ESPN College Football

There were 770 games played in the 2011 college football season. We give you the 10 plays that shaped the BCS Championship race.

1. Tyrann Mathieu returns fumble for TD
LSU 40, Oregon 27
Significance: These top-five teams were locked in a 6-3 game. The Tigers went three-and-out and punted, but Kenjon Barner fumbled the return at the three and LSU's playmaker snapped it up and went into the end zone for a momentum-shifting score.

2. Kirk Cousins completes 44-yard Hail Mary to Keith Nichol
Michigan State 37, Wisconsin 31
Significance: Wisconsin had its eyes on a perfect regular season and a spot in the title game. But after a last-second heave, ricochet, catch and then video review, that dream was dashed.

3. Oklahoma misses 28-yard field goal vs Texas Tech
Texas Tech 41, Oklahoma 38
Significance: The Sooners were preseason No. 1 and still undefeated, but trailed 31-7 at home. They mounted a comeback, but after Michael Hunnicutt's missed FG from 28 yards out there wasn't enough time left to overcome a 10-point deficit.

4. Tajh Boyd gets intercepted in the end zone
Georgia Tech 31, Clemson 17
Significance: Down 14 points, Clemson had just intercepted Georgia Tech, getting the ball at Georgia Tech's nine-yard line. But on the first play, Boyd was picked by Jemea Thomas, ending the Tigers' comeback and dashing their national-title hopes.

5. LSU’s Eric Reid intercepts Alabama at the 1-yard line
LSU 9, Alabama 6 (OT)
Significance: In a 6-6 game in the fourth quarter, LSU's Eric Reid wrestled the ball away from Alabama TE Michael Williams at the one-yard line for an interception, preventing what could have been the winning score. LSU would win it in overtime.

6. Boseko Lokombo picks off Andrew Luck and returns it for TD
Oregon 53, Stanford 30
Significance: This was Stanford’s last major obstacle to a perfect regular season. Down 16 points, Luck had Stanford driving. But the pick ended those hopes, putting the game out of reach and handing the Cardinal its only loss of the season.

7. Boise State misses 39-yard field goal as time expires
TCU 36, Boise State 35
Significance: Playing on the home turf where they had been dominant for so long, the Broncos went down a point after TCU made the gutsy call to go for two. But Boise drove down the field before Dan Goodale sailed his kick wide right as time expired and the Broncos were no longer unbeaten.

8. Brandon Weeden's pass intercepted in first play of second overtime
Iowa State 37, Oklahoma State 31 (2 OT)
Significance: The Cyclones came back from a 24-7 deficit to tie the game at 24 heading into overtime. But on the first play of the second overtime, Brandon Weeden was intercepted. Three plays later Iowa State scored to end Oklahoma State's dream.

9. Oregon misses 37-yard field goal as time expires
USC 38, Oregon 35
Significance: Even after their season-opening loss, the Ducks still had a shot at the BCS Championship. But USC, ineligible for postseason play, gave the Ducks a battle at Autzen Stadium. Down three, Oregon had the chance to send it into overtime. But Alejandro Maldonado missed a 37-yarder.

10. Robert Griffin III completes 34-yard TD pass with :08 left
Baylor 45, Oklahoma 38
Significance: Just like Oregon, Oklahoma still had a chance to sneak back into the title picture despite a loss. But Baylor's Heisman candidate Griffin shocked the Sooners with a game-winning touchdown pass with eight seconds left.

To see images of these plays, click here.

Issues to consider heading into the seventh week of games.

Thomas takes over: With RB LaMichael James out, QB Darron Thomas becomes the veteran presence inside a young Ducks offensive huddle. He's the guy everyone will look to. Arizona State's defense has rattled some pretty good QBs, most notably USC's Matt Barkley. Thomas hasn't put up big numbers this year, but he's thrown 15 TD passes and just two interceptions. It's likely strong passing numbers from Thomas will be a key in this game.

Lobbestael vs. Luck: It's fun to ha-ha at the absurdity of that -- Washington State's backup QB vs. the most talented QB in college football in a decade -- but that's what we've got Saturday in Pullman: The almost certain No. 1 overall pick in the NFL draft this spring versus a guy who has admirably filled in for starter Jeff Tuel but who may be seeing the last football of his career. There's some poetry there. By the way, Marshall Lobbestael is good enough to give Stanford's secondary some trouble if he gets time to throw.

