ESPN College Football

ESPN's Mark Schlabach discusses Oregon State quarterback Sean Mannion's six-touchdown game against Colorado.

Taking stock of Week 5 in the Pac-12.

Team of the week: Arizona State’s home victory over USC was an announcement to the rest of the country that the Sun Devils deserve to be ranked, and the country responded by putting ASU back in the Top 25 at No. 22. More important than national perception, however, is that the Sun Devils didn’t fall to 0-2 in conference play, which would have been devastating for the team’s season-long goals. They picked up a South Division win and are still in control of their destiny in the division. One last nonconference game next week against Notre Dame and then it’s all league games the rest of the way -- including a pivotal Oct. 19 game against Washington and the all-important No. 23 game at UCLA.

Best game: In a week where the average margin of victory was 29 points in the five games, the “closest” was Washington’s 18-point victory over visiting Arizona. But there was a sense Washington was in control all 60 minutes. Oregon was fun to watch simply for the fact that not even Mother Nature could play defense against the Ducks. Stanford was fun to watch because the Cardinal looked explosive. Oregon State was fun to watch because it was a complete performance. But the ASU-USC game probably had the most drama. We had an idea of what was at stake, and even when USC cut it to 48-34 with 9:54 left in the game, there was still that lingering thought that maybe it wasn’t over. Of course, ASU scored two more touchdowns to put it away. And the end result was Lane Kiffin’s dismissal.

Biggest play: After USC took a 21-20 lead in the opening minute of the second half, the Sun Devils responded 21 seconds later with a 74-yard touchdown from Taylor Kelly to D.J. Foster. But that wasn’t the biggest play. On USC’s next series, less than a minute later, Alden Darby jumped a Cody Kessler pass and returned it 46 yards for a score, giving the Sun Devils a 34-21 lead less than two minutes into the third quarter. He had two picks on the day, and the pick-six was a massive momentum swing, and it happened while Pat Haden and USC decision-makers were huddling to decide Kiffin’s future.

Offensive standout: Tough to ignore the kind of numbers Sean Mannion is putting up. After matching a school record two weeks ago at Utah with five touchdown passes, he surpassed the record by throwing for six touchdowns and 414 yards in the blowout win over Colorado. He did have an interception, but only because his receiver’s hands and chest got in the way and it was tipped in the air. Mannion now has 21 touchdowns on the year to just two picks.

Defensive standout: Has to be Darby, who totaled seven tackles to go with his two interceptions and a fumble recovery. Defensive standout 1B goes to Stanford’s Trent Murphy. Is there any outside linebacker with better hands? Or does he only show them off at CenturyLink Field? Saturday he intercepted a point-blank pass in the backfield from Austin Apodaca and returned it 30 yards for a touchdown. If that looked familiar, he did the same thing last year at the CLink against Washington.

Special teams standout: With four games in the Pacific Northwest Saturday, weather was dominant storyline when it came to special teams. We saw numerous fumbles, bad snaps and weather-induced wackiness. But there was nothing wacky about Oregon’s Bralon Addison, who returned two punts for touchdowns. The first was a 75-yard return in the second quarter that was pure sideline speed. The second, a 67-yard return, required a little more dancing and cutting -- and avoiding being knocked down by his teammate before the play even got started.

Smiley face: The Pac-12 once again has five teams ranked in the Top 25 in both polls with ASU’s victory over USC. And Oregon State is receiving votes in the coaches poll.

Frowny face: Injuries always get a frowny face -- and Saturday saw two of the league’s superstars go down with injuries. Oregon’s De’Anthony Thomas was injured on the kickoff and didn’t return. And USC wide receiver Marqise Lee suffered a knee injury that hopefully looked worse than it really is.

Thought of the week: The Beavers are back, sort of. Oregon State finally strung together a game where its defense matched the offense. And Colorado is a much-improved team from last season. Are the Buffs bowl bound? Probably not. But they aren’t the Buffs of last year, which gives a little credence to Oregon State’s dominating performance. The initial thought was that the Beavers would be 7-0 or 6-1 heading into their Oct. 26 showdown with Stanford. And they might still be (though Washington State isn’t going to make it easy). Not suggesting you go all-in on the Beavers. Remember, they are only a week removed from a miraculous win over San Diego State. But don't sell just yet, either.

Question of the week: The Trojans have a bye week to patch holes and put “Operation: Changing Lanes” in action. Do they look to an NFL name or a college name? UCLA is showing that a former NFL coach can have success in Los Angeles, even if he’s not an alumnus. USC is an attractive gig, and you can bet there were a lot of back-channel phone calls going out over the past 72 hours.

Five things we learned during the five games in Week 5.

1. Changing impressions? Maybe rumors of Oregon State’s demise have been greatly exaggerated ... maybe. Since losing the opener to Eastern Washington, the Beavers have run off four in a row. Granted, the combined record of the four teams they beat is 6-9 (five of those six wins coming from the two Pac-12 teams). Many expected the Beavers to start 7-0, or 6-1 at worst. While no one expected that the “1” would be from an FCS team, Oregon State is still on pace. And with Sean Mannion and Brandin Cooks continuing to scorch stat sheets, you have to imagine they’ll stay competitive offensively. On the flip side of Saturday's game in Corvallis, the 2-0 start was nice for the Buffs, but they reverted against the Beavers. Going out of state for the first time -- and playing for the first time in three weeks -- the Buffs managed just 300 yards of total offense in the 44-17 loss.

2. Making impressions: People wanted to see what Washington looked like once the Huskies got into league play. Same for Arizona -- which hadn’t been tested after blowing through a vanilla nonconference schedule. The Huskies weren’t always clean, missing on a few opportunities especially in the first half of their 31-13 win over the Wildcats. But Bishop Sankey earned his 161 yards on a school-record 40 carries. Keith Price was good enough (14-of-25, 165 yards, two touchdowns, one interception). The Huskies are 4-0 for the first time since 2001. For what it’s worth, Arizona’s defense put up a gritty effort, keeping them in the game.

