Week 10 Review and Pac 10 Power Poll

Well being the Pac 10 you know that one thing can be guaranteed just about every week this season and that is that there will be an upset that not many people saw happening to a ranked opponent. This week pretty much every game turned out what one might expect, though ASU I thought would have played better than they did, except for the Arizona – WSU match-up in the Palouse. Maybe Washington State forgot to eat their Wheaties this week but to lose a home game to Arizona is just not acceptable especially when you are sitting in the Top 25 and have the tie breaker for the third spot in the Pac 10 over Oregon and Oregon State. This victory has to be huge for the morale of the Wildcats somehow found an offense over the weekend and did a good job of shutting down the Cougar air attack. The key match-up this week is the Oregon-USC game, the Ducks played a nice game versus UW but were still hurt by turnovers. Oregon can’t afford to go -2 versus USC to have any shot at winning. Both these teams are close to unstoppable if they don’t turn the ball over so the defense that rises up to the occasion should lead their team to victory in a game that will likely see more than 60 combined points. I like the Trojans to win a close game because they have the better defensive unit (now if Oregon were not missing 5 starters that might not be the case). I heard on a TV news program that Karl Dorrell was going to lose his job after the season and that the Cal game was the final nail in the coffin. If this is the case I will be pretty disappointed in the UCLA AD. Dorrell went out and won 10 games this year and lost most of his starting 22 to graduation or the NFL after last season. This was expected to be a rebuilding year in Westwood, outside of dropping the UW game all the games the Bruins have lost this year have been ones they have not been favored to win though I do think the score should have been closer in the WSU game. UCLA’s second half schedule has arguably been the nation’s toughest. I think if UCLA can open their offense up a bit next year they should have a solid year, most of the starting 22 will be back from what has been up until lately a pretty solid defensive club. Beating the white hot Beavers this week would be a key W for Dorrell in his argument to be allowed another year in Westwood.

1. Cal (1) – Still rolling along well though giving up 24 to UCLA at home is a bit much for what you would expect Cal to be allowing this late in the year. The season still is going to come down to the USC game. I don’t think Tucson will be a trap game for Cal, the Wildcats are now back on everyone’s radar after beating the Cougars so I don’t think Cal will look past them even with the Trojan game the following week.
2. USC (2) – I though USC minus 28.5 was a steal in the Stanford and this was proven by the Trojans going out and pasting Stanford 42-0. Oregon will not go down so easily, the Trojans still control their own Pac 10 destiny but the shot at the NCAA championship game is likely gone looking at the BCS numbers out there. USC will no doubt see their schedule strength rise but the human voters are down on them right now.
3. OSU (4) – Talked to a Beaver fan before the tailgate at the Oregon-Washington game this weekend. He said he wished that OSU had lost to USC, now that they beat USC Riley was bound to stay another couple years. To the Oregon State coaches and players I just want to say you deserve better from your fans, keep playing for yourselves. All of a sudden the Beavers look like the 1994 Ducks who lost some early games, had the fans calling for a new coach and QB and then went out and made it to the Rose Bowl. The Beavs could win out from here and will have to look back at that WSU loss they let slip away as what really cost them this season more so than the Cal and Boise State games.
4. UO (6) – Nice bounce back game for the Oregon Ducks who ran the ball relentlessly on the Huskies and held UW to 13 yards on the ground. The score was closer than the game was due to some turnovers by the Ducks offense and special teams. Not sure if they have the horses left to beat the Trojans in LA.
5. WSU (3) – Congrats Cougars you just suffered the worst home loss of any Pac 10 team this season that is in bowl contention, though due to the Pac 10’s awful bowl rotation does it really matter where you finish after the first two spots?
6. ASU (5) – God awful performance by ASU, I clearly have been over-ranking this team all year. Interesting to see which team wins the WSU-ASU match-up this week as both are coming off highly disappoint performances. Look for Rick Neuheisel’s name to be thrown around about the ASU and UCLA jobs, neither school will touch him by the way.
7. UA (9) – First time that Arizona has gotten out of the 9 hole in quite awhile. Not that it is receiving much publicity but WSU losing to Arizona at home was a more unlikely outcome than USC losing to Oregon State. The national implications and historical implications were obviously not comparable but the score was just as shocking in my book.
8. UCLA (8) – I am not surprised that they have lost 4 in a row as they played quite a tough schedule. Losing by 14 in Berkeley is not something to fire a coach over.
9. UW (7) – The wheels on the bus finally have fallen off. Washington was clearly outmatched by Oregon but Stanford is coming to Montlake and that should ensure a 5th win for the Huskies. The Apple Cup now looks like it could (and I emphasize could) give the Dawgs a shot get to .500 , a week ago I wouldn’t have thought that possible but the Cougs proved again that they are capable of crapping the bed just when things are starting to get good for them.
10. LSJU (10) – They have a top notch water polo progam

