We all know what awaits at midnight but, for now, the Pac-12 awoke to the most beautiful sunrise the world has ever seen.
A 2023 season full of promise has begun with a fantastic start, with the Pac-12 emerging from Week 1 the only FBS conference yet to suffer a non-conference loss.
Colorado was, of course, the story of the season's opening weekend, downing No. 17 TCU 45-42 as a 21-point underdog. Thematically speaking, that was just the beginning.
-- Week 1 began with No. 14 Utah thumping Florida without starting quarterback Cam Rising and star tight end Brant Kuithe.
-- No. 10 Washington picked up where it left off, going bombs away on a respected Boise State team, 56-19. The Huskies have won seven straight games.
-- On Sunday afternoon before a national TV audience, No. 18 Oregon State manhandled San Jose State, 42-17, as transfer QB DJ Uiagaleilei played a near-flawless game.
-- Stanford opened the Troy Taylor era by going to Hawai'i and beating the Rainbow Warriors by a greater margin than Vanderbilt beat Hawai'i in Nashville.
-- Washington State and Cal went on the road to Group of 5 opponents and were emphatic in victory. Wazzu beat Colorado State 50-24, while Cal rushed for 357 yards and six touchdowns on 6.4 yards a carry.
-- No. 15 Oregon dropped 81 points on Portland State. Sure, Portland State is an FCS team, but 81 points is 81 points.
-- No. 6 USC followed a 56-28 win over San Jose State with a 66-14 demolition of Nevada.
-- UCLA handled a perenially competitive Coastal Carolina team 27-13 in its first game since 2005 without Dorian Thompson-Robinson.
-- Arizona continued showing signs of growth in Year 3 under Jedd Fisch with a 38-3 dispatching of Northern Arizona.
-- Arizona State... won.
Add it all up and you've got a 13-0 start for the conference. What's more, half the league will be in the AP Top 25 once the new poll comes out Tuesday; five teams entered the season within the top 20, and Colorado is a lock to join them.
Furthermore, league observers anticipated quarterback play to be at an all-time high entering the season, and Week 1 was more on target than a Michael Penix seam route. Median quarterback play earned around a 135 rating in 2022, and all 12 QBs played above that level this weekend. Many of them miles above.
QBs
Caleb Williams, USC: 18-of-24 for 319 yards with 5 TDs and 0 INTs (255.4)
Bo Nix, Oregon: 23-of-27 for 287 yards with 3 TDs and 0 INTs (211.1)
Michael Penix, Washington: 29-of-40 for 450 yards with 5 TDs and 0 INTs (208.3)
Jayden de Laura, Arizona: 18-of-24 for 285 yards with 3 TDs and 1 INT (207.6)
Shedeur Sanders, Colorado: 38-of-47 for 510 yards with 4 TDs and 0 INTs (200.1)
D.J. Uiagaleilei, Oregon State: 20-of-25 for 285 yards with 3 TDs and 0 INTs (199.9)
Dante Moore, UCLA: 7-of-12 for 143 yards with 2 TDs and 1 INT (196.8)*
Cam Ward, Washington State: 37-of-49 for 451 yards with 3 TDs and 0 INTs (173)
Bryson Barnes, Utah: 12-of-18 for 159 yards with 1 TD and 0 INTs (159.2)
Ashton Daniels, Stanford: 25-of-36 for 248 yards with 2 TDs and 0 INTs (145.6)
Jaden Rashada, Arizona State: 18-of-31 for 236 yards with 2 TDs and 0 INTs (143.3)
Ben Finley, Cal: 24-of-34 for 279 yards with 1 TD and 1 INT (143.3)
* Moore, a true freshman, came in for relief of starter Ethan Garbers. The point here isn't that Garbels struggled (1 TD vs. 2 INTs), but that the Bruins have Moore on the roster.
As a conference, Pac-12 quarterbacks went 269-of-367 (73.2 percent) for 3,652 yards (9.95 per attempt) with 34 touchdowns against three interceptions. If turned into a 12-game season, Pac-12 QB1 would've led the nation in 2022 with a 185.8 rating. It's only one week, but that's Heisman-level quarterback play spread across an entire conference.
We all know what awaits at midnight, but the final day of Pac-12 football is off to an incredible start.