SB Nation - Arizona St. Sun Devils

Pac 10 holes to fill in 2010

John Berkowitz — Wed, 02 Dec 2009 14:03:21 -0000

More photos » by STEPHEN BRASHEAR - AP

Washington tailback Chris Polk became the first Husky frosh to ever rush over 1000 yards in a single season. (AP Photo/Stephen Brashear)

Browse more photos »

The Pac 10 proved itself in 2009 to be an elite conference with lots of parity for the first time since Pete Carroll's first season at USC. As for 2010 you can usually make a pretty good prediction on what is going to happen next year based on the previous years record, returning starters, and most importantly experience at quarterback.

If you are using that as a guide it is pretty easy to pick the Oregon Ducks as the favorite to win the conference in 2010. Overall the Pac 10 was young in 2009 and that was one reason for all the parity. Washington and Washington State like to point at youth for being a reason they will be better in 2009 but you can say that about any team in the conference next season excluding ASU and Arizona.

At first glance this is an early look at the holes that teams need to plug next season and what the reasonable expectation should be for 2010.

1. Oregon - Offense - 10 - Defense - 9

The Ducks go into 2010 as the favorite to win the conference. On offense they have everyone coming back except for TE Ed Dickson who will be adequately replaced by David Paulson. Defensively they need to replace half of their defensive line which is graduating but they do have the beef in reserve to do that. The defensive backfield will be young but a lot of those players saw considerable action this season.

The big key for Oregon is the return of Jeremiah Masoli at QB and his partner in crime LaMichael James. The Ducks should start next season in the top five nationally and be primed for a national championship run. If you are a duck fan you don't have too much in the immediate future to worry about.

2. Southern Cal - 7 Offense - Defense - 7

The Trojans lose three offensive lineman and their TE so their is some rebuilding to do up front. On defense they need to replace the entire secondary. This was a young USC team with plenty of talent on the roster which will only get better with time. The key to 2010 will be the continued development of QB Matt Barkley and the hope of some playmakers maturing around him on offense.

Pete Carroll has recruited well at USC but he didn't have any actual superstars on the roster in 2010 at key positions like he did in the past. The Trojans need a RB to emerge to compliment what Barkley will bring next season. Expect the improvement at QB to be there as usual. SC needs some serious playmakers if they are going to get past Oregon.

3. Oregon State - Offense - 8 - Defense - 9

On offense the Beavers need to replace Sean Canfield who played himself into a NFL draft pick this past season. The Rodgers brothers are scheduled to return but I could see James leaving early for the NFL. The Beavers lose only one starting offensive lineman. On defense the Beavers lose a LB and one of their CB's so they are in really good shape going into 2010 if Lyle Moevao can get a sixth year to come back and run the Beav offense.

If Moevao can get another season and James Rodgers comes back the Beavers will be very good on offense. If they don't come back I could see this team fall a couple of spots despite having an improved defense. You win with experience at QB in this league. If OSU is breaking in a new QB there will be some growing pains.

4. California - Offense - 9 - Defense - 5

The Bears only lose one offensive lineman and will likely lose RB Jahvid Best who is headed for the NFL early. No big deal because Shane Vereen is just as scary. Other than that the Bears return pretty intact on offense which means trouble for the rest of the Pac 10. On defense the Bears will loose 3/4 of their secondary, half of their LB corps and a DE so there is some rebuilding to be done.

I expect the Bears to do better on offense next season. Kevin Riley has to get better at QB with another year under Tedford. Defensively the Bears are rebuilding and that will ultimately keep them from winning the title. Tedford has recruited well over the years so he has some talent in the depth that is ready to move up to help fill holes on defense.

5. Stanford - Offense - 8 - Defense - 7

The Cardinal lose Heisman hopeful Toby Gerhart who is a huge part of their offense. He will be tough to replace. They also lose one OL and a TE so with the exception of Gerhart they return pretty much intact on offense. On defense they lose the two best players in their secondary in McNally and Sherman. They also lose monster NT Ekom Udofia and LB Will Powers.

Imagine Stanford without Toby Gerhart in 2009. How competitive would this team have been? Gerhart is a generational talent who the Cards won't be able to replace. Harbaugh continues to bring in solid recruiting classes so the Tree will be an improved team. The questions are will Andrew Luck be able to pick up enough of the slack in 2010 for the Stanford offense to be a factor? Can Stanford find an adequate replacement for Gerhart?

6. Washington Offense - 9 - Defense - 7

The Huskies lose Ossai and Homer from the offense. On defense they lose Butler and Savannah at LB plus Jones and Teo Nesheim on the DL. Jones was more of a spot starter because of injuries and the same can be said of Savannah who will petition for a 6th year.

The Huskies have some good returning at the offensive skill positions but they are in year one of rebuilding the offensive line because Sark couldn't find any to sign in year one. It will take at least two years of development until this highly rated OL class is ready to contribute. The only big question on offense is if Jake Locker will return. If he does UW should go to a bowl in 2010. If he doesn't it will set the program back a year or two.

Defensively Washington played a lot of young players in 2010. They also have a lot of talent coming in with the next class which should alleviate depth concerns. Washington will be improved on defense next season even though the losses of Teo Nesheim and Butler will be felt.

If Jake Locker doesn't come back the Huskies would fall to eighth in my early predictions. Not much of a fall but the difference between making or not making a bowl game in 2010 unless a miracle happens at QB.

7. Arizona - 5 Offense - Defense - 4

The Wildcats lose WR Terrell Turner, FB Chris Gronksowski, and most of their offensive line. On defense they lose half the defensive line and all three of their starting LB's. They also lose two starters in the secondary.

Thank god for Nick Foles and Nic Grigsby because this team is going to need them next year. Arizona and ASU are really the only team in the conference doing a major rebuild from an attrition standpoint next season. If TE Rob Gronkowski returns it will be another big plus.

8. UCLA - 8 Offense - Defense - 7

The Bruins lose FB Chane Moline, WR Terrance Austin, and TE Logan Paulsen on offense. Defensively they lose the Bosworth twins and Reggie Carter at the LB spots. Alteraun Verner is always leaving at CB. You can count on Rick Neuheisel to continue bringing in new talent from the recruiting trail. There are some losses on defense but the Bruins have the talent to fill the holes coming back or coming in. T

The big questions are on offense. Can the Bruins develop an adequate starting QB to go along with an adequate running game in 2010. It all starts on the offensive line. Has Rick built up enough talent and depth here to make a difference on the OL in 2010?

