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On Wednesday at 2 p.m. PT, WeAreSC's Garry Paskwietz will be chatting about all things USC football. Send your questions in now, and join the chat at 2 PT.

I go to parties sometimes until four
It's hard to leave when you can't find the door
It's tough to handle this fortune and fame
Everybody's so different I haven't changed.

• Arizona expects to get a reenergized USC team next week.
• It's been a long road back for Arizona State RB Deantre Lewis.
• California has an "OR" between QBs Jared Goff and Zach Kline on its depth chart, though Goff is expected to start against Washington State.
• Colorado remains upbeat and is focused on Oregon.
• Oregon isn't worried about the altitude at Colorado.
• Oregon State coach Mike Riley reiterated that he's not interested in the USC job.
• Stanford isn't thinking revenge against Washington.
• UCLA WR Shaq Evans is mellow until he gets on the field.
• Interim coach Ed Orgeron and USC are fired up for a fresh start.
• Utah QB Travis Wilson pays tribute to his buddy, former UCLA player Nick Pasquale.
• K/P Travis Coons is making a big contribution to Washington.
• Notes & quotes from Washington State's practice.

Notre Dame kicks off the first of three games this year against the Pac-12 with Saturday’s showdown against No. 22 Arizona State in Arlington, Texas. What should you be looking for? Glad you asked. Notre Dame reporter Matt Fortuna and Pac-12 reporter Kevin Gemmell talk it over.

Matt Fortuna: Arizona State is a newcomer to the Pac-12 portion of Notre Dame's schedule this year, Kevin. The Sun Devils have looked great against USC, not so great against Stanford and, well, fortuitous in their win over Wisconsin. They put up 62 points last week against what was believed to be a good Trojans defense, getting Lane Kiffin fired in the process. So I guess we'll start there, given Notre Dame's defensive struggles so far this season: What makes Todd Graham's unit so explosive offensively, and what do the Irish need to really keep an eye on Saturday to keep the points down?

Kevin Gemmell: Tempo, tempo, tempo. Offensive coordinator Mike Norvell, who Graham trusts to run the show offensively, uses “tempo” as a verb, not an adjective. As in, he wants to tempo teams into submission.

They want to have as many possessions as possible. And they get that with a fast-paced attack that stretches and then compacts a defense. Quarterback Taylor Kelly is off to another outstanding start, and a huge reason for that is the addition of wide receiver Jaelen Strong, a junior college transfer who already has 31 catches for 433 yards. He gives Kelly that sideline threat the Sun Devils were lacking last season, and Kelly has been fantastic at spotting him on the outside shoulder and letting him make plays. Strong has been targeted 51 times, so it’s only a 60-percent completion rate when they look to him. But when he does catch it, it’s usually for a substantial gain; he averages 14 yards per reception.

They use running backs Marion Grice (12 touchdowns already!) and D.J. Foster in creative ways in the screen game and like to splt Foster out into the slot. Tight end Chris Coyle has also emerged as one of the top players at his position in the country.

How about the Irish? Things don’t seem to be going as swimmingly as they did last year. Only 25.4 points per game. ASU is going to blitz early and often. What does Notre Dame have to do to get its offense moving in the right direction?

Matt Fortuna: It will get overlooked because Notre Dame lost Saturday, but the Irish were finally able to establish a ground game, tallying 220 rushing yards against the Sooners. They had eclipsed the 100-yard rushing mark as a team just once before, in the opener against Temple. Junior George Atkinson III, who was the No. 1 back entering the season, finally played like it, lowering his shoulder and looking more like a downhill runner. He finished with a career-high 148 yards and a touchdown on 14 carries.

Aside from not turning it over on their first two possessions and falling behind 14-0, it is very important for the Irish to continue to establish the ground threat early, as they often can become predictable in second- and third-and-long with a non-mobile quarterback under center in Tommy Rees, though Brian Kelly did insert Andrew Hendrix in for some zone-read, change-of-pace packages against the Sooners. Receivers must run better routes, too. TJ Jones and DaVaris Daniels have been big playmakers, but they both had route-running miscues Saturday that were costly. Kelly has said that ordinary things need to be done better. The Irish also regularly play three true freshmen wideouts (Corey Robinson, James Onwualu, Will Fuller).

I'm interested in ASU's defense, particularly Will Sutton. Before the season, everyone had pegged this as a matchup of the two best interior defensive linemen in the country, between Sutton and Notre Dame's Louis Nix. It's been hard to gauge Nix's performance so far, as the Irish have faced some mobile quarterbacks and quick-strike offenses that have utilized the short passing game early to essentially take the line out of the game. What challenges do Sutton and the rest of the Sun Devils' defense present?

