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Utah head coach Kyle Whittingham announced the 2012 recruiting class of 28, which includes two mid-year junior college players who signed their National Letters of Intent in December. In total, there are 21 underclassmen and seven junior college transfers.

The crop was line heavy with 16 of the 28 being from either the offensive or defensive line. The class stretches across seven states and is split with 14 players on each side of the ball.

Here's the Utah release with links to all of the players.

Washington coach Steve Sarkisian announced 25 new players to the Washington roster.

Of the 25, 12 are on the offensive side of the ball, 11 are on defense and two are on special teams. There are also two junior college transfers. One player is from the ESPNU 150 list.

You can see the complete list here.

Stanford head coach David Shaw inked a whale of a class on Wednesday, including six players from the ESPNU 150 list and three highly-touted offensive linemen.

ESPN RecruitingNation ranks Stanford's class as the 12th best nationally. The 22-man class, made up of players scattered across 14 states, includes 12 offensive players and 10 defensive players. Of those 12 offensive players, seven of them are on the offensive line.

You can see the entire class here.

Todd Graham's first few weeks on the job at Arizona State have been about fences:

• Building them.
• Mending them.
• Figuring out how to put a "de" in front of them.

Graham, in essence, has three No. 1 priorities. In the immediate future, his first No. 1 priority has been building a fence around Phoenix to keep the region's top talent at home, then venturing out into the rest of the state before dipping the fiery pitchfork into California, Texas and somewhat into Florida.

"There are 4.5 million people in Phoenix and one major university," Graham said. "There is no setting like that in the nation. We want to get the best and brightest Phoenix has to offer. We have to get out in the community, show them what we're all about and put a product on the field, in the classroom and in the community they can be proud of. You have to send a message and then actually deliver on that message."

But one cannot sustain in the Pac-12 on Arizona alone. He knows that after planting his flag in the desert, hitting the Golden State -- among others -- is key. Last week, Graham was in Seattle, Atlanta, Tampa, Lafayette, New Orleans, Houston, California and then back to Arizona.

"If Phoenix and Arizona are priority No. 1, California has to be priority No. 2," Graham said. "Los Angeles, Northern California and the rest of Southern California. We have to be successful there, no doubt. But we want to win Phoenix first, then Arizona. We can't ignore our base."

And so far, he hasn't. He picked up a big commitment last week with Scottsdale, Ariz., running back D.J. Foster.

On to the second No. 1 priority. Once the fences are up -- and it will take more than a few weeks and a couple of commits, mind you -- it's on to mending the fences and getting Phoenix excited again about its college football team. After a season that started off so promising, followed by a second-half meltdown, the firing of Dennis Erickson, a bowl-game debacle against Boise State and the exodus of quarterback Brock Osweiler, there are lots of pieces that need to be picked up before next season.

"Results," Graham said. "I think you show them in results. That's getting out there and competing."

And that's what was lacking -- results -- at least in the second half of last season. After opening the year winning five of their first six -- which included signature victories over No. 21 Missouri and No. 23 USC -- the Sun Devils collapsed down the stretch. They dropped five straight to close the year -- including a 56-24 thrashing by Boise State in the Las Vegas Bowl.

Restoring confidence won't be easy. But so far, Graham is saying all of the things a new head coach should say.

"I'm not going to recruit the guys to the scheme and then win. We're going to win with the guys we have," he said.

Which leads us to his third No. 1 priority: defense. In order to win with the players they have, the Sun Devils will have to figure out how to keep the other team out of the end zone. ASU ranked in the bottom half of the country (74th) in points allowed last year and 91st in total defense.

"This is probably the most difficult conference in the country to play defense in," Graham said. "You have explosive offenses everywhere you look. The key to winning the championship in this conference is playing championship defense. The biggest challenge is defending week in and week out these very prolific and very high-powered offenses."

Despite zero all-conference players on the defensive line, Graham said that's where he likes his team's depth. He plans to play multiple fronts and said they will be very aggressive. His Pittsburgh squad last year was third in the nation in sacks with more than three per game.

"We're solid inside," Graham said. "We have a lot of depth out at defensive tackles and three technique and nose shade. We'll stand one of those ends up, sometimes they'll put their hand down and sometimes it's preference. We'll be very multiple in what we're doing, but we'll be attack-oriented. We're not going to sit and defend, we're going to get after it."

Keith Price got hit, hammered, drilled, dumped and decked. And in the long run, it might have been the best thing to ever happen to the Washington quarterback.

With every sack Price took -- 26 of them for those keeping track at home -- a knee would strain a little more and an ankle would twist a little further. As those injuries compounded, he had to subdue his first instinct to run the football. In essence, those nagging injuries transformed him into a pure pocket quarterback.

"This year, I didn't have my legs underneath me and I had to make those throws while standing in the pocket and getting hit," Price said. "I had to stand in there and just take them. If I had my legs, I could have avoided them."

An athlete by nature who was more prone to the tuck-and-run, Price had to completely overhaul his style of play. And in the process he set the school's single-season passing touchdown record with 33 scores.

"This year was about learning a new style of play," he said. "I could never imagine playing without my legs. I depend on them so much. Now, it doesn't really matter."

Price was the Pac-12's nice little surprise. Expectations were cautiously tempered as he replaced top-10 draft pick Jake Locker. But the secret is out. This guy can play -- as evidenced by his 66.9 completion percentage. While the rest of the conference might have been in shock to see the sophomore carve up defenses with his arm -- not his legs -- it came as no surprise to him.

"I prepared for this, it's not like it just happened," Price said. "I put in the time and I sacrificed stuff I like for the game that I love. The coaches had faith in me and they helped shape who I am. It's been a blast."