9. Arizona State - 2 Offense - Defense - 5

The Sun Devils are in trouble unless Dennis Erickson can plug some major holes immediately. On offense they lose three starting linemen along with the TE, WR's, RB, HB, and QB. As bad as they were on offense maybe starting over is a better idea.

On defense they lose DE Dexter Davis, LB Travis Goethel, LB Mike Nixon, and 3/4's of the secondary. The defense was the only spark the Devils had last year so this is a major area of concern.

Erickson starts 2010 on the hot seat for the first time as a college coach. He really needs to hit the JV trail this off season to have a chance to get this team near .500 in 2010. I don't think he can get it done in the time he probably has left. Breaking in a new QB won't help matters.

10. Washington State - 8 - Offense - Defense 9

On offense the Cougars lose QB Kevin Lopina, RB Dwight Tardy, C Kenny Alfred, and TE Tony Thompson. On defense they lose LB Andy Mattingly and Safety Xavier Hicks.

The good news is that everyone who matters is coming back. The bad news is that really nobody on this roster matters at this point. WSU needs a massive influx of talent to climb out the basement. Wulff needs to put together a remarkable recruiting class this off season or he isn't going to make it out of Pullman alive next season.

Week Thirteen BlogPoll Ballot Draft

T Kyle King — Mon, 30 Nov 2009 10:00:16 -0000

When compiling this week’s BlogPoll ballot, I paid no attention to last week’s top 25 (ergo, you should ignore the arrows) and I did not consult any other person’s or organization’s rankings, so the fault for what follows is mine and mine alone. I began by cobbling together a list of all BCS conference teams with records of 9-3 or better and all mid-major teams with records of 10-2 or better. This list came to twenty teams, so I went back and added in the six BCS conference clubs with 8-3 records. In so doing, I overlooked nine BCS conference teams and independents with 8-4 records, as well as five mid-majors with 9-3 records. I remain open to arguments in favor of any of these teams, but the first draft of my ballot reads as follows:

Rank	Team	Delta

1	Alabama
2	Florida
3	Texas
4	Cincinnati
5	Boise State	1
6	TCU	1
7	Oregon	2
8	Ohio State	2
9	Iowa	2
10	Georgia Tech	3
11	Virginia Tech	1
12	Pittsburgh	4
13	LSU	7
14	Miami (Florida)	1
15	Southern Cal	6
16	Oregon State
17	Penn State	4
18	Houston	4
19	Oklahoma State	4
20	West Virginia
21	California	2
22	Nebraska
23	Brigham Young
24	Wisconsin
25	Central Michigan
Last week's ballot

Dropped Out: Clemson (#14), Mississippi (#17), North Carolina (#18), Stanford (#24), Temple (#25).

The Alabama Crimson Tide (12-0) have beaten eight Division I-A teams with winning records, including the 11th-ranked Virginia Tech Hokies (9-3), the 13th-ranked LSU Tigers (9-3), and the Mississippi Rebels (8-4), yet the Tide’s only close calls have come in heated rivalry showdowns with the Tennessee Volunteers and the Auburn Tigers, both of which are 7-5.

The Florida Gators (12-0) have beaten seven Division I-A teams with winning records, but the Sunshine State Saurians’ best victory was over Louisiana State, which is the second-best victim ‘Bama has bested. The Texas Longhorns (12-0) have taken down only five opponents who are above .500 and their best win was over the 19th-ranked Oklahoma St. Cowboys (9-3). As we shall see, the Pokes’ credentials are somewhat suspect, so the ‘Horns are a decidedly shaky No. 3 in my view.

I awarded the No. 4 spot on my ballot to the Cincinnati Bearcats (11-0) due to the fact that Brian Kelly’s club has bested the 16th-ranked Oregon St. Beavers (8-3), the 20th-ranked West Virginia Mountaineers (8-3), and the Rutgers Scarlet Knights (8-3). All told, six of Cincy’s Division I-A triumphs have come against teams with winning ledgers.

The Boise St. Broncos narrowly edged out the TCU Horned Frogs for the No. 5 ranking, but it was a close call because the two teams’ resumes are so similar. The two mid-major mammoths arrived at 12-0 by virtually identical routes, as both clubs have beaten one Division I-AA opponent at home (UC-Davis for Boise State and Texas State for Texas Christian), one 6-6 squad on the road (Hawaii for the Broncos and Wyoming for the Frogs), five teams with winning records, and five teams with losing records. Each has beaten a 1-11 team at home (BSU defeated Miami (Ohio) and TCU defeated New Mexico) and each has taken advantage of four opponents with four or fewer wins.

The Horned Frogs’ second- and third-best wins (over the Utah Utes and the Clemson Tigers) were superior to the Broncos’ second- and third-best wins (over the Nevada Wolf Pack and the Fresno St. Bulldogs), but Boise State’s triumph over the seventh-ranked Oregon Ducks (9-2) carries considerably more weight than Texas Christian’s victory over the 23rd-ranked BYU Cougars (10-2), so the Broncos sneaked by the Frogs . . . barely.

(I would add at this point that Texas and Texas Christian have beaten the same number of Division I-A teams with records above .500 and that the Longhorns’ triumvirate of wins over Oklahoma State, Texas Tech, and Missouri clubs with a combined 25-11 record is comparable in quality to the Horned Frogs’ trio of triumphs over BYU, Utah, and Clemson outfits with a cumulative 27-9 ledger. Texas and TCU share only one opponent in common; the ‘Horns traveled to Laramie and beat the Wyoming Cowboys 41-10, whereas the Frogs traveled to Laramie and beat the Wyoming Cowboys 45-10. Texas allowed 13 points in a narrow win over the Oklahoma Sooners at a neutral site game played in Dallas, while Texas Christian went on the road and throttled a Brigham Young team that allowed 13 points in a narrow win over the Oklahoma Sooners at a neutral site game played in Arlington. There is a compelling case to be made for the proposition that the Longhorns are not the top team in the Lone Star State, or, at least, are not noticeably distinguishable from the other contender for that title.)

Oregon laid claim to the No. 7 ranking ahead of the Ohio St. Buckeyes (10-2) in spite of the fact that the Big Ten champions have the better collection of victories over winning teams: Ohio State beat Iowa, Penn State, Wisconsin, and Navy, while the Ducks defeated Southern California, California, Utah, and Arizona. The Buckeyes were dragged down by the fact that they lost to two teams, including the Purdue Boilermakers (5-7), that both were beaten by Oregon.