3. Impressive: Oregon, Stanford, Mannion and Arizona State’s offense. In a sloppy mess, the Ducks were still able to score 50-plus points for the fourth consecutive game. That’s a record for a program that doesn’t have many offensive records left to break. Stanford put on a dominating display on both sides of the ball. The offense looks explosive -- much more explosive than it did last season -- and deep threats are opening things up on the ground ... or is it the ground game opening up the deep threats? More importantly, the Cardinal put together a 60-minute game, which is what David Shaw had been preaching all week. Mannion’s monster season continues with six more touchdowns -- an Oregon State record. He now has 21 passing touchdowns on the year -- and that’s his career high for a single season. He leads the country in passing touchdowns, attempts, completions and yards. And the Sun Devils, who rolled up 612 yards of offense, received a dominating performance by quarterback Taylor Kelly, who accounted for more than 400 yards of total offense.

4. Unimpressive: Weather, obviously, had a lot to do with some of the offensive struggles for Arizona, Cal and Colorado. But there were also drops, fumbles, picks and flat-out bad reads and passes. Cal's offense was grounded with just 325 total yards and five turnovers. USC’s defense also falls into the unimpressive category. Give the credit where it’s due for ASU. Kelly was fantastic with some of his back-shoulder throws and Marion Grice just keeps finding the end zone. That said, the Trojans, who had been getting it done on defense, looked tired and beaten in the fourth quarter. And now they are 0-2 in conference play for the first time since 2001.

5. Northern impressions: With the Oregon State and Washington victories, the Pac-12 North moves to 5-0 against the South. In previous weeks, Oregon State beat Utah in overtime, Washington State beat USC and Stanford beat ASU. The average score of those five games is 36-23. Next week brings us only one North-South matchup when Oregon makes a trip to Colorado. Arizona, Oregon State and USC are on byes and UCLA and Utah play the only South matchup. Stanford hosts Washington, WSU is at Cal, and ASU takes on Notre Dame.

So who deserves a helmet sticker for a job well done?

Brandin Cooks, WR, Oregon State: Cooks was the best player on the field in Corvallis, decisively winning his battle with Colorado WR Paul Richardson in the Beavers' 44-17 victory. Cooks caught nine passes for 168 yards (18.7 yards per catch) with two touchdowns. He also rushed five times for 47 yards.

Sean Mannion, QB, Oregon State: Cooks was brilliant, but Mannion was also stellar, throwing six touchdown passes, a new team record. He completed 27 of 52 passes for 414 yards with an interception in the blowout win. That pick, by the way, bounced off the chest of his receiver, so it shouldn't count against him.

Bishop Sankey, RB, Washington: Sankey set a school record with 40 carries in the Huskies' 31-13 win over Arizona. He gained 161 tough yards and scored a TD.

Taylor Kelly, QB, Arizona State: Kelly completed 23 of 34 passes for 351 yards with three touchdowns and an interception in the Sun Devils' 62-41 win over USC. He also rushed for 79 yards on just four carries -- 19.8 yards per pop.

Alden Darby, S, Arizona State: Darby had two interceptions against USC, including one he returned 46 yards for a touchdown. He also forced and recovered a fumble and tied for second on the Sun Devils with seven total tackles

Bralon Addison, PR, Oregon: Addison returned two punts for touchdowns against California, the first for 75 yards and the second for 67 yards.

Devon Cajuste, WR, Stanford: The big receiver was the star of the Cardinal's new downfield passing game. He caught four passes for 115 yards in their 55-17 win over Washington State, including touchdowns of 57 and 33 yards.

There's nothing like being unbeaten in college football. Food tastes better. The air smells sweeter. Love pervades the campus community, enveloping the football team with warm fuzzies.

It's been a long time since Colorado could feel good about its football team, but the Buffaloes will enter Pac-12 play Saturday at Oregon State at 2-0, feeling pretty darn good about themselves, particularly after a dismal, 1-11 campaign in 2012.

"It's the energy and the spirit around this place, not only with the football team but with the school," defensive end Chidera Uzo-Diribe said. "You're getting a lot more students coming up to you, wishing you good luck and congratulating you on the 2-0 start. It makes you want to practice even harder."

Of course, there's a catch for the Buffs. They've been riding a 2-0 high for almost three weeks, as they last played on Sept. 7. So the euphoria has died down a bit. Moreover, their Sept. 14 game with Fresno State was canceled due to serious flooding, which led to loss of life and significant property damage.

Instead of playing a revenge game against the Bulldogs, who pummeled the Buffs 69-14 in 2012, the Colorado players served meals to emergency personnel and flood victims. It became a moment for perspective. There are emotional swings with 2-0 as well as 0-2, but real-world events possess a far greater gravity.

Some players were directly affected by the flooding, so coach Mike MacIntyre gave his team a couple of days off to get things back in order in their personal lives.

Now, attention turns back to football. MacIntyre's chief task is rebooting the early momentum so his team doesn't look rusty and out of sorts against the Beavers.

"It seems like three years ago since we last played," he said. "We've been trying to do everything we can to keep up the speed of the game. This is almost like another opening game for us."

The early returns from the 2-0 start suggest that MacIntyre has his team's attention. In both games, a squad that seemed to lack mental toughness a year ago took control in the fourth quarter. Colorado has outscored foes 39-10 in the fourth quarter this season. Last year, despite being hopelessly behind in most cases, the Buffs were outscored 112-59 in the fourth.

"I think it's the coaching," said Uzo-Diribe, when asked what the biggest difference from last year is. "A lot of the guys playing now are the same guys who played last year, but with this coaching staff, we are starting to take on an identity on defense and on offense. We really all bought into a system and schemes."

The Buffs seem more detail-oriented. For example, the biggest play of the victory over Colorado State was cornerback Greg Henderson's 53-yard scoop and score in the fourth quarter, which made Colorado's lead 33-24. Uzo-Diribe caused the fumble.

Not only had the defense taken a renewed focus on creating turnovers during spring and preseason practice, they'd scouted tendencies from Rams running back Kapri Bibbs, who sometimes was careless with ball security. That popped into Uzo-Diribe's head as he came up behind Bibbs.

