ESPN Pac-10 Blog

Posted by ESPN.com's Ted Miller

Just a few tweaks this week. Stanford and California and UCLA and Washington switch places.

1. Oregon: The reason media sorts talk about "let-down" games is because they happen so often. Give Stanford credit. That was an impressive offensive display against a team that knows a thing or two about impressive offensive displays. But it's not that difficult to conclude again this week that Oregon, still alone in first place, should remain atop the conference pecking order.

2. USC: In terms of perception, USC's stock didn't improve with the win at Arizona State. In terms of reality, the Trojans are still a legitimate threat to at least share their eighth consecutive conference crown. By the way, USC lost to Washington and Oregon. Stanford beat Washington and Oregon. It's fair to say that the Trojans won't be able to beat Stanford without their A-game. Where, oh where, has it gone?

3. Arizona: It's all there for Arizona: Win out and the Wildcats will earn their first Rose Bowl berth. Ever. The path is arduous. But few things of value in this world are easy to obtain. First order: Win at California.

4. Oregon State: Don't call it a comeback! The Beavers have been here for years. Four actually. Doing this whole second-half surge thing. The challenge will be not looking ahead past consecutive games with the Washington schools at the Civil War with Oregon, which could have huge stakes.

5. Stanford: If Stanford beats USC on Saturday, how should it land in the power rankings of Nov. 15? No. 2, even though the Cardinal lost to Arizona and Oregon State? Or No. 1 -- seeing that victories over the top-two would then be secure? Hey, look -- head-to-head vs. body of work -- it's back! Feel free to argue below. I still haven't decided.

6. California: Wow. The misery in the mailbag among Cal fans is palpable. How has this happened? Sometimes the pieces don't fit together. Sometimes the pieces look shiny but aren't as fine as they appear. Sometimes bad things happen to good teams. At this point, it's anyone's guess, but the Bears are one of this season's big disappointments. Still, if they hold serve at home vs. Arizona, they can salvage a degree of success this season.

7. Arizona State: The Sun Devils are this year's close-but-no-cigar -- or, more accurately, bowl game -- team. You see hints of potential, particularly on defense. But the defining win that swings the season in a positive direction just hasn't been manufactured.

8. UCLA: The Bruins proved their resiliency with a comeback victory over Washington after losing starting quarterback Kevin Prince to a concussion. If they maintain that resiliency, the reward is likely a bowl invitation at season's end. And you know what? 6-6 is about where this team should finish, based on its personnel and youth at key positions.

9. Washington: The difference in the 2008 Huskies and the 2009 Huskies is huge. Better in all aspects. But the Huskies of 2008 went 0-12 for more reasons than poor leadership at the top. A few injuries here, an immobile Jake Locker there, and the wins stop coming. The most important contests ahead -- other than taking care of woebegone rival Washington State -- will be on the recruiting fields.

10. Washington State: Another week, another tough loss in which the Cougars never really had a chance. Talk of future hope may ring hollow at this point. It's clear that the pressure is building for Paul Wulff and his staff to inspire dramatic improvement in 2010.

Posted by ESPN.com's Ted Miller

Lots of football left, but that shouldn't stop folks from speculating how things might stack up come bowl season.

The first big question is whether the Pac-10 will get two BCS teams. Oregon's loss at Stanford damages that possibility but not irreparably, particularly if you believe Oregon is going to end up in the Rose Bowl anyway.

The guess this week is that USC, despite its recent issues, will still finish 10-2. Heard a reasonable explanation this weekend for why the Fiesta Bowl might not want the Trojans. I can think of a mountain reason why the Fiesta Bowl should take the Trojans, including this: It will create a compelling matchup with a non-AQ team.

The second big question is how many teams will be eligible?

Six teams already are. Only woeful Washington State is out for sure.

The most likely seventh? UCLA, which has to win at Washington State on Saturday and then either beat Arizona State at home or win at USC.

Here's a handy bowl schedule. And bowl projections.

Here are our Pac-10 projections (Note: These have been change since Oregon State was first projected in the Sun Bowl. That won't happen because the Sun Bowl has a no-repeat clause).

Rose Bowl Game presented by Citi: Oregon vs. Big Ten
Tostitos Fiesta: USC vs. BCS at-large
Pacific Life Holiday: Arizona vs. Big 12
Brut Sun: Stanford vs. Big 12/Big East/Notre Dame
Emerald: Oregon State vs. ACC
MAACO Las Vegas: California vs. Mountain West
San Diego County Credit Union Poinsettia: UCLA vs. Mountain West

Posted by ESPN.com's Ted Miller

What did we learn from Week 10 of Pac-10 action?

