This Week in the PAC-10

(0-0) (1-2)	(0-0) (3-0)
Zona 7 - BYU 24	Cal 44 - Tennessee 31
Zona 45 - N. Arizona 24	Cal 34 - Colorado St 28
Zona 27 - N. Mexico 29	Cal 34 - SDSU 13
Next: Washington State	Next: @ Oregon
Total Offense: 55th (9th PAC-10)	Total Offense: 36th (6th PAC-10)
Scoring Offense: 64th (9th PAC-10)	Scoring Offense: 21st (3rd PAC-10)
Passing Offense: 14th (1st PAC-10)	Passing Offense: 72nd (7th PAC-10)
Rushing Offense: 101st (10th PAC-10)	Rushing Offense: 18th (3rd PAC-10)
Total Defense: 53rd (4th PAC-10)	Total Defense: 69th (6th PAC-10)
Scoring Defense: 61st (8th PAC-10)	Scoring Defense: 57th (7th PAC-10)
RUSH Defense: 23rd (5th PAC-10)	RUSH Defense: 54th (7th PAC-10)
PASS Defense: 73rd (7th PAC-10)	PASS Defense: 76th (9th PAC-10)
Turnover Ratio Rank: 63rd (5th PAC-10)	Turnover Ratio Rank: 12th (2nd PAC-10)

Arizona has been quite the enigma thus far in the 2007 campaign. Early in August, when even Notre Dame was brimming with excited optimism, I wrote a promising preview of the Wildcats as I thought they were destined for a fourth or fifth place finish in the PAC-10. But, there must be something about the water in the land of the sun near Tucson, because the Wildcats have historically had one of the better defenses through the years and when you add the name Stoops to the mix, it just gets better. But as good as the defense has been, the offense has been an ineffective opposite.

I thought last year would be coach Stoops breakout year with the Cats, but they couldn’t keep QB Willie Tuitama healthy. Since 2000 and the firing of Dick Tomey, who I greatly admired as one of the best coaches in the PAC-10, the Cats have been dead last in offense.

According to Stoops, “When you look at the entirety of last season, to win six games shows constant growth in our program. To win some of the games we won, after what our kids went through and then to win our last three road games was good for us. But we didn’t finish the way we had liked too. The loss against Arizona State cost us a lot, including a bowl game. Hopefully that will have an impact. Our expectations are much different going into this season. The way we persevered last season, winning against top teams, I think that gives us some legitimate confidence and our work habits really match those expectations. Our attitude matches our expectations. We are healthy, we have great experience coming back, it is by far and away our most experienced and talented football team.”

On the new spread offense: “We are going to implement the whole system. Our biggest challenge will be in utilizing the personnel we have on our team. Whether we go four wides, three wides, we’ll have to see. I think the system gives us a unique protection of our quarterback. If we keep Willie [Tuitama] healthy our chance of winning goes up dramatically. All of those things are important to our success. This is the best team we’ve had and it is time for us to make our move.”

The problem is the Cats haven’t been able to make their move on offense thus far, losing two games to the Mountain West Conference in particular, and beating Division I-AA member Northern Arizona - albeit by only 21 points: 45-24.

The mindset was to bring in new Offensive Coordinator Sonny Dykes, given Texas Tech’s prolific offensive machine, and take the pressure off of an aggressive defense that spends too much time on the field due to lack of offensive production. So far, this philosophy has imploded as although Arizona now ranks 55th in Total offense, 14th passing - 321 yards a game, yet 101st rushing - 88 yards a game, the defense has continued to be plagued by offensive ineptitude and lack of production and has fallen to 53rd in total defense, 23rd against the rush, yet 73rd against the pass. If your playing in the Big-12, perhaps the ability to stop the run would bode well for the Cats, but “The PAC,” is all about the passing game and given California’s prolific offensive production thus far - The Cats are in trouble heading to Berkeley this weekend.

