ESPN College Football

Issues to consider heading into the ninth week of games.

USC must disrupt Thomas' rhythm: There seem to be a few basics to slowing down Oregon's offense, starting with having a good defensive line that can defeat blocks, as well as enough team speed to close before the Ducks get into space. The second is having a good plan -- see Boise State and Ohio State last year and Arizona State this year. At this point in the season, Ducks QB Darron Thomas has exceeded expectations and shown remarkable poise. He's become a good QB, not just a game manager who gets the ball to playmakers, such as LaMichael James. He has yet to get rattled, though the Sun Devils did force the Ducks to punt 11 times. The Trojans have had an extra week to prepare: Do they have a plan that taxes Thomas, both physically and mentally?

Which Cal shows up in Corvallis? Cal has good players. It's not the most talented team in the Pac-10, but it has top-25 talent. But it doesn't -- duh -- always play like that. The team that got blown out by Nevada and USC wasn't the same team that rolled Colorado, UCLA and Arizona State. So far this year, the common denominator is the road -- Cal is 0-3 away from Berkeley; 4-0 inside Strawberry Canyon. But, really, it's mostly about showing up with a good plan and playing with focus and intensity. The Beavers are beaten up with injuries, but they will show up on Saturday and play hard. It's what they do. If the Bears match their motivation, they've got a good shot to win. If they don't, they'll get rocked.

Locker vs. Luck: Washington QB Jake Locker and the Huskies have not lived up to high preseason expectations. While Locker is still a likely early-round NFL draft pick, his decision to return for his senior year now, obviously, doesn't seem like a good one, considering he was likely a top-10 pick last spring. Meanwhile, Stanford's Andrew Luck has often looked like the best QB in the nation -- a sure-thing in the NFL. The press box at Husky Stadium will be overflowing with NFL scouts on Saturday. The matchup is an opportunity for one -- or both -- to make a statement.

Will UCLA rally? Little is going right for UCLA at present. A team that a few weeks ago looked like it had turned a corner when it beat Houston and Texas on back-to-back weekends, is now floundering after blowout losses to Cal and Oregon. Moreover, QB Kevin Prince is out for the season with a knee injury, and two other offensive starters -- left tackle Sean Sheller and leading receiver Ricky Marvray -- have been suspended for the Arizona game. Still, one thing that Rick Neuheisel has done throughout his career is rally his team when it is down. Will he get a rally from his Bruins? Or are they ready to raise a white flag on the season?

Sun Devils are on upset alert: This is easy. Arizona State looked bad at Cal, and QB Steven Threet is coming back from a concussion. How inspired will the Sun Devils be against Washington State? The Cougars? They fought until the bitter end against Stanford. Each week it seems like the Cougs' confidence takes an uptick, even in defeat. Their visit to ASU seems like a prime opportunity to break through with a conference win.

Can USC and Matt Barkley protect the football? Barkley is the top-rated QB in the Pac-10. He's only thrown four interceptions this year -- against 20 TD passes. Oregon's defense is No. 1 in the conference in passing efficiency and it has grabbed 13 interceptions, five more than any other Pac-10 team. Last year, Barkley ran into problems when he tried to force passes into small spaces. That hasn't been the case of late. But in a big game when Barkley feels pressure to make plays opposite the Ducks high-powered offense, it could become an issue. Oregon, by the way, is No. 1 in the nation in turnover margin.

Can the Beavers block the Bears? Two Oregon State offensive linemen are banged up -- center Alex Linnenkohl and guard Grant Johnson. The Beavers have struggled at times in pass protection, and the running game has been inconsistent. Cal's front seven is strong. The Bears rank second in the conference in run defense, and have recorded 19 sacks, which is tied for second. If the Bears control the line of scrimmage, they have a good chance to notch the road upset.

Which D makes a stand in Seattle? Stanford's defense has been OK this year, but it looked bad against Oregon and lost focus late versus Washington State. It ranks in the middle of the conference in most categories. The Huskies' defense ranks toward the bottom in nearly everything, but it should at least benefit from the home crowd. If the UW defense looks like it did last week at Arizona, the Huskies have no chance. Or if the Stanford secondary gets exposed by Locker, then an upset is possible.

