SB Nation - Arizona St. Sun Devils

CGB Top 25 - Week 10

ragnarok — Tue, 10 Nov 2009 20:00:50 -0000

Are you bored by the 2009 Mythical National Championship Race? I'm certainly bored by it. 'Bama/Florida vs. Texas seems almost a certainty at this point, as no reasonable challenger has emerged in the weakest Big XII in recent memory, and the only reasonable challenger in the SEC (LSU) has been vanquished by both Florida and Alabama. *Yawn* Get me an 8-team playoff, stat!

Rank	Team	Delta

1	Alabama	1
2	Florida	1
3	Texas
4	Cincinnati	1
5	TCU	3

Welcome to the Top 5, TCU! You still have to get by the Utes this weekend, but at this point, your BCS credentials look pretty solid (undefeated with road wins at BYU, Clemson and Virginia). Not great, but solid, and in this mediocre season, solid will get you everywhere.

6	Boise State
7	Georgia Tech	3
8	LSU	1
9	Miami (Florida)	5
10	Pittsburgh	2

Not only do we not penalize LSU for losing to Alabama, we actually push them up a spot into the huge vacuum created by Iowa and Oregon's demise. Miami finds itself back in the Top 10 almost by default, and Pitt? Well, why not. Their next three games are Notre Dame, @ West Virginia, and Cincinnati, so we'll soon find if their inclusion this high in the poll is justified.

11	Oregon	7
12	Iowa	5
13	Southern Cal	2
14	Ohio State	2
15	Utah	2

To every voter who voted USC higher than Oregon this week: you suck. You really, really suck. You should have your voting privileges revoked. Seriously. Yes, the Ducks lost a huge letdown game at a pretty decent (6-3) Stanford team, but they eviscerated USC just the week before. Just seven days prior! And it's not like USC did anything special last weekend, needing a pick-six to get by Arizona State 14-9. Without that, they lose to a mediocre Sun Devils team 9-7. Did you even watch that game? Was it past your bedtime?!? Jeebus. Even talking about this makes me angry.

16	Arizona	1
17	Houston	1
18	Brigham Young	2
19	Oklahoma State	2
20	Penn State	7

Oh, Penn State, what have you done this year to deserve to be ranked? Let us count the ways. 8 wins, but their best win might be over 6-4 Northwestern. Or perhaps 7-2 Temple. Temple is your best win?!?!? They lost 21-10 to Iowa at home, and then 24-7 to Ohio State at home. They miss Wisconsin this year, and have yet to play Michigan State. And no, wins over Syracuse, Akron, and Northern Illinois aren't impressing anyone either.

Last week's ballot
21	Virginia Tech	1
22	Oregon State
23	Stanford
24	Wisconsin	1
25	Navy

Finally, some more teams. Hard to leave out the 'Furd after they hang half a hundred on Oregon. Oregon State looked pretty good in beating down the Bears (even without much from Quizz, Canfield was nearly perfect), and Navy always gets my vote for beating Notre Dame. Always.

Dropped Out: Oklahoma (#19), California (#23), Notre Dame (#24).

If you're near the bottom of the poll and you suffer ignominious defeat, you're going to drop out. It's just that simple.

USC Football News and Notes 11/10 - The Offense

Paragon SC — Tue, 10 Nov 2009 14:00:45 -0000

USC is going to be challenged this weekend when they Stanford if for no other reason than the amount of players injured on the team.

This week Damian Williams is unlikely to play due to a high ankle sprain...

Damian Williams, USC's top receiver and punt returner, is doubtful for Saturday's game against Stanford because of a high ankle sprain suffered against Arizona State.

The junior did not practice Monday and wore a calf-high protective boot on his right foot.

"It's been tough the last two days just trying to walk," Williams said. "I kind of figured out, like, 'OK, there is a possibility that I might not play,' so that's really tough for me."

Williams said it was too early to rule out his playing against the Cardinal -- "I'm a quick healer," he said -- but high ankle sprains typically take weeks to heal.

USC tight end Anthony McCoy, for example, has sat out the last two games because of the same injury. The senior did a few drills Monday and said he would meet with doctors tonight with hopes of playing Saturday.

This is the last thing SC needs. This Stanford defense can be exploited but USC needs its skill players to make plays. RoJo is pretty much back at full strength so who will play the #2 receiver. Ausberry is pretty much out for the year. Carswell? Butler? Carswell has a toe injury so I doubt he's the guy. Butler has shown us some nice things, 10 catches for 166 yards and a touchdown, but he hasn't been on the field enough to really show some consistency. Now is his chance. This is really concerning because the passing game has been the one thing that has kept opposing defenses on their heels as the running has been inconsistent.

This is where the coaching staff is going to earn their money...it is easy to be good when you are at full strength with top notch players. When you have piece a team together with untested players it is a whole different story.

One weapon SC hopes to have back is TE Anthony McCoy...

Receiver Damian Williams‘ situation makes tight end Anthony McCoy’s possible return even more essential for USC.

McCoy, who has missed the past two games, ran in a straight line and jumped without any setbacks Monday. He said he still has some pain but expects it to dissipate by the end of the week. He will try to practice Tuesday or Wednesday.

Although replacements Blake Ayles and Rhett Ellison have struggled with drops, that isn’t McCoy’s motivation to come back.

"The season’s almost over; that’s my urgency trying to get back," said McCoy, a senior. "I’ve got three games left. … I want to get back so I can finish my senior season."