"We came into the week after watching the film knowing that their running back's ball security wasn't great," Uzo-Diribe said. "Last season, both [running backs] showed that they fumbled the ball a lot. It was something we had in our mind that when we saw that running back -- get a strip attempt on the ball."

Turnovers could be critical Saturday because it's likely both defenses will have their hands full. Oregon State quarterback Sean Mannion ranks second in the nation with 401 yards passing per game. Colorado quarterback Connor Wood is fourth with 370.5. Wood's go-to guy is Paul Richardson, who leads the nation with 208.5 yards receiving per game. Beavers receiver Brandin Cooks is second with 159.8 yards per game. Cooks leads the nation with 10.8 receptions per game; Richardson is second at 10.5.

So it's a heck of a matchup of pass-catch combinations playing against defenses that remain works in progress.

Of course, it's likely the game will come down to who gets more out of their seeming weaknesses. Both teams have struggled to run the ball this year. Oregon State has 11 sacks in four games. Colorado has just three in two games. Both teams are positive so far in turnover margin. The Beavers are down three starters on their offensive line because of injury.

For the Beavers, a victory would set them up at 4-1 and 2-0 in Pac-12 play, with four consecutive wins putting some distance between them and an opening weekend loss to Eastern Washington, an FCS team. With a bye next week, the conference's most injury-ravaged team also could start to get healthy.

For the Buffaloes, an upset road victory would probably win over more than a few folks who have been slow to jump on the bandwagon in Boulder. At 3-0 overall and 1-0 in the conference, it would be reasonable to speculate about potential bowl eligibility, particularly if the school is able to schedule a patsy to replace the lost Fresno State game.

Uzo-Diribe said the Buffs locker room already believes.

"The past couple of seasons we've said that, but as the season went on, we didn't really believe it," he said. "I feel like this season, guys see it, guys believe it. They are working towards it."

Kevin Gemmell went 7-0 last week and improved to a scintillating 33-3. Ted Miller went 6-1, missing with his Holy War pick, a selection he made only to put the stink on BYU. But Utah fans shouldn't send any more checks his way.

Miller therefore fell to 31-5. Gemmel; is already making plans for the $1 million he gets if he wins the season.

All games are Saturday.

Arizona at Washington

Gemmell: Not sure what to make of Arizona yet. It hasn’t been pressed, and the passing game is still a question mark. Taking on a Washington team that has been pushed -- and is at home -- seems like a lot to overcome. And I wouldn’t worry about Washington looking over the horizon to the Stanford game next week. It'll be focused on revenge after what happened last year in Tucson. Washington 38, Arizona 24.

Miller: The Wildcats have had two weeks to prepare, but a team can't really prepare for an atmosphere like Husky Stadium. While Wildcats QB B.J. Denker has played in road games, this will be a new level of extreme. The real issue is how effective Denker is throwing the football. If the Wildcats can achieve efficient balance, the holes will be bigger for RB Ka'Deem Carey. It also will be interesting to see how the Wildcats newly stout defense holds up against the Huskies' highly rated offense. Washington 35, Arizona 20.

USC at Arizona State

Gemmell: Plenty of great sidebars and storylines in this must-win game for both teams. The Sun Devils are holding on to whatever national credibility they have by a thread. USC is riding the coattails of its defense. If Arizona State can put together 60 minutes instead of 15, I think it wins by a couple of touchdowns. If it doesn't, it could be tight. ASU 24, USC 21.

Miller: We know USC's defense is good. Do we yet know if the Trojans' offense is going to be this bad all season? The first question is whether Trojans QB Cody Kessler's throwing hand is 100 percent. The passing game went south against Utah State last weekend after he got hurt. And what will Sun Devils QB Taylor Kelly be able to do against that tough USC defense? Arizona State 21, USC 17.

Colorado at Oregon State

Gemmell: Much like Arizona, I’m waiting to see what Colorado is really made of. I love the start, and everyone feels good about the Buffaloes being 2-0. But Oregon State’s passing game has been wickedly efficient and the Sean Mannion-to-Brandin Cooks connection is one of the best in the country. The Buffs will score points, but before I start picking them in a league game on the road, I need to see just how much they’ve grown up. The two weeks off is also a wrench in predictions. They could be super rested, or super rusty. Oregon State 48, Colorado 38.

Miller: Colorado is a better team than it was in 2012, we know that. But being better and being ready to win on the road in the Pac-12 are two different things. I want to see what Buffs QB Connor Wood and WR Paul Richardson can do against a suspect Beavers defense. Oregon State 40, Colorado 28.

California at Oregon

Gemmell: Another step in the maturation of Jared Goff. Being down defensively isn’t where you want to be when playing Oregon -- especially on the road. No reason why the Ducks don’t keep things rolling. Oregon 49, Cal 21.

Miller: Both teams were off last weekend, and Cal needed a break. But Autzen Stadium isn't a place to go to heal a season. I think this one might get a bit lopsided. Oregon 50, California 20.

Stanford vs. Washington State (in Seattle)

Gemmell: Will be interesting to see how the Cougars attack Stanford early with Ed Reynolds out for the first half. I'm guessing they go at the heart of the Stanford secondary because running against the Cardinal will be a chore. Turnovers have been Washington State’s Achilles Heel (11 total, minus-3 ratio, worst in the league). Stanford will do what Stanford does. And what Stanford does should be more than enough. Stanford 31, Washington State 17.

Miller: Stanford will be missing All-American OG David Yankey, too, so the Cougs' front-seven will be catching a break. No guard in the country is better at pulling, so that hits the Cardinal's bread-and-butter. But Stanford figures to take this one seriously because the Cougars gave them trouble last year, is an obviously improved team and the Cardinal turned in a woeful fourth quarter last weekend against Arizona State. Stanford 35, Washington State 22.

We’re four weeks into the season and the Pac-12 has (mostly) made short work of its nonconference foes. Now the fun starts. League play kicks off conference-wide this week. But before we look forward, the ESPN blogosphere is looking back at some of the best and worst through the first four weeks of each conference.

