ESPN College Football

Projecting the bowls based on the sixth week of games.

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: California vs. Mountain West
Kraft Fight Hunger: UCLA vs. ACC or Army
Gildan New Mexico: Utah vs. Big 12

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

The Pac-12 provided 37 players to the NFL draft over the weekend, one fewer than the SEC, which led all conferences.

If the six combined picks from Colorado and Utah are taken away from the conference, the old Pac-10 provided NFL teams 3.1 draft picks per team, also just behind the SEC at 3.17.

Here's where the Pac-12 players went:

First round
No. 8 Jake Locker, QB, Washington: Tennessee
No. 9 Tyron Smith., OT, USC: Dallas
No. 17 Nate Solder, OT, Colorado: New England
No. 24 Cameron Jordan, DE, California: New Orleans
No. 27 Jimmy Smith, CB, Colorado: Baltimore

Second round
7. Akeem Ayers, LB, UCLA: Tennessee
10. Brooks Reed, DE, Arizona: Houston
13. Rahim Moore, FS, UCLA: Denver
21. Stephen Paea, DT, Oregon State: Chicago
24. Shane Vereen, RB, California: New England

Third round
13. Jurrell Casey, DT, USC: Tennessee
20. Mason Foster, LB, Washington: Tampa Bay
25. Shareece Wright, CB, USC: San Diego
29. Christopher Conte, S, California: Chicago
33. Sione Fua, DT, Stanford: Carolina

Fourth round
5. Jordan Cameron, TE, USC: Cleveland
19. Casey Matthews, LB, Oregon: Philadelphia
21. Jalil Brown, CB, Colorado: Kansas City
27. Owen Marecic, FB, Stanford: Cleveland

Fifth round
8. Brandon Burton, CB, Utah: Minnesota
9. Gabe Miller, DE, Oregon State: Kansas City
14. Jacquizz Rodgers, RB, Oregon State: Atlanta
23. Richard Sherman, CB, Stanford: Seattle

Sixth round
2. Ryan Whalen, WR, Stanford: Cincinnati
14. Caleb Schlauderaff, OG, Utah: Green Bay
17. Ronald Johnson, WR, USC: San Francisco
19. David Carter, DT, UCLA: Arizona
22. Allen Bradford, RB, USC: Tampa Bay
24. Mike Mohamed, LB, California: Denver
32. Ricky Elmore, DE, Arizona: Green Bay
38. Zach Williams, C, Washington State: Carolina

Seventh round
12. D'Aundre Reed, DE, Arizona: Minnesota
24. Scotty McKnight, WR, Colorado: New York Jets
30. Lawrence Guy, DT, Arizona State: Green Bay
37. Stanley Havili, FB, USC: Philadelphia
38. David Ausberry, WR, USC: Oakland
39. Malcolm Smith, LB, USC: Seattle

By Pac-12 school:
Arizona (3)
Arizona State (1)
California (4)
Colorado (4)
Oregon (1)
Oregon State (3)
Stanford (4)
UCLA (3)
USC (9)
Utah (2)
Washington (2)
Washington State (1)

The final tally by automatic qualifying conferences:
SEC... 38
Pac-12... 37
Big Ten... 36
ACC... 35
Big East 22
Big 12...19

Nebraska was a big swing to the Big Ten from the Big 12 with seven picks. With Colorado and Nebraska, the Big 12 provided 30 selections.

This was the tally through three rounds:
SEC: 20
ACC: 19
Pac-12: 15
Big Ten: 13
Big 12: 9
Big East: 4

A final unofficial look before the bowls make things official.

Oregon will play Auburn for the national title. That should be great fun.

Stanford to the Orange Bowl to face Virginia Tech seems likely. That's what most are projecting. But Jon Wilner says there may yet be some intrigue that puts the Cardinal into the Fiesta Bowl (which Stanford would prefer).

That leaves only Arizona and Washington as bowl-eligible -- USC, as you might have heard, isn't eligible because of NCAA sanctions.