Week Nine Review and Pac 10 Power Poll

October 28th will be forever remembered in not only Corvallis but in locales across the West Coast. It was the day that the Pete Carroll USC dynasty officially ended. It is an old adage that if you win the turnover battle and you will usually win the game. Oregon State managed to force 4 turnovers while turnover prone Matt Moore and his mates surrendered none. Oregon State while certainly not the better team nor the more talented team was better for one day in a game that proved what college football is about. On the other hand I wonder how many Beaver fans have decided to bag out on hunting season now and go to the Civil War. What was an empty bandwagon has been filled once more. Mike Riley deserves credit for keeping him team together, I hope that the students and alumni who were calling for his head on a plate and called for the premature ending of the Matt Moore era enjoyed some crow last Saturday. The Pac 10 race is now Cal’s to lose and it appears that all chances of a 2 BCS Bowl season for the league are over along with the extra 400K in the coffers of each school’s budget. Now it will come down to Cal and USC for the Rose while the remaining schools, except for Stanford and unless they pull out a miracle Arizona, will fight to get to the remaining bowl games. Six wins gets you a chance (but all 7 win schools nationally get first bid on bowls) so 7 will be the magic number to guarantee one a spot.

Power Poll

1. Cal (2) – This week marks the first time USC has not been leading my poll since it debuted last year. Cal has not played a solid game since the Oregon game and one has to believe that the Fighting Tedfords enjoyed their bye-week and got healthy. I don’t see Cal having much problem from a reeling UCLA in Strawberry Canyon this week though UCLA’s defense should at least keep Cal from breaking the 40 point barrier.
2. USC (1) – The mighty giant was finally knocked off, that USC lost was not a surprise though I don’t think many folks predicted it would have been by the now resurgent Beavs who have won 3 straight league match-ups. USC now will need to beat Cal and not fumble up against Stanford, UCLA or Oregon to have any greater hopes than the Holiday Bowl, a game which they have never actually played in. USC will start a new streak this week as they will be down on the Farm against hapless Stanford in a game that could see USC put up 50+ points.
3. WSU (4) – The Cougars now find themselves in the Top 25 after beating down UCLA who has watched their once promising season go down the tubes. Arizona shouldn’t present much of a problem for WSU who has been playing as well on offense as anyone in the conference the last two weeks. Special team injuries may be a concern but do you really need a punter and kicker for Arizona at home?
4. OSU (7) – You beat USC and you go up the charts. OSU will now go for 4 in a row with the match-up versus ASU down in Tempe. Typically after a huge upset such as the one the Beavers pulled off there is a letdown, I will predict that ASU ends up defeating the Beavers in Tempe in a game where the winner has a good shot at going to the Sun Bowl. In addition, Mike Riley has saved his job as OSU coach for all extensive purposes, save for losing out this year.
5. ASU (3) – Won a tough game on the road against UW but another injury on the line will hamper ASU as they host the suddenly hot Beavs. Normally I wouldn’t drop a team that won a road game two spots but the great efforts of WSU on the road and OSU against USC trump ASU beating an injury depleted UW in OT.
6. UO (5) – Yes the Ducks won last week and yes they are 6-2 right now but this team is a shell of what is once was due to injuries. That UO is 6-2 right now is a coaching miracle with the extent of injuries suffered by Oregon and with the turnover ratio. Oregon looks headed for the Vegas or Emerald Bowl and will have a tough time winning any of the remaining two road games on the schedule. For the Ducks it is 1998 all over again in terms of how the year may play out.
7. UW (8) – UW played just well enough to lose and now likely faces another losing season with two remaining road games against fierce rivals Oregon and Wazzu. Washington should have enough left in the tank to beat Stanford and give the Ducks a game but Husky fans will look back all year at the hiccup they faced with OSU and the injury to Stanback in that game. All in all the season has been a minor success in Montlake but not what it looked like it could have been a month ago.
8. UCLA (6) UCLA faced an easy early schedule but is now in freefall mode. The likelihood of a bowl game looks pretty glim now for coach Dorrell and I wouldn’t discount the chance that UCLA will not win another game this year. This has to be looked at as a huge step back for a program that won 10 games in 2005.
9. Arizona (9) – At 3-5 a bowl game is still a mathematical possibility but in all reality the season is over. AD Livengood says Stoops is not in any danger, is this the dreaded vote of confidence or will Stoops get another shot?
10. Stanford (10) – And the hits just keep on coming. The Trees get to host an angry Trojan team and even having a bye will not help them keep the Trojans from scoring less than 40.