Best game: In terms of excitement, it’s tough to beat an overtime shootout. And that’s what happened when Oregon State traveled to Utah in Week 3. After building a 27-10 lead early in the third quarter, it looked like the Beavers would cruise. But Travis Wilson would lead the Utes back and they’d eventually grab a 38-37 lead. The teams swapped touchdowns in the closing three minutes to force overtime, where the Sean Mannion-to-Brandin Cooks connection gave the Beavers a 51-48 victory.

Best player: For as shaky as Oregon State’s defense has been, its offense has been sensational. So we’re going to give the nod to Cooks, who has 10 more receptions than anyone else in FBS football. Through four games he leads the nation in catches (43), receiving touchdowns (7) and first-down receptions (23). Mannion gets honorable mention, since someone has to throw the ball. But Cooks is head-and-shoulders above the rest of nation’s receivers right now. Another honorable mention to Washington’s Bishop Sankey, who has emerged over the last nine or so games as one of the country’s elite running backs.

Best performance: How about the Washington State defense -- that’s right, defense -- for its performance in the 10-7 win at USC. Damante Horton nabs a pair of interceptions, including a game-changing pick-six. Daquawn Brown makes his first career start and has a team-high 11 tackles and two pass breakups. Toni Pole blocks a kick, the front seven gets 7.5 tackles for a loss and a sack. You can say USC’s offensive inefficiency played a role. And you’d be right. But give credit where it’s due. Mike Breske had the boys ready to go and the Cougs came to town and pushed their way to a win.

Best surprise: Though his team has played in only two games so far this season, it’s hard not to feel good about the comeback of Colorado wide receiver Paul Richardson -- and really the rebirth of the Buffs under Mike MacIntyre. Richardson has 417 yards in just two games, which puts him eighth in the country. Had Colorado played its game against Fresno State (which was postponed due to flooding), it’s likely we’d see Richardson toward the top with Cooks. As for the Buffs in general, we don’t want to get too far ahead of ourselves. They still have a long way to go. But you can definitely see an air of confidence about this team that’s been lacking the last couple of seasons.

Biggest disappointment: Head’s: Oregon State's defense. Tails: USC's offense. Go ahead and flip. Either way, you're right. Both have been disappointing. Anytime a BCS conference team loses to an FCS team, it’s disappointing. Anytime one of the country’s proudest football institutions is averaging 22 points per game through four games, it’s disappointing. Anytime a team -- once ranked in the top 25 (I guess that actually applies to both schools) -- is allowing an average of more than 35 points per game, it’s disappointing. Both teams are 3-1. And probably counting their blessings that (1) USC's defense has been that good and (2) Oregon State's offense has been that good.

Taking stock of Week 4 in the Pac-12.

Team of the week: While the Pac-12 blog has been hard on Stanford for giving up 21 unanswered points to Arizona State in the fourth quarter, the fact remains the Cardinal posted a two-touchdown win over a ranked team. And that first half showed folks why Stanford is a national title contender. Need to tighten some things up? Absolutely. But Stanford at its best has plenty of irresistible force and unmovable object to it.

Best game: Oregon State fans let out a massive, "Whew," after the Beavers overcame a 13-point fourth-quarter deficit at San Diego State and won 34-30. While the game was far from pretty, it was a win, and the Beavers seem like a team right now that should just be grateful to collect one. Further, the weekend was otherwise devoid of nail-biters, though USC allowed Utah State to stay unnecessarily close.

Biggest play: Oregon State's defense has been mostly horrible, but it provided the winning margin against San Diego State when CB Steven Nelson returned an interception 16 yards for a TD with 2:31 remaining. The play might have saved the Beavers' season.

Offensive standout: Oregon State can't run the ball or play defense, but QB Sean Mannion can throw the rock around with WR Brandin Cooks. Mannion completed 38 of 55 passes for 367 yards with three touchdowns and no interceptions in the Beavers' comeback win over San Diego State. Cooks was his chief weapon, catching 14 passes for 141 yards.

Defensive standout: Utah State couldn't block USC DT Leonard Williams, who had eight tackles with three coming for a loss in the Trojans' 17-14 win over Chuckie Keeton and the Aggies. The Trojans held a previously potent offense to just 285 total yards.

Defensive standout II: Sure, it came against woeful Idaho, but Washington State DT Xavier Cooper dominated inside. Of his five total tackles, 3.5 came for a loss, including 1.5 sacks. He was a key part of a surging defense that held the Vandals to 253 total yards. LB Darryl Monroe, who led the Cougars with 12 tackles, including 2.5 for a loss, also merits note.

Special-teams standout: Think you had a long Saturday? Utah punter Tom Hackett punted 11 times for the Utes against BYU, averaging 44.2 yards per boot with a long of 61 yards, though that one was returned 58 yards to the Utah 13. That's 486 yards of punting from the Australian! Three were downed inside the Cougars' 20-yard line. G'day to that.

Frowny face: USC and Oregon State were both ranked in the preseason but both appear to be significantly flawed. The Trojans can't do anything on offense, and the Beavers are struggling on defense. Hmm. Maybe if they combined forces we could generate another national title contender?

Smiley face: The Pac-12 is 29-4 in nonconference play, including 21-3 against FBS teams, with just three matchups with Notre Dame left to play. That is by far the most distinguished mark in the nation. Remember when the Mountain West Conference was -- rightfully -- talking smack about the Pac-12? Well, the Pac-12 is 10-0 versus the MWC this year.

Thought of the week: While the season is only hitting the quarter pole, we should learn a little about the conference's South Division contenders -- and pretenders -- this weekend. Arizona has played three overmatched foes and was off over the weekend. The visit to Washington should be revealing. We have no idea who the Wildcats really are. They seem much improved on defense and limited throwing the ball. A victory over the Huskies would thrust them into the top 25 and announce them as contenders in the South Division. Meanwhile, the Arizona State-USC game also seems to serve as a critical separation game in the South.

