Pac 10 Power Poll and Week Six Review

Many folks including myself argued that Michigan being defeated by Appalachian State was one of the biggest upsets in the history of sports but if you examine the disparity in Sagarin ratings Stanford beating USC was a much bigger upset. I believe in the history of this poll USC has spent only one week not ranked #1 but that will be changing now. USC needs to recover with three very challenging road games still on the slate. I’ve never thought Pete Carroll was the greatest game coach and in the games that USC has lost in the last 4 years they have been undone by some arrogant choices by the coaching staff and players. USC had no reason to be throwing late with the personnel they have on the defensive side of the ball on the drive that was ended by John David Booty throwing an interception that led to the final Stanford touchdown. Had they ran and punted Stanford would have only won the game with a hail-mary as the Trees would have lacked the time to get down the field to score the winning points. In other news Oregon State re-grouped nicely to defeat Arizona who played more like Arizona we have come to know than the one who grilled Washington State’s porous defense. Oregon State had a good enough defense to win 9 games this season and even compete for a Pac 10 title for horrific special teams play, quarterback play and injuries have crushed this squad. Washington State played the relatively untested ASU pretty tough but they lack a kicker with a strong enough leg to have much chance of hitting a field goal past 35 yards and this fact help undo them. Finally UCLA had the unfortunate problem of losing Ben Olson to a knee injury, UCLA’s walk-on QB had no chance and Notre Dame got some plays on defense to shock the Bruin faithful. Until UCLA gets Patrick Cowan or Ben Olson back at QB they will have problems beating any Pac 10 school.


1. Cal (2) – For Cal’s sake they have to hope that Nate Longshore can play. They should be able to beat Oregon State on special teams play alone but to beat ASU and USC they will need their QB back and healthy.
2. UO (3) – The question that faces is Oregon is whether they will recover from a hard loss like the 2001 and 2005 Ducks did or whether they will fade away like the 2002, 2003 and 2006 versions did. I think the Ducks should be able to score big points against Wazzu’s soft pass defense.
3. ASU (4) – Not that impressive against WSU but they did win and the previous week beat Stanford 41-3. The face a Washington team that is rested but whose stellar QB Jake Locker is getting schemed much better by opposing defenses. ASU will soon face a three game stretch of Cal, USC and Oregon and they will need to not make the mental mistakes that have plagued many Dennis Erickson teams in the past.
4. USC (1) – USC losing to Stanford was shocking, they went from controlling their own destiny in the BCS to facing the strong possibility of having to win out to even win the Pac 10 title. Pete Carroll will need to rally the troops and stop the bickering between John David Booty and the receivers.
5. Stanford (10) – Jim Harbaugh has instilled his players with confidence, that was something that was completely lacking under the regimes of Teevens and Harris. Stanford now hosts a highly disappointing TCU squad at home in front of what I have to assume may be more fans than Stanford usually has.
6. UW (6) – The Huskies hopefully used their bye week to heal up and figure out how to get their running backs more involved in their offense. They will face a tough task playing in Tempe where the Devils have been untouchable this year.
7. OSU (8) – The Beavs put together their best performance of the year in beating Ariozna. They face a huge task in Cal next week. I’d recommend Alex Serna punts every ball out of bounds to avoid Desean Jackson.
8. UA (7) – Well the offense returned back to what it had been most of this year and you really have to wonder how the Arizona defense could allow over 30 points to a Sean Canfield led squad. Playing an incredibly irate USC team will not add to the dismal chance of Mike Stoops retaining employment in Tucson.
9. WSU (9) – The Cougs played by far the best game they have played in the Pac 1o this year but came up short. The homecoming for Alex Brink could be pretty ugly in Eugene, sadly the Eugene kid will never get to experience playing in a bowl game.
10. UCLA (10) – As long as Bethel-Thomson is playing QB the Bruins cannot win a game in the Pac 10. Ben Olson appears to be out for 4 weeks and the status of Patrick is up in the air. They are quite lucky to have a bye week.

Pac 10 Power Poll and Week Five Review

Oregon/Cal was a classic game, that, I unfortunately left with a heavy heart. Both teams played tough but in the end turnovers did in Oregon. I would have liked to have seen the Ducks stay with the run when they were up in the fourth quarter but they got greedy and forced some throws. Give Cal credit for win these teams are about even as the score proved but the Ducks have to be kicking themselves for losing in a game they were in control of. The Arizona schools routed at home and the LA schools picked won in the north as well in what was a 0-4 day for the schools of Oregon and Washington. The top of the Pac 10 has shown to the nation that they belong up there with anyone in the country. Some poll voters such as Chris Fowler and Kirk Herbstreit actually moved Oregon up in the rankings after a loss. Next week is fairly blasé in the Pac 10, the best game will likely be what now may be a resurgent Wildcat squad playing a reeling Beaver team who gave up 40 unanswered points to UCLA which included a total breakdown in special teams play in the 4th quarter.