The Iowa Hawkeyes (10-2) landed one notch behind an Ohio State team to which they lost a close contest on the road. Iowa ended up ahead of the Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets (10-2) not on the basis of wins, but of losses. In the victory column, the Hawkeyes and the Engineers are comparable. Both have ten wins; both claimed four of those victories by a touchdown or less; both beat one Division I-AA team and three Division I-A teams with winning records. On the whole, the Ramblin’ Wreck’s top three triumphs (over Virginia Tech, Clemson, and North Carolina) arguably are better than Iowa’s (over Penn State, Wisconsin, and Arizona), but the Hawkeyes lost a couple of close ones to an 8-4 team at home and a 10-2 team on the road. The Golden Tornado lost a close one to a 7-5 team at home and a thumping to a 9-3 team on the road.

Wins over No. 14 Miami (Florida) and No. 22 Nebraska enabled the Gobblers to overcome three very respectable losses and claim the No. 11 ranking for VPI, while the Pittsburgh Panthers (9-2) staked an admittedly shaky claim to the No. 12 spot with victories over Rutgers, Navy, and South Florida. Both of Pitt’s losses came in close contests on the road, but the Panthers’ early-season setback to the N.C. State Wolfpack (5-7) gives me pause and I very well might be persuaded to drop Dave Wannstedt’s club.

The Bayou Bengals’ three best wins were over a trio of 7-5 teams (Georgia, Arkansas, and Auburn), but their losses to Alabama, Florida, and Ole Miss are forgivable, so Louisiana State sneaked ahead of the Miami Hurricanes (9-3). A convincing win over Georgia Tech, a recent triumph over the South Florida Bulls (7-4), a previous victory over Oklahoma that acquired new luster in the Bedlam Battle, and a trio of losses to teams with at least eight wins apiece vaulted the ‘Canes ahead of the USC Trojans (8-3), who are hanging onto narrow victories against Ohio State and Oregon State while otherwise relying upon name recognition to make us forget about a stumble against the Washington Huskies (4-7) and blowout losses to Oregon and Stanford.

The Beavers ended up behind the Men of Troy thanks to the head-to-head result of the two teams’ Pac-10 meeting in Los Angeles, but wins over Cal and Stanford continue to keep Oregon State in contention. Despite boasting a 10-2 record, the Penn St. Nittany Lions deserved no better than a No. 17 ranking because Joe Paterno’s club has beaten the Northwestern Wildcats, the Temple Owls, and no other Division I-A teams above .500 while being beaten soundly by both Ohio State and Iowa.

I know lots of folks don’t think the Houston Cougars deserve to be ranked, but the Cougs are a refugee from a traditional Southern power conference and a division champion who got to 10-2 by beating a Division I-AA opponent, skating by four Division I-A foes by seven or fewer points, beating the Mississippi St. Bulldogs (5-7) in Starkville, and taking advantage of five teams with losing records. Houston sounds to me a lot like Georgia Tech, but, whereas an ACC division champion would finish fourth in the SEC East, a Conference USA division champion would finish in the top half of the Big 12 South, at least judging by the Cougars’ wins over Oklahoma State and Texas Tech. Those key non-league wins allowed Houston to overcome the problem of having lost on the road to the UTEP Miners (4-8).

For obvious reasons, the Cowboys remained one spot behind the Cougars, but a better set of losses (to Texas, Houston, and Oklahoma) allowed the Pokes to stay ahead of a West Virginia unit that fell to Cincinnati, South Florida, and Auburn before boosting its resume by beating Pittsburgh in the Backyard Brawl.

The California Golden Bears (8-3) suffered their three setbacks to teams with eight or more victories each, but none of those losses came in close contests and Cal’s wins over the Stanford Cardinal (8-4) and the Arizona Wildcats (7-4) are the only bright spots in a resume weighed down by the presence of triumphs over Division I-AA Eastern Washington, the Washington St. Cougars (1-11), the Maryland Terrapins (2-10), and the Arizona St. Sun Devils (4-8), the latter of whom the Berkeley Bears barely beat.

The Nebraska Cornhuskers (9-3) won the Big 12 North after tackling a non-conference slate straight out of the Sun Belt. The Big Red Machine beat Arkansas State, Florida Atlantic, and Louisiana-Lafayette but defeated only one team all year with a ledger better than 7-5. The ‘Huskers came up short against the Iowa St. Cyclones (6-6) in an offensively moribund contest, so Nebraska clings to a No. 22 ranking while patiently awaiting its loss to Texas.

Brigham Young does not deserve to be ranked, but I had trouble finding another team to rank 23rd, so the spot went to a Cougar club that lost lopsided affairs to Texas Christian and the Florida St. Seminoles (6-6). Narrow wins over Utah and Oklahoma are about all BYU has to its credit, but those victories are better than the Wisconsin Badgers’ triumphs over Fresno State and Northern Illinois. Those are the only two teams over .500 to have fallen to Wiscy in the course of the Badgers’ 8-3 autumn.

The Central Michigan Chippewas (10-2) slipped into the No. 25 spot ahead of Rutgers because the State University of New Jersey beat a pair of Division I-AA teams and the Chips at least sneaked by the Michigan St. Spartans (6-6) on the road. Also, unlike the Scarlet Knights, they didn’t lose to the gender-neutral Syracuse Orange (4-8).

You should by all means feel free to offer constructive criticisms, heartfelt feedback, and thoughtful arguments for the inclusion or exclusion of particular teams. For what it’s worth, I watched the Ball State-Western Michigan game on Tuesday and the first half of the Texas-Texas A&M game on Thursday before devoting my Friday to flipping back and forth among and between the Cincinnati-Illinois, Alabama-Auburn, Colorado-Nebraska, Pitt-West Virginia, and Boise State-Nevada games. My Saturday was spent bouncing around between the Clemson-South Carolina, Mississippi-Mississippi State, Florida-Florida State, and Miami-South Florida games before I settled in for the Georgia-Georgia Tech game.

Go ‘Dawgs!