However, the Bears rank 69th in total defense, 57th in scoring defense and their Achilles heel, 76th against the pass. Something’s got to give this weekend, but if the turnover factor is any indication, don’t look for Jeff Tedford’s troops to give it up, for they are 12th in the country in turnover ratio.

On the flip side, the Bears are back under Jeff Tedford. Despite last season’s melt down in Knoxville on opening weekend, the bears recovered to record a 10 win season for only the third time since 1990. How good is Tedford?

In five seasons as Commander in Cheif in Strawberry Canyon, the Bears have amassed a 43-20 record. In the five previous seasons before Tedford took over, the Panda-Bears were an anemic 16-39, and the year before el-cap-i-tan landed ashore, they were coming off a 1-10 season.

Traveling back to his days in Eugene, his record in four years as the Offensive Coordinator for Mike Bellotti and the Ducks was 38-10 with Bowl victories over Minnesota (Sun), Texas (Holiday) and Colorado (BCS-Fiesta); it was the grandest of times in Nike-ville, the Ducks best four year run in history. In the four years since he left Eugene, the Ducks are a dismal 28-21 with four consecutive Bowl losses.

What he has accomplished at CAL is miraculous, what has happened in Eugene speaks volumes to the influence Tedford had with Oregon’s “Air of Success.” The Golden era in Berkely has quickly picked up where it left off last season as the Bears have been a demolition crew on the field, disposing of Tennessee, Colorado State and Louisiana Tech in impressive fashion. The game plan for Tedford is most likely to “end the game” as quickly as possible, setting the stage for a PAC-10 showdown next week in Eugene as CAL looks to end its recent woes inside Autzen Stadium where Dennis Dixon and the Ducks await. Prediction: CAL 41 - Arizona 17

(0-0) (2-1)	(0-0) (3-0)
OSU 24 - Utah 7	ASU 45 - SJSU 3
OSU 3 - Cincinnati 34	ASU 33 - Colorado 14
OSU 61 - Idaho State 10	ASU 34 - SDSU 13
Next: UCLA	Next: Stanford
Total Offense: 41st (7th PAC-10)	Total Offense: 24th (3rd PAC-10)
Scoring Offense: 45th (6th PAC-10)	Scoring Offense: 23rd (4th PAC-10)
Passing Offense: 29th (4th PAC-10)	Passing Offense: 44th (5th PAC-10)
Rushing Offense: 59th (9th PAC-10)	Rushing Offense: 26th (4th PAC-10)
Total Defense: 13th (2nd PAC-10)	Total Defense: 6th (1st PAC-10)
Scoring Defense: 22nd (2nd PAC-10)	Scoring Defense: 9th (1st PAC-10)
RUSH Defense: 2nd (1st PAC-10)	RUSH Defense: 13th (3rd PAC-10)
PASS Defense: 52nd (4th PAC-10)	PASS Defense: 3rd (1st PAC-10)
Turnover Ratio Rank: 97th (10th PAC-10)	Turnover Ratio Rank: 54th (4th PAC-10)

Oregon State continues to baffle me as the Beavers have looked simply awful on national television during the Riley era. When you consider the LSU debacle several years ago, when a young freshman place kicker, Alex Serna, missed three extra point attempts - culminating in a close loss in Baton Rogue, along with the ass-kickings the Beavers suffered on the road, not only by Big-East rivals Louisville and Cincinnati, but (Non-BCS) WAC member Boise State, my only hope is that this game is not televised. Luckily, for fellow Beaver alums, it isn’t - unless the Fox Network suddenly decides that the Erickson - Oregon State rematch is of sentimental interest.

The alarming problem for the “Men in Black” is not television or Erickson, but the travel issue. Mike Riley has under achieved as a head coach when the Beavers take to the road. Although this game may be an emotional issue for several Beaver seniors who were recruited by Erickson’s staff while employed at OSU several seasons ago, the Sun Devils have too much speed, too much offensive production and too much experience at quarterback to fail in this one. If the Beavers thought the Bearcat defense was fast, just wait until they get a look at the speed Erickson has inherited in Tempe! The intriguing match-up is Oregon State’s defense versus the Sun Devil Defense. Both are stellar with the Beavers ranking 13th nationally and 2nd in the conference, while the hot Sun Devils are 6th nationally and 1st in the PAC.