The Alamo Bowl is being coy about choosing between Washington and Arizona. Those drama queens!

The Wildcats whipped the Huskies by 30 on Oct. 23. But Washington finished the season with a three-game winning streak and a better Pac-10 record (5-4), while Arizona dropped four in a row and finished behind the Huskies in the conference standings (4-5).

Of course, maybe they'll be some wheeling and dealing. The Holiday Bowl probably isn't thrilled with hosting the Wildcats a second consecutive year.

• Tostitos BCS National Championship Game: Oregon vs. Auburn
• Rose Bowl Game: TCU vs. Wisconsin
• Orange Bowl: Stanford vs. Virginia Tech
• Valero Alamo: Washington vs. Oklahoma State
• Bridgepoint Education Holiday: Arizona vs. Missouri
• Hyundai Sun: No team.
• MAACO Las Vegas: No team
• Kraft Fight Hunger: No team.

» Predictions: ACC | Big 12 | Big East | Big Ten | Pac-10 | SEC | Non-AQ

Been mediocre of late. Went 2-2 last week and the season record is now 48-16. You might find the top comment amusing, though.

Won't go .500 this week, that's for sure.

Thursday
Washington 28, UCLA 24: Jake Locker can't really lose his final game in Husky Stadium, can he? The Huskies' -- very bad -- run defense will need to step up, though.

Saturday
Stanford 28, California 20: The Cardinal has too much at stake to lose the Big Game. Stanford's advantage at quarterback will be too much to overcome for Cal, even playing at home. And will this be Andrew Luck's final Big Game? And what about Jim Harbaugh?

USC 40, Oregon State 24: USC is rolling. Oregon State is not. The Trojans luck in the state of Oregon will change. It just doesn't seem reasonable to believe that a defense that got pushed around by Washington State has a chance to slow down USC.

OFF: Arizona, Arizona State, Oregon and Washington State.

Here's a look at what the Pac-10's top Heisman Trophy candidates did over the weekend.

We've narrowed the list to two. Both have a solid shot of being invited to New York for the ceremony.

LaMichael James, RB, Oregon: James rushed for 91 yards on 29 carries in the Ducks' win over California. He leads the nation in rushing yards per game (158.0) and rushing touchdowns (17).

Andrew Luck, QB, Stanford: Luck completed 33 of 41 passes for 291 yards with an interception in the Cardinal's victory over Arizona State. He's the nation's 10th-rated passer with 22 touchdown passes and seven interceptions. He's completing 69.6 percent of his passes. He's also rushed for 373 yards and three touchdowns.

Will any team mired in the bottom-middle of the Pac-10 get hot down the stretch? It sure would make the conference's bowl partners happy.

With Oregon State's stunning loss to Washington State, it's becoming increasingly likely that only four conference teams will earn bowl eligibility, barring any special waiver from the NCAA for 5-7 teams to play in contracted bowl games.

Oregon, Stanford and Arizona are already bowl eligible. If Oregon wins out, it almost certainly will play for the national title. If Stanford wins out, and the Ducks play a non-AQ team for the title, the Cardinal will play in the Rose Bowl. After that, Stanford's status is fluid. Could it earn an at-large invitation to a BCS bowl game? Or will it possibly be relegated to the Alamo Bowl?

If Arizona loses to Oregon and beats Arizona State, it figures to end up in the Alamo Bowl or the Holiday Bowl. We are projecting California to end up 6-6 after losing to Stanford and beating Washington at home in the season-finale, which would put the Bears in the Holiday or Sun Bowl.

And the Las Vegas Bowl and Kraft Fight Hunger bowl, in our projection, would have to look elsewhere for teams.

Of course, there are possibilities for UCLA and Washington and even Arizona State.

The Bruins (4-5) play at Washington (Thursday night), at Arizona State and play host to USC. It's not implausible to imagine them winning two of three. Of course, they will have to show some toughness on the road, which they did at Texas.