Week 8 Review and Pac 10 Power Poll

For most of the season it has appeared that USC, Cal and Oregon were a step or two ahead of the rest of the conference, however with USC struggling to win close games, Oregon self destructing in Pullman and Cal needing overtime to beat a Husky team at home without it’s starting QB you have to wonder if the herd has caught up to the Pac. A couple of schools who were all but left for dead a few weeks ago, Oregon State and Washington State, have cashed in some big wins and are back in the bowl race while early favorite Oregon, ranked as high as 11th before the loss in Berkeley has seen their season turn in to one where the best likely scenario sees them spending some time right after Christmas enjoying all that Ciudad Juarez has to offer. Like in 1998 Oregon has taken too many hits on the injury front and the offense has come one-dimensional and turnover prone. Jonathan Stewart and Dennis Dixon have been quite disappointing the last three weeks and one has to wonder if Brady Leaf and Jeremiah Johnson deserve more playing time based on their performances in Pullman. Two gallant efforts in loses by UCLA and Washington seem to show me that their caches are taken their schools in the right direction though they need to learn how to finish, particularly in the case of UCLA. As for Stanford and Arizona basketball season is almost upon us.

1. USC (1) – Defeated BYE this week and in doing so got some much needed rest for a young and injury depleted team. Carroll and company hopefully used the extra practice time to find their offense which is performing at half speed compared to what we have seen since 2002. The Trojans face a resurgent Beaver team coming off road two wins, but I give OSU no chance in this game for a three factors. One being that Mike Riley teams don’t beat ranked competition. Two, the horrific on the bandwagon, off the bandwagon, on the bandwagon again, soon to be off the bandwagon once more if USC scores early fan base has made the Bean Dip a house of horrors for the home team. The Beavers could learn a few lessons from the fans of South Carolina who have supported their team year after losing year in a program whose bowl history is similar to Oregon State. Finally the most important factor is that Oregon State lacks the athletes of USC
2. Cal (2) – Not sure how a team forces 4 interceptions in regulation while throwing none of their own and still needs to go to OT to beat a team they are favored to beat by 18. Well last second scores in both halves made this game appear much closer than it ended up being but Cal definitely needs to worry about the secondary outside of Mr Hughes. The Bears are clinging to an outside shot at still having a BCS championship opportunity and need to play with a bit more conviction after two sub-par games versus the Washington schools.
3. Arizona State (4) – Arizona State at least on paper could win out. The key will be pass protection, basically if Rudy Carpenter gets the time the Devils have the weapons to beat any team left on their schedule and their two toughest match-ups with WSU and UCLA will both be in Tempe. Beating Stanford probably doesn’t tell us much about ASU but true to form Dirk Koetter wins the games he is supposed to and not much else. As ASU will likely be favored from here on out they have a distinct possibility to finish the year with 9 wins. Amazingly due to the terrible bowl arrangements that the Pac 10 has the conference could have 4 teams with 9 or more wins with only two of those losses being not against each other and still only get one bid. This will happen if USC beats Cal which will knock Cal out of the BCS in almost any scenario.
4. Washington State (6 ) – For the first time all year a member of the perceived “Big 3” has been knocked out of the perch (Oregon) and has been replaced by school who has lost to three teams in the BCS Top 11. Looking back the result of the Oregon game was pretty predictable. Eugene homeboy Ben Brink led the Cougars with grit and made only one mistake all game and it came so late it was all but meaningless while the Ducks offense under Dixon and Stewart became mistake prone, predictable and downright ineffective until Oregon brought in Brady Leaf and the Cougars went prevent. Due to tie breakers over Oregon WSU actually still has a legit shot at the Holiday Bowl if Cal wins the Pac 10, a scenario which is all but impossible for Oregon even though they could finish 10-2 and in the Top 15 in the final BCS. The Cougars can clinch up a bowl spot with a win at what has to be a mentally beat down UCLA in what is most certainly the Pac 10 game of the week.