Questions for the week: Will Lane Kiffin's last stand be in the desert? If Kiffin and the Trojans prevail and improve to 4-1, Kiffin might buy himself some goodwill -- and top-25 votes. The season would still offer plenty of hope. If the Trojans lose, they will fall to 0-2 in the conference, a major hole in the division race. At that point, reporters covering the Trojans likely would start writing speculative articles about USC's next coach.

A look at what we learned about the Pac-12 in Week 4.

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AP Photo/Marcio Jose SanchezStanford made short work of Arizona State on Saturday, showing that the Sun Devils aren't quite ready to compete with the Pac-12 elite.
1. The Pac-12 might be the deepest conference: The league wrapped up the majority of its nonconference slate with an impressive 29-4 record, including a mark of 21-3 against FBS teams. With Oregon State’s win over San Diego State and USC’s victory over Utah State, the Pac-12 moves to 10-0 this season against the Mountain West -- a lower-level conference that gave the league fits last season. Some wins were spectacular, some weren’t. But the fact that only Cal had a sub-.500 record out of conference speaks volumes about the league's depth. And even those two losses came against top-25 teams.
2. Arizona State isn’t there yet: After last week’s controversial ending against Wisconsin, the Sun Devils were eager to show that they were worthy of their top-25 ranking. But trailing 39-7, ASU simply didn't look like a team ready to contend with a top-five team on the road. Give it credit for fighting back and scoring 28 second-half points. It's not hard to imagine previous ASU teams throwing in the proverbial towel. And the Sun Devils still should be considered contenders for the Pac-12 South. We’ll know more when they host USC next week, but for now, the Sun Devils look more like a second-tier Pac-12 team than a group that could challenge Stanford and/or Oregon.
3. Apples good, potatoes bad (at least in football): Combined points for Washington and Washington State in Week 4: 98. Combined points for Idaho and Idaho State in Week 4: 0. Granted, this wasn’t the stiffest of competition. But Washingtonians from Aberdeen to Yakima to Pullman can feel pretty good about the state of football in their state. The Huskies have scored 34 points for three straight games for the first time since 2002. They posted their first shutout since 2009 and the margin of victory was the largest since beating Oregon 66-0 in 1974. And yes, it was very cool seeing Deontae Cooper get his first career touchdown. For the Cougars, it was their first shutout since 2005 -- which also came against Idaho. The defense posted a season-high five sacks.
4. A W is a W: While Washington, Washington State and UCLA cruised to easy wins, Oregon State, Utah and USC needed all four quarters to get the job done. Of course, there were different reasons for all three. Utah was playing a rivalry game against a team receiving top 25 votes. It was a hard-fought game and a solid victory for the Utes (you’re really going to throw a flag on Eric Rowe? For all the extra shoves and questionably late hits that went on in that game, that’s what gets the flag!?), USC was facing an extremely dangerous quarterback in Utah State’s Chuckie Keeton. But they sacked him four times for minus-15 rushing yards and kept him to just 179 yards in the air. The USC offense, however, continues to be a work in progress. And then there’s the Beavers ... oh, those Beavers. Credit them for coming from behind late to beat San Diego State. But don't lose sight of the fact that they had to come from behind late to beat San Diego State. Sean Mannion had another monster game, and Brandin Cooks had another monster game. But the defense and the running game continue to be issues that will get exposed if the Beavers can't fix them as they get deeper into conference play.
5. We can start thinking about league play! There’s only three “official” nonconference games left, and they all involve Notre Dame (still waiting on the possibility of Colorado and Fresno State rescheduling). But by this time next week, every team except UCLA will have played a conference game. Of the three league games we’ve had so far, the North has gone 3-0 against the South, with Washington State, Oregon State and Stanford all getting victories over USC, Utah and Arizona State, respectively. Next week we get some intra-division showdowns between USC and ASU, California and Oregon and Stanford and Washington State in Seattle. But it’s the inter-division matchups that are very intriguing. Undefeated Arizona travels to undefeated Washington -- where we’ll learn a little bit more about the Wildcats. And a confident Colorado team visits Oregon State in a game that seemed like a sure thing for the Beavers a month ago.

So who deserves a helmet sticker for a job well done?

Hau'oli Kikaha, DE, Washington: Kikaha, formally known as Jamora, had 2 1/2 sacks in the Huskies' blowout win over Idaho State.

Leonard Williams, DT, USC: The true sophomore led the Trojans' dominant defensive effort against Utah State with eight tackles, three of which came for a loss. USC held the Aggies to just 285 yards in a 17-14 win.

Travis Wilson, QB, Utah: The difference in the Holy War was Utah's ability to pass efficiently and BYU's inability to do so. Wilson completed 24 of 35 passes for 273 yards with two touchdowns and no interceptions in the Utes' 20-13 victory.

Sean Mannion, QB, Oregon State: Mannion completed 38 of 55 passes for 367 yards with three touchdowns and no interceptions in the Beavers' 34-30 comeback win over San Diego State. He did that without any running game, leading a comeback from a 13-point fourth-quarter deficit. Assist to WR Brandin Cooks, who caught 14 passes for 141 yards.

Jordan James, RB, UCLA: James rushed for 164 yards on 19 carries with two touchdowns in the Bruins' 59-13 win over New Mexico State.

Gabe Marks, WR, Washington State: Marks caught 11 passes for 146 yards and two touchdowns in the Cougars' 42-0 win over Idaho.

A few storylines to keep an eye on in the Pac-12 this week.