Oregon State quarterback Ryan Katz doesn't think there's anything strange about California's wild swings in quality of play. Just look around the entire conference.

"They've been been up and down," Katz said. "A lot of teams have been up and down."

That's true. Take Katz's Beavers. They were good enough to win at No. 15 Arizona -- the Wildcats only loss -- but couldn't take care of business at Washington. The Huskies? They win at USC, but lose at home to Arizona State. The Sun Devils? They beat the Huskies but get drilled by Cal.

Cal? It blows out UCLA and Arizona State, but gets blasted by Nevada and USC.

Go figure.

The Bears are 4-0 at home and 0-3 on the road. They've lost nine of 11 to Oregon State and haven't beaten the Beavers since 2006. Last year, they got blown out 31-14 at home.

But this game feels like a pick 'em. Despite coming off a bye week, the Beavers are banged up. Receiver James Rodgers is done for the season with a knee injury, tight end Brady Camp (back) is out for Saturday and perhaps longer. Receiver Markus Wheaton (knee), center Alex Linnenkohl (ankle) and offensive guard Grant Johnson (neck) are expected to play but aren't 100 percent.

Cal has no significant injuries. Even its psyche has to feel better after it followed an embarrassing blowout loss to USC with a dominant effort against the Sun Devils.

Can't win on the road? Quarterback Kevin Riley dismissed that as just a "just a weird thing." And safety Sean Cattouse promised the Bears will find a solution.

"It's an issue that everyone knows amongst the team," he said. "So we're definitely going to get it fixed this week."

In last year's game, Beavers quarterback Sean Canfield picked the Bears apart, throwing for 342 yards, and H-back Joe Halahuni had a coming-out party with six catches for 128 yards. It's likely this go-around, however, that the Beavers are going to need more from their running games. Cal is too good at rushing the passer -- see 19 sacks -- to expect Katz to throw 39 times, as Canfield did in Berkeley.

That means the Beavers need to get Jacquizz Rodgers going. Rodgers has been grumpy -- in his mellow, mostly good natured way -- about the running game this year. While he's averaging a solid 103.5 yards rushing per game and has scored 10 TDs, the rushing offense as a whole ranks ninth in the Pac-10 with just 120.7 yards per game. Blocking has been an issue.

It's clear that Rodgers has Cal coach Jeff Tedford's attention. Consider this laudatory scouting report.

"When you talk about jump cuts -- jump cuts are when you're in the hole and you can jump sideways and then go forward very quickly-- he's a master at that," Tedford said. "So if you're in front of him and he jumps sideways on you, you've got to get on him right away or he will spurt through a hole and be gone. You just can't arm-tackle the guy. He is built low to the ground and very strong, and then when he gets in the open field he has great speed. You can never go to sleep on him. You can never relax and think he's down because he'll come spurting out of there and take it the distance."

If Oregon State (3-3) manages to win, it will improve to 3-1 in Pac-10 play. The win over Arizona and remaining games with Stanford and Oregon mean that the Beavers, if they won out, could still win the Pac-10.

That might be a reach for a team that lost to Washington. But the Beavers have been here before and started a late-season run that few saw coming.

As for Cal (4-3, 2-2), a win at Oregon State -- a second consecutive win, a road victory -- might indicate the Bears are finding some consistency. They play host to both Oregon and Stanford on back-to-back weekends (Nov. 13 and 20) down the stretch.

So who knows? The unpredictable teams in the Pac-10 could create chaos in the conference. A good candidate to do that probably will be the winner in Corvallis on Saturday.

ARLINGTON, Texas -- TCU pushed Oregon State around inside palatial Cowboys Stadium. No getting around that. The sixth-ranked Horned Frogs rushed for 278 yards, which is more than the Beavers 255 total yards. Oregon State ran just 51 plays; TCU 81.

