[Goose]

I think just about everyone would view the primo Pac teams as USC, then Washington and Oregon in some order after USC. Stanford and UCLA can duke it out for #5 with apologies to Utah.  Wait, no apologies to Utah - they are a newbie. UCLA is in LA and useful to USC in that way; Stanford is not; and that was that.

I am willing to listen to arguments otherwise.

I am completely with you up to this point. If you are going to put USC at the top of the list because of their 34 rose bowl appearances with 25 wins (as you indeed should) you have to look at the entire time period in making your other choices. Oregon doesn't belong in the top 4 if you do that, IMO. Their success is mostly recent, as is some of Stanford's. Recent success is fine, but it is the total body of work you are talking about. The "correct" list is (IMO) USC, Washington, then Stanford and UCLA in some order.

[Goose]

I think just about everyone would view the primo Pac teams as USC, then Washington and Oregon in some order after USC. Stanford and UCLA can duke it out for #5 with apologies to Utah.  Wait, no apologies to Utah - they are a newbie. UCLA is in LA and useful to USC in that way; Stanford is not; and that was that.

I am willing to listen to arguments otherwise.

I am completely with you up to this point. If you are going to put USC at the top of the list because of their 34 rose bowl appearances with 25 wins (as you indeed should) you have to look at the entire time period in making your other choices. Oregon doesn't belong in the top 4 if you do that, IMO. Their success is mostly recent, as is some of Stanford's. Recent success is fine, but it is the total body of work you are talking about. The "correct" list is (IMO) USC, Washington, then Stanford and UCLA in some order.