Don't get me started. Ayles hasn't struggled, he simply hasn't shown up. He has 5-star talent with a 5th grade mind. He has dropped some easy balls the past few games that were drive stoppers. When highly touted players with great potential aren't getting it done it takes another option away for an already struggling offense. The TE position is crucial component to the USC offense so whomever is playing need to have a lot of positive production. I say give Ellison a bigger role until Ayles gets his head straight.

Of course the other concern that we really shouldn't have is with the O line. They got pushed around by the ASU defense especially their stud DE's. There is definitely some talent on the line but for some reason they have not lived up t their potential. Again, some of that is due to injury but you can't use that excuse forever...guys need to step and beat back the rush...

One of the more interesting comments following USC's offensive meltdown at Arizona State occurred when quarterback Matt Barkley said the Sun Devils' defensive ends lined up wider than expected and he could not see them when they tipped his passes.

But USC coaches said Monday the Sun Devils did not line up wider than other teams. They simply slipped past USC's offensive tackles when they pressured Barkley.

"We just got beat. Flat out," USC offensive coordinator John Morton said. "That was unexpected. It was one-on-one situations."

The most successful rusher was Arizona State defensive end Dexter Davis, who tipped two Barkley passes.

I understand that they can't protect Barkley on every play but you could see SC's O line really struggled. I also think that the ASU defense was already in Barkley's head before the game even started...he had happy feet all night. He never looked comfortable in the pocket. And it showed with some of the throws he made...he made a couple of short throws but it was the over thrown balls that concerned me more. That showed me a guy who had a little too much adrenalin going.

Barkley has enjoyed a fair amount of success this season it hasn't been perfect but it has been serviceable. His last to games though have shown us that his still growing into the game. I realize that some do not to want to hear that he is a freshman QB...but the facts are the facts. He is a true freshman and while he has shown us some great things he is still prone to mistakes. Heck, last season MArk Sanchez looked like a freshman against ASU throwing 3 or 4 picks, we see how that turned out...

Barkley is not satisfied with his poor performance...

Barkley completed only seven of 22 passes for 112 yards, 75 of which came on a catch-and-run touchdown by receiver Damian Williams.

Barkley was four for 11 for 24 yards in the first half and three for 11 for 88 yards in the second. He had one pass intercepted, and might have had two more if not for a penalty that overturned one and a drop that prevented another.

Barkley, who also struggled in the second half against Oregon, said he was "a little frustrated" against the Sun Devils.

"I just felt like we couldn't get into a rhythm," he said.

Barkley has completed 125 of 221 passes for 1,839 yards, with 10 touchdowns and seven interceptions.

I cannot blame Oregon on Barkley...the coaches went off the reservation in trying to force things to play catch-up. But I can lay some blame on Barkley for his ASU performance...some receivers did drop some easy balls but Barkley made some errant throws as well...lets just say that there is plenty of blame to go around and leave it at that.

SC need to put all of its focus into beating Stanford this weekend.

- - -

File this in your "NOT. GOING. TO. HAPPEN." file...

Think UCLA at 4-5 is a cinch to make a bowl game with two more victories? Think again. In a testament to how weird this Pac-10 season has been, in order for the Bruins to earn a bowl invitation, not only must they beat Washington State and Arizona State but they likely need USC to win out … which means they would need to lose to USC in their regular season finale.

Consider the following:

There are only six guaranteed bowl spots for the Pac-10.

UCLA, with two victories in its final three games, would be 3-6 (6-6 overall) and finish seventh in the conference.

UCLA, if it wins out, would be 4-5 (7-5 overall) and still probably finish seventh in the conference. (Only Cal, currently 3-3 in the Pac-10, has a reasonable shot of falling below UCLA. If USC loses out it could also finish behind UCLA.)

Oregon’s loss to Stanford ended the Ducks’ outside shot of playing in the BCS title game, which would have given the conference an extra bowl bid.

USC is the only Pac-10 team in line to play in a BCS bowl other than the Rose Bowl, which would give the conference an extra bowl bid.

If Oregon wins out, it’s going to Pasadena. If the Ducks were to lose again, their ranking would be too low to play in another BCS Bowl. Neither Arizona, Oregon State or Stanford are positioned to finish high enough to make another BCS Bowl. (Note: Another Oregon loss would probably mean a three-way tie atop the conference, which could put USC in the Rose Bowl and deny the Pac-10 the extra bowl bid.)

In other words, UCLA needs any team other than USC in the Rose Bowl and USC in another BCS bowl. This leads to my favorite part: Heading into their season finale with USC, the Bruins, with victories in their next two games, could be in a situation where they would knock themselves out of a bowl by beating USC (subsequently knocking the Trojans out of a BCS bowl) but would ensure making a bowl by losing. That would be fascinating.

Heh.

Right...

Arizona St. Highlights from our friends at TrojanWire

Paragon SC — Tue, 10 Nov 2009 03:11:13 -0000

I know there aren't many highlights from this game and I did post another video of some other highlights but T-Wire does it the best!

Closing the Book on Arizona St.

Paragon SC — Tue, 10 Nov 2009 02:23:31 -0000

More photos » by Darryl Webb - AP

Browse more photos »

A win is a win right?

In what was obviously the "worst" win of the Pete Carroll era many of us were definitely shaking our heads.

I am not going to get to crazy with this.

We all know what we saw.

It was ugly but USC left Tempe with the win. Yes, the defense did the majority of the work in helping SC get the win but I don't know how many of us were satisfied with the win. The offense was clearly not firing on all cylinders. Matt Barkley had a terrible evening...not that that is a bad thing...he was destined to have a "freshman outing" sooner or later. This was agme where the defense bailed SC out. The previous weeks it was the offense that carried the day.