Barkley-Woods: Last year against California, Barkley threw five first-half TD passes, tying a USC -- full-game -- record. Robert Woods might be the best receiver in the nation in terms of pure talent. If you wonder what Cal needs to be concerned with tonight, it's Barkley-Woods, Barkley-Woods, particularly with starting CB Marc Anthony out.

Price increases Buffs' secondary costs: Washington QB Keith Price ranks second in the Pac-12 in passing efficiency and first in TD passes. Colorado's patchwork secondary, which has been riddled by injuries and suspensions, ranks 10th in the conference in passing efficiency defense and has yielded 14 TD passes, most in the conference. Not a good matchup for the Buffs. Colorado's solution to a struggling secondary is to attack with blitzes -- see 17 sacks, tied for most in the conference. The Huskies have yielded 11 sacks. If Price gets time to throw, he can make Colorado pay. But will he?

Utes up front: Utah's strength is its lines, and it needs to lean on that strength at Pittsburgh. The Panthers on offense are mostly one guy: RB Ray Graham, the nation's second leading rusher. The Panthers aren't good if they have to pass. They yield 4.67 sacks per game, most in the nation, and rank 96th in the nation in passing efficiency. So it's obvious: Make Pitt throw. On the other side, the Utes probably will faces that same strategy. The Panthers will try to make new Utes starting QB Jon Hays beat them. But RB John White and a solid offensive line might be good enough to still win that battle in the trenches.

Beavers fall: Every year is a new year, so past trends don't always matter. Until they do. This year started out particularly bad for Oregon State, but losing Septembers are -- sorry -- standard in Corvallis. That's the bad news. The good news is the Beavers typically seem to get better. They have entered October with losing records eight consecutive years. But since 2004, they are 38-15 in October, November and December. After an 0-4 start, they are now 1-0 in October. Can they maintain their trend of mid-to-late-season improvement?

The 6-8 QB: Inside Autzen Stadium, everything starts with the opposing QB. How well can he handle the noise? Can he maintain focus and make plays and avoid miscues. Arizona State's Brock Osweiler, who it will be noted at least once on Saturday is 6-foot-8, made his first career start at Autzen in 2009 as a true freshman. That evening started badly and ended quickly when he was knocked out of the game. Suffice it to say, he's a different guy these days: Skilled, confident, knowledgeable. It's also impossible to believe the Sun Devils can record an upset without him playing lights out -- as he did against Missouri and USC.

Cougs up front: While Andrew Luck gets all the publicity, Stanford is as much about being physical up front on both lines as it is about Luck. Luck will stress the Washington State secondary, but the real measure of the Cougars' ability to hang with Stanford will be on both lines. Can the Cougs slow down the Stanford running game and force Luck to throw? That doesn't sound like a great thing, but it's critical in terms of slowing down Stanford. And, on the other side of the ball, will the Cougs be able to run well enough that the Cardinal doesn't load up with blitzes on Lobbestael? Playing at home will help. But Washington State's only chance is not getting exploited at the line of scrimmage.

Can we talk about defense?

No, not quarterbacks. They're great. The best in the nation. No, not running backs. They're great, too. Or tight ends or receivers or NFL-quality offensive linemen. The Pac-12 is fine on offense.

Yes, defense. Let's take a look at the numbers. Yeesh.

Hey, did you say something about quarterbacks?

Defense, the part of football they say wins championships, has been mostly lousy in the Pac-12 as we close in on the midseason mark.

No team ranks among the top-25 in total defense (Stanford is No. 26 and California is No. 27). Eight rank 50th or worse.

Well, scoring is really what defense is about, right? Right. And nine conference teams rank from No. 55 to No. 112 in scoring defense. Nine teams give up between 24.3 and 37.6 points per game. (Stanford is No. 6 in scoring defense, while Utah is 25th and Arizona State is 32nd).

And we can't entirely excuse these numbers by pointing to the super-awesomeness of Pac-12 offenses. We're only two or three games into the conference slate.

Arizona might own the second-worst defense among AQ conferences (Kansas is almost comically bad). The Wildcats' numbers are so bad writers spent much of the weekend finding fun ways to illustrated their badness -- here and here.

