The Pac-12 has faded into the background of the college basketball sphere in 2021. An announcement by the conference that they would not play non-conference games, which was then later reversed, left teams struggling to fill their schedules, leading to a lack of blockbuster games featuring the teams out west.
Over the course of the season, though, we have watched as many different schools have gotten their turn as the conference’s darling. It was Oregon to start the year, then people noticed the raw talent on Stanford, Colorado got a turn, and most recently UCLA, but one team has emerged from the pack recently: Andy Enfield’s USC Trojans. The team, led by future NBA star Evan Mobley, holds a 10-1 record since the calendar flipped to 2021, the lone loss being a fluky one-possession defeat in Corvallis.
On Saturday, USC cemented itself as what many of us already knew them to be: the best team in the Pac-12. The Trojans dominated a ranked UCLA team from tip to buzzer en route to a 66-48 victory, holding their cross-town rivals to the fewest points the Bruins had scored all season. The win pushed USC to a 9-2 record in conference play, leaving them tied with UCLA atop the conference, but thanks to the head-to-head victory, the Trojans now control their own destiny to a Pac-12 crown, a feat they have not achieved since 1985, when they shared the title with Washington, back when the conference was still known as the Pac-10. Were the Trojans to be able to win an outright title, it would be the first since 1961, when the conference was known as the Athletic Association of Western Universities and consisted of just five schools.
A reminder, as always, these rankings DO NOT reflect a team’s resume. They are solely used to measure a team’s strength in the sense Vegas would to set lines. Thus, team talent remains an important variable throughout the season. Additionally, recent games are weighted more heavily, and if you are lucky or don’t look good in a win, you may fall, while if you look good or are unlucky in a loss, you may rise. Let’s get into it.
| Rank | Name | Conf | Record | change |
| 1 | Baylor | Big 12 | 17-0 | 1 |
| 2 | Gonzaga | WCC | 18-0 | -1 |
| 3 | Michigan | Big Ten | 13-1 | 0 |
| 4 | Illinois | Big Ten | 13-5 | 2 |
| 5 | Iowa | Big Ten | 13-6 | -1 |
| 6 | Houston | AAC | 16-2 | -1 |
| 7 | Villanova | Big East | 12-2 | 0 |
| 8 | Tennessee | SEC | 13-4 | 0 |
| 9 | Alabama | SEC | 15-5 | 2 |
| 10 | Virginia | ACC | 13-3 | 3 |
| 11 | Ohio State | Big Ten | 15-4 | 3 |
| 12 | Texas Tech | Big 12 | 14-5 | -3 |
| 13 | Wisconsin | Big Ten | 14-6 | -3 |
| 14 | Texas | Big 12 | 11-5 | -2 |
| 15 | West Virginia | Big 12 | 13-5 | 4 |
| 16 | Florida State | ACC | 10-3 | 2 |
| 17 | USC | Pac-12 | 15-3 | 8 |
| 18 | Creighton | Big East | 14-5 | -3 |