Kevin Gemmell: They like to blitz a lot. Todd Graham fashions his defense as a “hybrid attacking defense,” meaning at times they’ll substitute speed for bulk to create pressure from anywhere on the field.

Sutton hadn’t made much of an impact the first few games for a couple of reasons: One, they were facing mostly run-based power teams like Wisconsin and Stanford; two, he’s been seeing a lot of double and triple teams. Makes sense. His first step is so quick that it precedes his reputation. But he finally broke out against the Trojans with two tackles for a loss and a sack. I think, as the season pushes on, we’re going to see more pressure from the front seven based on the teams they’ll face.

That said, you have to look out for safety Alden Darby, who is coming off a fantastic performance against the Trojans. He had two picks (one returned for a touchdown) and has 19 tackles on the year. Hybrid linebacker Carl Bradford is explosive and Chris Young has really emerged, leading the team with 29 tackles.

The front seven is a little undersized, but it’s quick and if your protections aren’t set, someone will get missed with as much as the Sun Devils like to blitz.

Now that the Sun Devils are back in the top 25, it’s a huge game for them to keep some of that momentum going on a national stage. The Pac-12 is already coming off of the nonconference season with a 29-4 record.

Notre Dame, however, seems to be scrambling to salvage its national reputation. And with three games against the Pac-12, which many believe is the deepest conference in college football, it seems the Irish could restore some of that lost credibility. How do you see them matching up with the now Lane-less Trojans or Stanford in the season finale?

Matt Fortuna: Based on everything we have seen from both Notre Dame and Stanford so far, that matchup might not be a very pretty one for the Irish. Fortunately for them, it is not until the regular-season finale, meaning they have plenty of time to fix their issues in the six games before then.

The bigger question pertains to what kind of team the Irish will be heading into that matchup in Palo Alto, a status that will largely be dictated by their performances in both the ASU and USC games. The Irish need to get it together, fast, and Rees has to avoid a repeat performance of this past Saturday (three first-half interceptions) and get the offense going again. In theory, that should be enough to beat a USC team that looks to be reeling after the firing of its coach, though that kind of midseason move can have different lingering effects, good or bad. It's not like the Trojans aren't talented, and it's not like they won't be up for another night game at Notre Dame Stadium.

Still, I say the Irish win that one, especially coming off a bye. And especially with the threat of falling under .500, as a loss to ASU would make them 3-3 on the season. Notre Dame might be the better team, but the Irish have shown me little over the last four weeks that suggests that they are capable of keeping up with the Sun Devils' offense.

So that's an early 1-2 prediction for Notre Dame against the Pac-12 this season. What say you, Kevin?

Kevin Gemmell: I’m an ASU lean right now simply because of how explosive that offense can be. And if the Sun Devils can fix a couple of assignment issues on defense, I think they have the firepower to be a top-20, maybe even top-15 team. But they have to show they can do it away from home. A neutral field setting provides a nice opportunity. It’s close enough for their fans to travel, but it’s not a true road game.

As of today, we’re in lock-step when it comes to the Stanford matchup. The Cardinal offense is looking better and better each week. I thought back in April that Tyler Gaffney was going to be a game-changer for Stanford, and so far he’s shown that he is. That season finale could also have huge BCS implications, and I don’t see the Cardinal tossing one away at home in a game that could potentially lock them into a fourth straight BCS game.

As for USC, well, who knows? Haven’t heard any USC players come out and condemn the firing of Lane Kiffin. Maybe this move reinvigorates them? The Trojans certainly have talent. But as of today (as always, I reserve the right to change my mind), I’d go with Notre Dame at home.

With the dismissal of Lane Kiffin and the naming of Ed Orgeron as interim coach, the current bye week provides an opportune time for USC (3-2 overall, 0-2 Pac-12) to take a deep breath. But with the most challenging stretch of their schedule still to come, the Trojans will need to regroup in a hurry. With that in mind, here’s a week-by-week look at USC’s remaining regular-season opponents.