Washington (3-6) plays the Bruins, at California and at Washington State. It's not implausible to imagine the Huskies winning all three, though the visit to Cal looks a bit daunting.

As for Arizona State (4-6), it needs to beat UCLA and win at Arizona to reach .500. If it does, it's likely the Sun Devils would be a candidate for a waiver that would allow them to play in a bowl game, despite getting to six wins with two victories against FCS foes.

And it's not that hard to be sympathetic to that position. The Sun Devils' two FCS foes are not really that much weaker than the nonconference patsies a number of other 6-6 and 7-5 teams will have played.

The Bruins, however, look like the swing team, with remaining games against Washington and Arizona State. If they manage to get a fifth win at Washington, it wouldn't be hard to see them splitting their final two games and getting to 6-6.

• Tostitos BCS National Championship Game: Oregon vs. BCS team [a non-AQ]
• Rose Bowl Game: Stanford vs. Big Ten
• Valero Alamo: Arizona vs. Big 12
• Bridgepoint Education Holiday: California vs. Big 12
• Hyundai Sun: No team.
• MAACO Las Vegas: No team
• Kraft Fight Hunger: No team.

Here's a look at what the Pac-10's top Heisman Trophy candidates did over the weekend.

LaMichael James, RB, Oregon: James rushed for 121 yards on 26 carries and scored three touchdowns in the Ducks' win over Washington. He leads the nation in rushing yards per game (166.38) and rushing TDs (17).

Andrew Luck, QB, Stanford: Luck completed 23 of 32 passes for 293 yards with two TDs and no interceptions in the Cardinal's victory over Arizona. He also rushed three times for 25 yards and wasn't sacked. He's the nation's seventh-rated passer with 22 TD passes and just six interceptions. He's completing 67.8 percent of his passes. He's also rushed for 370 yards and three TDs.

Darron Thomas, QB, Oregon: Thomas completed 24-of-33 for 243 yards with a TD against Washington. He also rushed for 89 yards and two scores. He's the nation's 15th-rated passer with 22 TDs and six interceptions and a 62 percent completion rate. He's also rushed for 400 yards and four TDs.

There's some happy in this week's bowl projections: Two BCS teams!

And there's some grumpy: Contract bowls with no eligible Pac-10 teams.

First, after watching Boise State and TCU this weekend, I've decided to roll the dice that one or the other will play Oregon for the national title.

That opens the door for Stanford to play in the Rose Bowl. That's my makeup gift for nagging Stanford fans about all those empty seats Saturday.

That's the good news. The bad news is I'm now projecting just five bowl-eligible teams. Which means the Las Vegas Bowl and Kraft Fight Hunger Bowl make have to look elsewhere for a Pac-10 team.

The way I see things playing out, Arizona State, UCLA and Washington all finish 5-7.

Of course, what that also means is a one-game swing would create a bowl-eligible team (though ASU needs to be 7-5 to guarantee bowl eligibility). On the other hand, Washington's visit to California on Nov. 27 is a swing game. I've got it being Cal's sixth win (Bears at home!) and the Huskies seventh loss. And if UCLA keeps rolling and wins at Washington on Nov. 18th ... well, you get the point.

Still, as I keep typing: Lots of football to be played. These are for entertainment purposes. I don't want to be seen as a travel agent. Don't book anything yet.

• Tostitos BCS National Championship Game: Oregon vs. BCS team [a non-AQ]
• Rose Bowl Game: Stanford vs. Big Ten
• Valero Alamo: Arizona vs. Big 12
• Bridgepoint Education Holiday: Oregon State vs. Big 12
• Hyundai Sun: California vs. ACC
• MAACO Las Vegas: No team
• Kraft Fight Hunger: No team.

Oregon State is the big mover this week, its win against California making a 5-3 Pac-10 finish the most likely scenario for the Beavers. That could make things interesting.

If both Arizona and Oregon State finish 5-3 in the Pac-10, that likely would make them top candidates for the Holiday Bowl, which gets the Pac-10's No. 3 team.