1. USC (1) – They played likely their worst game since early 2002 and still won. Maybe worries have out there due to health issues. The Trojans need to get healthy for the second half because they have some tough road match-ups with Oregon, Cal and USC looming. I just don’t see the Trojans winning out with this murderers row schedule. Luckily they face Stanford this week and should be able to rest a bunch of players.
2. Cal (3) – Tedford coached a smart game but his team will have some major problems if Longshore misses any games. I’d rank Cal, Oregon and USC as 1A, 1B and 1C but the Bears won on the scoreboard and that is all that matters.
3. Oregon (2) – A heartbreaking loss but to be minus 4 in turnovers and almost win shows you that if Oregon doesn’t turn the ball over they are pretty much unstoppable. A bye week might be a good thing here before they play the Cougars who should be all but filleted and gutted by the time they arrive in Eugene.
4. ASU (4) – It is kind of hard to judge this team as they haven’t played much competition this year (though that Colorado win now looks much better). As long as the weather doesn’t do something really weird in Pullman the Devils should take care of business and be approaching the Top 15 by the time they play UW in two weeks.
5. UCLA (5) – Well the Bruins didn’t start out well but they sure finished with a bang and rejoined the Top 25 in the media poll. They were really helped by the F minus special teams effort by the Oregon State Beavers. I expect them to run rough shot all over Notre Dame this weekend sending the Domers to 0-6.
6. UW (6) – A couple of breaks go the other way and the Huskies have their biggest win since beating Purdue in the anti-climatic 2001 Rose Bowl and biggest regular season win probably since the Wammy in Miami. A bye week will be well appreciated for the Dawgs who probably face too high of an uphill battle when they go to Tempe in two weeks.
7. UA (10) – As well as the top of the Pac 10 has played the bottom is playing awful. The Wildcats found an offense and crushed WSU. Are the Cougars that bad or has UA turned the corner? The Cats get to play Oregon State at the perfect time and can get to 500 on the season with a win next week.
8. OSU (8) – I’d put them lower but with the way that WSU and Stanford played last weekend not sure I can do that and the Beavers at least played pretty solid on defense. The Oregon State special teams played like they though that Jerry Pettibone was the Head Coach again.
9. WSU (7) – Letting Arizona score 40 on you is an awful sign. I think we can safely say that unless WSU pulls a miracle and wins at least one of their next two games versus ASU and UO there is hardly any chance that WSU can get to a bowl game this year which is needed for Doba to continue to coach.
10. Stanford (9) – Back in their usual spot and getting to play a likely very motivated USC team after their poor performance in Seattle will only add to the Cardinal woes.

Pac 10 Power Poll and Week Four Review

Week four was the first week where all games were played within the conference and the haves appeared to beat up on the have nots. Oregon was dominating except for a very strange fifteen minutes that occurred in the second quarter. Somehow Stanford put up 31 straight points mainly due to fumbles by Ducks going for extra yards. Give Stanford credit for staying in it for awhile but it appears that unlike many previous Bellotti regimes this one responds well in the second half of games. The Beavers has ASU on the ropes before poor QB play did them in. UCLA played much better defense but also lost starting QB Patrick Cowan so if Ben Olson can’t go next week they will have to play in Corvallis with a freshman QB. USC rolled up WSU as expected, not much to say about that one. This week the big game is Oregon versus Cal at Autzen with the boys from ESPN Gameday making their first appearance in Eugene since 2000. Whichever team can force some stops on defense should win this one. Oregon would be wise to punt it away from Desean Jackson every time they punt (which of course may not be very often . . .)