Oct. 10
Arizona
Record: 3-1, 0-1 Pac-12
Key team statistics
Rushing offense: 291.5 yards per game (No. 2 Pac-12, No. 9 overall)
Passing offense: 111.2 yards per game (No. 12 Pac-12, No. 117 overall)

Notes: Hosting a rare Thursday night contest, the Trojans will take on an Arizona team that began the season on the right foot, but was brought back down to earth by Washington this past Saturday. Still, the Wildcats are no pushover, and tailback Ka’Deem Carey -- No. 3 in rushing nationally with 143.7 yards per game -- spearheads an extremely potent ground attack. Quarterback B.J. Denker is another capable rushing threat, but he’s struggled in the passing department, completing just 50 percent of his throws. On the other side of the ball the Wildcats have made strides since last season, ranking No. 2 in the Pac-12 with a turnover margin of plus-five.

Oct. 19
At Notre Dame
Record: 3-2
Key team statistics
Total offense: 380.2 yards per game (No. 88 overall)
Total defense: 364 yards per game (No. 46 overall)

Notes: A team that started out with high hopes, Notre Dame has hit a couple of bumps in the road so far. The Irish were completely overmatched in their recent 35-21 loss to Oklahoma. The defense has looked sharp at times, but not on a consistent basis like last year’s unit. Quarterback Tommy Rees has completed just 39.7 percent of his passes over the last two games, and he was picked off three times against the Sooners.

Oct. 26
Utah
Record: 3-1, 0-1 Pac-12
Key team statistics
Scoring offense: 42 points per game (No. 4 Pac-12, No. 19 overall)
Passing defense: 288.2 yards per game (No. 11 Pac-12, No. 111 overall)

Notes: Utah’s only loss came in a 51-48 overtime thriller to Oregon State, and as a whole, the Utes appear to have improved from 2012. Travis Wilson has settled in nicely at quarterback, directing an offense that averages more than 500 total yards per game. Led by a stout front seven, the defense has already compiled 15 sacks in four contests but the secondary has been picked apart at times.

Nov. 1
At Oregon State
Record: 4-1, 2-0 Pac-12
Key team statistics
Passing offense: 420.6 points per game (No. 1 Pac-12, No. 2 overall)
Total defense: 405.6 yards per game (No. 10 Pac-12, No. 71 overall)

Notes: The Beavers haven’t faced the stiffest of competition as of yet, and they lost in an opening day stunner to Eastern Washington, 49-46, so it’s hard to gauge just where they are. Quarterback Sean Mannion has been lighting it up, completing more than 67 percent of his passes for 403.6 yards per game -- the No. 1 mark in the nation. The defense hasn’t been so efficient, however, allowing 31.6 points per game.

Nov. 9
At California
Record: 1-3, 0-1 Pac-12
Key team statistics
Total defense: 512.5 yards per game (No. 12 Pac-12, No. 119 overall)
Passing offense: 373 yards per game (No. 2 Pac-12, No. 4 overall)

Notes: It’s been a rough go for coach Sonny Dykes in his first year in Berkeley, as the team’s sole victory came against FCS-level Portland State. Cal was blasted by Oregon last Saturday 55-16, due in part to another less than stellar outing from a defense that ranks near the bottom of the conference in just about every statistical category. Freshman signal caller Jared Goff has showed promise, passing for 1,317 passing yards -- the No. 12 mark nationally -- but he appeared shell-shocked against the Ducks and was pulled in the first quarter.

Nov. 16
No. 5 Stanford
Record: 4-0, 2-0 Pac-12
Key team statistics
Rushing offense: 219.5 yards per game (No. 5 Pac-12, No. 31 overall)
Rushing defense: 105 yards per game (No. 3 Pac-12, No. 21 overall)

Notes: The 2012 conference champs, the Cardinal have been a thorn in the Trojans’ side as of late, taking five of the last six meetings. They’re currently in the midst of a 12-game winning streak. Featuring an imposing offensive line, a physical tailback corps and the Pac-12’s top-rated passer in Kevin Hogan, Stanford has been grinding it out on offense with typical efficiency. Defensively, linebacker Shayne Skov and Co. have been staunch, particularly against the run.

Nov. 23
At Colorado
Record: 2-1, 0-1 Pac-12
Key team statistics
Rushing offense: 115.7 yards per game (No. 10 Pac-12, No. 103 overall)
Passing defense: 300.3 yards per game (No. 12 Pac-12, No. 115 overall)

Notes: While Colorado has already doubled the team’s win total from 2012, it was exposed this past weekend in its first matchup with a formidable opponent, losing 44-17 to Oregon State. Quarterback Connor Wood and wide receiver Paul Richardson have certainly developed some solid chemistry, but the Buffs have failed to establish any element of a ground attack, and the defensive backfield has been exploited.