The Wildcats played in the Holiday Bowl last year. Oregon State never has. And the Beavers won at Arizona.

The guess here is the Beavers would go to San Diego and Arizona would get a trip to El Paso for the Sun Bowl, which the Beavers played in in 2006 and 2008.

Of course, both are still in the Rose Bowl race. And if Arizona wins at Stanford on Saturday, its bowl possibilities greatly expand. (I'm sure to get some grumpiness from Wildcats fans not appreciative of getting losses to Stanford and Oregon written into their future).

After the top four teams, though, things are murky. We've got California and Arizona State earning bowl berths at 6-6. For the Sun Devils, that means some sort of waiver is given, because they played two FCS teams and typically would be required to win seven games. Contracted conference bowl games might be able to fudge things with the NCAA. (With 35 bowls requiring 70 teams, this might be necessary to fill all slots).

A key player might be USC. Will the Trojans finish strong or wilt? My present scenario has the Trojans losing to Arizona State, Arizona and Oregon State, meaning they're about to begin a four-game losing streak.

To be honest, that feels unlikely. But, not to seem like a whiny baby or anything, these bowl projections aren't easy to do.

• Tostitos BCS National Championship Game: Oregon vs. BCS team
• Rose Bowl Game: No Pac-10 team
• Valero Alamo: Stanford vs. Big 12
• Bridgepoint Education Holiday: Oregon State vs. Big 12
• Hyundai Sun: Arizona vs. ACC
• MAACO Las Vegas: California vs. Mountain West
• Kraft Fight Hunger: Arizona State vs. WAC

A new Rose Bowl access rule could prevent the traditional Big Ten-Pac-10 matchup Jan. 1 in Pasadena, but at least the two leagues will get to know one another very well on Saturday. Three Big Ten-Pac-10 games are on the slate, as No. 18 USC visits Minnesota (ESPN, 3:30 p.m. ET), Arizona State visits Wisconsin (ABC, 3:30 p.m. ET) and No. 9 Iowa visits No. 24 Arizona (ESPN, 10:30 p.m. ET).

Bloggers Ted Miller (Pac-10) and Adam Rittenberg (Big Ten) break down the three matchups.

Adam Rittenberg: Ted, it's been too long, my friend. The Rose Bowl seems like decades ago, although they're still celebrating in Columbus. Given the likelihood of Boise State or TCU crashing the party in Pasadena this year, it's nice to have some Pac-10-Big Ten flavor this Saturday. Let's start off with Arizona State-Wisconsin. The name Steven Threet still makes people shudder in Madison after he led Michigan to a historic comeback against Wisconsin in 2008, triggering the beginning of the end for the Badgers that year. It also turned out to be the beginning of the end for Threet in a winged helmet. He seems to be settling in very nicely so far in Tempe. What should Wisconsin expect from Threet and the Sun Devils on Saturday?

Ted Miller: An offense with extraordinary firepower! See an average of more than 500 yards and 47.5 ppg. Oh, wait. The Sun Devils played not one but two FCS foes. Hmm. And according to this box score, they rushed for just 56 yards on 29 carries against the hearty Lumberjacks of Northern Arizona. Double-hmm. Still, the early returns are fairly positive on Threet and new offensive coordinator Noel Mazzone's spread attack. The Sun Devils' offense was so bad last year that merely being mediocre would be a huge improvement. A bigger issue than Threet: the offensive line. It wasn't consistent against FCS foes, so you'd think the Badgers front-seven might pose a problem. But, to me, the more interesting matchup is a fast Sun Devils defense versus an experienced, physical Badgers offense. What's your take?