Sunday Buff Bites - 2010 Prognostications are Already Turning Positive

irish1611 — Sun, 29 Nov 2009 20:31:03 -0000

Two head coaches not named Dan Hawkins have already been fired: Steve Kragthorpe of Louisville and Al Groh at Virginia. Louisville bought out Kragthorpe for $2.2 million and Virginia paid Al Groh $4.33 million to get him out of Charlottesville. Kragthorpe was fired after just three years at Louisville while Groh went 59-53 with the Cavaliers and guided them to five bowl games. Groh only managed one winning season in his last four, going 9-4 in 2007.

Kragthorpe went 15 - 21 at Louisville. Louisville, a Big East team, is looking at Florida defensive coordinator Charlie Strong, Houston head coach Kevin Sumlin (Colorado and Big 12 ties), former Auburn coach Tommy Tuberville, Texas Tech coac Mike Leach and former Tennessee coach Phil Fulmer.

McDaniels now a mouth that roared profanity - The Denver Post

"So you advocated the firing of Colorado football coach Dan Hawkins, even though he is doing things the right way off the field. Of course, if CU has a team with disciplinary problems and/or low graduation rates, you're the first one to criticize the coach. Consistency isn't your strong suit." Randy, Littleton

Kiz: There's a reason college football coaches are paid $1 million per year. It's a hard job. It's the Big 12 Conference, brother. It's hard to win with players who are gentlemen and scholars. But there's nothing inconsistent in expecting a fine university serious about football and academics to succeed on and off the field. If the Buffaloes were truly serious about football, Hawkins and his 16-33 record would be gone. Coaches are tested on the scoreboard. Hawk has turned in a score of 32.7 percent. No matter how lenient the grading curve or how much extra credit is given for the fine citizenship of players, that's an F.

"The problem with CU football is the snooty city of Boulder. If you were to switch the people who live in Westminster, Thornton, Broomfield or any other city in the metro area with the people of Boulder, CU would be top five in the country as far as fan base and support. People in the great state of Colorado love their Buffs and get chills when Ralphie takes to the field, but people in Boulder couldn't care less." Earl, Ithaca, N.Y.

Kiz: Hey, go easy on the People's Republic. Boulder is one of the best towns in the USA. But does anybody else get the impression that seeing the Buffs beat Nebraska is not high on the priority list of CU president Bruce Benson? Athletic director Mike Bohn has pledged loyalty to Hawkins in tough times. That's admirable. But what happens when an athletic director loves a losing football coach too much? Both men lose their jobs.

Boivin: ASU needs changes on offense
Mark Helfrich on the move again?

They only category the Sun Devils lead now is offensive predictability.
Among the names that have come up in speculation is Mark Helfrich, Oregon's offensive coordinator who previously coached quarterbacks at ASU under Dirk Koetter. Helfrich, 36, is well-regarded in the coaching ranks but it's hard to imagine he would leave the Ducks. He has ties there and is part of a successful program. His head coach, Chip Kelly, also calls plays, so possibly the promise of that role in Tempe could sway Helfrich.

281 days to the season opener | The Buffzone Blog

For three years running, I’ve heard players talk during the offseason about how that particular offseason was the best the program has experienced in recent memory. I’m not buying it this time. The Buffs might actually have an outstanding offseason this year, but I think I’ll wait to write about it when we actually have some proof of it. Otherwise, it’s just talk, and if there is one thing I know CU football fans are sick of, it’s bold, brash words with little or nothing backing them up.

Buffaloes peer into future - The Longmont Times-Call

Starting up front, they graduate no linemen, offensive or defensive, who played a lot in 2009. Barring attrition, they expect to return every starter on both lines. Some might say that’s not as encouraging as it sounds because CU’s offense and defense ranked toward the bottom of the Big 12 in most statistical categories. But if success begins by controlling the line of scrimmage, the Buffs should be happy. They’ll be loaded with experience and depth up front in 2009. The offense loses its two top tight ends and the fullback, but every other skill position player returns. If his work in practice in 2009 as he redshirted is an indication, transfer receiver Toney Clemons will be one to watch in 2010.

more after the jump...

Fan reaction to Colorado’s retention of Hawkins mixed - The Longmont Times-Call

Ringo: Bowl game within CU`s sights for 2010 - Boulder Daily Camera

But there are some reasons to believe the Buffs could be capable of at least getting to a bowl game in 2010 and being competitive in the Big 12 North Division, the lighter side of the Big 12. Quarterback Tyler Hansen will return and figures to be the starter from the beginning of his junior year. The experience he gained this season and his work with the first team in spring and summer practices will help him. He will have to beat out senior Cody Hawkins, redshirt freshman Clark Evans and several true freshmen quarterbacks expected to join the program, but it would be a surprise to see anyone overtake him. We`re guessing CU coaches won`t be thrilled with the idea of starting over at the position with one of the younger players in a year in which their jobs will once again be on the line.

Losing gets old, so Buffs turning eye to offseason - The Denver Post

Three redshirt freshmen to watch LB Derrick Webb: Former Memphis Whitehaven HS standout could replace Marcus Burton as team's most punishing tackler. CB Deji Olatoye: Ohioan has size (6-2, 185), athleticism (6-4 high jump) and smarts (business major). TE DaVaughn Thornton: Coaches believe the 6-5, 230-pounder from Denver East could develop into CU's next great tight end.
Three goals in spring 1. Get used to new assistant coaches. In addition to former NFL DB Ashley Ambrose being elevated to full-time WR coach, look for at least one other offseason change in the staff. 2. Settle on an O-line. Even in the 12th game, there was some juggling, with backup center Mike Iltis becoming a starting guard. 3. Develop an offense with greater big-play capability.

Arizona vs. Arizona State Quick React

joenewby4040 — Sun, 29 Nov 2009 00:02:39 -0000

The Cats got lucky tonight!!!!!!!!

View full size photo »

Arizona defeated Arizona State on Saturday 20-17. How lucky were we? ASU mucks a punt with 1:00 left in the game on their own 20 yard line. Alex Zendejas knocked through the game winner with no time left and that was all she wrote. Arizona led 14-0 at the half, holding ASU to only 9 yards on the ground in the first half. The defense looked impressive. The entire D-Line was awesome and created havoc for the Sun Devils all day. Ricky Elmore again was unstoppable and Brooks Reed was great as well. ASU shot themselves in the foot at every opportunity they had. Penalties, a blocked punt and one defensive miscue that allowed Antolin to sprint for a 67 yard touchdown. They fought back and the TD pass to Kyle Williams on 4-13 was ridiculously awesome. Foles was definitely off of his game only having 148 yards passing on 24/43 passing and no touchdowns.