| 19 | Kansas | Big 12 | 12-7 | -3 |
| 20 | Oklahoma | Big 12 | 12-5 | -3 |
| 21 | Colorado | Pac-12 | 14-5 | 0 |
| 22 | Arkansas | SEC | 14-5 | 4 |
| 23 | Rutgers | Big Ten | 11-6 | -1 |
| 24 | Purdue | Big Ten | 13-7 | -4 |
| 25 | Indiana | Big Ten | 10-8 | 2 |
| 26 | Loyola-Chicago | Missouri Valley | 17-3 | -2 |
| 27 | Missouri | SEC | 13-3 | 7 |
| 28 | San Diego State | Mountain West | 13-4 | 5 |
| 29 | Louisville | ACC | 11-4 | 10 |
| 30 | North Carolina | ACC | 12-6 | 0 |
| 31 | Florida | SEC | 10-5 | -8 |
| 32 | UCLA | Pac-12 | 13-4 | -3 |
| 33 | Oklahoma State | Big 12 | 12-5 | 2 |
| 34 | Duke | ACC | 7-7 | -6 |
| 35 | Arizona | Pac-12 | 13-6 | -3 |
| 36 | Virginia Tech | ACC | 14-4 | -5 |
| 37 | LSU | SEC | 11-6 | 1 |
| 38 | Seton Hall | Big East | 11-8 | 17 |
| 39 | Penn State | Big Ten | 7-8 | 2 |
| 40 | BYU | WCC | 15-4 | 7 |
| 41 | Oregon | Pac-12 | 10-4 | -5 |
| 42 | Saint Louis | A10 | 8-3 | -5 |
| 43 | Clemson | ACC | 12-5 | 11 |
| 44 | Minnesota | Big Ten | 11-7 | -2 |
| 45 | Xavier | Big East | 11-2 | -2 |
| 46 | Memphis | AAC | 12-6 | 7 |
| 47 | Maryland | Big Ten | 10-9 | -3 |
| 48 | Connecticut | Big East | 8-4 | -8 |
| 49 | SMU | AAC | 10-4 | 8 |
| 50 | Michigan State | Big Ten | 9-7 | -1 |
| 51 | Utah State | Mountain West | 14-5 | 7 |
| 52 | Richmond | A10 | 10-4 | -1 |
| 53 | St Bonaventure | A10 | 9-2 | -7 |
| 54 | Stanford | Pac-12 | 12-7 | 2 |
| 55 | Syracuse | ACC | 10-6 | -10 |
| 56 | Ole Miss | SEC | 10-8 | 6 |
| 57 | Kentucky | SEC | 5-12 | -5 |
| 58 | VCU | A10 | 13-4 | 3 |
| 59 | Georgia Tech | ACC | 9-6 | 0 |
| 60 | Boise State | Mountain West | 14-4 | -12 |
| 61 | Auburn | SEC | 10-10 | -1 |
| 62 | Drake | Missouri Valley | 18-1 | -12 |
| 63 | Mississippi State | SEC | 11-9 | 2 |
| 64 | Utah | Pac-12 | 8-7 | 7 |
| 65 | Davidson | A10 | 10-5 | -1 |
| 66 | Notre Dame | ACC | 7-10 | 3 |
| 67 | North Carolina State | ACC | 8-7 | 0 |
| 68 | St John’s | Big East | 13-7 | 11 |
| 69 | Marquette | Big East | 9-10 | -3 |
| 70 | Northwestern | Big Ten | 6-10 | 2 |
| 71 | Colorado State | Mountain West | 14-4 | -1 |
| 72 | Marshall | Conference USA | 10-5 | 6 |
| 73 | Western Kentucky | Conference USA | 13-4 | 0 |
| 74 | Wichita State | AAC | 11-4 | -6 |
| 75 | Wright State | Horizon | 15-4 | 9 |
| 76 | Providence | Big East | 9-10 | -13 |
| 77 | Belmont | OVC | 20-1 | 13 |
| 78 | Arizona State | Pac-12 | 6-8 | -3 |
| 79 | St Mary’s | WCC | 11-5 | -2 |
| 80 | Pittsburgh | ACC | 9-6 | 8 |
| 81 | Toledo | MAC | 16-5 | -7 |
| 82 | Cincinnati | AAC | 5-7 | -1 |
| 83 | South Carolina | SEC | 5-7 | -1 |
| 84 | Dayton | A10 | 11-5 | -4 |
| 85 | Rhode Island | A10 | 9-11 | -9 |
| 86 | TCU | Big 12 | 10-7 | -1 |
| 87 | Furman | Southern | 11-6 | -4 |
| 88 | Colgate | Patriot | 7-1 | -1 |
| 89 | San Francisco | WCC | 10-8 | 0 |