Regardless of how it looked its still a win in the book.

Things on offense looked so bad that some thought this team was being coached by Paul Hackett...

If I did not know better, I’d have sworn we were looking at a Paul Hackett coached USC team on Saturday in Tempe. We looked that bad. That undisciplined. That off the mark. Coverages were blown. Our vaunted speed on defense was nowhere to be seen. Our freshman phenom QB looked like, well, a freshman QB minus the phenom.

And don’t even get me started on the play calling. If I were Pete Carroll (or Mike Garrett as Carroll seems befuddled by this implosion of the mighty Trojans), I’d be taking Offensive Coordinator Jeremy Bates and Defensive Coordinator Rocky Seto out behind the proverbial woodshed. 3rd and 15 and you call a running play? Are you freaking kidding me?

The USC offense continues to struggle on 3rd downs, something USC fans have not seen in the offenses of the Pete Carroll era. However in the past we’ve had guys like Norm Chow and Lane Kiffin and Steve Sarkisian calling the plays. Remember? Remember when USC was explosive on offense? Remember when every single play called wasn’t a 2-4 yard running play?

Ouch!

I never thought I would see the day where some fans were pining for the days of Kiffin and Sarkisian.

I admit I was scratching my head too at some of the play calling but I wasn't the on the sidelines so I couldn't possibly know all the coaches knew. The running game continues to perplex...there were some flashes of big plays but for the most part it just could not get going. The offensive line had a very difficult time with ASU's bookend Defensive Ends. BArkley was skittish back there all night. It looked like he never got his feet set. His throws were all over the place and to make matters worse some of the throws that were nice were dropped...I am looking at you Blake Ayles.

I guess things looked so bad that some wondered if Pete Carroll was going to pull Matt Barkley...

USC coach Pete Carroll said Sunday night he never considered removing freshman quarterback Matt Barkley from the Trojans' 14-9 victory over Arizona State.

That is not surprising, given Carroll's affection for his freshman quarterback.

But it is unexpected that he is answering questions about pulling Barkley, since he was being discussed as a Heisman Trophy candidate a few weeks ago.

"It wasn't all Matt's fault," Carroll said. "He got rushed, we didn't hang on to the football. I'm not worried about him a bit. He didn't have the game he's been having.

It was bad, but there was no way Pete was going to pull Barkley.

And he is not worried...

In the last six quarters, Barkley is 12 for 38 for 161 yards with a touchdown and two interceptions. The USC offense has scored only 10 points during the span.

Coach Pete Carroll acknowledged Barkley did not play well against Arizona State, but he is not concerned.

"I'm not worried about it a bit," Carroll said Sunday night.

Struggles against Arizona State are nothing new for USC quarterbacks.

Mark Sanchez, for example, lost a fumble and had three passes intercepted in the third quarter last season against the Sun Devils.

Barkley, facing the top-ranked defense in the Pacific 10 Conference, was seven for 22 for 112 yards with an interception Saturday....

Look, I never would have expected Barkley to light it up every week.

Players get injured, opposing defenses figure out little things from watching film and sometimes a player just has a bad game. Barkley isn't God...he isn't infallible so crap happens. I mean what was Pete going to do? Put in Aaron Corp?

On defense it was nice to see Pete Carroll make some adjustments. It was nice to see the CB's lined up tight against ASU's receivers but it still was frustrating to see the middle of the field open with ASU getting good yardage with some quick slants. The front four continue to be beasts. They made it tough on Sullivan in the first half and continued it in the second half when ASU switched QB's

So, SC looks a little more mortal...Any team would look mortal with the road schedule that SC just went through and I doubt many if any other team would have done any better.

ASU has a stout defense and with SC struggling on offense for whatever reason, it made what should have been an easier win a little close than what many of us wanted to see...

Stanford and Harbaugh are next on the slate.

Dishing with the Devils, November 9th

Cory Williams — Mon, 09 Nov 2009 22:26:27 -0000

More photos » by Darryl Webb - AP

Not a Devil in sight.

Browse more photos »

A bit of news from around Sun Devil Nation...

The Oregonian has a preview of the Sun Devils from an Oregon Ducks point of view...

Some poor guy pines for Rudy Carpenter on the unfortunate Bleacher Report website...

RB Ryan Bass was suspended indefinitely for violating an unspecified team rule. Wonder what it was..

QB Brock Osweiler was thrown into the fire against USC, according to Kyle Odegard of the East Valley Tribune.

We will be talking a lot about Oregon in the coming week as we look forward to what will hopefully be Osweiler's first collegiate start. Go ahead and check out Addicted To Quack, the great Oregon blog here at SBNation.

A quick thank you to Dirk Diggler, who insists on seeing this site updated more often. What's up with that?

BN Pac-10 Power Poll: Week 10

Ryan Rosenblatt — Mon, 09 Nov 2009 20:00:38 -0000

Well, if we weren't already sure of it, now we know. In the Pac-10, nothing in guaranteed and on any day, anything can happen. A week after Oregon looked unbeatable, they were beaten and not just on the scoreboard. Toby Gerhart and Stanford pounded the Ducks physically and took down the team atop the Pac-10. Elsewhere, USC looked less than impressive in beating Arizona St., UCLA picked up their first Pac-10 win, Oregon St. beat Cal in Berkeley and Arizona cruised past Wazzu to move just a half game behind Oregon in the conference. The unpredictability of the conference and depth from top to bottom that makes winning out so difficult has once again cost the conference a chance at a National Title Game representative as the teams are now squarely focused on a Rose Bowl berth.

