1. Arizona State: Jason Kipnis’ batting average dropped from .431 last week to a more human-like .410 this week, but there really isn’t much doubt as to why the Sun Devils occupy the top spot in the conference. They’re good. Really good.

2. Oregon State: The Beavers failed to make the NCAA tournament last year, struggling against even mediocre competition. This year, though, they appear tournament-bound and are basically the only real challengers to the Sun Devils for the conference crown.

3. Stanford: Since starting the season with a 4-10 record, the Cardinal has gone 9-3, winning three straight Pac-10 series. The only reason they won’t be able to compete for the Pac-10 title is that Arizona State is already too far ahead.

4. USC: Sweeping Oregon at home isn’t a difficult feat, but the Trojans did it pretty convincingly, beating the Ducks 10-3 Friday and 9-1 Saturday. They are also one of only two Pac-10 teams to steal a game from the Sun Devils, proving the Trojans aren’t the benefactors of easy scheduling this early in the season.

5. Washington State: It’s hard to tell if the Cougars are for real, but they’ve already won series against Cal and UCLA and took one game at Arizona State. If they hadn’t lost the first two games to the Sun Devils by 10 runs each, I wouldn’t be so skeptical. For now, though, they’ve managed to do enough to keep their postseason hopes alive.

6. UCLA: The Bruins have a terrible overall record but are an even 6-6 in conference play, thanks to some credible victories over USC and Arizona. They probably see their upcoming home swing against Washington as a way to propel themselves back into the top tier of the conference.

7. Washington: The Huskies looked cooked before their sweep of Cal, but they managed to finally find some consistency on the mound with Jason Erickson and Andrew Kittredge. And even with multiple injuries, the Dawgs churned out runs when they needed to, thanks in large part to Kyle Conley. I wouldn’t say this team is dangerous, but they aren’t as bad as they seemed prior to last weekend. That should be enough to surprise a few people.

8. Arizona: Apparently the Wildcat pitchers didn’t get the memo after losing to Arizona State 23-9 three weeks ago. Since then, Arizona has given up 69 runs in nine games. Not much of an improvement.

9. California: Having lost seven in a row and nine of their last 11, the Bears have to figure something out quick, or they’ll be a Pac-10 afterthought soon enough. Good thing they play Oregon this week.

10. Oregon: Much like an expansion team, the Ducks are struggling to stay competitive in their second inaugural season. Hey, at least they have a new ballpark.

Reach reporter Allen Wagner at sports@dailyuw.com.