| 90 | Georgia | SEC | 12-6 | 2 |
| 91 | UAB | Conference USA | 16-2 | 3 |
| 92 | North Texas | Conference USA | 10-6 | 1 |
| 93 | UC Santa Barbara | Big West | 12-3 | -2 |
| 94 | Tulsa | AAC | 9-8 | -8 |
| 95 | Butler | Big East | 6-10 | 1 |
| 96 | UCF | AAC | 5-9 | -1 |
| 97 | UNC Greensboro | Southern | 13-5 | 0 |
| 98 | Louisiana Tech | Conference USA | 15-6 | 4 |
| 99 | Georgetown | Big East | 5-9 | 14 |
| 100 | Massachusetts | A10 | 7-4 | 7 |
| 101 | South Florida | AAC | 7-5 | -2 |
| 102 | Abilene Christian | Southland | 15-3 | 4 |
| 103 | Nevada | Mountain West | 14-7 | 14 |
| 104 | Texas A&M | SEC | 8-7 | -3 |
| 105 | Buffalo | MAC | 8-6 | 20 |
| 106 | Winthrop | Big South | 16-1 | -3 |
| 107 | Liberty | ASUN | 15-5 | -2 |
| 108 | Washington State | Pac-12 | 11-8 | 7 |
| 109 | South Dakota State | Summit | 11-4 | -11 |
| 110 | Miami FL | ACC | 7-11 | 0 |
| 111 | Akron | MAC | 11-4 | 3 |
| 112 | Kent State | MAC | 10-5 | -12 |
| 113 | Oregon State | Pac-12 | 10-7 | 7 |
| 114 | Duquesne | A10 | 7-6 | -2 |
| 115 | Wofford | Southern | 12-6 | -4 |
| 116 | Georgia State | Sun Belt | 8-4 | -8 |
| 117 | Ohio | MAC | 11-6 | 5 |
| 118 | UC Irvine | Big West | 10-6 | 0 |
| 119 | Grand Canyon | WAC | 12-3 | 5 |
| 120 | Boston College | ACC | 3-11 | -16 |
| 121 | Wake Forest | ACC | 5-8 | -12 |
| 122 | Pepperdine | WCC | 8-8 | 4 |
| 123 | Vermont | AEC | 7-3 | -2 |
| 124 | Missouri State | Missouri Valley | 11-5 | -8 |
| 125 | DePaul | Big East | 3-8 | -6 |
| 126 | Bradley | Missouri Valley | 10-11 | -3 |
| 127 | Loyola Marymount | WCC | 8-6 | 1 |
| 128 | Nebraska | Big Ten | 4-9 | -1 |
| 129 | Temple | AAC | 4-7 | 1 |
| 130 | East Carolina | AAC | 8-7 | 12 |
| 131 | Indiana State | Missouri Valley | 11-8 | -2 |
| 132 | Pacific | WCC | 5-5 | 1 |
| 133 | East Tennessee State | Southern | 11-7 | -1 |
| 134 | Vanderbilt | SEC | 5-9 | -3 |
| 135 | Siena | MAAC | 8-2 | 0 |
| 136 | California | Pac-12 | 7-14 | 0 |
| 137 | UC Riverside | Big West | 8-4 | 3 |
| 138 | Mercer | Southern | 10-7 | -4 |
| 139 | UNLV | Mountain West | 7-9 | -1 |
| 140 | Santa Clara | WCC | 9-4 | 3 |
| 141 | George Mason | A10 | 8-8 | 7 |
| 142 | Weber State | Big Sky | 11-4 | 14 |
| 143 | Murray State | OVC | 9-9 | 17 |
| 144 | Eastern Washington | Big Sky | 8-6 | 2 |
| 145 | Northern Iowa | Missouri Valley | 6-12 | -4 |
| 146 | Hofstra | CAA | 12-7 | -2 |
| 147 | Iowa State | Big 12 | 2-11 | 2 |
| 148 | Cal State Bakersfield | Big West | 12-7 | 2 |
| 149 | Bowling Green | MAC | 10-8 | -12 |
| 150 | Northeastern | CAA | 8-6 | 1 |
| 151 | Coastal Carolina | Sun Belt | 12-6 | -12 |
| 152 | Texas State | Sun Belt | 13-6 | 5 |
| 153 | Old Dominion | Conference USA | 9-5 | -8 |
| 154 | St Peter’s | MAAC | 9-6 | 1 |
| 155 | Chattanooga | Southern | 14-5 | 14 |