!. USC (1) – Rolling, rolling, rolling. Another week another ABC 5 PM special for USC. This week it will be in Seattle and UW doesn’t have the defense to contain USC’s offense. Husky Stadium will be rocking but it will all be in vain.
2. Oregon (2) – Outside of bad quarter the Ducks rolled Stanford. The good news was that the turnovers were all fumbles all caused by guys trying to make the extra effort. Dixon still hasn’t thrown a pick. The challenge next week will be whether the Oregon d can force a few turnovers. They will score against Cal’s defense. The winner may need 40 points on Saturday.
3. Cal (3) – The offense is top notch but questions remain on defense. The Cal-Oregon game will be the Bears second game on the national stage this year and in effort number one versus Tennessee they delivered in spades.
4. ASU (4) – I didn’t get to see this game as it like the Oregon was not on live TV. ASU from all appearances could have easily lost this game save for the moronic QB play of Sean Canfield. Makes you wonder that if OSU had not attempted a pass in the second half and milked as much clock as possible they could have won. ASU appears to be a solid 4 in this league but hasn’t faced much competition yet. Stanford won’t be the cakewalk it may have appeared so ASU could be on upset special lookout now that they are in the Top 25.
5. UCLA (8) – The Bruins came back strong from the debacle in Salt Lake City. With Cowan and Olson on the mend they may be playing a 3rd stringer in Corvallis next week. UCLA has dominated Oregon State in recent games and as long as the Bruins can force OSU to throw the Bruins will win.
6. UW (5) – Playing a murderers row schedule is likely starting to wear on UW as they faltered down the stretch. Having to play USC will only add to that problem. UW should however be able to put a nice run together late in the season when the schedule eases up.
7. WSU (6) – Clearly outclassed by USC the Cougs will travel down to the desert in a game of coaches on the hot seat. I’d wager the loser of this game will not be a Pac 10 coach next year, but then again we might have to say that about the winner too.
8. OSU (7) – The Beavs would be a Top 15 team if they had good quarterback play, they don’t and now it seems very unlikely that OSU will win more than 3 more games going down the stretch.
9. Stanford (9) – Give them credit for playing with some fire for the first time in who knows how long. Kimble ripped the Ducks up and the defense. They could sneak up on ASU this week.
10. UA (10) - Was putting up 24 points against Cal because the Wildcats found their offense or was it from the bad Cal defense. They host WSU this week in a must win game to have much chance to get to 500 this year.

Week Three Review and Pac 10 Power Poll

The big story of the week has to be UCLA losing to a previously winless Utah team by a score of 44-7. Though certainly there is no shame in losing to Utah in most years in Salt Lake City (Oregon lost there in 2003) losing 44-7 to a team without its starting backfield by 37 is beyond shameless. With the amount of returning starters UCLA brought to the table this result confounds me. UCLA has dropped further in two weeks than any school in the history of my pool I would be willing to wager. I will hand out kudos to Oregon, USC and Cal for rolling but my biggest props actually go out to Jim Harbaugh and the Stanford Cardinal who shut out the always pesky Spartans from San Jose State. After going zero for Mountain West and losing at home to neighboring New Mexico it will take a major miracle for Mike Stoops to be in Tucson in 2007. To assure the job saving bowl invite the Cats are now in the position of having to win 6 Pac 10 games to get to 7 wins. Starting out the league slate in Strawberry Canyon is a horrible way to kick that off. Karl Dorrell lost all the good will he built up with winning 10 games in 05 and beating USC last year with that horrible Utah performance. Look for Stoops, Dorrell and possibly Doba if the Cougs struggle in league to be on the unemployment line come December . . .

1. USC (1) – Went out and did what they do, the running game is dominant, outside of some injuries in the back 7 and inexperienced wide receivers this team looks lethal.. LSU is probably the better team now but give USC another month and they will deserve their #1 ranking. I see no issues with them facing WSU at home this week. Brink will get some numbers but the WSU defense can’t hold the Trojans down.
2. UO (2) – Finally blew out Fresno State. I am glad to see that series end, the Bulldogs always put up a fight and seemed to leave the Ducks with a series of injuries. Oregon shouldn’t have too much problem with the Trees so hopefully they will be 4-0 heading in to the match-up with Cal.
3. Cal (3) – Blew out La Tech and should have revenge on their mind next week for Arizona which cost them a Rose Bowl bid last year. If I could put both UO and Cal at 2 I would but I decided to keep my ranking the same from last week.
4. ASU (5) – Didn’t have much trouble with San Diego State now they will face an emotional home game versus Dennis Erickson’s old Beaver squad. ASU hasn’t been challenged much this year and I don’t see the Beavs putting up much of a fight either.
5. UW (6) – Somehow they lost by 19 and went up a spot. Well no shame in losing to Ohio State and the Dawgs were ahead at halftime. UCLA all of a sudden looks very vulnerable, I think the Dawgs go down to the Rose Bowl and put up a W next week.
6. WSU (7) – The Cougars put up big numbers versus Idaho but again they should do that. The defense is too shaky to have any shot at USC.
7. OSU (8) – If you are going to schedule a 1-AA team at least play Portland State to give that program a little green and keep it in state. The Beavs will face a much better defense at ASU than Idaho State and unless Canfield has drastically improved the Beavs will get get shredded in the desert.
8. UCLA (4) – Not much more I can say. Dropping from 2nd to 8th in two weeks takes talent but the Bruins pulled it off. They now face a very tough home game versus UW. Better not drop any more winnable games Dorrell or you’ll find yourself an NFL assistant next season.
9. LSJU (10) – When was the last time Stanford shut someone out? Don’t celebrate too long boys the Ducks are coming to town.
10. UA (9) – Hey Mike, better call up Bob to see if he has a spot on his staff for you in 2008.