"Still," the glum head shakes from the Beavers said afterwards. They had the ball and a chance with plenty of time left in the fourth quarter, but they made their biggest error of the evening. A miscommunication on a shotgun snap from senior center Alex Linnenkohl to sophomore quarterback Ryan Katz, who was making his first career start, sailed over a surprised Katz's shoulder, which forced Katz to kick the ball through the end zone for a safety.

Those would be the final points -- and the last time the Beavers touched the ball -- in a 30-21 defeat.

"I'm disappointed that we didn't give ourselves a chance on the drive at the end," Beavers coach Mike Riley said.

What happened was this: Oregon State, down seven, had a first down on its 18-yard line. A draw play was called. Katz saw something he didn't like. He tried to change the play. Linnenkohl didn't get the message and snapped the ball.

The Horned Frogs got two points and the ball and they didn't give it back.

"The safety was a big deal," TCU coach Gary Patterson said. "You go up by nine and you play the game a lot different."

The biggest deal was TCU's running game and the Beavers lack of one. While Jacquizz Rodgers gained a tough 75 yards on 18 carries, the Beavers finished with just 73 yards on the ground. Three TCU runners gained at least 64 yards, topped by Ed Wesley with 134 on just 17 carries, which works out to a crisp 7.9 per rush.

Suffice it to say, the Horned Frogs option worked even though the Beavers knew it was coming.

"We just couldn't get off a block to make a play," Riley said.

Oregon State was still in the game in the fourth because of two interceptions of TCU quarterback Andy Dalton -- one by Lance Mitchell and the other by Dwight Roberson -- and a well-executed fake punt that netted 23 yards on a fourth-and-1. The fake punt set up the second of Katz's two touchdown passes, which gave the Beavers a 14-7 lead in the second quarter.

Katz made some nice throws -- his TDs covered 30 and 34 yards -- but he only completed 9 of 25 passes for 159 yards. Nonetheless, it was a solid first start on the road. He didn't throw an interception and was mistake-free until the muddled shotgun snap.

The only plus coming from that play was Katz taking responsibility for the miscue, just like a veteran quarterback would.

"We should have just stayed with the [called] play," he said. "That's on me."

Riley agreed, by the way: "He didn't have to get out of it."

As for TCU, it got another win over a BCS conference foe. In the constant fight for respect, this was another notch on the musket. Seeing that the Horned Frogs are 14-3 in their past 17 games against teams from BCS automatic-qualifying conferences, they might need another musket.

"The national spotlight and national attention I think will pick up," Dalton said. "I think a lot of people will watch the game tonight and see how we play football."

One thing is for sure: TCU still enjoys seeing itself as an underdog. It didn't escape detection that ESPN GameDay analyst Lee Corso picked the Frogs to go down by "three touchdowns."

"I did text [Corso]," Patterson said. "You guys thought that was a bogus text. That was me. I asked Chris Fowler, 'Lee: Three touchdowns?'"

Big week for the Mountain West Conference, too. Utah beat Pittsburgh, the Big East favorite, on Thursday, and BYU's win over Washington -- along with Oregon's 72-0 win over New Mexico -- gave the conference a 2-1 Saturday vs. the Pac-10. Why is the conference in turmoil when it's so darn good?

Perhaps the most disappointed Beavers were the Rodgers brothers, who were playing their first -- and likely only -- game together in the state of Texas. Both turned in solid performances -- James Rodgers caught four passes for 75 yards and a TD -- but both only saw what they didn't do.

"We left a lot of plays out there," James Rodgers said.

For both programs, this big stage was an opportunity. Both are nationally respected -- see national rankings -- but both want to take the next step. TCU knows only perfection will get it into the national championship conversation -- or even BCS bowl contention -- while the Beavers want to climb toward the top-10 while they make a run at their first Rose Bowl since 1965.

For TCU, mission accomplished. For Oregon State, it's another nonconference loss to start the season, which fits into a pattern: The Beavers started 2-3 in 2006, 2007 and 2008 and 2-2 in 2009.