| 156 | Washington | Pac-12 | 3-14 | -9 |
| 157 | Stephen F. Austin | Southland | 11-3 | 1 |
| 158 | Drexel | CAA | 8-7 | 8 |
| 159 | Army | Patriot | 9-4 | 0 |
| 160 | Monmouth | MAAC | 10-5 | 2 |
| 161 | Tulane | AAC | 7-7 | 0 |
| 162 | Navy | Patriot | 11-2 | 1 |
| 163 | South Dakota | Summit | 11-7 | 5 |
| 164 | Bryant | NEC | 10-5 | 0 |
| 165 | Ball State | MAC | 7-9 | 6 |
| 166 | La Salle | A10 | 8-11 | 7 |
| 167 | Arkansas Little Rock | Sun Belt | 10-9 | -15 |
| 168 | UTEP | Conference USA | 8-10 | -1 |
| 169 | Charlotte | Conference USA | 9-9 | -16 |
| 170 | New Mexico State | WAC | 4-4 | 9 |
| 171 | James Madison | CAA | 10-5 | 6 |
| 172 | Morehead State | OVC | 15-6 | 8 |
| 173 | North Dakota State | Summit | 11-9 | -3 |
| 174 | UMBC | AEC | 12-4 | 1 |
| 175 | Sam Houston State | Southland | 14-6 | -1 |
| 176 | Eastern Kentucky | OVC | 14-4 | -22 |
| 177 | Louisiana | Sun Belt | 13-6 | -12 |
| 178 | Wyoming | Mountain West | 10-9 | 5 |
| 179 | UTSA | Conference USA | 10-9 | 21 |
| 180 | Southern Illinois | Missouri Valley | 9-7 | -4 |
| 181 | Oral Roberts | Summit | 10-8 | 0 |
| 182 | Kansas State | Big 12 | 5-15 | -10 |
| 183 | Cleveland State | Horizon | 14-5 | 7 |
| 184 | Austin Peay | OVC | 11-7 | 14 |
| 185 | Appalachian State | Sun Belt | 12-7 | -7 |
| 186 | Bellarmine | ASUN | 11-5 | 8 |
| 187 | Jacksonville State | OVC | 12-7 | 5 |
| 188 | Iona | MAAC | 5-3 | -4 |
| 189 | VMI | Southern | 10-9 | 7 |
| 190 | Hawaii | Big West | 7-5 | -2 |
| 191 | Detroit | Horizon | 8-8 | 4 |
| 192 | Fresno State | Mountain West | 7-7 | -6 |
| 193 | Florida Atlantic | Conference USA | 8-7 | -11 |
| 194 | Rice | Conference USA | 12-8 | 16 |
| 195 | Southern Utah | Big Sky | 12-3 | -4 |
| 196 | Miami OH | MAC | 8-7 | -11 |
| 197 | South Alabama | Sun Belt | 11-8 | 2 |
| 198 | Montana State | Big Sky | 9-5 | -11 |
| 199 | Montana | Big Sky | 8-9 | -10 |
| 200 | Lipscomb | ASUN | 12-9 | 8 |
| 201 | Nicholls State | Southland | 10-6 | -8 |
| 202 | Radford | Big South | 13-7 | 10 |
| 203 | College of Charleston | CAA | 7-8 | -2 |
| 204 | UT Arlington | Sun Belt | 11-9 | -7 |
| 205 | Valparaiso | Missouri Valley | 7-12 | 4 |
| 206 | UNC Wilmington | CAA | 7-8 | 0 |
| 207 | Northern Kentucky | Horizon | 11-8 | 22 |
| 208 | Delaware | CAA | 7-7 | -4 |
| 209 | UT Rio Grande Valley | WAC | 8-4 | -4 |
| 210 | Prairie View A&M | SWAC | 7-4 | 8 |
| 211 | George Washington | A10 | 3-9 | 0 |
| 212 | Evansville | Missouri Valley | 8-10 | 15 |
| 213 | Gardner Webb | Big South | 8-11 | 3 |
| 214 | UNC Asheville | Big South | 10-9 | 3 |
| 215 | San Diego | WCC | 2-7 | -2 |
| 216 | UC Davis | Big West | 4-6 | 6 |
| 217 | Western Carolina | Southern | 8-11 | -14 |
| 218 | Lafayette | Patriot | 5-4 | -11 |
| 219 | Texas Southern | SWAC | 6-7 | 25 |
| 220 | Albany | AEC | 4-6 | 4 |
