomore QB Travis Wilson has connected on 31-of-47 for 566 yards and 5 TDs this season. His 202.2 passing efficiency rating ranks eighth in the FBS and second in the Pac-12.

UTSA (1-1) at Arizona (2-0), 10:30 p.m., Pac-12 Network: First meeting. After serving a one-game suspension and missing the first quarter, junior RB Ka'Deem Carey rushed 171 rushing yards on 16 carries (10.7 ypc) and 2 TDs, including a 56-yard TD run on his first carry of the season. Carey has 31 rushing TDs, second on the school’s career list. (UA record is 44 by Art Lupino, 1953-56). Junior S Tra'Mayne Bondurant added his FBS-leading third interception of the season with a pick he returned 52 yards for a TD, his second return this season for a score.

No. 20 Wisconsin (2-0) at Arizona State (1-0), 10:30 p.m., ESPN: Arizona State leads 2-1, but the Badgers won a 20-19 thriller in 2010. Arizona State is 8-0 vs. the Big Ten at Sun Devil Stadium. The Sun Devils committed just one penalty for 5 yards in their season-opening win over Sacramento State. ASU led the Pac-12 last season with just 55 penalties (4.2 per game) for 454 yards (34.9 ypg). Junior QB Taylor Kelly completed 23 of 31 passes for 300 yards and a career high-tying five TDs in the blowout win over Sacramento State. He has a streak of 102 straight pass attempts without an interception dating back to last year, which currently stands fourth nationally. His touchdown passes of 16, 41, 24, 33 and 26 yards, all went to five different receivers. Dating back to the final three games of the 2013 season, Kelly has gone 76-of-102 (.745) with 13 touchdowns and zero interceptions on 1,005 yards.

So how do your Pac-12 blogger stack things up after the season's first two weeks?

Glad you asked.

Here's my top-25 vote for the ESPN.com power rankings.

1. Alabama

2. Clemson

3. Stanford

4. Oregon

5. Ohio State

6. Florida State

7. LSU

8. Texas A&M

9. Louisville

10. Georgia

11. Michigan

12. Oklahoma State

13. Washington

14. Oklahoma

15. Arizona State

16. UCLA

17. South Carolina

18. Baylor

19. TCU

20. Wisconsin

21. Northwestern

22. Nebraska

23. Notre Dame

24. Miami

25. Florida

In the spring of 2003, Pete Carroll decided that Matt Leinart should be named USC's starting quarterback over Matt Cassel. In the spring of 2008, he decided that Mark Sanchez should be named the Trojans' starter over Mitch Mustain and Aaron Corp.

While Carroll's dynastic run at USC was notoriously about non-stop competition, he also understood team dynamics. He believed that it was important to name a starting quarterback as soon as possible. When he saw separation, he believed a starter should be "anointed." And, yes, that was the term he used.

"Part of the reason for naming [Sanchez] is to see [leadership] come out," Carroll told me in 2008. "He wasn't able to show it. He hadn't been anointed yet."

That formal anointing allowed the quarterback to gain and then demonstrate confidence. He became the offensive leader.

In the spring of 2011, Washington coach Steve Sarkisian, formerly Carroll's offensive coordinator, leaned on this lesson when he opted to name Keith Price his starter over Nick Montana.

In all three cases, a coach made a decision and it turned out to be the right one. That is what good coaches do. They use their wisdom and intuition to make decisions that help their football team reach its potential.

At a place like USC, "reach its potential," means winning and winning big. And that is -- critically -- where USC coach Lane Kiffin, who also coached under Carroll, has fallen short. He has made decisions and they have turned out to be the wrong ones. Those wrong decisions now have him riding an 8-7 record since his team started the 2012 season ranked No. 1.

When judging Kiffin, that is what matters: The concrete decisions he makes and the real-world results of those decisions. It's not about folks who have never talked to him one-on-one judging his personality or character. It's not about the perception that he's smug or hasn't paid his coaching dues. Forget perception and personality. It's about results.