1. Keep it rolling: The Pac-12 is 23-4 in its nonconference games this year and 16-3 against FBS competition. It’s also 8-0 against Mountain West teams. USC and Oregon State can extend that streak with matchups against Utah State and San Diego State. Washington State also renews its border war with Idaho for the first time since 2007 -- a series the Cougs have owned 70-17-3.
2. Air it out: Eight Pac-12 quarterbacks rank among the top 16 in total offense, headlined by Cal’s Jared Goff (429.7 ypg). Through three weeks, three Pac-12 quarterbacks (Goff, Marcus Mariota and Sean Mannion) have combined to throw for 440-plus yards four times. Only two other seasons in Pac-12 history have seen league quarterbacks throw for 440 or more yards more than four times -- 1998 (six times) and 2002 (five times).
3. Speed it up: Pac-12 offenses are scoring, and scoring fast. There have been 195 scoring drives, and so far 83 have taken less than two minutes. As you’d expect, Oregon tops the list with 23 of its 28 scoring drives taking less than two minutes. Utah is next on the list with nine.
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Bruce Thorson/USA TODAY SportsUCLA QB Brett Hundley was impressive against Nebraska and should be even more so this week.
4. Heisman moments? Mariota, who sits atop the ESPN.com Heisman poll, is off this week. But Brett Hundley has a chance to bolster his numbers against a New Mexico State team that is allowing nearly 50 points per game. Look for Mannion to continue rolling against a San Diego State team that is yielding 41 points per game. Same for Washington running back Bishop Sankey against an FCS Idaho State squad.
5. The headliner: For the first time this year, we have two ranked Pac-12 teams squaring off with No. 23 ASU’s trip to No. 5 Stanford. The focus is, and should be, on the lines. Stanford wants to do what Stanford does -- pound at ASU’s interior defense. The Sun Devils were pretty good defending at Wisconsin's inside rushing attack but were caught off guard by sweeps. Will be interesting to see if Stanford goes after the edges the way Wisconsin did.
6. Sankey rolling: Sankey now has rushed for at least 100 yards in six of his past seven games -- including a career-high 208 yards in the win last week over Illinois. Through three weeks and two games, he’s the national leader in average yards per game with 184.5. Dating back to last year, he has rushed for 1,142 yards in his last seven games.
7. Take a breather: Four byes this week, with Arizona, Cal, Colorado and Oregon all getting the week off. Colorado coach Mike MacIntyre, whose team had an unscheduled bye last week, said his team is back to practicing after several players were displaced by flooding.
8. Running like a Mad(den) man: Only six players have started the season with three consecutive 100-yard rushing games. We don't want to assume, but Sankey probably will have his third straight this week. For now, USC’s Tre Madden is the only Pac-12 player among those six (Paul James, Rutgers; Melvin Gordon, Wisconsin; Mark Weisman (FB), Iowa; Alex Collins and Jonathan Williams, Arkansas). Per our friends at ESPN Stats & Information, USC is running the ball on 62 percent of its plays this year, up 18 percent from last year. Of those six mentioned, Madden is the only one who has faced three FBS opponents. He leads the Pac-12 with 149 yards after contact.
9. Mobile Hogan, mobile Kelly: Also from Stats & Info: Kevin Hogan and Taylor Kelly are the only Pac-12 quarterbacks who have attempted at least 20 percent of their passes outside the pocket over the last two seasons. Kelly leads all AQ quarterbacks with 115 passes attempted from outside of the pocket. When out of the pocket, Hogan has completed 76 percent of his passes, including 20-of-24 passes on designed rollouts. In comparison, Kelly has completed a lower percentage of his passes thrown outside the pocket, but his average throw travels 10 yards, 4.5 yards longer than Hogan.
10. Goodbye for now, Holy War: The Utah-BYU rivalry will go on break for a couple of years after Saturday. Kyle Whittingham insists that doesn’t mean anything. I’m guessing having two extra years of bragging rights, however, means plenty to the fans. Utah has won four of the past five and holds a 56-34-4 edge in the series, which dates back to 1896. Though BYU doesn’t recognize six games, split 3-3, from when it was Brigham Young Academy. But since this is the Pac-12 blog, we’ll recognize it, cause we’re cool like that. And Utah SID Liz Abel is awesome at her job for bringing that nugget to our attention. Utah quarterback Travis Wilson is coming off of a 142-yard rushing performance -- the second most ever by a Utah quarterback and the most since 1979. Should this one be a nail-biter, it's worth noting that both kickers -- Utah's Andy Phillips and BYU's Justin Sorensen -- are 5-for-5 on field goals this season. Neither has missed a PAT.

Sean Mannion emerged in August from one of the nation's most closely watched preseason quarterback competitions as the Oregon State starter over Cody Vaz. That competition was particularly noteworthy because it featured two players with significant experience who had mostly played well when behind center.

Mannion's winning the job, however, became a secondary story when the 25th-ranked Beavers lost their opener to Eastern Washington, an FCS team. While Mannion's big numbers against the Eagles merited note -- the 49-46 defeat certainly wasn't the offense's fault -- it was the inglorious defeat that dominated the conversation, including plenty of handwringing over a horrible defensive performance.

But after the Beavers seemingly righted themselves with wins over Hawaii and an overtime triumph at previously unbeaten Utah, it might be worthwhile to check in and see what Mannion has been doing and whether he was a good QB choice as the Beavers prepare for a visit to San Diego State.

Hmm. Mannion is averaging 412 yards passing per game, which ranks second in the nation. His 12 touchdown passes is tied for first in the nation. He has thrown just one interception. He ranks 11th in the nation in passing efficiency, according to the NCAA, and also is 11th with ESPN Stats & Information's Total QBR rating.

So, yeah. The 6-foot-5, 220-pound junior is mostly validating his selection as the starter.

Mannion thus far has corrected his biggest problem in 2012 -- throwing interceptions in bunches. He hurled 11 of his 13 total picks in just three games, including four-interception performances against Washington and Oregon.

A lot of those is just growth, coach Mike Riley said.

"He's confident, he's seeing things real well, been making good decisions," Riley said. "He's been very accurate with the ball."

Mannion also is not forcing things anymore. He's not afraid to go with short pass in a check-down or even just throw the ball into the stands when nothing is open.

Mannion, the son of a high school coach, also feels like the competition with Vaz helped him.

"It helped me focus on the things that I can control and not worry about anything else," he said." Throughout the competition, I tried to not worry about what other people were thinking or saying and just focus on becoming the best player I could be. I definitely feel like the competition helped me become a better player."

Riley said Mannion was "really obsessive about getting ready for this season."