Player of the Week: Toby Gerhart, Stanford- The best player in the conference's biggest game. Gerhart ran by Oregon defender and more often, through them as he racked up 223 yards and three touchdowns while carrying the ball 38 times. That is the definition of carrying the load. Now second nationally in yards per game with 16 touchdowns, he has to be a Heisman candidate, right?

Stat of the Week: 2001- The last time Stanford was bowl eligible was in 2001. In just his third season, Jim Harbaugh has the Cardinal bowl eligible at 6-3 and they trail Oregon for the conference lead by just a half game.

Game of the Week: Stanford at USC, 12:30 pm PST, FSN- It's a Stanford heavy "of the Week" list, but the Cardinal have the conference's best player and find themselves squarely in the conference title race as the head to the Coliseum for a match-up with USC. The last time the Cardinal went on the road to play USC, they came away with a monumental upset. This upset wouldn't be nearly as big, but a win may mean more to the program.

Pac-10 Power Poll

1) Oregon Ducks, 7-2 (2 first place votes)- Sure, they looked bad in their loss to Stanford, but over the course of the conference season, no team has been as good. Their dominating win over USC wasn't that long ago, although seeing their once dominating defense get torn apart must be a concern. The offense was still moving the ball against Stanford so not everything went bad. Returning home to play an Arizona St. team that has a poor offense on a good day will help. Last Week: 1

2) Arizona Wildcats, 6-2 (1 first place vote)- Yeah, they're pretty darn good. Ever since Nick Foles took over as QB, they're averaging 38 points per game and are 4-1. Thanks to their win over Washington St. on Saturday, they're only a half game behind Oregon and are in the thick of the conference race. With Cal, USC, Oregon and rivals Arizona St. left of the schedule, only one of which is at home, things will get far tougher now and their road to a Pac-10 title is the toughest among contenders. Last Week: 3

3) USC Trojans, 7-2 (1 first place vote)- It's been a while since the Trojans have put together back to back games as unimpressive as the past two. After being rolled over by Oregon, USC looked very poor in beating a bad Arizona St. team. Matt Barkley completed only seven of his 22 passes and the Trojans had only four first half first downs. At least the defense looked better and with a surging Stanford team on tap this week, both the offense and defense will have to be on their games. Last Week: 2

4) Stanford Cardinal, 6-3- Being the first Pac-10 team to top Oregon is a major accomplishment, but it was the manner in which they did it that impressed most. Not only did Gerhart run for over 250, but Andrew Luck threw for over 250 as the Cardinal racked up 505 total yards and held onto the ball for nearly 38 minutes. They cannot give up another 570 yards against USC this week though if they want to win their second consecutive game at the Coliseum. Last Week: 6

5) Oregon St. Beavers, 6-3- Sean Canfield continues to impress for the Beavers, racking up another 342 yards in their win over Cal while completing 29 of his 39 pass attempts. With the Rodgers brothers bottled up for the most part, the OSU offense didn't lose a step as Joe Halahuni stepped up with 128 yards receiving. As is always the case with Mike Riley teams, they're just getting better as the year goes on. They get Washington this week in their last home game of the year. Last Week: 5

6) California Golden Bears, 6-3- You would really expect a better performance from the Bears at home. I understand how Jahvid Best's scary injury may have changed the mindset of many Cal players, but Oregon St. was in control of that game already. The Bears' defense looks more porous each week and 436 yards by the Beavers continues that trend. Their final home game of the year comes up this weekend and it will be a tough one versus Arizona. Last Week: 4

7) Arizona St. Sun Devils, 4-5- You would think that Arizona St. would have a better offense than they do with Dennis Erickson at the helm, but it has been atrocious. Freshman Brock Osweiler came in and showed that he has some good tools, but he is a long ways off. On the bright side, their defense is as good as their offense is bad. Their four wins are still over Idaho St., Louisiana-Monroe, Washington and Washington St. though, all at home. At Oregon this week will be an uphill battle. Last Week: 7

8) UCLA Bruins, 4-5- How many points could the Bruins have scored had Kevin Prince understood when it's time to slide? The redshirt freshman was rolling and leading a suddenly explosive offense. Kevin Craft did what you'd hope for from a backup and that is give the receivers chances. The offensive line is really coming on, but the defense looks to have stagnated, which isn't bad, but not great either. A win in the Palouse on Saturday puts them on the brink og a bowl bid. Last Week: 9

9) Washington Huskies, 3-6- The Huskies run at a bowl looks to have come to an end, but those hopes were always a bit far-fetched. Jake Locker wasn't bad in Saturday's loss to UCLA, but for the Huskies to win games, he needs to be phenomenal. Chris Polk had himself a big game though and had UW been able to turn just one more of those five turnovers into points, they'd have had a W. After their game at Oregon St. on Saturday, they finish out with two at home. Last Week: 8

10) Washington St. Cougars, 1-8- Penalties. Turnovers. Inability to convert on third down. Only 18:41 of possession. You're not going to win many games like that and especially not on the road, where the Cougars were trounced by Arizona. The game started with Wazzu letting the opening kick off get run back for a TD and that was as close as it got. They still can't decide on a quarterback as they welcome UCLA to the Palouse on Saturday. Last Week: 10

Race to Pasadena: Who's Winning the Pac-10?