5. Oregon (3) – This year reminds of the early Bellotti regime. A hot September filled with lots of offense and promise and then an October swoon. Luckily Oregon faces a de-facto bye-week versus Portland State to prepare for a much tougher than expected Washington who has likely been circling this game all year. The Ducks can’t continue to turn the ball over at the rate they have been doing. The main culprits in this sense have been Dennis Dixon and Jonathan Stewart who needed to play smarter and with greater toughness. What was once a team with sky’s the limit national aspirations looks destined for a third tier bowl somewhere in the nations southwest region.
6. UCLA ( 5) – Great effort in South Bend came all for not when UCLA decided to run the prevent you from winning defense and didn’t pressure Brady Quinn on the final drive after hitting him upside the head the whole game which let Notre Dame score a late TD to win the game. You get so few opportunities to win games like that, UCLA, despite a great effort was let down by their coaching staff in my opinion. UCLA now will host a good WSU team at home in a game that Dorrell desperately needs to get to a bowl game.
7. Oregon State (7) – Won a second straight road game but now face a return to the unfriendly confines of Bean Dip Field. Will the fans and students turn quickly or Moore and Riley if USC scores early? The Beavers are on the cusp of a bowl but will need to win 3 more games this year to get there. USC will not be one of those three wins.
8. Washington (8) – In a very weird game Washington was able to take Cal to overtime before they were done in a foolish Carl Bonnell pass and the running of Marshaun Lynch. Kudos to Coach Willingham for getting his team up enough to take Cal down to the wire but frankly this team faces major issues at QB. Bonnell has to make better decisions to have any chance of winning and I wouldn’t count on any more Hailmarys to work this year. Give Washington’s defense major credit for keeping the score relatively low despite all the interceptions.
9. Arizona (9) – The loss to Oregon State may well have sealed Mike Stoops fate. This team is boring, beat up and dejected.
10. Stanford (10) – Put this horse to sleep. This team may go down as not only the worst Pac 10 team of the last 20 years but may be the worst BCS conference team since its inception. I just don’t see a win on the remaining schedule

Week Seven Review and Pac 10 Power Poll

This week was a painful one for starting QB’s. Washington lost their starting QB and arguably most important player to a season ending injury. Arizona is now looking at Kris Heavner starting as Willie Tuitama and Adam Austin are both hurt and Stanford now faces life without both Trent Edwards and TC Ostrander. As has been the case this year Cal, Oregon and USC are clearly the most talented teams in the Pac 10 and though they haven’t always won pretty they are winning all the games they should and I don’t see that changing. Washington really is in a world of hurt now in their attempt to get back to a bowl game. The offense was really based around the mobility of Stanback and either Carl Bonnell or Johnny Durocher will not provide the same sense of mobility that will keep opposing offenses at bay. Washington now likely has only one automatic win on the schedule meaning they will need to beat Stanford and hope they can defeat either ASU or WSU to get to a bowl. Oregon State on the other hand may have turned their year around and if they can win at Zona this week have likely gotten them-selves in position for a bowl game. Mike Riley just yet may save his hide. Same cannot be said for Mike Stoops if he loses this week to OSU. In other games Oregon faces their biggest challenge until the USC match-up. The Ducks usually have just enough to win in Pullman and I see that continuing. Washington will likely get crushed with a new QB on the road in Berkeley while I see UCLA just not having the horses to hang with USC. In the final game Stanford travels to Tempe and ASU will see their 3 game losing streak end post haste. In fact ASU could set themselves up for a nice win streak and end this year 9-3 which could get them to the Sun Bowl.