Arizona looked sluggish in the 2nd half and allowed ASU to creep back in. We are still having trouble finishing off opponents when we are in control. Stoops better get that fixed before we head to USC. Let's enjoy this one now. The Cats just beat ASU!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Degenerate Gambling Line: Arizona vs. Arizona State

joenewby4040 — Sat, 28 Nov 2009 15:03:09 -0000

I just got back into town and this is my first second to get back on the site. The basketball team played well in Maui but still has a long way to go. The Cats take on a Sun Devils team that has been in disarray all year. Don't put that past the Sun Devils. If you need any more proof that stats don't mean anything please look here and here. Rivalry games bring out crazy scenarios.

Currently, the Cats are a 3.5 favorite today. Thoughts?

Pac-10 TV Schedule, Week 13

AndyPanda — Wed, 25 Nov 2009 21:15:46 -0000

The big game will be next week, when the Oregon St. Beavers visit the Oregon Ducks in the Civil War for the Roses, but there are still several games of regional and national interest, and a lot of national coverage of the Pac-10 this week.

Being Notre Dame, even given that a .500 record, and a coaching change, are definite possibilities, the Irish always get national coverage, including their 5:00 game down on the Farm, against the Stanford Cardinal. The game will be an ABC regional game, but those portions of the country, mostly in the East and Southeast, that get the Georgia-Georgia Tech game as their ABC regional game will have this game available on ESPN2.

The battle for Los Angeles, with the UCLA Bruins visiting the USC Trojans at 7:00, will also get national coverage, on the Fox Sports Network of regional channels, as the Bruins try for an above .500 finish, and the Trojans try to avoid a further (by their standards) breakdown.

The Territorial Cup is at stake in Tempe, in a game that could influence where several teams go bowling, including possibly the loser of the Civil War, when the Arizona Wildcats visit the Arizona St. Sun Devils for a 12:30 Pacific (1:30 MST) game. Because of the impact up and down the coast, at least south of the state of Washington, the game is the ABC regional afternoon game.

The Apple Cup will again not affect the bowl situation, but is of interest in the region, so Fox Sports Northwest will have the game from Seattle at 3:30 when the Washington St. Cougars visit the Washington Huskies.

The Cal Golden Bears have the week off, along with Oregon and Oregon St.

The Rose Bowl, The Poinsettia Bowl, and Every Pac-10 Bowl Scenario In Between

ragnarok — Mon, 23 Nov 2009 11:15:23 -0000

More photos » by Wily Low - AP

Jeremiah Masoli managed to avoid the same crushing fate as two years ago, leading the Ducks past a rowdy Arizona crowd in late November towards a date with the Rose Bowl. One last hurdle remains, however: Oregon State.

Browse more photos »

The Pac-10's Rose Bowl race, so utterly complicated a couple weeks ago, and with four legitimate contenders still alive going into Saturday, is now dead simple:

Oregon State @ Oregon. The 113th Civil War. Thursday, December 3rd, 6PM. Winner goes to the Rose Bowl. Loser gets, well, it's hard to say what the loser will get. It won't be Roses, however, and that's all that matters.

The rest of the Pac-10? Well, it's a big mess. We could be looking at a four-way tie for second place in the conference, throwing bowl placements entirely at the whims of the various bowl committees. Stanford is finished with its conference schedule at 6-3. If Oregon State loses the Civil War, they'll also finish at 6-3. Cal, USC and Arizona all also have three conferences losses. Cal needs a win at Washington to get to 6-3. USC and Arizona are both sitting at 4-3, and first need a win in their respective rivalry games this weekend before they face off on December 5th. Finally, UCLA, at 6-5 but just 3-5 in the conference, is well behind everyone else and still faces long odds to actually garner a bowl bid of any kind.

Let's run some scenarios, shall we?

Let's say Oregon beats Oregon State...
OK, but what if Oregon wins the Civil War? Now the Ducks are in the Rose, and I'm not sure any other Pac-10 team will even be able to get into the BCS Top 14 to be eligible for at-large selection. Oregon State is the closest in the current BCS standings at 16, but they'll be knocked down by losing at Oregon. USC at 20 and Cal at 22 are next in the Pac-10, and that's a lot of ground to make up, especially for Cal with only one game left, and against a losing team, no less.

...and once again, USC and Cal win out...
Now the Holiday Bowl gets its pick in a four-way tie between Cal, Stanford, USC and Oregon State. To me, this is a no-brainer. With most of their fans already in Southern California and a potent TV audience for any potential matchup, I can't see the Holiday doing anything besides taking USC. The Sun picks next, and I'm pretty sure they shun Oregon State, who went last year, probably in favor of Cal, the only Pac-10 team never to appear in the Sun Bowl during it's nearly 75-year history. This leaves Stanford in the Emerald, Oregon State in the Vegas, and Arizona down in the Poinsettia.

But what if Arizona wins out instead of USC?
Now the Holiday's choice is less straightforward. What criteria do you use to select between a 9-3 Cal, 8-4 Arizona, 8-4 Oregon State, and 8-4 (at best) Stanford? Cal will have more wins and a better BCS ranking that any of these teams in such a scenario, wins over two of the other teams they're tied with, and lots of local fans willing to make the trek. Working against them would be the Arizona's strong finish (a season-ending win at USC would get them plenty of national praise), and the fact that while Cal has been to San Diego twice in the past six seasons, Arizona hasn't been since 1998, and Oregon State and Stanford have never been. Still, I think Cal would have a strong case to take another holiday in sunny San Diego.

Where does that leave everyone else? I'm pretty sure the Sun Bowl won't take Oregon State two years in a row; they have a clause in their contract specifically allowing them to select a team one game below in the standings to avoid taking a team two years in a row, and I'd have to think they'd be similarly adverse to choosing OSU again amongst tied teams. Arizona would seem to be the logical pick, especially given El Paso's close proximity to Tucson. That kicks Stanford down to the Emerald, who's just fine with that, and Oregon State all the way down to the Las Vegas Bowl. USC, left alone at 6th place in the conference, also enjoys a trip to sunny San Diego, albeit a week early for the Poinsettia Bowl.