Avinash — Mon, 09 Nov 2009 17:30:25 -0000

Pacific-10 Conference Standings

(updated 11.8.2009 at 1:43 AM PST)

	Conf		Overall
	W	L	W	L
Oregon Ducks	5	1	7	2
Arizona Wildcats	4	1	6	2
Stanford Cardinal	5	2	6	3
USC Trojans	4	2	7	2
Oregon St. Beavers	4	2	6	3
California Golden Bears	3	3	6	3
Arizona St. Sun Devils	2	4	4	5
Washington Huskies	2	4	3	6
UCLA Bruins	1	5	4	5
Washington St. Cougars	0	6	1	8

Teams that control their own destiny: Oregon, Arizona

Teams that are still contending: USC, Furd, Oregon State

Teams on the respirator in the Pac-10 race: Cal (The most plausible scenario where the Bears go to Pasadena is if we win out, giving us the head-to-head over Arizona and Furd, Arizona and ASU beat Oregon, Furd and Arizona beat USC, ASU beats Arizona, and Oregon and UW beat Oregon State. That's the MOST PLAUSIBLE scenario.).

Teams eliminated from the Pac-10 race: Wazzu, UCLA, UW, ASU

Teams that will be eliminated from a bowl with one more loss: UW.

Teams eliminated from bowl contention: Wazzu.

Probably the question Cal fans are asking right now: Is there a way the Bears get eliminated from bowl contention?

Well, the Bears would almost certainly have to drop their final three (if they win one of their final three, they'll at least finish the season 7-5, just about guaranteeing a bowl bid), which would drop them to at best 6th in the Pac-10. Considering the way we've played against better teams, this isn't the craziest scenario.

Then, either ASU, UW or UCLA would have to win out.

Arizona State's final three games: at Oregon, at UCLA, Arizona
UCLA's final three games: at Wazzu, ASU, at USC
UW's final three games: at OSU, Wazzu, Cal

Now if two of these teams can run the table, that would drop Cal to 8th, and in no man's land since there are only six official tie-ins (with the possibility for another one if two teams get to the BCS). Cal at 7th still gives us a chance, but we'd need Oregon/Arizona and USC to win out to have a good shot at that. So that's the doomsday scenario.

Of course, it bears mentioning that bowls are not obligated to respect the results of head-to-head matchups when choosing from among tied teams. If, say, Cal and UCLA were to end up tied for 6th at 6-6, 3-6 in the conference, the choice would be up to the Poinsettia Bowl to pick either the Bears or the Bruins. You might see the San Diego bowl favor the team from Southern California, however, so it's best not to leave these things to chance.

It also bears mentioning that, should the Bears go 1-2 down the stretch while UCLA wins out and Stanfurd wins at least one more game, more than 6 Pac-10 teams could end up with a winning record. If the Poinsettia then takes a 7-5 UCLA team over a 7-5 Cal team, the Bears would at least be in pretty good shape for getting an at-large bid from some other bowl, for there is an NCAA rule that says that every 7-5 team must be taken before a 6-6 team can be given an at-large bid to a bowl.

Alright, onto what most Pac-10 fans care about. Who's going to the Rose Bowl? Plus, a guest appearance by the eminent ragnarok!

Favorites

Despite the defensive collapse at the Farm, Oregon is still very much in control of their destiny. Win out and they'll be the first Pac-10 team not named USC to be playing on New Year's Day since 2003. Lose one though, and the door opens.

The first candidate? Arizona. Arizona still has just one conference loss, and if they win out, they'll have beaten both Oregon and USC to get there, leaving them in sole possession of first place. Of course, a loss to either of these teams puts their hopes in serious, if not terminal jeopardy.

Dark horses

Lingering, as always, is USC. The Trojans winning out will probably guarantee them a BCS at-large bid, and would give them the tiebreaker over the Furd and Arizona. However, to win the Pac-10 championship, the Rose Bowl, and doom us all again, all that has to happen is for Arizona and Oregon State to beat Oregon, and for USC to run the table, finishing up by beating Arizona. That'd give USC the tiebreaker over the Furd, OSU and Arizona in the conference, and they wouldn't have to worry about Oregon. You're starting to get that awful feeling, aren't you?

After that, it gets messy. The Cardinal are in it, but they need plenty of help. Even if the Furd were to win out, they need Arizona to drop two games (likely Oregon and USC), Oregon State and Oregon to drop one more (although one of those losses will be resolved by the Civil War. So, Stanford fans, whereever you are, start rooting like mad for the Sun Devils to knock off Oregon or Arizona. Cal fans, root for ASU to get crushed by 50 in every one of their remaining games.

Oregon State has its own dark horse aspirations after coming up short a year ago, and like anyone else in the conference it requires tons of help. Unfortunately, it requires the USC to lose one of its final three at home. USC and Arizona have already beaten them, although they have the edge over the Furd, and if they beat Oregon in the Civil War would own the tiebreaker over them. So they need Arizona to drop two (most likely to USC and Oregon), and then require USC to lose one of its final three.

A loss by any of these three teams will eliminate them from any realistic Pac-10 title scenarios.

There are plenty of other scenarios out there...but they're too numerous to count. As November gets shorter I'll probably be able to calculate what happens to a better degree.

Here to take you the rest of the way is ragnarok!

Ragnarok: Where is Cal in all this? Well, assuming Cal receives a bowl bid, where might the Bears be heading? The Pac-10 has six bowl tie-ins, who get to pick in this order (in 2009, at least): Rose, Holiday, Sun, Emerald, Las Vegas, Poinsettia.