| 221 | Georgia Southern | Sun Belt | 12-9 | -2 |
| 222 | Oakland | Horizon | 8-15 | -7 |
| 223 | Samford | Southern | 6-8 | 0 |
| 224 | Saint Joseph’s | A10 | 1-14 | -4 |
| 225 | Mt St Mary’s | NEC | 6-7 | -4 |
| 226 | Niagara | MAAC | 7-9 | 2 |
| 227 | LIU Brooklyn | NEC | 6-5 | -25 |
| 228 | Bucknell | Patriot | 4-4 | -3 |
| 229 | Hartford | AEC | 10-7 | 1 |
| 230 | Canisius | MAAC | 3-3 | 5 |
| 231 | Northern Colorado | Big Sky | 8-8 | 0 |
| 232 | Missouri Kansas City | Summit | 7-10 | 1 |
| 233 | Morgan State | MEAC | 11-4 | 8 |
| 234 | American University | Patriot | 2-2 | 21 |
| 235 | Utah Valley | WAC | 6-7 | 13 |
| 236 | Stetson | ASUN | 7-10 | 3 |
| 237 | Sacremento State | Big Sky | 6-5 | 1 |
| 238 | Boston University | Patriot | 3-5 | 2 |
| 239 | Youngstown State | Horizon | 10-10 | 15 |
| 240 | Illinois State | Missouri Valley | 5-14 | -14 |
| 241 | Norfolk State | MEAC | 10-6 | 8 |
| 242 | UC San Diego | Big West | 4-5 | 8 |
| 243 | Illinois Chicago | Horizon | 8-9 | -11 |
| 244 | NJIT | AEC | 6-8 | 1 |
| 245 | Stony Brook | AEC | 8-9 | -9 |
| 246 | FIU | Conference USA | 9-12 | -32 |
| 247 | William & Mary | CAA | 6-7 | 0 |
| 248 | Loyola Maryland | Patriot | 1-5 | 28 |
| 249 | Florida Gulf Coast | ASUN | 9-6 | 21 |
| 250 | Southern Miss | Conference USA | 7-12 | -8 |
| 251 | Wagner | NEC | 4-5 | 5 |
| 252 | Massachusetts Lowell | AEC | 7-9 | -6 |
| 253 | Citadel | Southern | 10-7 | 6 |
| 254 | Cal Baptist | WAC | 9-6 | -1 |
| 255 | Wisconsin Milwaukee | Horizon | 7-8 | -21 |
| 256 | Middle Tennessee State | Conference USA | 5-11 | 18 |
| 257 | New Hampshire | AEC | 9-8 | 3 |
| 258 | Towson | CAA | 3-12 | -7 |
| 259 | New Mexico | Mountain West | 5-11 | -1 |
| 260 | Troy | Sun Belt | 10-10 | -17 |
| 261 | Quinnipiac | MAAC | 5-6 | 8 |
| 262 | Farleigh Dickinson | NEC | 7-9 | 18 |
| 263 | Fordham | A10 | 2-9 | 20 |
| 264 | Arkansas State | Sun Belt | 8-9 | 18 |
| 265 | Seattle | WAC | 8-7 | -1 |
| 266 | Wisconsin Green Bay | Horizon | 6-14 | -4 |
| 267 | Merrimack | NEC | 6-4 | 0 |
| 268 | North Carolina Central | MEAC | 4-3 | -31 |
| 269 | High Point | Big South | 7-9 | 3 |
| 270 | Marist | MAAC | 9-7 | -4 |
| 271 | Elon | CAA | 3-6 | -14 |
| 272 | Cal State Fullerton | Big West | 5-6 | -4 |
| 273 | Western Michigan | MAC | 4-11 | 21 |
| 274 | Portland State | Big Sky | 5-9 | 7 |
| 275 | St Francis PA | NEC | 5-12 | -12 |
| 276 | Central Michigan | MAC | 6-12 | -15 |
| 277 | Campbell | Big South | 10-9 | 0 |
| 278 | Eastern Michigan | MAC | 4-8 | 0 |
| 279 | North Alabama | ASUN | 10-6 | -27 |
| 280 | Eastern Illinois | OVC | 7-14 | 10 |
| 281 | St Francis NY | NEC | 4-6 | -16 |
| 282 | Idaho State | Big Sky | 9-7 | 7 |
| 283 | Cal State Northridge | Big West | 7-8 | 1 |
| 284 | Longwood | Big South | 6-14 | 7 |