Nov. 30
No. 12 UCLA
Record: 3-0, 0-0 Pac-12
Key team statistics
Total offense: 614.3 yards per game (No. 1 Pac-12, No. 2 overall)
Scoring defense: 18 points per game (No. 4 Pac-12, No. 29 overall)

Notes: No matter what happens leading up to the Trojans’ clash with the Bruins, there will still be plenty on the line as USC will look to make a statement in the battle for Los Angeles. It won’t be easy though. UCLA head coach Jim Mora has the Bruins rolling right now, thanks to a prolific offense led by quarterback Brett Hundley, who ranks No. 11 nat8ionally in total offense (335 yards per game).

Not to get Biblical on you, but the Arizona State Sun Devils -- Devils! -- are embracing their sinister side for their showdown Saturday against Notre Dame in Cowboys Stadium.

The Sun Devils will don black uniforms with helmets decorated with wild-looking flames -- hellfire? -- against the Fighting Irish, who will be wearing angelic white.

Of course, this isn't a battle of good and evil. It's just two teams embracing the marketplace ideology of branding in college football.

"We wanted to do something unique obviously to Arizona State, so the flames we thought were pretty cool and we put the flames on the back, we obviously want to use our brand," said Arizona State coach Todd Graham, who was involved in the design and noted that every helmet will be different.

The Sun Devils are, er, on fire after a blowout win over USC, while Notre Dame is coming off a loss to Oklahoma and is a disappointing 3-2 after going unbeaten and playing for the national title a season ago. If the Sun Devils can pull off the win and start 4-1 against a rugged early slate, they will enter the meat of the Pac-12 schedule with plenty of momentum and confidence.

Moreover, they can make history. No team has ever beaten USC and Notre Dame, two of the nation's most storied programs, back-to-back.

But while Graham is glad to talk about attention-grabbing uniforms and history, neither is his central focus. There have been two downers so far this year for Arizona State: (1) The first half at Stanford; (2) The Sun Devils' run defense, which ranks 11th in the conference, yielding 192 yards per game.

When asked about what the problems were against the run, Graham, not known for being laconic in any event, went on with a nearly 500-word answer during his Monday news conference. This story is just over 732 words.

"I am answering long because this is the number one thing that we have to do to win a championship," he said. "This has got to get better and I think it can. That is our number one focus."

Graham said that the chief problem was players getting out of position. He said there were 15 misalignments for the defense against the Trojans, who rushed for 247 yards on Saturday. He also said the biggest plays are coming on the perimeter, not up the middle. Part of the problem against USC was noseguard Jaxon Hood being out. He's questionable-to-doubtful for the Notre Dame game.

The good news for that run defense, however, is the Fighting Irish's struggles on offense. They rank 85th in the nation in scoring (25.4 points per game) and 93rd in rushing offense (135.5 yards per game).

But even the Irish's vaunted defense has been only mediocre. It has yielded 23.8 points and 364 yards per game, numbers that rank 46th and 53rd in the nation.

It's worth noting that both teams have played tough opponents, so the early-season statistics might be slightly skewed. But in the preseason, the Sun Devils looked like underdogs for this game. Now they are 5 1/2-point favorites.

This game also will be another test for the Sun Devils learning to play better on the road, most particularly QB Taylor Kelly. Though this game is technically being played at a neutral site, Irish fans will far outnumber the ASU loyalists. The Sun Devils are 3-4 on the road under Graham, and two of the 2012 road wins were over woeful California and Colorado. The lone quality road win was at rival Arizona last year.

Further, Kelly is a decidedly better QB at home. His rating this season is 156.6 at home and 121.3 on the road (at Stanford, perhaps the Pac-12's best defense). Last season, he was 198.7 at home and 127.6 on the road.

"You could probably take any quarterback and they would have the same stats," Graham said before adding, "If you want to win a championship you have got to win on the road."

Graham was quick to point out that the Pac-12 schedule has more importance for the Sun Devils. But he also knows that lining up opposite Notre Dame means you'll be performing in front of a lot of eyeballs.

Winning is the most important part of branding.

"Is it more important than the Pac-12 games? No, it is not," Graham said. "That is how we emphasize it to our players. But it is very important to our fan base, very important to our football program."

With the search for a new USC football coach officially underway, it’s time for the rumor mill to begin about potential candidates. One person who we know will receive eight games worth of consideration is interim head coach Ed Orgeron, who is familiar to USC fans.

Trojans athletic director Pat Haden will also cast a wide net in vetting other candidates besides Orgeron, and Haden has made it clear he will look to conduct that search as privately as possible out of respect for the current USC players.

