Are the Huskies PAC-12 Contenders?

Six games into the college football season, the Washington Huskies are in good shape. They are 5-1 overall, and 3-0 in conference play. The offense is rolling as Keith Price, arguably the best quarterback in town, has a wealth of scoring options in the wide receiver trio of Devin Aguilar, James Johnson, and Jermaine Kearse, tight end Austin Seferian-Jenkins, and running back Chris Polk. The defense is not as well-oiled a machine as the offense, they have given up 171 points and 2,404 yards after all. So far, the combination of a porous defense that makes stops when it matters and an offense whose low score of the season is 30 points in a game has worked for the Huskies. But, they travel south next week for a showdown with the 7th-ranked, Andrew Luck-led Stanford Cardinal, and it will take quite a bit of work for the Huskies defense to break their habit of letting 400 yards stack up.

That's next week though. For now, UW is riding high. Let's see where they stand compared with the rest of the PAC-12.

PAC-12 North

1. Stanford- As the only undefeated team in the PAC-12, the Cardinal are 6-0, already bowl eligible, and are putting up huge point totals while keeping their opponents to under 20. Oh, and their quarterback Andrew Luck is a serious Heisman contender.

2. Oregon- Like Stanford, the Ducks are a top 10 team on the national stage, and their 5-1 record is due to a season opening loss against No. 1-ranked LSU. Their strength is their offense, which means that they are just as guilty as the Huskies of having a hole-y defense.

3. Washington- That's us. Whoohoo!

4. Washington State- The Cougars are having a great season, already eclipsing last year's 2-win season with their 3-3 record. Their latest loss came at the hands of Stanford, but the Cougs managed to put up 14 points against the Cardinal, a feat only UCLA has been able to top this season.

5. Oregon State- Any hopes that Oregon State fans held of washing away last year's disappointing season have been quashed by the Beavers going 1-5 so far this year.

6. California- The Golden Bears won their first three games this season, but then they dropped three in a row. They're on a bit of a slide and will be looking to redeem themselves against Utah next week.

PAC-12 South

1. Arizona State- You can pretty much bet you'll see the Sun Devils in the PAC-12 Championship game at the end of this season. They're 5-2 overall, 3-1 in conference play, and have games against three conference bottom-dwellers coming up on the schedule to ensure a few more wins for that total.

2. USC- Though they have the best overall record in the PAC-12 South, the Trojans are still grappling with NCAA sanctions and are ineligible for post-season play. It's a shame, they would otherwise be a real threat in this conference.

3. UCLA- The 3-3 Bruins have been alternating their wins and losses so far, but facing Arizona next weekend means they might have a chance to string two wins together for the first time this season.

4. Utah- A PAC-12 newcomer, Utah has been shut out in conference play in 2011. That could change though, as their toughest competition is already past them. In this offense-dominated conference, the Utes don't have what it takes to go toe-to-toe with the top level teams, but they are capable of finishing in a respectable third.

5. Colorado- Pre-season predictions had the new kids from Colorado finishing dead last in the PAC-12 South. Fortunately for them, Arizona has lost four conference games to the Buffaloes' three, which means they've snuck into fifth place in the rankings. For Colorado, though, ultimately it's more of the same: they were outmatched in the Big 12, and they're outmatched in the PAC-12.

6. Arizona- Things aren't going well in the Wildcats camp. They've dropped 10 out of the last 11 games, including five out of six this season, and they just announced that they've fired their head coach Mike Stoops. To Arizona's credit, they've had a hell of a schedule this season, facing off against three top 10 teams and a solid USC squad. But, it's been ugly with no signs of a makeover on the horizon.