1. The Pac-10 is out of the nation title hunt (again): With Oregon's defeat at Stanford, every Pac-10 team now has at least two losses. That's not going to get a team to the late game in Pasadena. Athletic directors and conference administrators might want to think about two things: 1. Less ambitious nonconference scheduling; 2. End the nine-game, round-robin conference schedule. The way to remain unbeaten -- or to maximize win potential in the conference, top to bottom -- is to play schedules like most of the teams that are presently unbeaten play. On the positive side, the Oregon vs. Boise State rankings debate is likely solved. At least in terms of its meaning within the BCS picture.

2. Stanford has turned the corner under Jim Harbaugh: Stanford improved to 6-3 with the win over Oregon, which made the Cardinal bowl eligible for the first time since 2001. But Harbaugh wasn't celebrating. He still thinks his team can win the Pac-10 title. And if it manages to win at USC on Saturday, who knows? But his program is clearly on the uptick. Did we mention that his outstanding quarterback Andrew Luck is a redshirt freshman? Think that may help the Cardinal recruit some skill on offense?

3. Oregon State is surging (again): The sun sets and then it rises. Oregon State starts slowly and then it makes a run. The Beavers have won four of five since a 2-2 start, the lone loss a nail biter at USC. The previous three seasons, they started 2-3 but ended up with bowl wins and final national rankings. Déjà vu anyone? Know what's the most exciting thing about the slow-start, fast-finish dynamic for me? I get to ask Mike Riley about it next preseason. And he'll start his answer with this: "That's a good question." I love how he does that. (It's not a good question, but Riley isn't the sort to tell reporters that).

4. USC hasn't solved its issues, but it still may rise again for No. 8: Freshman quarterback Matt Barkley had his worst game at Arizona State. The defense gave up yards to a Sun Devils offense that has struggled much of the season. Injuries have piled up. And yet, with Oregon's loss at Stanford, the Trojans join a gaggle of teams that could end up atop the conference. If they win out, chances are reasonable that they will at least earn a share of the conference title. And who knows how a tiebreaker might play out? Rematch with Ohio State in the RoZZZZZZZe Bowl?

5. A Pac-10 running back should be a top-five Heisman Trophy candidate: Whether you're a Jacquizz Rodgers guy or a Toby Gerhart adherent, it's a shame that neither is getting as much Heisman hype as less-deserving candidates. The key number: Both have accounted for 16 touchdowns this season. How many running backs who don't play for Navy have done that?

Posted by ESPN.com's Ted Miller

Who stood out in Week 10?

Toby Gerhart, RB, Stanford: Gerhart ran for a school-record 223 yards and three touchdowns in the Cardinal's 51-42 upset of Oregon. He now ranks No. 2 in the nation with 135 yards rushing per game. He's scored 16 touchdowns. Heisman Trophy candidate?

Sean Canfield, QB, Oregon State: Canfield passed for 342 yards and two touchdowns, completing 29-of-39 of his throws in Oregon State's 31-14 win over California. He also ran for a TD. Canfield has completed just under 70 percent of his throws this season.

Kevin Craft, QB, UCLA: Craft, a senior, has had an tough ride with the Bruins but he's also had some nice moments, such as the comeback victory over Washington. Coming off the bench for injured starter Kevin Prince, he completed 10 of 14 passes for 159 yards with a touchdown and an interception. He rallied the Bruins from a nine-point, third-quarter deficit to a 24-23 victory.

Joe Halahuni, TE, Oregon State: The pride of Orting, Wash., caught six passes for 128 yards in the Beavers' win over California. After having 127 receiving yards in his first six games, Halahuni now has eclipsed 127 yards receiving in two of the past three games.

Jim Harbaugh, coach, Stanford: That's how you come out of a bye week. While few thought Stanford could handle speedy Oregon, Harbaugh and his staff prepared a perfect offensive game plan and convinced the Cardinal they could beat the mighty Ducks. Stanford, now 6-3, is now bowl eligible for the first time since 2001.

Posted by ESPN.com's Ted Miller

Those expecting USC to take out frustrations on Arizona State on Saturday night were left wanting as the Trojans turned in another lackluster performance.

The Trojans slipped the game Sun Devils 14-9 despite recording only 12 first downs and 258 total yards.

USC scored only one offensive touchdown as quarterback Matt Barkley struggled. And that TD was short pass that Damian Williams transformed into a 75-yard touchdown. The other USC TD came on a Will Harris interception return.

Barkley completed only 7 of 22 passes for 112 yards with an interception.

In fact, he may have been the second-best true freshman quarterback on the field.

With the Trojans ahead 14-3 early in the third quarter, Dennis Erickson yanked starting quarterback Danny Sullivan, who tossed two interceptions, and replaced him with freshman Brock Osweiler. Osweiler led a touchdown drive and completed 11 for 27 for 153 yards and the 23-yard score. He also threw one pick. Arizona State had four turnovers; USC had one.

It's unlikely either team walks away terribly happy.