USC ranks 67th in total defense and 68th in scoring defense, terrible numbers for a unit with tons of talent that is coached by Monte Kiffin, a certifiable coaching legend. Things are worse across town, where UCLA ranks 105th in scoring and 98th in total defense. Who was stupid enough to write about UCLA's defense being "sneaky good" anyway? Never listen to that guy again.

So what gives? Does the conference just not care about defense?

Injuries are a legitimate excuse. The Wildcats have been missing three starters and a key reserve the entire season, and defensive tacle Justin Washington is now hurt. Arizona State is missing four top players. In fact, there are lots of big names out, including Washington defensive end Hau'oli Jamora, Stanford linebacker Shayne Skov and USC defensive tackle Armond Armstead, to name a few.

Still, every team has injuries.

Some guys who looked like budding stars have been disappointing so far: Washington, Washington defensive tackle Alameda Ta'amu, Oregon cornerback Cliff Harris and UCLA defensive end Datone Jones come to mind.

But, really, it comes down to this: No Pac-12 team has scary talent on all three levels. I'm not talking about LSU in 2011 scary or USC under Pete Carroll scary or Washington in 1991 scary. I'm talking Stanford in 2010, UCLA in 2006, Washington State in 2003, California in 2004 or Oregon State in 2000 scary.

If Arizona State had cornerback Omar Bolden, defensive back James Brooks, linebacker Brandon Magee and defensive back Junior Onyeali, it probably would be a top-25 defense. Stanford is good but took a step back when its leader and best player, LB Shayne Skov, was lost for the season with a knee injury.

Who has a pair of lockdown corners who are able to press at the line of scrimmage and handle man-to-man coverage? Who can consistently get pressure with a four-man rush? Who can stonewall an opposing running game and force a team to throw to win? Who can beat you without using risky stunts every other play?

In the early going, it appears Stanford has the conference's best defense. Oregon's defense is probably better than its early numbers suggest (its yards per play -- 4.84 -- is better than Kansas State, which ranks 16th in total defense and is a top-30 number). California has young talent on all three levels. Washington has shown improvement he past two weeks. Utah is well-coached and solid across the board. USC can't possibly be this mediocre. Arizona State has been above average, despite the injuries.

Defense might not win championships in the Pac-12, but here's a bet that the two teams playing for the Pac-12 title on Dec. 2 will rank in the top-third of the conference and top-50 in the nation in most major defensive statistical categories.

And when the smoke clears on the 2011 season, conference teams might need to figure out a way to kick up the defensive recruiting a notch or two.

Taking stock of the fourth week of games in the Pac-12.

Team of the week: Washington State. While the Cougars buddies in Seattle deserve a tip of the cap for winning at Utah, it's not an exaggeration to say Washington State's comeback, 31-27 victory at Colorado was the most important result of the Paul Wulff Era. It was a show of mental toughness that will be nearly as important as improved talent for the Cougs' return to relevance.

Best game: The Cougars came back from a 10-point fourth-quarter deficit with two TDs in the final 2 1/2 minutes, then forced a fumble to clinch the win. The key play was a 63-yard TD pass from Marshall Lobbestael to Marquess Wilson with 1:10 remaining.

Biggest play: Well, in order to spread the wealth -- Lobbestael-Wilson duly noted above -- Arizona State running back Cameron Marshall, playing on a nagging sprained ankle, turned in a physical, multi-tackle breaking 37-yard TD run against Oregon State that put the Sun Devils up 28-20 in the third quarter of a surprising tight contest with Oregon State.

Most memorable play: New category here to commemorate Stanford quarterback Andrew Luck's unbelievable, one-handed 13-yard reception against UCLA that also included him athletically getting a foot in-bounds. Hey, if the quarterback thing doesn't work out, there's always tight end (and we're only half-joking; he could play tight end).

Offensive standout: There will many outstanding offensive performances, but USC quarterback Matt Barkley completed 32-of-39 passes for a school-record 468 yards with four touchdowns in the Trojans' 48-41 victory against Arizona.

Defensive standout: Washington State linebacker Alex Hoffman-Ellis had 14 tackles -- 12 solo -- and two sacks against Colorado.