Of course, if any team knows that an early loss doesn't end the season, it's the Beavers.

"It's very frustrating, but we can't let that get to us," James Rodgers said. "We've got 11 more games."

That's 11 more games, including a date with Boise State on Sept. 25, in which to make a statement.

But on this night, TCU made the statement: Count us in the mix in the national championship chase.

Taking a look at what to watch for as teams head into spring practices, officially ringing the bell on preparations for the 2010 season.

Arizona
Spring practice starts: March 5
Spring game: April 10

What to watch:

The new coordinators: The Wildcats lost two outstanding coordinators -- Sonny Dykes on offense and Mark Stoops on defense -- and decided to replace them with four guys. Tim Kish, promoted from linebackers coach, and Greg Brown, hired away from Colorado, will run the defense, while Bill Bedenbaugh and Seth Littrell, both promoted from within, will run the offense, with an assist from new quarterbacks coach Frank Scelfo. These guys will need to develop a coaching rhythm this spring that will ensure things go smoothly in the fall.

The JC linebackers: The Wildcats must replace three starting linebackers, and JC transfers Derek Earls and Paul Vassallo weren't brought in to watch. If they step into starting spots, then guys like sophomore Jake Fischer, redshirt freshman Trevor Erno and redshirt freshman Cordarius Golston can fight over the third spot and add depth.

Foles 2.0: Quarterback Nick Foles was dynamic when he was on last year, but the shutout loss in the Holiday Bowl served as a reminder that he's not there yet. He's going to be surrounded by a lot of weapons at the skill positions, so he should be able to take another step forward this spring, even with the loss of Dykes.

Arizona State
Spring practice starts: March 30
Spring game: April 24

What to watch:

The QB battle: It's a wide-open battle between Michigan transfer Steven Threet and Brock Osweiler, though the new guy -- Threet -- is perhaps the most intriguing. Samson Szakacsy was supposed to join the battle, but his elbow problem is acting up again, coach Dennis Erickson said Thursday. The competition will be overseen by new offensive coordinator Noel Mazzone, who's been handed an offense that has sputtered the past two seasons.

O-line issues (take 3): The Sun Devils' offensive line has struggled three years running, and it won't matter who starts at QB if the unit continues to get pushed around. First off is health. Will Matt Hustad, Zach Schlink, Garth Gerhart, Mike Marcisz and Adam Tello be ready to battle the entire spring? If so, there should be good competition here, particularly with a couple of JC transfers looking to break through.

The secondary: The Sun Devils were very good against the pass last year, but three starters in the secondary need to be replaced. Both starting corners are gone -- though if Omar Bolden successfully returns from a knee injury he should step in on one side -- as well as strong safety Ryan McFoy. The good news is a number of guys saw action here last fall, so the rebuilt unit won't be completely green.

California
Spring practice starts: March 6
Spring game: N/A

What to watch:

Embattled Riley: When things go well, the quarterback often gets too much credit. When things go badly... well, you know. Senior Kevin Riley has started 22 games and has played well at times. But there's a reason he's in a quarterback competition for a third consecutive season. Will he be able to hold off a rising Beau Sweeney this spring?

Rebuilding the D: The Bears had questions on defense even before coordinator Bob Gregory unexpectedly bolted for Boise State. Five starters need to be replaced, including mainstays like end Tyson Alualu and cornerback Syd'Quan Thompson, both first-team All-Pac-10 performers. And with Gregory gone, a new, likely more aggressive scheme now must be incorporated.

RB depth: Shane Vereen is the obvious starter after the departure of Jahvid Best, but Cal has, during the Tedford years, always used two backs. So who's the No. 2? Sophomore Covaughn DeBoskie was third on the team with 211 yards rushing last year, while promising freshman Dasarte Yarnway redshirted. One or the other will look to create separation.