Rittenberg: Totally agree that the game likely will come down to Arizona State's dynamic defense and Wisconsin's power run game, led by John Clay. He's the Big Ten's version of Toby Gerhart, except bigger. Clay has looked great this year, but Wisconsin needs to clean up some sloppy play on offense against the Sun Devils. The Badgers already failed on three red-zone scoring chances, matching their total from all of the previous season (53-for-56), and they've committed three turnovers inside the red zone. They have little trouble moving the ball and boast what I believe to be one of the nation's most balanced offenses, but they're not good enough to survive these mistakes much longer. Arizona State will have its hands full with Clay and a mammoth offensive line, but if the Sun Devils can use their speed and force turnovers, they'll have a shot in this one.

Let's move on to the other afternoon affair, USC at Minnesota. The Trojans haven't exactly been dominant this year, but at least they haven't lost to South Dakota. At home. Giving up 41 points and 444 yards. Yeesh. Your thoughts?

Miller: Here are two teams that are muddling along, though the Trojans surely feel better about 2-0 -- no matter the way they got there -- than the Gophers do with 1-1, including the loss to a team from the Dakotas. Adam, I have no idea about the Trojans. They still look great getting off the bus. They still have NFL prospects at every position. In Week 1 at Hawaii, the offense looked great, the defense terrible. In Week 2 at home versus Virginia, it was mostly the opposite. Is it a question of fire and focus in the face of NCAA sanctions? I think we won't really be able to answer that question until the Pac-10 schedule starts. As for this one, I think the Trojans are going to roll. But I wrote that the previous two weeks and ended up being wrong. So what do I know?

What's your take?

Rittenberg: This is an odd matchup. In some ways, USC is just asking to get beat. But how can Minnesota take down Troy if it can't keep South Dakota to fewer than 40 points? The Gophers defense obviously is a major question mark, and I fully expect Matt Barkley to attack downfield a lot on Saturday. Minnesota gets a boost as safety Kyle Theret returns from suspension, giving the defense one returning starter from 2009. The other thing here is if things go back for Minnesota at the start, any sort of home-field edge will disappear. They're not too pleased with coach Tim Brewster right now in the Twin Cities. Minnesota's only chance is to control the clock with Duane Bennett and its power run game, and keep Barkley and Dillon Baxter off the field. A huge challenge.

OK, we've saved the best for last: Iowa at Arizona. Both teams look great so far. Iowa won last year's game, but trips out West haven't been kind to the Hawkeyes lately. What happens in Tucson?

Miller: First off, it's a great offense-defense matchup, with Nick Foles and an experienced UA offense taking on one of the best defenses in the nation. The cautionary tale for Wildcats fans is that also seemed like the case heading into the Holiday Bowl versus Nebraska, which became a complete disaster. Foles has a good offensive line, but the Hawkeyes have an NFL defensive front. If the Wildcats can get any sort of running game -- and Nic Grigsby is an explosive guy who can make a big play out of a small crack -- then things will be far easier for Foles and a quick-hit passing game. Foles is extremely accurate and he has a deep receiving corps. Yet to me the game turns on the Wildcats' rebuilt front seven. The unit replaced both tackles and all three linebackers and has played better than expected, but Iowa is a different sort of beast. If the Hawkeyes can run power effectively, then the Wildcats will be in trouble. If Iowa has to throw, I like the Wildcats secondary's chances versus Ricky Stanzi, who as you well know, Adam, hasn't always been the manzi.

What do you see from this one?

Rittenberg: Should be a great one in the desert. Iowa knows Arizona has come a long way since last year's meeting in Iowa City, when Foles hadn't yet emerged as the starter. The game could come down to whether Arizona can get Grigsby going and protect Foles against the Hawkeyes, who boast arguably the nation's best defensive line. Star defensive end Adrian Clayborn has been a bit quiet so far this season, but he usually plays his best in big games. Arizona typically has some outstanding defensive backs, but don't underestimate The Manzi, who has yet to throw an interception this year. So love it or leave it, pal! Iowa can stretch the field with receivers Marvin McNutt and Derrell Johnson-Koulianos, and the run game has looked good so far with Adam Robinson and Jewel Hampton. The Hawkeyes won in State College, Madison and East Lansing last year, but they haven't fared well historically in these trips out West. Arizona definitely has some built-in advantages.