...and if Cal loses at Washington?
A Cal loss leaves them most likely tied with the Arizona @ USC loser. I don't think the Vegas would take Arizona two years in a row, but I'm almost positive they'd jump all over USC if the Trojans fell that far. My gut feeling is that their order of preference would be USC > Cal > Arizona, with the leftover team heading to the Poinsettia. Of course, if the Arizona @ USC loser also loses their rivalry game next weekend, Cal will finish ahead of them regardless and the Las Vegas Bowl will have no choice but to take the Bears.

Other contingencies...
If Arizona and USC both lose at least once more, the Holiday gets to choose between Cal, Stanford and Oregon State. If the choice is Cal, the Sun probably takes Stanford to the Emerald Bowl's chagrin, leaving the Beavers in San Francisco, and the Vegas Bowl takes USC over Arizona if those two are tied. If the Holiday selects Oregon State, it's Cal to the Sun and Stanford in the Emerald. If the Holiday selects Stanford, it's Cal to the Sun and Oregon State down in San Francisco.

Of course, Cal could still lose to UW, so if Cal, UA and USC all lose once more, it could be OSU in the Holiday, Stanford in the Sun, Cal (over USC!) in the Emerald, USC in Vegas, and Arizona in the Poinsettia. Yes, I think the Emerald would take Cal over USC. BUT, what if the Holiday selects Stanford after a stirring victory over Notre Dame? Now, the Sun Bowl can exercise their repeat-team-refusal clause and skip Oregon State, instead grabbing USC. The Emerald has no such clause, and so must take Oregon State. Cal falls to the Las Vegas Bowl, Arizona to the Poinsettia.

OK, now let's assume that Oregon State wins the Civil War...
If Oregon State wins the Civil War, they'll go to the Rose Bowl. What happens to Oregon? Well, I think they'd still be eligible for a BCS berth (the Fiesta Bowl?), but given the other teams available, the odds seem stacked against them. However, in such a case, Oregon would still finish with a share of the Pac-10 title, and, as such, would fall no further than the Holiday Bowl.

...and USC and Cal win out.
If USC can win out, I think the Sun Bowl still takes them; they're still a national ratings draw, much like Notre Dame. If Cal beats Washington, the Emerald Bowl gets the can't-lose choice between Cal and Stanford; given Cal's much-larger fanbase, I think the Emerald still takes Cal, even thought the Bears went last year. That sends the Cardinal to Las Vegas and Arizona, finishing in 6th place after losing to USC, to the Poinsettia Bowl.

If, in this scenario, the Emerald instead chooses Stanford, the Bears would fall to the Vegas. Even if Cal loses at Washington to finish in a tie for 5th place, since Arizona went to Vegas last year, I'd think that Cal falls no further than Las Vegas.

But what if Arizona wins out instead?
But what if Arizona beats USC in the season finale? Now the Sun Bowl gets the choice of Arizona, Cal and Stanford, and given such a stirring victory over USC plus Tucson's proximity to El Paso, I'd guess the Sun takes Arizona. Cal to the Emerald, Stanford to Vegas (or vice versa), and USC falls all the way to the Poinsettia Bowl -- quite a find for the five-year-old bowl, maybe even better than their Utah-TCU matchup from last year (at least from a ratings standpoint).

Other contingencies...
Loses by both USC and UA have pretty much the same effect as they would should Oregon win the Civil War. Same if combined with a Cal loss. Losses by all three ticket Stanford for El Paso, pushing the losers further down the chain. The Emerald might take Cal over USC, but no one else will, and Arizona is probably ticketed for the Poinsettia if they can't win out, even with loses by other teams.

For those of you who've read this far, a summary, with my best guesses in bold:

Oregon - Beat OSU and they're in the Rose Bowl. Lose, and they fall no further than the Holiday Bowl, with an outside shot at a consolation BCS bid.
Oregon State - Beat Oregon and they're in the Rose Bowl. Lose, and they could fall all the way to the Las Vegas Bowl. The Emerald and even the Holiday Bowls are possibilities, though they're more remote, and I think they rather require an upset or two to become realistic. I think the Sun pretty much has to be out for the Beavers.
Stanford - The Cardinal, in the conference clubhouse at 6-3, can fall no further than the Vegas Bowl, and most of the scenarios I've come up with actually place them in the Emerald Bowl. The Sun and even the Holiday are still in play, however, though I don't know how attractive Stanford is to bowls, given their small fanbase.
California - If the Bears can beat Washington, the Holiday Bowl is still in play. I think the most likely destination is the Sun Bowl, though the Emerald would love to host the Bears again. A loss to Washington seems to ticket them for Las Vegas in most scenarios, while I think it would take a special set of circumstances to kick the Bears all the way down to the Poinsettia Bowl.
USC - Win out, and they're probably in the Holiday or Sun Bowls, depending on the outcome of the Civil War. Lose, especially to Arizona, and they could fall to the Poinsettia. What a fall that would be!
Arizona - It's hard to see the Wildcats in the Holiday Bowl, but it's still possible. If they win out they'd be an attractive team for the Sun Bowl; lose at USC, and they almost certainly are headed to the Poinsettia Bowl. And if they lose out, there's a remote possibility that they could miss bowl season entirely (see below)!

But what about UCLA?
The Bruins are kinda screwed here. Now, I don't really blame the Pac-10 for only having six bowl tie-ins; when they've had seven, they've never filled them, and I can't recall the last time seven Pac-10 teams got to six wins. Still, none of this will bring comfort to Bruins fans should UCLA be forced to stay home for the holidays.

The easiest way for the Bruins to make the postseason is for the Pac-10 to get a second team in the BCS. At this point, however, that seems like a longshot. The SEC is basically assured of getting two teams in the BCS, and TCU should also receive an automatic bid. That leaves two open spots, and I think Boise State, Iowa, and the Big East runner-up all seem more likely to get a BCS bid that the Pac-10 runner-up, to say nothing of Oklahoma State (if they can beat Oklahoma this weekend).

Right now, UCLA sits in 7th place in the conference at 3-5, and everyone in front of them has at least 4 wins already. The best the Bruins can hope for is to beat USC, and then hope either USC or Arizona loses out to finish in a tie for 6th place. Actually, should UCLA beat USC and Arizona lose out, a 7-5 Bruins team would have to be selected in front of a 6-6 Wildcats team, thus sending the Bruins to the Poinsettia Bowl and leaving Arizona searching for an elusive at-large bid. A tie at 4-5 with USC would be more problematic. The Poinsettia may be interested in the Bruins for ending the season on a high note and in a head-to-head win vs. USC, but then again, USC would probably still bring a higher television audience, as disappointed as they might be to play a bowl game before Christmas.