Two games into the 2013 season, after a miserably disappointing 2012 campaign, those results have been terrible, at least in the specific areas that Kiffin oversees: offense and quarterbacks. Though Clay Helton is the titular quarterbacks coach and offensive coordinator, Kiffin's decision -- another bad one -- to retain play-calling duties this fall makes him responsible entirely for the results on offense.

Those results? The Trojans' longest pass play this year is 19 yards. They passed for only 54 yards -- 2.6 yards per completion -- in the 10-7 loss Saturday to Washington State, which yielded 263 yards passing per game last year. Auburn, which is using a former defensive back as its quarterback, passed for 99 yards in a win over the Cougars the week before. USC is ranked 112th in the nation in passing offense, despite having the nation's best receiver in Marqise Lee, the extremely talented Nelson Agholor and two future NFL tight ends in Xavier Grimble and Randall Telfer.

Of course, a defense lawyer pleading Kiffin's case could try to change the narrative. He could say USC doesn't have a Leinart, Sanchez or even a Price on its roster. He could say the QB competition was too close to call -- to anoint -- at the end of spring practices. He could say Kiffin should be able to call plays because it's his team, as Carroll called plays on defense and Sarkisian calls his offensive plays. He could say USC is leading with its stout defense. He could say NCAA sanctions are hurting Kiffin's offense.

He could say the season is far from over, and that would be unquestionably true.

The easy and decisive counter to all that is to wheel in a TV and turn on a replay of the loss to Washington State. To use a Kiffin phrase, "It is what it is." And that is horrific. If the prosecutor wanted to pile on, he'd then make it a double-feature with the Sun Bowl loss to Georgia Tech.

Yet, it's also easy to counter each defense argument.

QB talent? Max Wittek was No. 3 and Cody Kessler was No. 29 in the ESPN.com ranking of QB recruits in 2011. True freshman Max Browne was the No. 2 QB in the 2013 class. Young QBs across the country are putting up big numbers, most of whom were lower rated than these guys.

Competition too close to call? There wasn't an observer during spring practices who didn't believe Kessler had outplayed Wittek.

Call his own plays because it's his team? As the head coach, it's his job to judge performance objectively. By any measure, USC's offensive playcaller in 2012 failed at his job. He also certainly failed through two games this season.

Leading with a stout defense? Well, take a look at the scoreboard. That stout defense needed more help if winning remains the goal.

NCAA sanctions? Really? You'd use that argument after losing at home to a team that has averaged 9.8 losses per season over the past five years?

Kiffin's chief problem in 2012 was getting distracted by little things. He seemed consumed with gimmicks and gamesmanship. He hasn't seemed to grasp the fundamental fact of coaching USC: If superior players execute well, they win just about every time.

USC still has superior players. While that advantage might not be as decisive these days when matched with Oregon and Stanford, or even a rising UCLA, it certainly is when standing opposite Washington State.

Kiffin made a pair of decisions entering the 2013 season: 1. He would retain play-calling duties; 2. He would play two quarterbacks. After two games, those decisions are abject failures by even charitable measures.

Based on the "Fire Kiffin" chants in the Coliseum as the clock wound down last weekend, more than a few folks are done with charitable measures.

After a while I went out and left the hospital and walked back to the hotel in the rain.

• Arizona's passing game has some work to do.
• Arizona State now eyeballs Wisconsin.
• California's running game is not yet in gear.
• An opportunistic defense is a big reason Colorado is 2-0.
• Oregon's defense is matching the offense.
• Starting with LB Michael Doctor, Oregon State has some injury issues, but they can't let that discourage them -- next man in!
• The return of RB Tyler Gaffney is big for the Stanford offense.
• A terrible tragedy for UCLA football.
• USC coach Lane Kiffin will announce a starting QB on Monday.
• Utah can take another step forward in the Pac-12 against Oregon State.
• Washington receiver Jaydon Mickens is ready for a star turn.
• With a likely 3-1 start ahead, Washington State's fortunes are looking up.