At this point, I can't see the Bears finishing any higher than in a tie for third. Head-to-head matchups don't matter in terms of bowl selections (at least beyond the Rose Bowl), so if the Bears can win out to finish 6-3, I could definitely see the Sun Bowl grabbing them (the Bears are the only Pac-10 team never to appear in the Sun Bowl).

The Emerald Bowl would certainly like to welcome the Bears back, though if Stanford is available, I think they might grab them instead. The Furd may not have many fans, but there aren't that many seats at AT&T Park, and the novelty of a bowl game might get a few of them to walk down from their downtown offices. Either way, such a choice would certainly be a dream scenario for the Emerald Bowl.

Las Vegas picks next, and if the Bears are still available, they might be forced to pick Cal. Remember, every 7-5 team must be taken before any 6-6 team can be taken, and so if either Stanford or UCLA finishes 6-6, the Bears must be selected before them. Arizona won there last year, with UCLA losing the year before, so Cal might have an advantage over either of those teams if the bowl got a choice about things.

Hopefully, the Bears won't fall to the Poinsettia, and hopefully the Poinsettia doesn't have a choice about who to take. I'd have to think they'd be interested in UCLA should the Bruins get to six wins.

Every week that goes by makes the bowl picture a little clearer, however. we'll know more next week.

Bonus question. Suppose three teams tie with each other such that head-to-head everyone is 1-1 against each other (think Texas-Texas Tech-Oklahoma last season). There is no Pac-10 tiebreaker, but there is a Rose Bowl tiebreaker. It says the following:

b. Multiple-Team Ties.
(1) When three or more teams are tied in Conference play, if one has defeated all others, it shall be the Rose Bowl representative. If that is not the case, a comparison of the tied teams' records against the other tied teams shall be made and the team having the best record against the other tied teams shall be the Rose Bowl representative. If two or more teams are still tied after this comparison, the appropriate two-team or multiple-team tie-breaking procedures shall be repeated among those teams still under consideration.

(2) If more than two teams are still tied after the process above is completed, each remaining tied team's record against the team occupying the highest position in the final regular season standings shall be compared, with the procedure continuing down through the standings until one team gains an advantage.

When arriving at another group of tied teams while comparing records, each team's collective record against the tied teams as a group shall be used.

If at any point in the process the multiple-team tie is reduced to two teams, the two-team tie-breaking procedure shall be applied.

If more than two teams are still tied after comparing their records all the way through the Conference standings, the team among the tied teams with the highest ranking in the final BCS standings shall be the Rose Bowl representative.
If a tie remains, the teams most recently earning Rose Bowl or Bowl Championship Series automatic selection shall be eliminated.

These tiebreaker scenarios are indeed complicated, and I'd imagine more than a few of you are a little confused. Now, I'm sure some of you are worried about a repeat of what happened in the Big XII South last year, where three teams all beat each other, leaving the BCS selection to the mercy of the BCS standings. This is unlikely to happen in the Pac-10 this year; last year Texas, Texas Tech and Oklahoma all lost only to each other, and further tiebreakers proved unhelpful. Since enough teams have lost that a 3-way tie would necessarily involve 7-2 teams, there should be a way to break a 3-way tie without resorting to BCS standings. A couple of examples should shed some light on this:

Let's say these are the final standings (USC and OSU win out, Oregon defeats Arizona):

Oregon   7-2
Oregon State   7-2
USC   7-2
Arizona   6-3
California   5-4
Stanford   5-4
UCLA   3-6
Washington   3-6
Arizona State   2-7
Washington State   0-9

In this scenario, Oregon, OSU, and USC are all tied. We then compare their record vs. Arizona, since UA finished 4th. This eliminates OSU, who already lost to the Wildcats, and since Oregon has the head-to-head win vs. USC, the Ducks go to the Rose Bowl.

Now, same scenario, except Cal beats Arizona next weekend.

Oregon   7-2
Oregon State   7-2
USC   7-2
California   6-3
Arizona   5-4
Stanford   5-4
UCLA   3-6
Washington   3-6
Arizona State   2-7
Washington State   0-9

First, Oregon, OSU and USC are compared to Cal. Since the Bears lost to all three of these teams, nothing is resolved. Then, those three teams are compared to both Arizona and Stanford at the same time. Oregon and Oregon State both went 1-1 vs. these teams, while USC beat both Arizona and Stanford, sending the Trojans to the Rose Bowl.

Now, here's a crazy scenario. USC wins out, Oregon loses to Arizona but beats Oregon State, Cal beats Stanford AND Washington wins out.

Arizona   7-2
Oregon   7-2
USC   7-2
Oregon State   6-3
California   5-4
Stanford   5-4
Washington   5-4
UCLA   3-6
Arizona State   2-7
Washington State   0-9

Now, comparisons to Oregon State do nothing, since the Beavers lost to the Ducks, Wildcats and Trojans. Comparing those three to Cal, Stanford and Washington doesn't help either, since Arizona and USC lost to UW, while Oregon lost to Stanford. All three then beat UCLA, ASU and WSU, thus throwing the Rose Bowl bid to the mercy of BCS standings. I haven't contemplated EVERY scenario yet, but this is the only one I've come up with where the BCS standings come into play.

This week's matchups. Finally, let's see what's coming up this weekend; perhaps a few more results will help us sort through the chaos.

Critical Game this week:

Washington @ Oregon State. The Huskies are on the brink, and even a stunning upset over USC will be just part of another losing season if UW can't beat Oregon State on the road this week. Meanwhile, Oregon's loss at Stanford means the Beavers have a shot at winning the conference, with a potential Rose Bowl coming down to complex tiebreakers. Slipping up vs. the Huskies would end that dream.