OK, prediction time. Who wins in the three Pac-10-Big Ten matchups?

Miller: Somehow I knew you were going to ask that.

I think USC will handle Minnesota fairly easily: Trojans 41, Gophers 20.

I think Arizona State will be competitive at Wisconsin but the Sun Devils will struggle to score -- and possess the ball -- and the defense will wear down: Wisconsin 27, Arizona State 17.

As for Arizona-Iowa: I go back and forth, but I'm going to risk the ire of the Wildcats faithful and pick Iowa 28, Arizona 24. I just don't think the Arizona defense will be able to hold up all night, and that will allow the Hawkeyes to take a lead at some point in the second half and then play keep-away with the run game.

So, for what REALLY is going to happen... Ladies and gentlemen, Adam Rittenberg.

Rittenberg: Why thank you, good sir.

The Gophers save face a bit against USC and hang around for a while before Barkley and his receivers prove too much for a young defense. Trojans win 35-23.

Wisconsin controls the clock as always and cleans up some of its mistakes in the red zone. Threet leads two first-half scoring drives before the Badgers take control and win 30-20.

Iowa-Arizona should be a great one. The elements will be tough for the Hawkeyes, and they'll fall behind early. But I've got to go with the better defense and the more battle-tested team. Iowa wins 26-21.

So we agree. We'll have to fight over the Rose Bowl pick this year. I've got Boise State!

Here's a look at what the Pac-10's top Heisman Trophy candidates did over the weekend. This list will start to be whittled down starting next week (for real this time). Or some other names could be added.

Jacquizz Rodgers, RB, Oregon State: Off. Trending: Neutral.

Jake Locker, QB, Washington: Locker completed 22-of-33 for 289 yards with four TDs and no interceptions. If HE leads the Huskies to a win over Nebraska, he'll be in the middle of the race. Trending: Up.

LaMichael James, RB, Oregon: He returned from a one-game suspension and rushed for 134 yards on just 16 carries, with a highlight-reel 72-yard TD scamper that was all him. Trending: Up.

Andrew Luck, QB, Stanford: Luck didn't throw terribly well vs. UCLA -- 11-of-24 for 151 yards, two TDs -- but he also rushed seven times for 63 yards. Trending: Neutral.

Nick Foles, QB, Arizona: Didn't do much vs. The Citadel, but he didn't need to: completing 17-of-22 for 214 yards with a TD and an interception. Trending: Neutral.

Matt Barkley, QB, USC: Another solid performance. Barkley completed 20-of-35 for 202 yards with two TDs and no picks. He also had an impressive -- and surprising -- 20-yard scramble. Trending: Neutral.

James Rodgers, WR, Oregon State: Off. Trending: Neutral.

Shane Vereen, RB, California: Vereen rushed 16 times for 59 yards and a TD and caught three passes for 18 yards and a TD in the blowout win over Colorado. Trending: Down.

Chris Polk, RB, Washington: He rushed for 117 yards on 20 carries, including a 52-yard scamper for a TD. Trending: Up.

Ronald Johnson, WR, USC: He caught five passes for 58 yards with a couple of drops. Trending: Down.

Bruce Feldman takes on a topic dear to Pac-10 fans' hearts: Nonconference scheduling.

While it's an "Insider" story, I'm going to pull out this revealing quote from Oklahoma coach Bob Stoops -- made to the Denver Post -- who doesn't feel like tough nonconference schedules are worth it:

"I don't think in today's world you're rewarded for it," he told John Henderson. "Look at the AP poll last year. We beat Oklahoma State at the end of the year, 27-0, and beat another ranked team in Stanford. Well, Oklahoma State's ranked ahead of us. Why? At the end of the day when they go ranking teams, look at how it's ranked every year. AP as well as the coaches all look at the loss column and if one team has one less loss than you they're ranked ahead of you. Oklahoma State was ranked ahead of us. We just played. Please don't make it look like I'm worried about Oklahoma State. But in the end I don't know if you're rewarded for it. You're not. Everybody talks about it early. By the end of the year everyone's talking about wins and losses and you're ranked accordingly."