Look for ASU to make another jump up the polls in the next couple of weeks as the Beavers will get torched in the land of the sun, and the Devils have the Stanford Cardinal next on the docket! As a matter of fact, with the Washington schools coming on top of this, Erickson and the PAC-10 could be the talk of the country in week #9 as both ASU and CAL may be undefeated heading into their showdown on October 27th. That is, of course, if the Bears can get by a trap game in Eugene, while the Sun Devils must survive the bi-annual trap game in Pullman. Prediction: ASU 26 - OSU 13

(0-0) (3-0)	(0-1) (1-1)
UO 48 - Houston 27	Stanford 17 - UCLA 45
UO 39 - Michigan 7	Off - Bye
UO 52 - Fresno St 21	Stanford 37 - SJSU 0
Next: California	Next: Arizona State
Total Offense: 13th (1st PAC-10)	Total Offense: 28th (4th PAC-10)
Scoring Offense: 11th (1st PAC-10)	Scoring Offense: 59th (7th PAC-10)
Passing Offense: 14th (1st PAC-10)	Passing Offense: 23rd (3rd PAC-10)
Rushing Offense: 3rd (1st PAC-10)	Rushing Offense: 49th (7th PAC-10)
Total Defense: 84th (10th PAC-10)	Total Defense: 79th (7th PAC-10)
Scoring Defense: 31st (3rd PAC-10)	Scoring Defense: 54th (6th PAC-10)
RUSH Defense: 77th (9th PAC-10)	RUSH Defense: 87th (10th PAC-10)
PASS Defense: 33rd (2nd PAC-10)	PASS Defense: 84th (10th PAC-10)
Turnover Ratio Rank: 3rd (1st PAC-10)	Turnover Ratio Rank: 76th (8th PAC-10)

Although many people around the country have jumped on the Duck bandwagon, I have yet to get excited. While it is true that I grew up in Eugene and have been a die-hard Duck Football fan, even though I was an All-PAC-10 Infielder at Oregon State University nearly twenty years ago, I have lost a little luster on my fanatical fanism for Duck Football. Eugene is a community that goes absolutely banana’s over the Big Green!

I was a die hard Big Green fan back when Rich Brooks was in town and I think it is poetic justice that Brooks suddenly has lowly Kentucky back on the national scene. Rich Brooks was literally run out of town, and this after he led Duckville to the Rose Bowl in 1994. He didn’t return that spring due in large part to Nike Boss Phil Knight, who - like other bigtime donors felt a change was needed for Oregon to move forward.

Knight has turned Oregon into everything that is bad about college football - Donors running the show with too much influence and money within the department. Lately, he ran former athletic director Bill Moos into early retirement so he could bring back baseball (at the expense of wrestiling) and move the 200 million dollar basketball arena project forward. I wouldn’t be surprised if Bellotti has to check with Knight on the headset to receive permission to run the counter-trey, or the Spread-option.

Back in the Brooks era, Oregon was the underdog and played with a passion and sense of urgency that has been unmatched in recent years. Today’s Ducks are a bit spoiled…if you’ve been to the Casanova Center it is without question one of the finest athletic set ups in the country. Back when the Ducks were truly green and yellow, with perhaps one of the classiest uniform looks around, it was awesome to watch the Ducks overcome adversity by playing like a true team, emblazoned with chemistry and execution.

Today, Oregon has literally written its soul over to Nikeville and the never ending gloom of the ugliest uniform combinations you could ever imagine. The smug attitude Oregon displayed towards BYU (Bronco Mendenhal is a friend of mine as we attended school together at OSU) was nearly as nauseous as their yellow helmets.