| 285 | Long Beach State | Big West | 3-5 | 3 |
| 286 | Robert Morris | Horizon | 3-11 | -15 |
| 287 | Manhattan | MAAC | 5-8 | 9 |
| 288 | North Florida | ASUN | 7-11 | -3 |
| 289 | Purdue Fort Wayne | Horizon | 6-11 | -16 |
| 290 | Jackson State | SWAC | 5-5 | 7 |
| 291 | Sacred Heart | NEC | 6-6 | 1 |
| 292 | Southern University | SWAC | 4-7 | -17 |
| 293 | Rider | MAAC | 4-11 | 2 |
| 294 | Air Force | Mountain West | 4-13 | -1 |
| 295 | South East Missouri State | OVC | 7-12 | -9 |
| 296 | North Carolina A&T | MEAC | 8-9 | 3 |
| 297 | Tarleton State | WAC | 5-8 | 1 |
| 298 | Florida A&M | MEAC | 2-8 | 5 |
| 299 | IUPUI | Horizon | 5-8 | 3 |
| 300 | Nebraska Omaha | Summit | 2-16 | -13 |
| 301 | Louisiana Monroe | Sun Belt | 4-15 | 5 |
| 302 | SIU Edwardsville | OVC | 7-9 | -23 |
| 303 | North Dakota | Summit | 6-15 | -3 |
| 304 | Alabama A&M | SWAC | 5-2 | 0 |
| 305 | Western Illinois | Summit | 5-12 | 16 |
| 306 | Tennessee State | OVC | 3-14 | 4 |
| 307 | Lehigh | Patriot | 3-7 | -2 |
| 308 | Jacksonville | ASUN | 9-11 | -7 |
| 309 | Northern Illinois | MAC | 2-10 | 3 |
| 310 | Grambling | SWAC | 8-8 | 7 |
| 311 | Hampton | Big South | 7-9 | -3 |
| 312 | Central Conn | NEC | 4-10 | 1 |
| 313 | Northwestern Louisiana | Southland | 5-14 | 6 |
| 314 | Coppin State | MEAC | 6-12 | -3 |
| 315 | Central Arkansas | Southland | 3-14 | -6 |
| 316 | Northern Arizona | Big Sky | 5-11 | 0 |
| 317 | Portland | WCC | 6-12 | -10 |
| 318 | San Jose State | Mountain West | 5-11 | 5 |
| 319 | Holy Cross | Patriot | 2-8 | -4 |
| 320 | New Orleans | Southland | 4-12 | 2 |
| 321 | Howard | MEAC | 1-4 | 3 |
| 322 | Tennessee Tech | OVC | 2-18 | 3 |
| 323 | South Carolina Upstate | Big South | 3-13 | -9 |
| 324 | Fairfield | MAAC | 3-13 | -6 |
| 325 | Lamar | Southland | 4-13 | -5 |
| 326 | Southeastern Louisiana | Southland | 6-11 | 0 |
| 327 | Presbyterian | Big South | 5-11 | 0 |
| 328 | Maine | AEC | 2-7 | 1 |
| 329 | Dixie State | WAC | 6-9 | -1 |
| 330 | Incarnate Word | Southland | 8-8 | 5 |
| 331 | Houston Baptist | Southland | 3-12 | 0 |
| 332 | Binghamton | AEC | 2-13 | 1 |
| 333 | McNeese State | Southland | 8-10 | 5 |
| 334 | Texas A&M Corpus Christi | Southland | 3-12 | -4 |
| 335 | Cal Poly | Big West | 3-13 | -3 |
| 336 | Charleston Southern | Big South | 1-15 | -2 |
| 337 | Tennessee Martin | OVC | 6-11 | 0 |
| 338 | Denver | Summit | 2-13 | -2 |
| 339 | Kennesaw State | ASUN | 3-15 | 1 |
| 340 | Alcorn State | SWAC | 3-8 | -1 |
| 341 | Idaho | Big Sky | 0-15 | 1 |
| 342 | Arkansas Pine Bluff | SWAC | 3-15 | -1 |
| 343 | Alabama State | SWAC | 3-7 | 0 |
| 344 | Delaware State | MEAC | 1-12 | 0 |
| 345 | South Carolina State | MEAC | 0-15 | 0 |
| 346 | Chicago State | WAC | 0-9 | 0 |
| 347 | Mississippi Valley State | SWAC | 0-16 | 0 |