Stoops is touching on one of the fundamental flaws in the national polls: The failure to punish cowards and reward teams that seek out competition.

Let's say you, Pollster X, think Team A is pretty good. So you rank that team 10th in the preseason poll. But let's also say that team plays Central Michigan, Southeastern Louisiana, Toledo and Florida International in its nonconference schedule.

To me, that team needs to punished. First, even if it starts 4-0, it can't move up. And if it doesn't blow out those teams, it should be dropped a few spots behind teams that record quality wins.

A team shouldn't be allowed to schedule its way to an elite ranking. Pac-10 fans know the formula used by other conferences. Play an eight-game conference schedule -- instead of nine, as the Pac-10 plays -- and then play either three or four teams with no pulse.

A 4-0 nonconference record means a team is just three conference wins away from bowl eligibility. And then when, say, nine teams from that conference are bowl eligible, coaches and fans from said conference shake their heads with serious looks and talk about how deep their conference is and how there are no weeks off.

Balderdash: They took four weeks off. And we have no idea just how good those 7-5 and 8-4 teams are as their records help bolster the computer rankings of the 10- and 11-win teams in the BCS standings.

Now let's be clear: We're not expecting teams to schedule multiple Top-25 programs in their nonconference schedule. Consider Alabama in 2009. The Crimson Tide played three patsies, but they also opened with an impressive win over Virginia Tech. To me, that was enough to validate Alabama as legitimate: It beat a quality foe outside of the closed system of its conference.

And that's why if Boise State beats Virginia Tech and Oregon State, it figures to get a pass for its soft remaining schedule. The Broncos have proven themselves through the years against teams like Oregon, TCU and Oklahoma and shouldn't be marginalized for the conference they play in.

The good news is there's talk in the Big Ten and Big 12 of going to a nine-game conference schedule, like the Pac-10. That means more legitimate tests for teams to validate their rankings and fewer cases like Kansas in 2007, which went 12-1 purely because it didn't play Texas or Oklahoma and played the nonconference schedule noted above.

And let's not forget these guys: fans.

It's a disservice to fans that there aren't more quality intersectional games. As much as I enjoy rivalry games within conferences, there's nothing like the anticipation of two top-10 teams from opposite sides of the country meeting.

And, as fans, if you agree, you should voice your opinion to your athletic directors.

In a tie for the second-closest vote, Oregon nipped USC to top the Pac-10 media poll, but it's a sign of perceived conference parity that seven teams received No. 1 votes.

Here's the poll (No. 1 votes)

1. Oregon (15)... 314
2. USC (12)... 311
3. Oregon State (3)... 262
4. Stanford (1)... 233
5. Arizona (2)... 222
6. Washington (1)...209
7. California... 175
8. UCLA (1)... 134
9. Arizona... 81
10. Washington State... 39

Here's my vote: 1. USC; 2. Oregon; 3. Oregon State; 4. Stanford; 5. Washington; 6. Arizona; 7. California; 8. UCLA; 9. Arizona State; 10. Washington State.

Notes: The media has picked the correct champion 26 of 49 times. ... Oregon snapped USC's hold on the top spot for the past seven seasons. ... Arizona, Oregon and Stanford each had ninth-place votes as well as first-place votes.

Want to unscientifically measure the difference between one year of Larry Scott vs. 26 years of Tom Hansen atop the Pac-10?

Do this: Google "Pac-1o commissioner Larry Scott" then do "Pac-10 commissioner Tom Hansen."

Yeah: Stunning. Nearly two million hits vs. 105,000.

While some traditionalists -- and the Pac-10 still has plenty of those -- might not believe that's necessarily a good thing, what Scott has done in one year is dramatic: He's made the conference big news. Even when his grand plan for a "Pac-16" fell apart due to a Texas two-step, Scott's bold behind-the-scenes maneuvering was the lead story of an usually busy college football summer.