Other matchups:

Arizona @ Cal. While Cal tries to bounce back from an uninspired loss to Oregon State and a horrific-looking injury to their star, Jahvid Best, Arizona tries hard not to look ahead to hosting Oregon the following week. The Wildcats, with just a single conference loss, could be looking ahead to a potential conference championship game vs. Oregon, but not if they can't beat Cal on the road. The Wildcats may be sitting pretty at 6-2, but they're also mostly untested, having faced neither Oregon nor USC so far this year.

Stanford @ USC. Believe it or not, even Stanford still has a chance to win the Pac-10, should things break right. However, they'll need to win at USC to even have a shot at it, and while the Cardinal performed that miracle two years ago, I'm not sure it's likely to happen again. The loser is all but mathematically eliminated from the conference race, whereas the winner still needs plenty of help.

UCLA @ Washington State. Maybe the Cougar's best shot at a Pac-10 win this season, it would come at the expense of UCLA's bowl hopes. Can the Bruins settle on a quarterback and reach six wins? If they can't even win in Pullman, Neuheisel's coaching seat may begin growing rather warm.

Arizona State @ Oregon. The Sun Devils face long odds to reach a bowl game, and while this game would help their cause immensely, I think it would be unlikely for Oregon to be upset two weeks in a row, especially as they return to Autzen for this matchup. The Ducks, meanwhile, remain in control of their Rose Bowl destiny, but their margin for error has mostly disappeared. Are we to see a repeat of 2007?

Poll

Your 2009 Pac-10 champions will be...

The Monday Morning Wash

John Berkowitz — Mon, 09 Nov 2009 15:38:30 -0000

It wasn't a pretty game and Husky fans weren't very happy that the team went down to another loss in a game they could have won 24-23. The result brought up the usual questions about the coaching staff which have been reverberating ever since the Notre Dame loss. The major one is perhaps Steve Sarkisian should stick to managing the overall team and the game rather than having the extra burden of calling plays and running the offense next season.

The point has some validity because the head coach has a lot on his plate on game day and only so much time to get everything done. One of the things that didn't get done Saturday was a review of a questionable UCLA TD. First of all the Pac 10 officials should have automatically reviewed the play. Since they did not Washington should have called time out and requested the review. UCLA hurried to the line and kicked the PAT rendering any review moot.

Another point that has a lot of validity is this team even though it is 3-6 is much better than last years squad. We all complain that they should be 6-3 but in reality it is this coaching staff that has helped put the team in the position to be close enough in those games to come away with the win.

The 2009 squad is made up of the pretty much the same players that went 0-12 last season and were in the position to win at the end of only the BYU and WSU games in 2008. The 2009 edition is killing us because they have had a chance to win in the fourth quarter against every team but Oregon this season. That is progress and the only way things are going to turn those close losses into wins is having better talent and experience on the field.

A disturbing trend that I have picked up on inthe second half of the season has been a serious lack of depth and a lack of gas in the second half of games. This team is tired in the third quarter. an example of that was blowing a 9 point lead to UCLA in the second half. We can all the blame the coaches but a big part of the quotient is that this team is wearing down in the last quarter of the season.

I think the future of Husky football is bright and is in good hands. This is a major rebuilding project and the only thing that turns it around once and for all is a big influx of fresh talent. Sark intends to bring in a class of around thirty next season which would replace one third of the current roster. That is the type of class you can anchor your program with in coming seasons.

If you are a Husky fan that wait is excruciating. We all hoped that at the very least this team would become bowl eligible this season. With three games left that goal is still on the table but improbable because up next is the Oregon State Beavers on the road. Lose the next one and the team is just playing for respectability against WSU and California.

My advice is to not get too down on this team and its coaching staff. The wins are going to come and this staff is going to turn it around. Rebuilding a football program isn't an overnight process. Being competitive in almost every game is a huge step in that direction. None of us should be into moral victories and honestly this team should be 6-3 right now. The players, coaches, and fans know that. Lets see what happens over the next three weeks. There is lots of football still to be played.

Around the Pac Ten

Arizona 47 Washington State 7

The victory, combined with Oregon's loss at Stanford, moves the Wildcats (6-2, 4-1 Pac-10) within a half-game of the first-place Ducks. Arizona and Oregon are the only teams in the conference with just one loss.

Oregon State 31 California 14

Sean Canfield threw for 342 yards and two touchdowns and ran for a score Saturday night in Oregon State's 31-14 victory over California.

USC 14 Arizona State 9

Will Harris returned an interception 55 yards for a touchdown -- one of four turnovers forced by the Trojans -- and No. 12 USC held on for a shaky 14-9 victory over Arizona State.

Stanford 51 Oregon 42

Gerhart ran for a school-record 223 yards and three scores, Andrew Luck threw for two touchdowns and Stanford held on to beat Oregon (No. 8 BCS, No. 7 AP) 51-42 Saturday to become bowl eligible for the first time in eight years. The loss drops Oregon into a tie for first place with Arizona in the Pac 10.

Pac Ten Power Ratings

1. Arizona...Mike Stoops has the Wildcats in a position to contend for the Rose Bowl. Up next is Cal on the road.

2. Oregon...The Ducks face ASU at home this coming weekend. The ASU defense will challenge the Duck offense.

3. Southern Cal...The Trojans are struggling on offense and next week they get a Stanford team at home that is very capable of beating them.

4. Oregon State...Riley teams get better as the season goes on. This team is no exception. Up next is Washington at home.