Failing that, what chance do the Bruins have of receiving an at-large bowl bid from some other desperate minor bowl? Well, it depends on both how they finish out, and how teams around the country do as well. There are 34 bowl games this year, meaning that there are 68 potential bowl bids to be handed out -- more than half of Division I-A!. According to NCAA rules, all eligible teams with winning records must be given at-large bids before a 6-6 team can be given at at-large bid.

With two weeks left to play, 52 teams already winning records locked up. 17 more have gotten to six wins (actually 18, but 6-6 Kansas State got two of their wins over I-AA teams, so they don't get to go to a bowl game), meaning there will be, at a minimum, 69 bowl-eligible teams, so there should be no shortage this year. 8 more teams sit at 5-6, and 1 (UConn) is still at 5-5. Even if all 13 6-5 teams win their remaining game, only 65 teams will get to winning records in the regular season, meaning at least a few 6-6 teams will get to play during bowl season.

The upshot is that, should UCLA beat USC, they should almost certainly get an at-large bid somewhere (though that still might depend on how the last couple weeks play out). At 6-6, the odds are longer, though if there are extra at-large bids for 6-6 teams, I would have to think that UCLA would be a prime candidate, behind only a 6-6 Notre Dame and maybe a 6-6 Florida State.

bruinhoya from Bruins Nation helps break down the logistics of a 6-6 UCLA team going to a bowl:

If UCLA doesn’t beat USC (and USC doesn’t somehow sneak into a BCS spot), UCLA needs to have four of these things happen to make a bowl game:
1. Bowling Green lose to Toledo (unlikely)
2. Wyoming lose to Colorado State (unlikely)
3. LA-Monroe lose to Middle Tennessee State (likely)
4. LA-Lafayette lose to Troy (likely)
5. UConn lose to both Syracuse and South Florida (unlikely)
6. Kansas lose to Missouri (likely)
7. Marshall lose to UTEP AND SMU lose to Tulane (unlikely)

Another possibility was proposed by bucknellbruin; safe to say that the Horned Frogs are getting Bruin blessings this weekend:

TCU makes a BCS game (very, very likely)

Then the Humanitarian Bowl, New Mexico Bowl, or Armed Forces Bowl will need another team. If Wyoming doesn’t win it’s last game, two of those games will need teams. It’s highly unlikely that one of those games would pass up a UCLA team that’s playing good football.

Also, the EagleBank Bowl and GMAC bowl are tied in with the ACC, who won’t have enough teams. So they can pick whoever they want as well (although, the GMAC generally will pick a MAC team, since they have more teams than slots as well).

So basically, it’s a total crapshoot depending on who the bowls pick, and I have to guess that UCLA is a pretty attractive at large selection for any bowl.

Poll

I want _________ to win the Pac-10.

Oregon

328 votes

Oregon State

173 votes

501 votes | Poll has closed

Plus 2: Bruin Defense Throttles ASU To Deliver UCLA's 6th Win In Neuheisel's 2nd Season in Westwood

Nestor — Sun, 22 Nov 2009 00:52:45 -0000

More photos » by Jae C. Hong - AP

Akeem - the Missile - Ayers celebrates his TD. He had another spectacular weekend in UCLA blue.

Browse more photos »

Flashback to October 25 of this season when following a deflating loss against Arizona, we put up the following laying out how Rick Neuheisel had to deliver 6 wins this season:

All I can say at this point, I am going to wait and see whether the coaches can deliver 6 wins. I still think we have a shot of getting to 6 wins by taking care of business against Washington and Arizona State at home, and then executing our game play against (what I think will be an inspired Cougar bunch) Washington State in Pullman. If Rick Neuheisel wants to make a tangible case that UCLA football is headed towards right direction under his leadership, he needs to get us those three wins in 2009 and then build on it with at least 7 wins (and a victory over Southern Cal) in 2010. He has to get it done.

Well heading into that special game of the regular season (no reason to calling that game against the Trojies big, we will just call it special), it looks like Rick Neuheisel has gotten it done. His team delivered that 6th win (becoming bowl eligble), by slugging out Arizona State Sun Devils by a score of 23-13. Here is the box score. Well here is our official thank you coach for getting that done.

In his second season in Westwood, Neuheisel has now established tangible signs of improvement by winning 2 more games, and showing progress in number of different aspects of the team (not including his fantastic recruit effort to date). In other words Neuehisel now has "plus 2 factor" to pitch to more recruits and fire up the alumni/student base in Bruin Naiton. Not only that. During the three game win streak this November, Rick Neuheisel's program proved to rest of the world, despite the constant negativity and hit jobs from the traditional media, his players and coaches never gave up on each other.

Bruins kept fighting, scratching and clawing away, showing the relentless optimism and tenacity of their head coach in the face of skepticism from most of outside world not bleeding Bruin blue and gold. That is something everyone in this community and the greater Bruin family should be proud of towards the waning weeks of Neheisel's second season in Westwood. More on the game and thoughts on "Beat $C*" game week after the jump.

So the Bruins get it done on senior day riding the efforts of ATV, Akeem Ayers, Chane Moline, Reggie Carter and Brian Price. 17 of our 23 points came courtesy of explosive efforts of our inspired defense. Here is our box score. As mentioned in the second half thread, it was ATV setting the tone with his pick 6 and fumble recovery. Then it was Akeem Ayers and Brian Price teaming up to blow up the Sun Devil offense. Price and Ayers were nothing short of spectacular. What Price did was even more special made by the fact that it was probably his last game at the Rose Bowl.

On the offensive side, Bruins were able to move the ball against Arizona State's vaunted defense. However, just when it looked like they were getting in rhythm they kept coming just a little short because of self inflicted mistakes and penalties (as a team today we were penalized a whooping 11 times for 100 yards). Still we got a decent effort from Kevin Prince who did manage the game well, by picking up some tough and gutty yards on the ground. And it was Chane - the Train - Moline, who helped us eat the clocking by grinding out 84 yards in 25 carries. Not bad for his last game in the Rose Bowl.