When the machinations finally ended, the conference added two teams, Colorado and Utah, and everyone now waits to see how Scott will parlay that into a media deal that keeps the conference financially competitive with the SEC, Big Ten and ACC.

But that answer won't come until 2011. The present "next big thing" is this week: A bi-coastal showcase of Pac-10 football coaches and players. And new, aggressive Pac-10 marketing.

Danette Leighton, an Arizona alum and the Pac-10's new -- and first -- chief marketing officer, uses terms like "sizzle" when she talks about how the conference plans to present itself to the media and public.

"It's about presenting Larry Scott's vision," she said.

That vision means elevating the Pac-10's national profile and waging war on the "East Coast bias" -- real or mythical -- by reaching out in order to overcome instead of merely complaining about perceived slights. That vision means putting the Pac-10 in front of a national audience as much as possible, even if much of that audience supports other conferences and is inclined to boo an interloper from the West.

Cheering or booing -- that means folks are paying attention. And those eyeballs, Scott believes, will translate to increased revenue and a better position in the college football pecking order.

As for the new stuff this week ... You can see the new Pac-10 website here when it opens at 2 p.m. PT on Tuesday. And you can pose questions to the coaches and players available during Thursday's media day on the new Pac-10 Twitter page.

The Pac-10 blog will be tagging along to all three destinations (image: Pac-10 blog walking up to Pac-10 coaches, "Hey, are you guys playing cards?"). That means lots of stories and videos over the next few days. So you may want to take a few days off.

Here's the media days itinerary:

Tuesday (New York)

5 p.m. ET: News conference at the Manhattan W Hotel featuring all 10 coaches and the unveiling of new Pac-10 logo and football trailer. Pac-10 QBs will visit Times Square -- where the Pac-10 football video will be playing on the Jumbotron -- and the Empire State Building.
6 p.m.: Private cocktail reception at W's "Whiskey Blue" with TV executives, corporate sponsors, former players and other VIPs.
8 p.m.: Coaches eat dinner with ESPN's "GameDay" crew. Coach spouses will see Broadway musical, "Promises, Promises."

Wednesday (New York, ESPN)

Morning: Coaches will ring the opening bell at NASDAQ and then conduct East Coast media interviews.
11 a.m.: Bus to ESPN offices in Bristol, Conn., where players and coaches will do interviews on all ESPN platforms.
5 p.m.: Charter flight from New York to Los Angeles; check in Peninsula Beverly Hills Hotel.

Thursday (at Rose Bowl, all times PT)

9:30 a.m. - 12:30 p.m. Coach and player group interview session (field)
9:30 a.m. - Introduction and format - Dave Hirsch
9:35 a.m. - Pac-10 commissioner Larry Scott
9:45 a.m. - Paul Wulff & DE Kevin Kooyman, Washington State
10:00 a.m. - Dennis Erickson & PK Thomas Weber, Arizona State
10:15 a.m. - Rick Neuheisel & FS Rahim Moore, UCLA
10:30 a.m. - Steve Sarkisian & LB Mason Foster, Washington
10:45 a.m. - Jeff Tedford & LB Mike Mohamed, California
11:00 a.m. - BREAK
11:15 a.m. - Lane Kiffin & QB Matt Barkley, USC
11:30 a.m. - Jim Harbaugh & FB/LB Owen Marecic, Stanford
11:45 a.m. - Mike Riley & RB Jacquizz Rodgers, Oregon State
12 noon - Mike Stoops & QB Nick Foles, Arizona
12:15 p.m. - Chip Kelly & DT Brandon Bair, Oregon
12:30 p.m. - Pac-10 video presentation

12:30-2:30: One-on-one coach/player interviews during luncheon.

5:30 p.m.: Reception at the Fox Network Studios: Joe Buck and Troy Aikman host Pac-10 presentation.