Not only that, the Ducks often play like they are still inside their expansive locker room playing X-Box and Play Station. While Oregon has the offensive thunder going this season, championships are won on the defensive side of the ball. I guess its better to be lucky than good, because the Big Green is living on the edge on this side of the ball, just like they have done throughout the Alliotti era.

Although Oregon is ranked 31st in scoring defense, its a smoke and mirror game as the Ducks have relied on turnovers. Their total defense ranks 84th in the country. Michigan was moving the ball with ease early in the game, primarily running the ball through the middle of Oregon’s small defensive front. Why would they suddenly throw the ball into the teeth of the Oregon “D”? The secondary ranks 33rd against the pass and 3rd in turnover margin - mainly due to the athleticism in the secondary.

Here is where the wheels are going to come off of the Oregon bandwagon as California comes to town next week followed by Washington State, Washington, USC and Arizona State. By November third, Oregon will likely be back to the same place they have been every year since Rich Brooks left Eugene… whining about an 8-4 or 7-5 campaign.

The only way around this is via the maintenance of the turnover margin, but USC, CAL and ASU hang their hat on the running game. In life you are either buying or selling, and if I was a bettin’ man, I would sell the stocks out of the Ducks.

This week’s match-up with Stanford will likely be a rout as Oregon is matched up against a rush and pass defense that is ranked in the 80’s. The Ducks win big for the last time this year as Oregon is chronically a school that is much ado about nothing for they only have three, 10 win seasons, in their entire history, yet flap their wings constantly like they are some sort of elite power like Alabama or Tennessee. The Big Green has been here before (4-0), but haven’t been back to the Rose Bowl since Rich Brooks left 13 years ago. Prediction: Oregon 52 - Stanford 24

(0-0) (2-1)	(1-0) (2-1)
UW 42 - Syracuse 12	UCLA 45 - Stanford 17
UW 24 - Boise St 10	UCLA 27 - BYU 17
UW 14 - Ohio St 33	UCLA 6 - Utah 44
Next: USC	Next: @ Oregon State
Total Offense: 72nd (10th PAC-10)	Total Offense: 54th (8th PAC-10)
Scoring Offense: 63rd (8th PAC-10)	Scoring Offense: 67th (10th PAC-10)
Passing Offense: 88th (9th PAC-10)	Passing Offense: 54th (6th PAC-10)
Rushing Offense: 35th (5th PAC-10)	Rushing Offense: 44th (6th PAC-10)
Total Defense: 57th (5th PAC-10)	Total Defense: 82nd (9th PAC-10)
Scoring Defense: 31st (3rd PAC-10)	Scoring Defense: 71st (9th PAC-10)
RUSH Defense: 48th (6th PAC-10)	RUSH Defense: 14th (4th PAC-10)
PASS Defense: 54th (5th PAC-10)	PASS Defense: 63rd (6th PAC-10)
Turnover Ratio Rank: 63rd (5th PAC-10)	Turnover Ratio Rank: 63rd (5th PAC-10)

Much of the nation has been a buzz this year regarding UCLA’s 18 returning starters on offense and defense. The problem in Bruin Nation isn’t with the players…it is with the coaching. Karl Dorrell is in serious trouble in powder blue country, so much so that if they don’t win this weekend, he may be fired by the end of the season. When your at UCLA, you don’t lose 44-6 to Utah, no disrespect intended to the Utes.

If you question this, think about this statistic. Given all the players returning in Westwood -after three games - the Bruins rank 54th in total offense and 84th in total defense. For the life of me I have yet to figure out why the Bruins were so highly regarded to begin the season. What? Would we rank Oklahoma State in the Top-10 the following season after upsetting mighty Oklahoma? No? Why then would we rank UCLA so high just because they beat USC last year given the fact that Oklahoma State has upset Oklahoma more times in the last decade than UCLA has beaten USC? If you needed some sort of catalyst to help you with your decision, why didn’t you simply tune into the Emerald Bowl last year when an average Florida State club ran rough-shod over the Bruins on a soggy field in San Francisco? The Bruins under Dorrell are about as inconsistent as a spelling “B” with a bunch of third graders.