The loss to Eastern Washington knocked the Beavers off the national radar, but the schedule still sets up for them to get back into the national rankings, starting with a date Saturday with 0-2 San Diego State. While the widely projected 7-0 start no longer is possible, 6-1 certainly seems possible, though a road trip to Washington State on Oct. 12 certainly looks a bit tougher than it did in the preseason. At that point, it will be up to Oregon State to break through against a homestretch that goes: Stanford, USC, Arizona State, Washington and Oregon.

Ah, but that's looking ahead or underestimating the present task. That wouldn't be smart. The good news is there has been experience in the locker room handling dispiriting opening losses. Many of the present Beavers suffered through a season ruined by a loss to an FCS team in the opener -- 2011's 3-9 finish that began with a gag-job versus Sacramento State. Mannion said that loss taught some hard lessons.

"When guys have been through it before, I think there is a more conscious effort [to stay focused]," Mannion said. "The guys who were young there have become leaders of our team. Everyone was really conscious of that."

As for being second in the nation in passing, Mannion isn't focused on that.

"I never really look at stats, but it's something you hear about," he said. "It's not something I actively care about. The only stat that matters is winning."

That said, the guy who had to fight to win back his starting job decides to add, "But, it is cool, I guess."

Taking stock of Week 3 in the Pac-12.

Team of the week: A major tip of the cap to UCLA coach Jim Mora, his staff and his players for their work -- most notably in the second half -- at Nebraska. The emotions of the week were brutal with the death of receiver Nick Pasquale, and we're not going to trivialize that by acting like winning a football game heals anything. But there can be no doubt that the emotions at work for the Bruins could have wrecked them. Instead, they came together and played a spectacular half of football. This team showed a lot of backbone on the road, which is just more evidence of the positive culture change in Westwood under Mora.

Best game: Oregon State's 51-48 overtime win at Utah was a back-and-forth affair that featured more big plays and momentum swings than any other contest. The Beavers' euphoria over potentially saving their season, which began with a horrid loss to Eastern Washington, an FCS team, was painfully contrasted by the stunned look on the faces of Utah coaches, fans and players. The Utes, who have started 0-4 in Pac-12 play their first two seasons in the conference, fell just short of a nice statement win. But keep this in mind, Utes. Your QB, Travis Wilson, is a baller. It's worth noting with his and the offense's slow start that he was dealing with his own emotions as a lifelong friend of Pasquale.

Biggest play: The officiating mess at the end of the Arizona State-Wisconsin game was the biggest misplay, but the biggest positive play -- among many choices -- was Sean Mannion's 6-yard TD pass to Brandin Cooks for Oregon State's overtime win at Utah.

Offensive standout: In the Beavers' thrilling 51-48 victory at Utah, Mannion completed 27 of 44 passes for 443 yards with five touchdowns and no interceptions. With the Beavers' defense clearly vulnerable and the running game struggling, it's likely Mannion and company are going to need to throw the rock around in order to win games this fall. Through three weeks, he looks up to the task.

Offensive standout, runners up: We've got to give some credit to Mannion's top target, Cooks, who hauled in nine passes for 210 yards and three TDs. That's 23.3 yards per catch. Also, Oregon quarterback Marcus Mariota completed 23 of 33 passes for a career-high 456 yards with four touchdown passes and no interceptions in the Ducks' blowout win over Tennessee. He also rushed for 27 yards and a TD.

(I know … I know. I left out YOUR GUY. There were just too many good offensive performances this weekend.)

Defensive standout: UCLA All-American outside linebacker Anthony Barr led the Bruins' second-half domination of Nebraska. He collected a team-high 11 tackles, with 1.5 coming for a loss, in the 41-21 road victory. He also forced three fumbles, which is a good thing to do and a big reason the Cornhuskers didn't score a point in the second half.

Special teams standout: Oregon State kicker Trevor Romaine was 3-for-3 on field goals in the overtime win at Utah. His boots included a career-long 49-yard effort, as well as connections of 36 and 20 yards. He's 5-for-6 on field goals for the season and 36-for-45 for his career. He now ranks ninth at OSU for career points with 184.

Smiley face: The Pac-12 went 8-1 in nonconference games, with only California losing to No. 4 Ohio State. That included wins over ranked teams (No. 20 Wisconsin and No. 23 Nebraska) and wins over three automatic qualifying conferences (3-1 vs. Big Ten, 1-0 vs. SEC and 1-0 vs. ACC). We called it "Measuring Stick Week," and the conference measured up.

Frowny face: The officials soiled the ending of Arizona State's win over Wisconsin. However you see the final play -- and the idea that there was easy clarity (other than after the fact) is ridiculous -- the officials dithered instead of acting decisively, and Wisconsin folks have a right to be apoplectic. And, by the way, they are. They also, by the way, should be infuriated by how the Badgers handled things at the end, too. If quarterback Joel Stave had simply gone to the ground in a standard way, it's unlikely the officials would have become The Three Stooges.

Thought of the week: It's now pretty clear that the preseason perception was accurate: The Pac-12 is as deep and as good at the top as it has been for a long time. Oregon is clearly a national title contender, and Stanford, also a top-five team, is not far behind. UCLA and Washington have surged, while Arizona State is now the fifth conference team in the top 25, with Arizona also getting votes. Only Cal has a losing record, and that's because it played two ranked teams in its first three games. There isn't a team that doesn't appear capable of winning six games and becoming bowl eligible. The issue now becomes whether the top teams can avoid multiple blemishes in such a deep conference. A patsy-less conference with a nine-game conference schedule makes it tough to go unbeaten.

Questions for the week: Who makes a statement in the Arizona State-Stanford game? The Pac-12 features its first matchup of ranked conference teams on Saturday, and it pretty much has the stage all to itself because next weekend's schedule is fairly thin after that, other than the Holy War between Utah and BYU. Has Stanford been sandbagging it through a pair of unspectacular wins? Can the Sun Devils beat a top-five team on the road and make a thunderous statement for coach Todd Graham in his second season? Big, physical Wisconsin should have been good prep for the Cardinal.