Oregon
Spring practice starts: March 30
Spring game: May 1

What to watch:

The D-line: The Ducks lost perennially underrated end Will Tukuafu, tackle Blake Ferras and backup Simi Toeaina up front. Considering the plan is to run an eight-deep rotation, there will be plenty of opportunities for players like ends Terrell Turner and Taylor Hart and tackles Anthony Anderson, Zac Clark, Wade Keliikipi as well as 6-foot-7 JC transfer Isaac Remington to work their way into the rotation.

The passing game: The Ducks' passing game was inconsistent last year, though by season's end receiver Jeff Maehl was playing at a high level. Refining that part of the offense with quarterback Jeremiah Masoli would make the spread-option even more dangerous. The receiving corps is looking for playmakers, which means youngsters, such as redshirt freshman Diante Jackson, might break through.

Who steps in for Ed Dickson? Oregon only loses one starter on offense, but tight end Ed Dickson is a big one. David Paulson was a capable backup last year, and mercurial Malachi Lewis may be ready to step up. Expect JC transfer Brandon Williams to work his way into the mix.

Oregon State
Spring practice starts: March 29
Spring game: May 1

What to watch:

Katz steps in: Sean Canfield is off to the NFL, so the Beavers' biggest question this spring is crowning a new starting quarterback. Most observers feel the job is Ryan Katz's to lose, and the sophomore looks good throwing the rock around. Still, being a quarterback is about more than a good arm. If he falters, Virginia transfer Peter Lalich might offer an alternative.

Better defensive pressure: The Beavers run a high-pressure defensive scheme, so when the stat sheet says they only recorded 17 sacks in 2009, which ranked ninth in the conference and was 22 fewer than in 2008, you know something is wrong. The entire defensive line is back, so the hope is a year of seasoning, particularly for ends Gabe Miller, Matt LaGrone and Kevin Frahm will mean better production this fall.

The O-line grows up: The Beavers' offensive line returns four starters from a unit that got better as the year went on. Still, it yielded 29 sacks and the run game struggled at times -- Jacquizz Rodgers often had to make yards on his own. Talented left tackle Michael Philipp, who did a solid job as a true freshman starter, should be much improved. A second year playing together with underrated senior center Alex Linnenkohl also should help.

Stanford
Spring practice starts: March 1
Spring game: April 17

What to watch:

Replacing Toby: How do you replace Toby Gerhart and his 1,871 yards and 28 touchdowns? You do not. But the hope is sophomores Tyler Gaffney and Stepfan Taylor and senior Jeremy Stewart will provide a solid answer that keeps the Cardinal's power-running game churning. It helps to have four starters back from a good offensive line.

Rebuilding the D: If you toss in linebacker Clinton Snyder and end Erik Lorig, Stanford must replace six defensive starters from a unit that ranked near the bottom of the conference in 2009. The secondary is a particular concern after giving up 23 touchdown passes and a 63 percent completion rate. The hope is good recruiting from coach Jim Harbaugh will provide better athleticism in the back-half. Another issue: There was huge coaching turnover, particularly on defense during the offseason, so new coordinator Vic Fangio & Co. will be implementing new schemes and learning about what sort of talent they have to work with.

Luck steps up: This was Gerhart's team in 2009. Now it's Luck's. He might be the most talented QB in the conference. Heck, he might become a Heisman Trophy candidate before he's done. But life won't be as easy without defenses crowding the line of scrimmage because they are fretting about Gerhart. Luck will need to step up his game -- and leadership -- to meet the challenge.

UCLA
Spring practice starts: April 1
Spring game: April 24

What to watch:

Prince becomes king? The fact that offensive coordinator Norm Chow has been such an advocate for sophomore quarterback Kevin Prince should tell you something: He's got the ability. Prince flashed some skills during an injury-plagued 2009 season, and it's important to remember he was a redshirt freshman playing with a questionable supporting cast, particularly the O-line. Prince needs to improve his decision-making, and the passing game needs to develop a big-play capability that stretches defenses.

Front seven rebuilding: UCLA not only must replace six starters on defense, it must replace six guys everyone in the Pac-10 has heard of. And five of the lost starters come from the front seven, and the guys who were listed as backups on the 2009 depth chart won't necessarily inspire confidence. In other words, the Bruins will try to take a step forward in the conference with what figures to be an extremely green defense, particularly up front.