Special teams standout: Jamal Miles, Arizona State's multi-purpose star had a 78-yard punt return for a touchdown in the win against Oregon State.

Smiley face: The state of Washington. As Bud Withers of the Seattle Times pointed out, Washington and Washington State won road conference games on the same day for the first time since Oct. 18, 2003. Might the Apple Cup have some real stakes for both teams this year?

Frowny face: The new Pac-12 members. Colorado and Utah are now a combined 0-3 in conference play and 3-6 overall. The Buffaloes blew a 10-point fourth-quarter lead against Washington State, and Utah might have lost quarterback Jordan Wynn for a few weeks with a shoulder injury.

Thought of the week: Pac-12 defenses need to pick it up. No conference team ranks in the top-25 in total defense -- Stanford and California are 26th and 27th, respectively -- and eight rank 50th or worse. Here's a guess that the teams playing for the Pac-12 title on Dec. 2 will have top-50 defenses.

Questions for the week: Does Arizona State (4-1, 2-0) sew up the South Division on Saturday at Utah? The Utes, widely viewed as the Sun Devils top competition for the division title when the season began, are 0-2 in conference play and likely won't have Wynn. USC isn't eligible due to NCAA sanctions, and Arizona, UCLA and Colorado haven't shown much thus far.

» Power Rankings: ACC | Big 12 | Big East | Big Ten | Pac-12 | SEC

If you don't like where you are in the power rankings, play better.

See last week's power rankings here.

1. Stanford: No reason to drop the Cardinal after a physically dominant win against UCLA, though the defense wasn't as dominant as it had been with LB Shayne Skov.

2. Oregon: Ducks have extra time after bye week to prepare for California on Thursday. Or is it the other way around?

3. Arizona State: Some might see the sloppy win over Oregon State as a negative. I see it as confirmation. The Sun Devils played poorly and won by 15 points. Questioning that is the way we analyze good teams.

4. Washington: If the defense continues to improve, there's the whiff of "maybe" with this team. As in: "Maybe Stanford and Oregon -- particularly Oregon -- might not want to take the Huskies for granted.'

5. USC: Barkley to Woods. Barkley to Woods. That alone means the Trojans are dangerous against any foe.

6. Utah: This optimistically assumes a return of quarterback Jordan Wynn, who hurt his left, non-throwing shoulder against Washington. Without Wynn, the going will be tough for the Utes.

7. California: Bears have extra time after bye week to prepare for Oregon. Or is it the other way around?

8. Washington State: Forget the win at Colorado. (Sure, it was nice, but get over it). Re-focus. One win doesn't make a season or save a coach. Don't stop pressing the gas.

9. UCLA: UCLA has beaten two struggling teams and lost to three unbeaten teams. Are the Bruins mentally tough enough to realize they still have hope?

10. Arizona: The Wildcats have lost to three top-10 teams and a 4-1 USC squad. It's possible this team could rally from a 1-4 start.

11. Colorado: The Washington State loss, particularly how it went down, should hurt. But it will hurt worse to stew and whine. That could lead to a very bad season.

12. Oregon State: The Beavers showed enough at Arizona State to suggest the basement of the Pac-12 isn't a certainty. Now how hard will the Beavers fight to avoid it?

Projecting the bowls based on the fifth week.

Rose Bowl Game: Stanford vs. Big Ten
Valero Alamo: Oregon vs. Big 12
Bridgepoint Education Holiday: Arizona State vs. Big 12
Hyundai Sun: Washington vs. ACC
MAACO Las Vegas: Utah vs. Mountain West
Kraft Fight Hunger: California vs. ACC or Army
Gildan New Mexico: Washington State vs. Big 12

What did we learn from Week 5 of Pac-12 action?

Hope in Pullman: Washington State's visit to Colorado was a must-win. And guess what? The Cougars not only produced that victory, they did so by overcoming a 10-point fourth-quarter deficit on the road. And with their backup quarterback. There have been strong suggestions that the talent is better in Pullman this season. But this is the first suggestion that this team might be mentally tough. That matters almost as much as talent.