One candidate who has been part of every short list from the media is Jack Del Rio, the defensive coordinator for the Denver Broncos and a former USC linebacker. WeAreSC has confirmed Del Rio has already received vetting from the USC athletic department about his candidacy. It’s natural that Del Rio would get a look -- he has a long coaching history, including a stint as head coach of the Jacksonville Jaguars -- but it has been somewhat surprising to see how many USC fans are unfamiliar with his background. To that point, here is a primer on Del Rio and why he will be in the mix for the job.

Del Rio came to USC in 1981 out of Hayward High School in Northern California. He had also been drafted by the Toronto Blue Jays in the 22nd round of the Major League Baseball draft out of high school and ended up playing both football and baseball at USC. As a linebacker on the football team he was a physical presence who was named a consensus All-American as a senior along with being the MVP of the 1985 Rose Bowl win over Ohio State.

Del Rio was drafted by the New Orleans Saints in the third round of the 1985 NFL draft and spent 11 years in the league with five different teams. He made the 1994 Pro Bowl. After he retired from his playing career, Del Rio went immediately into coaching as the strength and conditioning coach of the Saints. His next stop was as a linebackers coach with the Baltimore Ravens, where he was on the staff for the Super Bowl win over the New York Giants.

The next stop for Del Rio came with the Carolina Panthers, where he coached under John Fox, his current boss today with the Broncos. After a year with the Panthers, Del Rio was named the head coach of the Jacksonville Jaguars, a position he held for eight seasons. In the year prior to his arrival, the Jaguars had the No. 25 rush defense in the league; Del Rio coached them to the No. 2 ranking in that category in his first season.

In the end, however, there weren’t enough bright moments for the Jaguars under his watch and Del Rio was fired late in the 2011 season with a record of 68-71 and 1-2 in the playoffs.

There will be critics of Del Rio’s record with the Jaguars as a .500 football coach who claim that isn’t enough to warrant the head job at USC. It would be too easy -- and not entirely accurate -- to point out that Pete Carroll was also a .500 NFL coach before coaching the Trojans. Instead, consideration should be given to the state of the Jaguars franchise, one that has struggled both with Del Rio and without him.

There were many reports from his time with the Jaguars that Del Rio was offered the USC job prior to Lane Kiffin being hired. These reports are simply not true. Almost entirely from the start of his coaching search, USC athletic director Mike Garrett had been focused on bringing in the trio of Lane and Monte Kiffin along with Ed Orgeron.

After being let go by the Jaguars, Del Rio wasn’t out of work for long as his old friend Fox was now the head coach of the Broncos and he immediately brought Del Rio on as his defensive coordinator. Del Rio is now in his second season with the Broncos, who appear to be one of the favorites to make a deep run in the playoffs this year. One thing to note is that Del Rio made a two-year commitment to Fox to be on staff, a commitment which would obviously be met at the end of the season.

As far as Del Rio's abilities as a football coach, he was described to me once as a “man’s man in the NFL world.” That statement means a certain level of toughness, as well as respect from those who play the game. The fact that Del Rio has consistently been employed in the NFL since 1985 -- either as a player or coach -- should say something about how he is viewed at that level.

So if his NFL credentials are there, the next question becomes “how would be translate to the college game?” Obviously there is no way of knowing that because he has never coached in college. There is merit to the question, however, simply because it is an unknown factor. His entire coaching history is with NFL players and it’s hard to predict how he would interact with college players.

Those close to Del Rio say he has a personality that would fit well at any level. During USC spring practices in 2011, Del Rio stopped by a Trojans practice with his son, Luke, who is now a walk-on quarterback at Alabama. When practice ended, I watched as a steady stream of USC players from Matt Barkley to Khaled Holmes to Matt Kalil went over to pay their respects to Del Rio. There were wide smiles on the faces of the players as they interacted with him. I’ve also seen Del Rio on the sidelines at Elite 11 camps, where he was animated and into the on-field action. These small samples of his personality around younger players doesn’t guarantee anything but it’s notable that he seemed at ease in the environment.

As a side note, when Del Rio was on campus for that spring session, he did go into Heritage Hall afterward for a meeting with Haden. This isn’t meant to indicate they were talking about a potential job opening, it’s just to say that the two have met and sat down together in a somewhat recent time frame.

As far as his knowledge for the college game, there would undoubtedly be a learning curve because the games are different. One coach who could be of great assistance is Kennedy Polamalu, a former teammate of Del Rio’s at USC and the running back coach for the Jaguars for several years. The two are very close and Polamalu could be part of the staff if Del Rio were to end up as coach of the Trojans. From staff selection to recruiting to the nuances of the college game, Polamalu could be a tremendous resource for his old friend.