And on Dec. 29, the rest of the country saw what the Pac-12 had learned as Price led the Huskies in a 56-point losing effort against Baylor in the Valero Alamo Bowl. Price accounted for seven touchdowns -- four in the air and three on the ground, his only rushing touchdowns of the year, mind you.

"I thought we had that one," Price said, leaving it at that.

Like its young quarterback, Washington is a team on the rise. The Huskies started the year by winning six of their first eight before hitting the meat-grinder portion of their schedule -- a four-game stretch that included Stanford, Oregon and USC. As the underdog, Washington dropped all three. Then it compounded when the Huskies lost at Oregon State. Injuries kept Price out of the game until he relieved Nick Montana in the fourth quarter, but it wasn't enough.

"I think it was an OK season," Price said. "We have a lot of things we have to improve on. But it was a decent season. Next year we need to have a great season."

Ah, next year. Price won't surprise anyone. And the centerpiece of the offense, running back Chris Polk, will be playing on Sundays. But Price doesn't seem concerned. He happily accepts the target on his back. But first things first, he wants to put some weight on his 6-foot-1, 195-pound frame.

"That's my biggest thing is staying healthy," he said. "Have a good offseason and a good spring ball and just go into camp feeling good about my body. I'm going to be taking a lot of hits and I don't need to be taking any unnecessary hits."

He even sounds like a pocket passer.

It's a beautiful thing to be able to recruit in the Golden State -- and even sweeter to be based there. But let's face it, almost every school in America wants to wet their beak and drink from California's recruiting fountain, one of the top four recruiting states in the union, where players of all positions are in abundance.

Interesting then, that cross-bay rivals Cal and Stanford both landed as two of the top five out-of-state recruiters, as described in a piece by ESPN The Magazine's LaRue Cook.

Cook and the folks at RecruitingNation teamed up to see which 10 programs land the most blue-chip recruits from outside of their home states.

Stanford checked in at No. 2 behind Auburn, and Cal is No. 5 behind Clemson and Alabama.

Cook on Stanford:

The Cardinal just can't compete with USC and UCLA for California's top talent, signing only two of the state's 73 ESPNU 150 recruits from 2007-11. But when Jim Harbaugh landed [Andrew] Luck, it proved that top prospects will travel to Palo Alto. After Harbaugh left for the 49ers, new head coach David Shaw convinced 2011's No. 2 ILB James Vaughters (Tucker, Ga.) to stick with Stanford, and the Cardinal currently have three out-of-state ESPNU 150 preps committed for 2012, including top-25 overall prospect OLB Noor Davis (Leesburg, Fla.).

Shaw has gone out of his way numerous times in his first year as head coach to talk about Stanford as one of the countries true national recruiters.

Cook on Cal:

When we calculated how many miles on average ESPNU 150 recruits traveled to attend their programs, Cal was second (1,179 miles) only to Stanford (1,466) in terms of distance. For that distinction, you can thank [Keenan] Allen, whose signature helped land his high school teammate, WR Maurice Harris, in 2011. (No. 6 S Avery Walls from McDonough, Ga., also added to the mileage.)

While this out-of-state trend is on hiatus in 2012, Jeff Tedford doesn't mind an off year that includes three in-state ESPNU 150 preps (S Shaq Thompson, QB Zach Kline, WR Darius Powe) and a possible top-10 class ranking.

Cal, of course, recently lost Tosh Lupoi to Washington. It will be interesting to see what kind of impact that has on the Bears in the coming classes. Though with a heralded class less than a week away from signing, the immediate impact seems minimal, and there don't appear to be any major defections.

What did we learn from Week 7 of Pac-12 action?

Oregon can beat you a lot of different ways: Oregon didn't have its top two offensive stars on the field -- running back LaMichael James and quarterback Darron Thomas -- when it asserted itself in the second half against Arizona State. What that showed in a 41-27 win is the Ducks not only have depth, they also have confidence that the next players in line -- in this case Kenjon Barner and Bryan Bennett -- are good enough to get the job done. Still, the Ducks probably would like James and Thomas back as soon as possible.

Washington is ready for a test; so is Stanford: Washington is 5-1, but it hasn't beaten a team with a winning record. The Huskies' lone loss came at Nebraska , where they were competitive but still lost 51-38. This looks like a pretty good team, particularly on offense, but it's hard to be sure. Enter Stanford. The closest an opponent has been to Stanford, now 6-0, is 26 points (UCLA), but none of its previous foes have winning records either. The Cardinal have been dominant on both sides of the ball, and they whipped the Huskies 41-0 last year. This figures to be the second matchup of ranked Pac-12 teams this year. The Huskies could make a big statement with an upset. The Cardinal would get credit for a quality win.

Utah is pretty good when it doesn't beat itself: Utah lost the turnover battle 10-1 in its previous two games, not surprisingly both losses. It beat Pittsburgh 26-14, largely because it didn't turn the ball over and the Panthers did three times. While not a perfect performance -- the Utes gave up two special-teams TDs -- it should remind the Utes what they can do when they play smart football.

Tedford's seat is heating up: The 30-9 loss to USC was California's third consecutive conference defeat, and the regression of QB Zach Maynard is a concern. While coach Jeff Tedford did a nice job rebuilding the program, he also is responsible for the program's present state. And that is uncertain. Another bowl-less season in Berkeley could make life difficult for Tedford.

Colorado, Oregon State and Arizona -- who's the worst? Colorado and Oregon State don't play each other, which I'd bet bothers both because they'd see a chance to win. And, of course, Oregon State's win over Arizona was the final straw for coach Mike Stoops. The Wildcats and Buffs square off on Nov. 12 -- the same day Oregon and Stanford play -- in what will be a key contest for figuring out the No. 12 spot in the conference.

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.