There are reasons for cautious optimism over the Washington defense: Sure, the Huskies again gave up big passing numbers -- Utah threw for 305 yards. But the Huskies also held a team that wants to run to just 17 yards rushing. While the Utes' five turnovers speak of sloppy football, perhaps the Huskies deserve some credit for inspiring that sloppy play? And, really, the bottom line is Utah only scored 14 points, seven of which came in mop-up time during the game's waning moments.

This Pac-12 isn't going to be that easy for the new guys: Colorado and Utah are now a combined 0-3 in conference play, and that doesn't include the Buffaloes' loss to California, which was a pre-scheduled nonconference game that doesn't count in the standings. While Colorado was expected to be down, the Utes' 0-2 start is more of a surprise. They face Arizona State on Saturday -- potentially without quarterback Jordan Wynn -- which makes 0-3 a strong possibility. And Colorado is at Stanford.

Arizona State can win ugly: Winning ugly is better than losing pretty. Recall that Arizona State last year had a handful of impressive losses. So even though Oregon State is struggling, and it's not good for your QB to turn the ball over four times, what is good is winning. And, by the way, winning by 15 points. And being 4-1 and ranked.

Stanford wears you down: The Cardinal have scored 56 fourth-quarter points in four games. It might seem sometimes like Stanford is struggling. It seemed, for example, like UCLA was in the game Saturday at various times. But a 45-19 final really isn't that close, is it? What the Cardinal do in the first and third quarter sometimes isn't that sexy. But it leaves its opponent ripe over the final frame to be smushed and eaten up.

Who gets a helmet sticker for a job well done on Week 5?

Matt Barkley, USC: The USC quarterback completed 32-of-39 for a school-record 468 yards with four touchdowns and an interception in the Trojans' 48-41 victory over Arizona.

Robert Woods, USC: Woods caught 14 passes for 255 yards with two touchdowns in the win over Arizona.

Marshall Lobbestael, Washington State: The Cougars quarterback passed for 376 yards and three touchdowns in the 31-27 comeback win at Colorado, including a 63-yard game winner to Marquess Wilson.

Chris Polk, Washington: The Huskies running back rushed for 189 yards on 29 carries and moved up to second on the program's career rushing list in the 31-14 win over Utah.

Rodney Stewart, Colorado: The Buffaloes running back rushed for 132 yards on 26 carries against the Cougars.

Jamal Miles, Arizona State: The Sun Devils multi-purpose star had a 78-yard punt return for a touchdown in the 35-20 win over Oregon State. He also rushed six times for 45 yards and caught eight passes for 62 yards.

Andrew Luck, Stanford: The Cardinal quarterback completed 23-of-27 for 227 yards with three touchdowns in the 45-19 win over UCLA.

Ten issues to consider heading into the fifth week of games.

Wynn flinging it? Utah QB Jordan Wynn is understandably tired of talking about his surgically repaired shoulder, but many will continue to wonder about it until he looks 100 percent in an A-list performance. He's mostly improved each week, but coming off a bye week he should be well-rested and as healthy as he's been. With a high-scoring Washington offense coming to town, he might need to look like his old, efficient self for the Utes to win.

Arizona D steps up or Barkley bounces back? Trojans QB Matt Barkley turned in a poor performance at Arizona State, with two interceptions, a fumble and a number of missed throws. Arizona's defense has been a perfect backdrop so far for tour de force offensive performances. Will Barkley be the latest A-list player to make the Wildcats look bad? Or will the Wildcats step up, as their friends in Tempe did a week ago?

ASU stays focused: Speaking of Tempe, the Sun Devils are at home against 0-3 Oregon State. On paper, it would look like an easy, blowout win. But ASU isn't a team that can believe anything will be easy just yet, particularly against a program that has beaten it three straight times. The Sun Devils need to step on the gas early and keep pressing until the game is clearly in hand.

Does Lobbestael get time to throw? Washington State's strong crew of receivers has a decided advantage against Colorado's secondary, which was questionable even before it got banged up. That would seem to play right into Cougars QB Marshall Lobbestael's hands. But the Buffaloes compensate for their secondary with a fierce pass rush, see 14 sacks, which leads the Pac-12. So will Lobbestael be able to punish Colorado pressure? Or will he have a long day looking up at the lights around Folsom Field?