Then there is the matter of timing. Haden is in no hurry to name a full-time coach but he also doesn’t want to let it drag on too long either. Recruits are going to want to know who their next coach is and someone like Del Rio might not be available until early February if the Broncos make a run all the way to a Super Bowl. Of course, Del Rio could be hired prior to that point while staying with the Broncos and allowing USC coaches such as Polamalu or Orgeron to head up recruiting efforts during that time. If that scenario played out, it wouldn’t hurt to tell recruits “see that coach on the sideline in the Super Bowl, that would be your next coach at USC.”

This is all speculation, of course, as there is a long way to go in this coaching search but there are a lot of check marks in the positive column for Del Rio, not the least of which is that he is a Trojan. That isn’t a priority for the next coach but it doesn’t hurt if the best candidate also happens to bleed Cardinal and Gold. This isn’t a case of an NFL coach looking to return for any college job, it would be an NFL guy considering one college job only, to return to his alma mater. It should be a fascinating process to watch.

I'm gonna go get the papers, get the papers.

• Rich Rodriguez says B.J. Denker is Arizona's best quarterback option.
• Taylor Kelly and Jaelen Strong are building chemistry.
• A California notebook including Sonny Dykes' thoughts on the dismissal of Chris McCain.
• The Buffs are excited for their opportunity against Oregon.
• Mark Helfrich weighs in on Lane Kiffin, plus other Oregon notes.
• Oregon State's offensive line is starting to get healthy.
• The Cardinal look like Stanford circa 2011.
• UCLA's offensive coordinator is quite familiar with Utah's offensive coordinator.
• Some potential candidates for the USC job.
• Utah-UCLA will put two of the league's rising quarterback stars on center stage.
• Steve Sarkisian says USC's opening won't be a distraction.
• The Cougars are moving on following their loss to Stanford.
• Athlon offers up some Pac-12 stats for your consideration.

Garry Paskwietz and Darrell Rideaux discuss USC's coaching situation and the impact on the team.

Listen to the podcast here .

Some Pac-12 numbers for your review.

Number to the left is national rank.

Scoring offense

2. Oregon, 59.8 points per game
3. UCLA, 52.7
11. Arizona State, 44.3
19. Utah, 42.0
20. Oregon State, 41.6
T21. Stanford, 41.3

Total offense
2. UCLA, 614.3 yards per game
3. Oregon, 599.3
5. Washington, 574.0
15. Arizona State, 505.0
16. Utah, 504
19. California, 498.3

Note: Ten Pac-12 offenses average more than 400 yards per game. But Cal shows how yards aren't the end-all. It ranks 10th in the conference in scoring with 29.2 points per game. It would seem we'll see a lot of offense Thursday night when UCLA visits Utah. But you know what should raise the most eyebrows? Stanford averaging 41.3 points per game. The Cardinal averaged 27.9 ppg last year and won the Pac-12.

Rushing offense

1. Oregon, 332.5 yards per game
9. Arizona, 291.5
11. Washington, 288.8
13. UCLA, 284.3

Passing offense

2. Oregon State, 420.6
4. California, 373.0
7. Arizona State, 358.8
12. UCLA, 330.0
14. Washington State, 327.4
25. Colorado, 295.7

Note: On the downside -- Of this group, only UCLA is running the ball well, too. The other five are the bottom five in the conference in rushing, though at No. 8, Arizona State is respectable with 146.2 yards rushing per game.

Scoring defense

T4. Oregon, Washington, 10.8 points per game
12. Arizona, 14.3
29. UCLA, 18.0

Total defense
13. Washington, 288.0
19. USC, 306.8
23. Oregon, 320.5
25. Washington State, 323.8

Yards yielded per play (FBS foes only)

3. Washington, 3.80 yards per play
T4. Oregon, 3.82
18. UCLA, 4.42
19. Arizona, 4.47
23. Stanford, 4.64
29. USC, 4.81
31. Washington State, 4.83

Pass efficiency defense
2. Washington
9. Oregon
13. Arizona
22. USC

Note: What's becoming increasingly clear is Washington's Justin Wilcox is not just a good defensive coordinator, he ranks among the nation's best. He has transformed the Huskies. Of course, the Huskies face Stanford, Oregon and Arizona State over the next three weeks. That will be three HUGE tests for Wilcox and his defense.