1. USC (1) – Again playing with fire, this team continues to win ugly with a ton of young players. Thankfully the schedule has been amazingly favorable and I think the bye week comes at a perfect time giving Troy 2 weeks to prepare for what could be a bad weather game against a resurgent Beaver team.
2. Cal (2) – Offense didn’t roll as much as many may have thought in Pullman but again it wasn’t needed as Cal’s defense shut down the Cougar attack. The Bears have to be licking their chops at the thought of playing UW in Strawberry Canyon without a green QB.
3. UO (3) – Oregon rebounded in a game that wasn’t as close as the scoreboard showed. The Ducks have some major worries with regards to special teams, short yardage running and defensive depth. In typical Oregon fashion the Ducks were great in their first 20 offensive plays scoring 3 first quarter TD’s then once the plays weren’t scripted the offense sputtered. This trend needs to be reversed to beat WSU and USC.
4. ASU (7) – The Devils mounted a valiant comeback on the road at USC but just like so many before them came up a bit short. Now that the Murderer’s Row schedule of ASU is over the Devils have a legit shot to win out the rest of the year and on paper they should. If Dirk Koetter wants to continue to be the coach of the Arizona State Sun Devils I highly recommend he win every game he should on paper in reality. Playing Stanford at home should help Rudy Carpenter regain his confidence.
5. UCLA (6) – I am not sure what to think of UCLA other than that they play some very boring football. Unfortunately they have to play their second straight road game, this time versus a rested Notre Dame squad. It could get ugly early if this one turns in to a track meet.
6. WSU (5) – I expected a bit more from the Cougars offense last week against Cal. The quad still looks like they are online for a bowl game and you know they would love to ruin Oregon’s year after the close escapes that the Ducks have had in the second home field in Pullman. Not sure if it is a good thing for Oregon that they get WSU at home next as they last time these two squads met in Eugene Bellotti was handed his worst loss ever.
7. OSU (8) – Nice win on the road that not many expected and they can easily make it 2 in a row this week in Tucson which would leave the Beavs in prime territory to sneak in to a bowl game. I think the Beavs are more comfortable on the road right now due to the hostile treatment the coaches and players are receiving from the “fans” of Beaver Nation.
8. UW (4) – Not sure I have ever dropped a school four places this late in the year but the Dawgs just lost their heart, offensive MVP and team leader last week in the loss to the Beavers. Losing Stanback will make UW one dimensional on offense and with the task of having to play road games in Berkeley, Eugene and Pullman the chances for a bowl game for the formerly Purple Helmets just got bleak.
9. UA (9) – That win over Stanford deserved a ticker tape parade, oh wait, maybe not. Arizona really needs to win every game they have a shot in to keep Stoops around next year. Kris Heavner has started for Arizona in the past with not much success and the Beavs seem to have regained some heart. I think Zona loses this one at home but it will be close. Do they have another Pac 10 win on the schedule?
10. Stanford (10) – No where to go but up from here, too bad they are going to be the punching bag that gets Rudy his groove back in Tempe this weekend.