Washington on the other hand is a program on the rise and unlike Dorrell, Willingham will be around for many years to come. It took him awhile to get it going at Stanford, but when he did the Cardinal attended several Rose Bowls if I recall. Similar to Rich Brooks, I find it absolutely-falling-off-my-porch laughing-out-loud-funny that Notre Dame looks as bad as they do under Weis. But don’t worry Irish fans, you’ve got some great scheduling coming up soon where you can go 8-4 and get back to the BCS.

Isn’t it auspicious that Notre Dame is finally playing a legit schedule and suddenly the wheels are coming off and they are (0-3) win-less? Anyone see a pattern of behavior here? I don’t think it is Weis and I don’t think it is the players. Now you know what every other program who actually plays in conference goes through, especially when you schedule tough non-conference games in addition. Do you think the SEC, PAC-10, Big-12 or ACC has any sympathy?

Anyway, sorry about the rant, back to Huskyville. This game looks to be a draw and the question is which team will bounce back and not let a loss beat them twice? The glass is half full in Seattle, while the glass may be all but empty in Westwood. Huskies by a touchdown in this one! Prediction: Washington 24 - UCLA 17.

(0-0) (2-1)	(0-0) (2-0)
WSU 21 - Wisconsin 42	USC 38 - Idaho 10
WSU 45 - SDSU 17	Off - BYE
WSU 45 - Idaho 28	USC 49 - Nebraska 31
Next: @ Arizona	Next: @ Oregon State
Total Offense: 22nd (2nd PAC-10)	Total Offense: 33rd (5th PAC-10)
Scoring Offense: 25th (5th PAC-10)	Scoring Offense: 18th (2nd PAC-10)
Passing Offense: 16th (2nd PAC-10)	Passing Offense: 94th (10th PAC-10)
Rushing Offense: 53rd (8th PAC-10)	Rushing Offense: 6th (2nd PAC-10)
Total Defense: 80th (8th PAC-10)	Total Defense: 41st (3rd PAC-10)
Scoring Defense: 80th (10th PAC-10)	Scoring Defense: 45th (5th PAC-10)
RUSH Defense: 60th (8th PAC-10)	RUSH Defense: 9th (2nd PAC-10)
PASS Defense: 74th (8th PAC-10)	PASS Defense: 40th (3rd PAC-10)
Turnover Ratio Rank: 31st (3rd PAC-10)	Turnover Ratio Rank: 76th (8th PAC-10)

Finally we get to the match-up I’m excited about. Not because I think the Cougars and Trojans will put on a clinic of national proportions, but because of Alex Brink, a former player of mine, who I predicted at our season ending baseball banquet (with Mike Bellotti in attendance - his son Luke played baseball for me at Sheldon High School) that I would eventually watch him play on Sunday’s in the NFL.

Alex has been on fire this year, and the problem in Pullman for the last several years hasn’t been the offense, but the defense’s inability to truly stop someone when the game is on the line. Last year the Cougars “Couged it” down the stretch when they dropped their final three after starting 6-3 with key upset victories over Oregon and UCLA. The match-up I’m intrigued about is WSU’s passing attack versus the secondary of the Trojans. The Cougars season will be on the Brink in this one since the passing attack is 16th in the country (22nd ranked total offense), while the Trojan secondary is 40th (total defense is 41st).

Yes, I think student body right will roll in this one, especially considering the Trojans have the sixth ranked rushing attack in the country going up against a defense who is ranked 60th against the rush and 80th overall. The storyline for me is will Brink improve his stock for the NFL? Currently he is 81 for 110, 947 yards passing, 10 touchdowns with only 2 interceptions. Not bad considering he is clipping along at a 73 percent completion rate. And he is getting zero love in the Heisman race? Prediction: USC 44 - Washington State 27.