Luck vs. Bruins defense: While the Bruins defense played OK at Oregon State, it's still been dreadful this year, mustering just three sacks while giving up 183 yards rushing per game, which ranks 11th in the conference. If Stanford runs well bell-to-bell, this is going to be a blowout. And if Andrew Luck can stand in the pocket unmolested, this is going to be a blowout. The 2011 Bruins defense was billed as a group that would attack. It's going to have to take some aggressive chances to slow down Luck and the Cardinal.

Polk versus Utes run defense: Huskies running back Chris Polk is one of the nation's best runners. He ranks second in the Pac-12 with 127 yards rushing per game. Utah's run defense is yielding just 79 yards per game, which ranks third in the conference. While UW QB Keith Price has been brilliant thus far -- see a nation-leading 14 TD passes -- know that coach Steve Sarkisian wants to challenge the Utes with the running game. If the Utes make the Huskies one-dimensional, that will make things tough for Price on the road.

Any help for Foles? The defense isn't Arizona's only problem. The Wildcats also have one of the nation's worst running games and have surrendered 12 sacks, most in the conference. It's mostly been QB Nick Foles versus the world during the three-game losing streak. Will any other Wildcats step up? Will a defender make a play that gives Foles a short field? Will the running backs and offensive line create any sort of running threat? Will the O-line give Foles time to throw? Foles can't do it alone, particularly on the road against a quality team.

Rodgers revs up: Know what would be the best way for the Beavers to energize? A couple of big plays from receiver James Rodgers, who will be playing his second game since returning from knee surgery. Rodgers looked good against UCLA and made some plays. Here's a guess he'll be less focused on his knee and more focused on making plays than he was in his first game back. When healthy, he's one of the most dangerous players in the nation. Can he unleash his old self on the Sun Devils?

Rodney Stewart let loose: San Diego State running back Ronnie Hillman gashed the Cougars for 191 yards and four touchdowns. Can Colorado's Rodney Stewart follow his lead? The Cougars are better on defense than they have been, but these are still many of the same players who yielded 220 yards on the ground in 2010. Stewart and the Buffs running game has mostly been held in check, see a No. 11 ranking in the conference. It would be a good time for Stewart and company to reverse that early-season trend.

Bruins get physical: One of the best things UCLA can do is keep Luck off the field. That means run the ball. The Bruins have run well in the early going with 214 yards per game. Stanford has the nation's No. 1 rated running defense, but it has yet to play a good running team. Also, this is the Cardinal's first game without standout linebacker Shayne Skov. If the Bruins can run consistently, and physically challenge the Cardinal front seven, that could open things up for QB Richard Brehaut. And Stanford is yielding a 65.8 percent completion rate, third worst in the conference.

Went 3-2 last week -- missed on UCLA and Washington wins -- and the season record stands at 28-9.

It's all about home teams this week.

All games are Saturday.

Utah 27, Washington 24: Utah hasn't lost after a bye week since 2002; coach Kyle Whittingham is 6-0 coming off regular-season byes. The Utes have won four consecutive homecoming games. The Utes are 59-17 in Rice-Eccles Stadium, which opened in 1998. This is their first Pac-12 home game. This feels like a big deal for the Utes, and the extra time to prepare should pay off.

USC 33, Arizona 27: Both teams are coming off bad losses in the state of Arizona. It should help the Trojans that they are home. And that the Wildcats defense has been playing poorly. If USC doesn't make mistakes in bunches -- as it did at Arizona State last weekend -- it's a pretty good football team.

Colorado 31, Washington State 28: The Cougars receivers have an advantage against the Colorado secondary. But the Buffaloes' defensive front seven has an advantage against the Washington State offensive line. I see Cougars quarterback Marshall Lobbestael under relentless pressure. Can he find an open man and get rid of the ball quickly? Ultimately, though, home field is the difference in this game.

Arizona State 36, Oregon State 21: This will be Beavers quarterback Sean Mannion's first road start, but he played nearly the entire game at Wisconsin. The Sun Devils might be flat -- and sloppy -- after last weekend's big win over USC, but they will recover in time to overwhelm Oregon State.

Stanford 38, UCLA 17: Not good that the Bruins' secondary is injury-riddled with Andrew Luck playing at home. Or that the Cardinal is coming off a bye, with extra time to prepare for the Bruins' pistol offense.