Pac 10 Power Poll and Week Two Review

Well obviously the big story of the week was Oregon steamrolling Michigan in the Big House. Even the biggest Oregon fan wouldn’t have predicted a 39-7 drubbing that frankly could have been a lot worse had the ducks not put on the brakes a bit and had some unlucky breaks in the redzone. Michigan looked slow and confused and I think they will struggle to be bowl eligible. Luckily they get to play Notre Dame next week who I would be shocked gets to 6 wins this year either. The second biggest story of the week has got to be the resilient Washington Huskies led by freshman Jake Locker. The Dawgs ended the nation’s longest winning streak and with TCU losing left Hawaii as the only team with a shot out there of being a BCS Cinderella (and Hawaii was on life support in Ruston). UCLA and Cal had to be a bit disappointed with their play against Mountain West foes while the Beavs need to seriously upgrade their QB play if they have any hope of making a bowl game.

1. USC (1) – They didn’t play and have had two weeks to prepare for a hostile crowd in Lincoln, the Huskers avoided losing the trap game in Winston-Salem (had Riley Skinner played Wake wins) but will have major issues offensively hanging with USC. Nebraska is still a year away from getting back to where they could compete against a USC team at home.
2. Oregon (5) – I’ve been watching Duck football for almost my whole life and never has there been a better offensive half of football by an Oregon team than the first half in Ann Arbor. Michigan looked lost on defense and doesn’t have the game plan or personnel to come back once they get down early. Even though this Michigan team has proved its self to be as huge of a disappointment we’ve seen in recent memory this win for Oregon has to go down among its best road wins ever.
3. Cal (3) – Cal’s defense has some holes, they played a pretty mediocre CSU team and never put them away. This was a classic let down game for the Bears after the big, emotional win over Tennessee. La Tech should score a lot of points against Cal but not nearly as many as Cal will score against the pathetic defense of La Tech. Look for Desean Jackson to put up numbers to try and get up their in the Heisman rankings.
4. UCLA (2) – I really only put them here because they played at home rather than on the road. BYU is a tough team coming off a 2 game winning streak against Pac 10 opponents. UCLA should be able to handle a beat up Utah teak this week. It is hard for me to differentiate much between UCLA, Cal, ASU and Oregon right now.
5. ASU (5) – Got down 14-0 early to CU at home then received nicely to destroy the Buffs. Ryan Torain continues to put up good numbers and Rudy Carpenter looks like he is making better decisions. San Diego State shouldn’t present any issues to ASU this week.
6. UW (7) – The second most impressive win of the week and the best win of the Willingham era in Montlake. Locker now faces what is likely too large of a test when Ohio State comes to town but I wouldn’t completely count the Huskies out. Ohio State is sputtering on offense and managed only 20 points in a home win versus Ohio.
7. WSU (8) – Nice bounce back win for the Cougs in a game they needed to win to have any shot at getting to a bowl game this year and saving Bill Doba’s job. The annual battle with Idaho awaits and the Cougars can’t be over-confident, Idaho played a solid game at USC all things considered and have upgraded their talent a bit over the last two years.
8. OSU (6) – The Beavs were downright awful in Cincinnati, without some massive improvement at QB the Beavs will struggle to get to 500 this year. They should be Idaho State 55-7 or so but that game won’t do much to prepare Canfield and understudies for the Pac 10 schedule.
9. UA (9) – They beat a 1-AA school , can’t say that means much and this week New Mexico invades with perhaps their best team in the last 3 decades. Arizona needs to find some offense and soon or they will lost to New Mexico in a game that would require the Cats to win 5 Pac 10 games to ensure a bowl bid, and Stoops must get that bowl bid to continue his employment.
10. LSJU (10) – If Stanford can’t beat San Jose State with two weeks to prepare then they are hopeless.