The running game? Know what would help Prince and a young defense? A better running game. The Bruins were significantly better in 2009 than in 2008, but that merely means one of the worst rushing attacks in the nation moved up to ninth in the conference. There's a logjam of options at running back -- with a couple of dynamic runners in the incoming recruiting class -- and the offensive line welcomes back a wealth of experience. It would mean a lot if the Bruins could boost their rushing total to around 150 yards per game (from 114.6 in 2009).

USC
Spring practice starts: TBA
Spring game: TBA

What to watch:

Welcome, Lane Kiffin: The Pete Carroll era is over. Enter Lane Kiffin & Co. In terms of scheme, things will be fairly consistent, seeing that Kiffin was formerly Carroll's offensive coordinator and Monte Kiffin was Carroll's defensive mentor. But there will be a period of adjustment. The guess is the hyper-intense Ed Orgeron might provide a bit of a shock to the D-linemen.

Matt Barkley Year 2: Barkley won't have the president of his fan club -- Carroll -- around anymore. He's a true talent. Everyone knows that, even without Carroll's daily sonnets about his ability. But the numbers show he threw 14 interceptions in 12 games vs. 15 TD passes last year, so he's obviously not arrived. Kiffin runs the offense, so you can expect these two to work closely together. Barkley will have plenty of help on offense, but the talent won't be as good as it was in 2009, with six starters needing to be replaced, including his top two targets (receiver Damian Williams and tight end Anthony McCoy).

Secondary questions: All four starters from the defensive backfield are gone, including center fielder Taylor Mays. It helps that cornerback Shareece Wright, an academic casualty in 2009, will be back. He was a projected starter last fall. There's plenty of talent on hand, but last year's team proved that the Trojans don't always just plug-and-play.

Washington
Spring practice starts: March 30
Spring game: April 30

What to watch:

Unleashing Locker: The return of quarterback Jake Locker was the best news any Pac-10 team received this offseason. Locker's passing improved dramatically in just one year under coach Steve Sarkisian, so it's not unreasonable to expect him to be even better in 2010, particularly with nine starters back on offense and just about every skill player on the depth chart.

Replacing Te'o-Nesheim: Daniel Te'o-Nesheim was a four-year starter who blossomed into an All-Pac-10 performer despite almost no supporting cast. He led the Huskies with 11 sacks in 2009, which was 8.5 more than any other player. Also, opposite end Darrion Jones is gone, and the cast at the position is extremely young. Who's the next pass-rushing threat?

The Butler did it: Linebacker Donald Butler blossomed last year, earning second-team All-Pac-10 honors and leading the Huskies in tackles and tackles for loss (15.5). Toss in E.J. Savannah's failure to earn a sixth year of eligibility from the NCAA, and the Huskies have some questions at linebacker. Mason Foster is a sure thing at one outside position, and Cort Dennison likely will fill a second gap, but there's an opportunity for a young player to fill void No. 3.

Washington State
Spring practice starts: March 25
Spring game: April 24

What to watch:

Tuel time: Coach Paul Wulff decided that freshman Jeff Tuel was the Cougars' quarterback of the future last year, so he opted to start him instead of going with a redshirt season. Tuel showed promise in six games, completing 59 percent of his passes with six touchdowns and five picks. Most of his supporting cast is back on offense, so the expectation is the Cougars' offense could take a significant step forward this fall.

O-line intrigue: Some of the Cougars starting on the offensive line last fall didn't look like Pac-10 players. Injuries and youth made the line a glaring area of weakness, even with veteran Kenny Alfred at center. Alfred is gone, but the expectations are that last year's youth will be saltier after taking their knocks. Plus, a couple of juco additions should be in the mix for starting jobs.

Growing up: There is hope in that 19 starters are back from a team that played a lot of underclassmen in 2009. That youth should mature in 2010. And solid recruiting classes the past two seasons should offer an infusion of young promise.