Bruins now of course get ready for Petey's bunch who has had a week to lick their wounds after getting embarrassed and humiliated by the Trees a the Mosoleum. There is no doubt Chetey is going to have his boys fired up as he knows that if he somehow chokes against UCLA as the underdogs, his illegal (allegedly) empire officially crumble in the City of Angels.

This week is going to be fun getting ready to play the most scandalous and (allegedly) corrupt program in college athletics (and an underachieving bunch in recent seasons). There is no doubt the Bruins will have a great week practice building on the positive vibes from today and a 3-0 record in November. We still have a lot to work on. We have to clean up our mistakes on offense. We still can be more polished with our special teams and we will continue to come up with ways of being creative on defense (as we have seen some hints of it in last couple of weeks).

Of course will we have lot more on this in game as we get ready for an amazing game week. It is going to be fun. It is going to be emotional and it is going to blow up this place with anticipation. With that let's get the post game senior day victory party started. If you have quick thoughts, takes fire them up here. If you have detailed observations and reflections you want to share, please put them in fanposts. I will leave with this quick thought... BEAT $C*.

GO BRUINS.

Big Game Weekend Afternoon Thread

Avinash — Sat, 21 Nov 2009 20:15:10 -0000

Nothing much left before the main event:

In progress
Connecticut at Notre Dame, NBC HD: The last stand for Charlie Weis in South Bend. All hail the Brian Kelly era!

12:30 PM PST/3:30 PM EST

LSU at Ole Miss, CBS HD: Battle for the Capital One Bowl!

Penn St. at Michigan St., ABC HD: A win puts the Nittany Lions against the LSU-Ole Miss winner.

Virginia at Clemson, ESPN HD: C.J. Spiller's Heisman campaign continues to gain steam. This season rocks.

Arizona State at UCLA, FSN HD/CSN Bay Area: The Bruins' best shot at bowl-eligibility. ASU has to win out. Can the Pac-10 get seven bowl eligible teams?

1 PM PST/4 PM EST

San Diego State at Utah, Versus HD: Game of the afternoon! Hopefully this ends on time so we don't have to worry about streams.

2 PM PST/5 PM EST

UC Davis at Sacramento State, CSN California: Battle of I-80! Can at least one UC school pull off their rivalry game today?

BN Gameday Roundup: Hoping For A Special Senior Day At The Rose Bowl

Nestor — Sat, 21 Nov 2009 18:29:54 -0000

Well we are just hours away from finding out some answers on how our Bruins are going to respond to the biggest game of this regular season. There is nothing new to add at this point in terms of what this game means to all of us and how it can set up the long term future of our football program under Rick Neuheisel. From the comments we have read from our coaches and players this week, it seems pretty clear that they get what a big deal this game is and how they are going to need to play inspired football against a desperate opponent which also will give everything it has to keep its bowl hopes alive.

Plus there is the big emotional factor of this being our senior day. This is the last time we are going to see kids like ATV, Reggie Carter, Terrence Austin and Logan Paulsen in our home blue at the Rose Bowl. ATV and Carter of course had special careers at UCLA. However, going into today I have the same feeling towards this bunch I did towards kids like DT, CB, and RH who were able to end their careers in Howlandwood on a great note depsite starting it with a toxic one under a sleazbag posing as a head basketball coach. Here is to those kids having a great afternoon and a send off at the Rose Bowl. I would also add Brian Price into that mix because right now from what we have heard it looks like he will be in the NFL next season. So, I would be making sure to yell a little louder in appreciation when the big guy will hopefully make his presence felt in the Rose Bowl.

If the Bruins are going to get that much talked about 6th win today they will have to get it done against probably the best defense in the conference:

"I think this is a really, really talented defense that plays really well together," UCLA coach Rick Neuheisel said earlier this week. "I have watched the USC game and (saw) just how they fly to the ball, how they have all the fits exactly right.

"Their corners are very aggressive. It's a good group we're playing so we're going to have to play a great game on offense and see if we can't play our last home game for our seniors and play it really well."

Kevin Prince is well aware about how everyone will need to chip in and carry out their respective assignments to move the ball against Sun Devils this afternoon:

"Everybody has got to be willing to do their job when we play," he said. "If you watch game film, and this is the same for any team I've ever been on, you always see one guy who is not doing their job right. It's that one guy that makes the difference. If you can get all 11 guys on the same page doing their jobs, that's when everything starts falling together."

Things started to click for the Bruins in the second half of their game at Oregon State on Oct. 31. The progression, which continued through victories over Washington and Washington State, has been steady, but not swift.

Prince missed two games early in the season because of a broken jaw. He's been trying to make up for the time that he missed and seems to be close to where he should be.

"He's growing by leaps and bounds," Neuheisel said. "I think you can see that it takes awhile to gain the amount of time and snaps to know how the game is played and to be looking down the field rather than at what's coming at you."

Well let's hope KP with the help of all his team-mates can stay in the same rhythm we have seen from him during last 9 quarters as he has thrown for 49 of 60 passes for 724 yards and four touchdowns since that fourth quarter comeback. More quick game day notes and links after the jump.

Going into today's game Bruins also are well aware of what took place against the Sun Devils last season:

The Bruins outgained the Sun Devils 306-122.

They had 18 first downs to Arizona State's 10, outgained the Sun Devils 89-21 on the ground and had more than 110 more passing yards. UCLA's offense even outscored Arizona State's offense, 9-3.

But, oh, that one simple fact.

Arizona State scored four defensive touchdowns, including three off interceptions, in a 34-9 win that knocked the Bruins from bowl contention.

There is no forgetting that loss, especially the cold, hard facts.

"It's fresh in my mind," said senior wide receiver Terrence Austin, who had 188 all-purpose yards in the loss last season. "We've definitely talked about it. We know we pretty much prevented ourselves from winning the game last year, had some turnovers that really broke up the opportunity to win. We realize what we did last year, and now we're trying to capitalize on their mistakes this time."

Well let's hope today it's the Bruin defense who can come out and create similar opportunities for our offense. For more on today's game here is the write up from AP and the LAT. The LAT of course couldn't but leap with this cheap shot:

UCLA Coach Rick Neuheisel calls it a "barrier." Former UCLA coach Karl Dorrell would call it just another season.

Whatever Foster, who is probably bitter about getting exposed for being a shoddy reporter. Anyway, the kickoff is scheduled for 1 pm PST. We will probably also do a pre game thread starting in about an hour or sooner to take in other actions from today. Enjoy the Saturday.

GO BRUINS.