So much for the first big test of the season. Close for a half, the Oregon Ducks pulled away in the third quarter and came away with a 49-0 smashing of then-No. 22 Arizona. That, combined with LSU’s two-point victory over struggling Auburn, helped propel Oregon to No. 2 in the latest AP rankings. The Ducks’ jump to the two-spot means that the Pac-12 has had a team ranked in the top 2 for four of the five AP polls and is alongside the SEC to be the only conferences to have a team ranked first or second all season.

[Related: 'Coach Snoop' recalls giving De'Anthony Thomas his nickname as a youth football star]

Well that was easy. Stanford didn’t have to do a darn thing and still moved up to No. 8 thanks to Oklahoma’s loss to Kansas State. If only every week could be like that… The Cardinal have a tougher task ahead this coming week with a Thursday tilt in Seattle against the Huskies.

No. 13 USC rebounded nicely from its loss at Stanford and held on to its ranking by taking care of business against the other Bay Area school, this time at home in 27-9 fashion over Cal. The rushing attack got back on track, compiling nearly 300 yards on the ground. The Trojan defense also did its thing, holding Cal to single digits on the scoreboard for the second consecutive time (USC beat the Golden Bears 30-9 in San Francisco last year).

[Related: USC's leaders say not to count them out just yet]

You can thank the Oregon schools for lowering the number of Pac-12 teams in the AP Top 25 to four. Before Oregon did its damage, the Beavers went into the Rose Bowl and upset then-No. 19 UCLA. As a result, Oregon State is the No. 18 team in the country. Along with the Fighting Irish of Notre Dame, the Beavers are one of two squads to have beaten two top 20 teams at the time of battle (Oregon State beat No. 13 Wisconsin in their Sept. 8 season opener).

Here is the poll in full:

1. Alabama (59)

2. Oregon

3. LSU (1)

4. Florida State

5. Georgia

6. South Carolina

7. Kansas State

8. Stanford

9. West Virginia

10. Notre Dame

11. Florida

12. Texas

13. USC

14. Ohio State

15. TCU

16. Oklahoma

17. Clemson

18. Oregon State

19. Louisville

20. Michigan State

21. Mississippi State

22. Nebraska

23. Rutgers

24. Boise State

25. Baylor

Other Pac-12 teams receiving votes: UCLA (79), Arizona (17), Arizona State (8)