A look at what we learned about the Pac-12 in Week 3.

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Bruce Thorson/USA TODAY SportsJim Mora's Bruins had an emotional come-from-behind win at Nebraska on Saturday.
1. UCLA ... simply awesome: It doesn’t matter what team you cheer for, it’s hard not to feel good for UCLA and what it did in Lincoln. Trailing 21-3, the Bruins looked like they had a lot on their minds in the first half -- and they did. But in the second half, they were nothing short of sensational in their 41-21 win over Nebraska, which snapped the Huskers’ 14-game home winning streak against nonconference opponents. How’s this for second-half adjustments? In two games against UCLA (2012 and 2013), Nebraska has put up a combined 558 yards and 45 points in the first half against the Bruins. In the second half of those games, a combined 225 yards and six total points. There were plenty of great moments, but the Pac-12 blog got a little choked up when Anthony Jefferson recovered Nebraska’s red zone fumble in the fourth quarter and ran off the field and gave the ball to Jim Mora, followed by a hug that was pure emotion.
2. Challenge accepted: After rolling through a considerably easy slate of nonconference opponents in Week 2, the Pac-12 had a serious step up in competition on the Week 3 agenda ... including four head-to-head matchups with the Big Ten. The Pac-12 went 3-1 against its Rose Bowl partners with wins from UCLA, ASU and Washington. Ohio State was the Big Ten’s lone winner after topping Cal. Overall, the league went 8-1, with USC, Washington State, Stanford, Oregon and Arizona all scoring victories. Plus, it likely knocked a pair of ranked Big Ten teams out of the Top 25, bringing ASU into the fold. Don’t be shocked to see the Bruins sniffing the top 10, either.
3. Wake-up calls: In the eight nonconference games the Pac-12 won on Saturday, only three of them were wire-to-wire victories. The rest of the league had to overcome early deficits. Arizona, Oregon, Stanford and UCLA all gave up the first points of the game and ASU trailed 14-3 after going ahead 3-0. Of course, UCLA’s comeback was the most emotional one of the day. But the strangest goes to the Sun Devils, who were bailed out by Wisconsin quarterback Joel Stave and his phantom kneel. USC, Washington and Washington State were the only teams to get an early lead and hold it. Washington led 31-10 at one point, before clinching a 10-point victory over Illinois. The Trojans were up 28-0 on Boston College, and the Cougs broke it open in the second half versus Southern Utah.
4. Offensive business is booming: The lowest scoring team in the Pac-12 this week was Arizona State -- yeah, the Sun Devils with their explosive, high-octane offense “managed” a measly 32 points. In total, the 11 Pac-12 teams combined for 454 points in Week 3, an average of 41.2 points per team. The most offensive state of the week award goes to Oregon -- which saw the Ducks and Beavers both crack 50 points (59 for Oregon, 51 for Oregon State). The shootout of the week award goes to the Beavers and Utes, who combined for 99 points and 1,030 yards of offense. Sean Mannion’s five touchdowns matched a school record. Utah receiver Dres Anderson went for 101 yards, giving the Utes three straight games with a 100-yard receiver. And in case you were wondering, the latest update as of 3:20 a.m. PT, Storm Woods is doing well. Oh yeah, Oregon’s offense is pretty awesome, also.
5. Next week could be fun, maybe: Week 2 was a bunch of yawners. Week 3 was exhilarating. Week 4 should be a mix of both. Arizona State and Stanford meet in what should be a marquee conference battle between two ranked teams. Both had their Week 3 issues. Stanford got off to a sluggish start against Army (time zone might have had something to do with that), and ASU avoided a disastrous meltdown when Stave failed to kneel before Zod. USC takes on a very talented Utah State squad, and the Utes try to rebound in the Holy War against BYU. The newly-invigorated Beavers travel to San Diego to face an Aztecs team that is off to a terrible start (they, too, lost to an FCS team in Week 1), while the state of Washington takes on the state of Idaho in a four-way showdown. Colorado, after having its game against Fresno State postponed, gets a much-needed bye to address needs much greater than football.

So who deserves a helmet sticker for a job well done?

Tyler Gaffney, RB, Stanford: He carried the ball 20 times for 132 yards and a score and caught a 23-yard TD pass in the Cardinal's 34-20 win over Army.

Anthony Barr, OLB, UCLA: He led the Bruins with a team-high 11 tackles with 1.5 coming for a loss in the 41-21 win at Nebraska. He also forced three -- three! -- fumbles. The Bruins shut out the Cornhuskers in the second half.

Brett Hundley, QB, UCLA: Hundley overcame a slow start to complete 16 of 24 passes for 294 yards with three TDs in the win at Nebraska. He also rushed 19 times for 61 yards.

USC: We could have gone with new starting QB Cody Kessler (15-of-17, 237 yards, 2 TDs, no INTs). Or RB Justin Davis, who rushed for 103 yards on 11 carries. Or the defense, which was again dominant. Or even Lane Kiffin, who got his team to play well after a horrid week. But let's just give the Trojans credit for getting off the canvas.

Marcus Mariota, QB, Oregon: He completed 23 of 33 passes for a career-high 456 yards with four touchdown passes and no interceptions in the blowout win over Tennessee. He also rushed for 27 yards and a TD.

Bishop Sankey, RB, Washington: He rushed 35 times for 208 yards in the Huskies' 34-24 win at Illinois.

Dom Williams, WR, Washington State: Williams caught just three passes, but those included TDs of 43 and 55 yards in the Cougars' 48-10 win over Southern Utah. He finished with three catches for 101 yards.

Sean Mannion, QB, Oregon State: In the Beavers' nutty 51-48 victory, Mannion completed 27 of 44 passes for 443 yards with five touchdowns and, most important in this nail-biter, no interceptions.

Marion Grice, RB, Arizona State: Grice rushed for only 84 yards in Arizona State's nutty 32-30 win over Wisconsin, but he scored four TDs. And he caught five passes for 50 yards. He was the Sun Devils' most consistent weapon in a huge win.