Here's a look at what the Pac-12's top Heisman Trophy candidates did over the weekend. Names will be added or subtracted to the list, as warranted.

And if trends continue into next week, we'll add a couple of names and perhaps yank a couple, too.

Andrew Luck, QB, Stanford: Luck was off last weekend. He ranks 11th in the nation in passing efficiency. Trending? Same.

LaMichael James, QB, Oregon: James rushed for a school record 288 yards on 23 carries with two touchdowns in the Ducks' win at Arizona. Trending? Up.

Chris Polk, RB, Washington: Polk had 20 carries for 60 yards with a touchdown against California. He also caught four passes for 85 yards and a TD. He ranks 23rd in the nation with 105.5 yards rushing per game. Trending? Same.

Darron Thomas, QB, Oregon: Thomas completed 11 for 20 passes for 101 yards with two touchdowns and no interceptions against Arizona. He has 12 touchdown passes, just one interception and ranks 19th in the nation in passing efficiency. He also rushed 10 times for 52 yards with two TDs. Trending? Same.

Nick Foles, QB, Arizona: Foles completed 34-of-57 for 398 yards with three touchdowns and no interceptions against Oregon. For the season, he has 10 TDs and no interceptions and ranks fourth in the nation with 361.8 yards passing per game. Problem: His team is 1-3. Trending? Down.

Matt Barkley, QB, USC: He completed 21-of-33 for 227 yards with a TD and two interceptions and a fumble in the loss to Arizona State. Trending? Down.

Taking stock of the fourth week of games in the Pac-12.

Team of the week: Arizona State ended an 11-game losing streak to USC with a 43-22 victory in front of an inspired home crowd. The win pushed the Sun Devils back into the national rankings and bolstered their position in the Pac-12 South Division.

Best game: Washington outlasted California 31-23, with the Huskies' defense getting a fourth-down stop on their 2-yard line to preserve the win.

Biggest play: With USC down six and facing a third-and-5 from the Arizona State 14-yard line, Sun Devils defensive end Greg Smith sacked and forced a fumble from Trojans quarterback Matt Barkley, and defensive tackle Bo Moos recovered. The Sun Devils then drove 82 yards for a touchdown and a 36-22 lead with 6:48 remaining in the game.

Offensive standout: LaMichael James rushed for a school record 288 yards on 23 carries with two touchdowns in the Ducks' 56-31 win at Arizona.

Defensive standout: Oregon defensive end Dion Jordan had 1.5 sacks and 2.5 tackles for loss to go along with five total tackles in the Ducks' win over the Wildcats.

Special teams standout: Oregon State's Jordan Poyer returned a punt 85 yards for a touchdown against UCLA. He also had 56 yards on two kickoff returns. He ended up with 156 return yards in the game.

Smiley face: Washington's maligned defense held California to just three second-half points, including none in the fourth quarter. The Bears had just one TD in five red zone chances.

Frowny face: Arizona gave up 415 yards rushing to Oregon. The Wildcats presently rank 114th in the nation in run defense (233.5 yards per game). They also rank 106th in the nation in scoring defense (35.0 ppg) and 112th in total defense (484 ypg).

Thought of the week: Assuming that Stanford's Andrew Luck will win first-team All-Pac-12 quarterback, who would you pick for second team right now? Eight conference QBs rank among the top 40 in the nation in passing efficiency. While USC's Barkley, Arizona's Nick Foles and Oregon's Darron Thomas entered the season as "name" QBs, through four games the second-best Pac-12 QB would be Washington's Keith Price, followed closely by Arizona State's Brock Osweiler.

Questions for the week: At 0-3, Oregon State is the first team to have a stamp of doom put on its season. Who's next? You might be able to say that the loser of Arizona's visit to USC and Washington State's trip to Colorado will start to see reasons for optimism this season slip away.

The weather may be cooling but the seats are getting hotter in the Pac-12, at least according to a website that focuses on the relative temperatures of coaches' office chairs.

Coacheshotseat.com rates five Pac-12 coaches among the 10 sitting on the nation's hottest seats.

The hottest seat is a bit of a surprise: Oregon State's Mike Riley at No. 3.

My response? No. Not even close. The hottest seats in the Pac-12 belong to UCLA's Rick Neuheisel and Washington State's Paul Wulff, who are both playing for their jobs. Neuheisel is No. 4 and Wulff No. 5 on the website's list.