Rushing

1. Bishop Sankey, Washington, 151.8
3. Ka'Deem Carey, Arizona, 143.7
5. Jordan James, UCLA, 141.3
17. Tre Madden, USC, 116.6


Note: Three of the nation's top five rushers in the Pac-12? Pretty impressive. It will be interesting to see if James and Madden remain among the nation's top rushers. If the Bruins and James continue to run well, Noel Mazzone's offense will be tough to stop. If the Trojans run the ball as effectively as they did at Arizona State, the passing game with Cody Kessler might get some room to breathe.

Pass efficiency

11. Kevin Hogan, Stanford
12. Keith Price, Washington
15. Travis Wilson, Utah
16. Brett Hundley, UCLA
17. Sean Mannion, Oregon State
21. Marcus Mariota, Oregon

Note: Again, Hogan atop this list should worry all Pac-12 teams. Mannion's 21 TD passes is four more than anyone else in the country, and his second interception of the season, thrown against Colorado, bounced off his receiver's chest. It's not unreasonable to say that if the Beavers hadn't lost to Eastern Washington in the opener, Mannion would be getting a raised eyebrow or two as a Heisman Trophy candidate.

Receiving yards per game

1. Paul Richardson, Colorado, 162.3
2. Brandin Cooks, Oregon State, 161.4
14. Jaelen Strong, Arizona State, 108.3
22. Dres Anderson, Utah, 101.0

Note: Strong is looking every bit like the budding star coach Todd Graham predicted he'd be. Cooks decisively won the battle with Richardson last weekend. If you're looking for a WR to replace USC's Marqise Lee in the Biletnikoff discussion, Cooks is your guy. He's not only stepped out of Markus Wheaton's shadow, he's starting to look like he's better than Wheaton.

Random notes: Stanford and Arizona are tied for second in the nation in tackles for a loss allowed, surrendering just 3.25 per game. Oregon is tied for eighth at 3.75. ... The much-maligned Oregon State defense is 15th in the nation in third down percentage (0.286). The Beavers are also eighth in the nation with eight interceptions. ... UCLA is No. 1, Washington No. 3 and Stanford No. 7 in the nation in third-down conversion percentage on offense. ... Eight of the top 25 players in all-purpose yards come from the Pac-12.

This week’s mailbag is just like last week’s. Only better!

Pete in Austin, Texas writes: Do you see any way the Beavers could get into the top 25 before they play Stanford?

Kevin Gemmell: The Beavers are slowly starting to rebuild their brand. But losing to an FCS team is a stigma that isn’t easily washed away. Stuff like that sticks with voters, and many will continue to punish the Beavers in the rankings long after it’s probably warranted. A slow start against Hawaii and a miracle win over San Diego State didn’t help the cause.

Let me ask you, Pete, even if Oregon State is 6-1 when the Stanford game rolls around, do you think they’d be worthy of a top 25 spot based on their six wins? Because I’m not sure that I do.

Oregon State’s first seven games were already seen as games they should win -- so dropping one of them is a dent in their perception. Dropping one to an FCS team (an FCS team that is now 2-2, by the way, following back-to-back road losses at Toledo and at Sam Houston State) is a gash in the side of the hull.

I give a ton of credit to Mike Riley for holding this thing together amid all of the defensive injuries. He’s got Sean Mannion playing like a first-round draft pick and he’s convinced his team that the Week 1 snafu was more aberration than actuality.

But top 25? They may pick up a few votes at 6-1, but I don’t see enough to get them back in the rankings. Beat Stanford, and then we’ll talk.

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Richard in Fort Hood, Texas writes: Marion Grice of ASU seems to get no national attention why is that? He leads the nation in total touchdowns rushing/receiving combined. He had 4 against Stanford and 4 against USC. Is he the most underrated player in the conference? Also DJ Foster also seems to be lost in the conversation around the PAC12 but he’s just as deadly.

Gemmell: I wouldn’t say Grice is underrated in the conference. People in these parts know who he is and what he’s capable of.

Nationally? That’s a different story. It’s a bit like how folks treated De'Anthony Thomas the last couple of years. Is he a running back? Is he a receiver?

Yes.

Grice is a hybrid. A hybrid that has an outstanding nose for the end zone. But he only averages 3.9 yards per rush. And he only has 256 yards. But then again, he’s also got eight rushing touchdowns and four receiving touchdowns.

If “hybrid” was a defined role, I think we’d hear a lot more about Grice nationally. But when you look at the top running backs, does he fit? Maybe, but he doesn’t have the same measurables as some of the other backs in the league. Same for receiving numbers. His lack of national hype is a product of the system Arizona State runs and the role he plays within that system.