Week Six Review and Pac 10 Power Poll

This week saw no changes in my power poll standings, I may need to check my records but I don’t think that has ever happened. Now I understand it is quite obvious that from viewing games this year Cal is at this point of the season a better team at this point than USC. However I made a pledge to keep USC at #1 until they lose and the Trojans did managed to escape the suddenly tough Washington schools with two close victories. Oregon appeared to have been listening to the media a tad much and got mauled down in Berkeley by a Cal team that still has to be kicking itself for the huge crap they took on themselves in Knoxville. The two coaches with the first name Mike in the Pac 10 both had stakes all but planted in their hearts taken losses in what have to be considered at least winnable games on paper. Expect changes at both schools next year and if Dirk Koetter can’t right the ship soon (a visit to USC isn’t going to do much to help that) he could be getting a pink slip too. I won’t totally discount the idea that Walt Harris could get canned as going 0-12 no matter the talent level is not acceptable especially when the school put up over 100 million for a new stadium. Bill Doba has done enough to stay at WSU another year, they should have enough to get to 6 or 7 wins and go bowling. This week the big game on the slate is the Oregon-UCLA tilt, UCLA has traditionally dominated Oregon at Autzen Stadium (the Ducks have only beat the Bruins twice in the history of the stadium) but with UCLA facing it’s first top 20 caliber team and without Ben Olson I see the Ducks coming back strong. Cal needs to not look past WSU who have quietly (like UCLA) put up a nice season. Stanford has it’s best shot at a win this week with the Mildcats in tow and while USC looks to get healthy versus an ASU Sun Devil team that has had two weeks to think about their devastating loses to Cal and Oregon. Finally Washington can get to five wins and all but end any chance of a winning record in Beaverland with a match-up in Seattle.

1. USC (1) – Haven’t really played a complete game since Arkansas. The defense has played well but isn’t forcing turnovers. If ASU was in a healthy state mentally I’d think they could beat the Trojans however healthy mental state and ASU Sun Devils are not two phrases that should be connected at this junction of the season. USC now has the chance to get a bit healthy before the schedule stiffens up.
2. Cal (2) – Cal flat out damaged Oregon, they outplayed Oregon in all aspects of the game and now just need to avoid a letdown at WSU. The Bears have to be considered the favorite now to win the Pac 10 championship however by the time they do play USC expect the Trojans to have regained some of their mojo.
3. UO (3) – The Cal game was over after the first play. Oregon must re-establish the running game and forget about the past week to get by always pesky UCLA. I was quite disappointed with some of the player antics seen on the field versus Cal. Without a doubt the worst performance by Oregon with Gary Crowton at OC.
4. UW (4) – The Huskies proved they are for real even in a loss at USC. No longer can anyone on the home or on the road look past the team in Purple. Please note this Oregon Ducks for your match-up with the Dawgs looms in a dangerous spot of the schedule sitting right before the big game versus USC.
5. WSU (5) – The Cougars beat everyone who they should, that should get them to a bowl game, however this week they face an amazing opportunity to get themselves in the Pac 10 race if they can beat Cal at home. I don’t think WSU has the horses to do it but watch out for Mkristo Bruce to attempt to take Nate Longshore out of his rhythm with some early heat.
6. UCLA (6) – UCLA has faced only one quality opponent this year in what has been the Pac 10’s easiest schedule. UCLA can’t get in a track meet with Oregon, to win this game the Bruins can’t give up more than 21 to the Ducks and I just don’t see that happening. UCLA faces 4 very tough games in the next 4 weeks, the easy slate of the schedule is over. They will need to win at least one of them to have a shot at getting to a bowl this year.
7. ASU (7) – Well ASU is at the crossroads. They need to show something against USC, a win is not needed to salvage this year but getting the passing game back and putting in some effort is a must. ASU could still easily recover and win 7 or 8 games this year as after the USC game they face all winnable games. I just have the feeling that ASU will throw in the towel and things could get very ugly in Tempe.
8. OSU (8) – More Beaver fans than normal seem to have taken up hunting. Oregon State might as well end the Matt Moore era and play for next year. Problem for Mike Riley is that he wants to continue having a job and needs to get some wins to save himself. Basically the mood in Corvallis is really getting ugly and I think that the coaches and players will actually be happy to have a road game up in Seattle. I don’t see the Beavers keeping this one within 10.
9. Arizona (9) – Arizona has no offense which makes it very hard to win games, that their D let down and let UCLA score 27 is a sign that Mike Stoops may have lost this team. If Coach Stoops loses to Stanford I could see him getting fired after the game. The Cats will be favored the next two weeks and then get a bye before they play up in Pullman. This is truly Mike Stoops last stand, look for him to be coaching somewhere on the Oklahoma defensive staff next year.
10. Stanford (10) – The Cardinal actually showed a bit of a pulse in South Bend. If they repeat that effort they will beat the Arizona Wildcats and give the New Stanford Stadium its first win.