5. Stanford...The Cards are bowl eligible! Up next is a tough game with USC.

6. California...This is a hurting football team that hasn't performed that well. Up next is Arizona at home.

7. Arizona State...The defense is intimidating but the offense is very challenged. ASU might now win another game this season but they are going to make them all close and interesting.

8. UCLA...The Bruins break a five game losing streak and this week extend to 2-0 on the road at WSU.

9. Washington...Missed opportunities are killing this team. Up next is Oregon State and they look pretty scary.

10. Washington State...Coug's can't wait till the Apple Cup.

Pac 10 Offensive Player of the Week

Stanford's Toby Gerhart who led the Cardinal in an upset against Oregon.

Pac 10 Defensive Player of the Week

UCLA's Rahim Moore intercepts Jake Locker in the final minutes of the game to seal a victory against the Huskies.

UW Offensive Player of the Week

Chris Polk rushed for a career high 134 yards against UCLA.

UW Defensive Player of the Week

Donald Butler knocked UCLA QB Kevin Prince out of the game with a jarring hit in the first half and played tough all day.

Quote of the Week

"There are three games right there that could go either way that really kind of makes your season, and we just didn't get those games," Holt said. "And here we are 3-6 and battling for the last three games of the year to have a good season. So I think we are still learning. There's a lot of transition still."

Pac-10 Review

joenewby4040 — Mon, 09 Nov 2009 06:45:14 -0000

Yesterday was a crazy day in the Pac-10 and leaves the race wide open for Arizona. After Stanford knocked off Oregon and Cal fell to Oregon State here is what the Pac looks like:

RANK	TEAM	RECORD	NEXT OPPONENT
1.	Oregon	5-1	Arizona State
2.	Arizona	4-1	@ California
3.	Stanford	5-2	@ USC
4.	USC	4-2	Stanford
5.	Oregon State	4-2	Washington
6.	California	3-3	Arizona
7.	Arizona State	2-4	@Oregon
8.	Washington	2-4	Oregon State
9.	UCLA	1-5	@Washington State
10.	Washington State	0-6	UCLA

Arizona is in prime position to control their own destiny. Let's take a look at the teams left on the Cats schedule and what happened to them this past weekend:

California. Cal is definitely beatable as they fell yesterday to Oregon State at home by 17 points. Jahvid Best left the game in the 2nd quarter after a terrifying slam into the turf while going in for a TD:

Best also suffered a concussion two weeks ago against Arizona State. One would have to think that two concussions in two weeks would keep Best out of the lineup this week against Arizona. (Update: Jahvid Best will NOT play against Arizona next weekend.) Cal was slated to be a Pac-10 contender to start the year but have fallen to Oregon, Southern Cal, and Oregon State in conference play. Without Best, they are a team without a superstar.

Oregon. Did anyone see this coming? Stanford absolutely did whatever they wanted on offense against Oregon, beating the Ducks 51-42. Toby Gerhart ran for a school record 223 yards and Andrew Luck threw for 3 touchdowns against the Ducks, taking out the Pac-10's top rated top team. Oregon was unable to stop Stanford's attack and their defense looked shaky trying to defend the run and the pass. Let's hope that Arizona took some notes and will watch the game film a lot.

Arizona State. The Sun Devils have had a tough year in the Pac-10 only racking up two wins against Washington and Washington State. Arizona State's starting QB Danny Sullivan threw a pick 6 against USC in the 2nd quarter which was enough for head coach Dennis Erickson to make the switch to Brock Osweiler. This was a move that a lot of ASU fans have been waiting for. Osweiler was 12-23 for 113 yards and threw 2 interceptions. Long days ahead in Tempe.

USC. USC has squeaked out a few wins this year at Notre Dame, Oregon State, and Ohio State. They have been playing lackluster offense all year behind their freshman Matt Barkley. They barely got by a mediocre Arizona State team this past weekend, winning 14-9 and only scoring 1 offensive touchdown. The Trojans still have Stanford, UCLA, and Arizona left on their schedule. The way Stanford looked yesterday, they may give USC a run for their money.

Brock Osweiler is the future for ASU

Cory Williams — Sun, 08 Nov 2009 06:04:15 -0000

More photos » by Matt York - AP

Brock Osweiler: So mobile right now.

Browse more photos »

Brock To The Future.

Get the DeLorean, Danny! It's time for a new sheriff in town.

During halftime of tonight's 14-9 loss to #12 USC, Coach Erickson decided to bench his struggling senior QB, Danny Sullivan, in favor of true freshman Brock Osweiler of Kalispell, Montana. While he wasn't that magical shot in the arm that the offense needed in order to pull off the upset, there were some bright spots in his game.

First of all, Osweiler is very athletic and has this rare quality known as mobility. It is something that ASU's offense has been lacking all season. Osweiler was able to turn broken plays into first downs on multiple occasions using his legs.

Secondly, he has field vision. On his touchdown pass to Chris McGaha, he quickly strafed his eyes from the left side of the field to the right and immediately threw the ball to the correct spot. While he is still young, these two tools will be honed and his star will rise.

Back in December, we talked to Brock about the impending season. He was excited about the possibility of being the starting quarterback here at Arizona State, and if he goes out and plays well at practice this week, he can be all but assured that his first collegiate start will be in Autzen against the Oregon Ducks next weekend.

He is still at least a season away from being a reliable Pac-10 QB, but having him on the field increases our chances of winning. It also appeases a fan base that has been asking for Brock since the Georgia game.

Lets talk Brock.