I can't see a scenario where Riley gets canned. Period. Recall that before the 2010 season, when USC made a play for him, he basically signed a lifetime contract.

The website has California's Jeff Tedford and Arizona's Mike Stoops at Nos. 6 & 7.

I also believe Tedford and Stoops have enough production in the bank to survive this season, unless the wheels come off completely.

Neuheisel and Wulff? Neuheisel needs at least six wins and a bowl game to survive. At least. Wulff probably needs the same, but a competitive 5-7 finish in which he played much of the season without starting QB Jeff Tuel might be enough for him to survive into 2012.

As the calendar flips into October and November, the hotseat speculation only, well, heats up. It's one of the harsh realities of a well-paying profession. Your office chair only remains comfortable if you are winning.

» Power Rankings: ACC | Big 12 | Big East | Big Ten | Pac-12 | SEC

If you don't like where you are in the power rankings, play better.

See last week's power rankings here.

1. Oregon: The Ducks move back to the top while Stanford was off because they were slightly more dominant at Arizona than the Cardinal, and the power rankings often rely on the transitive property.

2. Stanford: Cardinal probably shouldn't despair a fall from the top, seeing that we have them projected as finishing with a supper date with the Granddaddy.

3. Arizona State: After beating USC, the Sun Devils have two quality wins -- Missouri and the Trojans -- which is a better resume than any other conference team. And most of the top 25.

4. Washington: Wow, Keith Price! He's got 14 TD pass, and no one in the nation has more. Jake Locker threw 17 all of last year. And the defense made a stand in the fourth quarter against California.

5. USC: There was a lot of talk among USC writers of the Trojans getting outcoached at ASU. Whether that's true or not, the Sun Devils certainly were more effective counterpunchers.

6. Utah: Utes emerge from their bye weekend and now prepare for their first Pac-12 home game. Want respect? Beat Washington at home on Saturday and set up a HUGE South Division showdown with Arizona State.

7. California: The Bears' loss at Washington didn't feel like some of the "what the heck?" losses in past years. Cal fought to the end, but the Huskies just looked like a better team. The first step for the Bears might be getting back to playing to their potential each weekend, unlike past talented teams that often underachieved. The problem is this is about where Cal falls in terms of talent.

8. UCLA: Winning is winning is winning, and it's way better than losing. Further, at 2-2, the Bruins are certainly in the mix for bowl eligibility. But the performance at Oregon State didn't exactly suggest this team is headed for a transformation. What sort of chance do the Bruins stand at Stanford?

9. Washington State: The Cougars play at Colorado and at UCLA the next two weekends. After those games, it's almost certain we will know the measure of this team -- and whether coach Paul Wulff will retain his job.

10. Arizona: It sucks down here, eh Wildcats? There's no shame in losing to top-10 teams, but getting stomped three times is no fun. Sure, after next weekend's visit to USC, the schedule eases up a whole bunch. But a road win against the Trojans would serve as a pitcher of ice water for a fanbase that is parched and prone on the desert floor. It could transform the season.

11. Colorado: When Buffaloes fans looked at the 2011 schedule -- and after going, "Really? Really? Come on! 13 games, no bye? At Ohio State? Really?" -- they penciled in a victory over Washington State at home on Saturday. As a new coach, Jon Embree has a reservoir of good will from his fans. That reservoir will show a slight fissure if the Cougars swagger out of Boulder with a W.

12. Oregon State: A trip to Arizona State doesn't feel like it's exactly what the doctor ordered for the struggling Beavers. The worry I had watching the UCLA game was that, as a guy with an opinion on everything -- even on stuff I know nothing about -- I really don't have any suggestions to Mike Riley and company. Other than keep sawing wood and hope some young players start to grow up.

Projecting the bowls based on the fourth week.

Rose Bowl Game: Stanford vs. Big Ten
Valero Alamo: Oregon vs. Big 12
Bridgepoint Education Holiday: Arizona State vs. Big 12
Hyundai Sun: Washington vs. ACC
MAACO Las Vegas: Utah vs. Mountain West
Kraft Fight Hunger: California vs. ACC or Army
Gildan New Mexico: no team vs. Big 12