Some national recognition would be nice. But the folks in the Pac-12 know what they are up against when going against Grice. And league-wide respect goes a lot further than glancing national recognition.

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Clemson fans everywhere write: Idiot, dummy, grumble, gumble, fool, nitwit, nincompoop – how could you rank Georgia ahead of Clemson -- grumble, grumble. Ted Miller is a genius. Grumble, grumble, pinhead, ninny, imbecile, dork.

Gemmell: I threw in nincompoop on my own, but that’s the gist of multiple notes.

Everyone has their own system of ranking. Personally, I don’t give as much weight to Week 1 games as some others might (the exception being losses to FCS teams, see above). Teams have had extra time to prepare for that game and it’s not always the strongest measuring stick. Just to localize it a little bit from a Pac-12 perspective, Washington’s Week 1 win over Boise State isn’t quite as signature today as it was three weeks ago now that Broncos are 3-2. (Oh yeah, for everyone who ripped me for not having Boise in my Week 1 top 25, all I'm hearing are crickets …).

I remember last year when I took heat for being one of the first to put Clemson back in the top 10 and not punishing them as much for the Florida State loss as some others did. Where were you guys then? Huh!? Huh!?

To me, Clemson’s three-point win at home in the season opener doesn’t carry as much weight as what Georgia has done since then. It lost to Clemson, a top 10 team, on the road and I rightfully dropped the Bulldogs (I think 10 spots). But since then Georgia has beaten two top 10 teams in South Carolina and LSU. It's 3-1 with three of four games against top 10 teams. That’s bought them enough credibility, for now, to overtake Clemson, which has done nothing but paste South Carolina State and Wake Forest and dispose of a so-so NC State team.

Right now, in my mind, Georgia has the more impressive resume. But that doesn't mean things will stay the same a month from now. If Clemson is still undefeated after its two week stretch against Florida State and Maryland, it will have an argument for moving up. Especially because Georgia’s schedule ramps down with Tennessee, Missouri and Vanderbilt -- all games Georgia should win. If all things are equal on Halloween -- an undefeated Clemson team and a one-loss Georgia team -- that would mean Clemson has added two top 25 wins and is still undefeated. And then you’ll see them -- at least on my ballot -- ahead of Georgia.

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Brett in Price, Utah writes: I came across this article from 2010 written by Pat Forde. As a Utah fan, it is a shame to see USC fall this far. Although, I am not sure what exactly they were thinking with when they hired Kiffin. Another interesting fact, Kyle Whittingham is the only coach to have survived the PAC 12 South since its inception. No real questions, just observations. Thanks for the blog! I love reading it. Go Utes!!

Gemmell: Thanks Brett. I recall reading that piece too with great interest. I was still at the San Diego paper at the time, but had made a few trips up to UCLA and USC for some offseason features, etc. And I remember thinking Pat was either going to eat a lot of crow in a few years or look pretty darn smart. Right now, he’s looking pretty darn smart.

Good observation on Whittingham. Crazy to think that we’re only in the third season of “Pac-12” and there are no holdover coaches from that division from the Pac-10 days. Coaching continuity is huge. And I think Utah has already made significant strides this season. In another couple of years, they’ll be ready to make a push into the tier of South contenders.

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Oscar in Irwindale, Calif. writes: Hey Kevin! I know it’s just rumors and the details are sketchy but what’s the deal with the whole leaving Lane Kiffin at the airport deal! I just hope it’s not true and USC has more class then that! Just saying.

Gemmell: Not true. His car was at the airport, per Chris Huston at Heismanpundit.com I know Chris. I consider him a friend and I trust his reporting.

Right now it's open-season schadenfreude for anyone and everyone that Kiffin directly or indirectly offended, tweaked and irked. And they aren’t shy about coming out of the woodwork to make an already uncomfortable situation look even worse.

As for the timing? Meh. Makes no difference in my mind if it was at 3 a.m. or 7 a.m. Gone is gone.

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Brady in Seattle writes: Admit it Kevin. You've been hoping for a long time for Kiffin to get fired just so you could refer to it as "Operation changing Lanes". Well played, my friend. Kudos.

Gemmell: Thanks Brady. It’s funny you brought that up. My wife -- a high school English teacher and the hardest editor I’ve ever had -- sent me an email Monday morning indicating that since I used “Lanes,” plural, that would indicate that another person named Lane would have to be the new coach.

It’s a fair criticism from my significantly better half. The only Lane I could come up with was Lane Meyer? (I want my $2).