USC (7-2, 4-2) next plays host to Stanford, which is fresh off beating the Oregon team that whipped the Trojans. Arizona State (4-5, 2-4) will visit those Ducks.

Posted by ESPN.com's Ted Miller

UCLA was riding a five-game Pac-10 losing streak. Its starting quarterback, Kevin Prince, was out with an apparent concussion. It gave away five turnovers.

And yet the Bruins beat Washington 24-23, a win that substantially boosts the Bruins bowl hopes.

How about Kevin Craft? The much-maligned senior led the Bruins comeback from a 23-14 third-quarter deficit. He completed 10 of 14 for 159 yards with a 29-yard TD pass to Terrence Austin.

The game ended when safety Rahim Moore intercepted a Jake Locker pass on the Bruins 20-yard line. It was Moore's eighth interception this season, which leads the nation. That was the Huskies only turnover.

The Bruins outgained Washington 455 to 387 but kept killing themselves with mistakes.

Still, UCLA improved to 4-5 overall and 1-5 in conference play. The Bruins will be heavy favorites at Washington State on Saturday. If they prevail, they will need to beat either Arizona State at home on Nov. 21 or win at USC on Nov. 28 to qualify for a bowl game.

As for Washington, it needs to win its final three games -- at Oregon State, Washington State, California -- two qualify for a bowl game. The Huskies have lost five of six since beating USC on Sept. 19.

Posted by ESPN.com's Ted Miller

Arizona prepared for its rugged and defining home stretch by leaving no doubt from the opening gun against Washington State.

Travis Cobb returned the opening kickoff 95 yards for a touchdown, and the Wildcats outgained the Cougars 470 yards to 187 in a 48-7 drubbing.

Arizona led 34-0 at the half and the Cougars didn't score into late in the fourth quarter.

Arizona (6-2, 4-1) controls its own Pac-10 fate, but its road ahead is difficult. The Wildcat next four games are: at California, Oregon, at Arizona State and at USC.

Still, the 18th-ranked Wildcats are just a half-game behind Oregon in the Pac-10 standings. If they win out, they go to their first Rose Bowl.

And it's becoming increasingly possible that the Pac-10 champ may end up with two losses and will prevail because of a complicated tie-breaking procedure.

Stanford coach Jim Harbaugh discusses Saturday's upset win over Oregon.

Posted by ESPN.com's Ted Miller

Oregon State is clearly back in the Pac-10 hunt, now let's hope that things work out for California running back Jahvid Best, who was carted off the field after landing hard on the back of his head at the end of a touchdown run.

The word now is that Best suffered a concussion. He has movement in his extremities, which is good news.

Not a lot went right for the Bears after Best got hurt, though, as Oregon State rolled to its fifth consecutive win in Berkeley, 31-14.

Beavers quarterback Sean Canfield continued his hot play. He threw for 342 yards and two touchdowns and he also ran for a score. The senior already leads the conference in passing, and he may be surging toward first-team All-Pac-10 honors.

The Beavers improved to 6-3 overall and 4-2 in the Pac-10. With a visit to Washington and a road game at Washington State the next two weekends, they have a good chance of playing the Civil War at Oregon with substantial stakes on the line.

Oregon State dominated statistically, outgaining the Bears 436 yards to 239.

Best's TD hurdle that got him injured cut the Beavers lead to 14-7 with 6:07 left in the second quarter, but after that the Bears looked -- understandably -- out of sync.

Posted by ESPN.com's Ted Miller

STANFORD, Calif. -- A week after being nearly perfect, Oregon crashed back to earth at Stanford.

	Kyle Terada/US Presswire
	Ducks coach Chip Kelly will have to rally his team after a tough loss.

At least the Ducks already know they can bounce back. Their 51-42 loss to the Cardinal probably won't feel nearly as stunning as the season-opening defeat at Boise State did, particularly without any notable post-game complications.

"The guys' reaction in the locker room is we've been here before," tight end Ed Dickson said. "It all starts with practice on Monday. We've got to win the day. And we didn't win today."

That's for sure. Stanford led by 17 points at halftime and pushed its lead to 20 points in the fourth quarter before the Ducks made a last, desperate and abortive rally.

While a team loses as a team, Dickson and all the other Ducks know what went wrong against the Cardinal.

"We can't allow them to score on every single drive," he said.

The Oregon offense wasn't nearly its finely tuned self for much of the game, at least not the version that piled up 613 yards and looked unstoppable against USC. But it did end up scoring 42 points and rolling up 570 yards.

The problem was Stanford had 505 of its own, and it was evenly spread throughout the game, as well as between running back Toby Gerhart (223 yards rushing, three touchdowns) and quarterback Andrew Luck (251 yards, two TDs).

"We had a real hard time stopping them," Ducks coach Chip Kelly said.

The Ducks entered the game ranked 20th in the nation in total defense (301 yards per game) and 19th in scoring defense (17.13). They had surrendered just 58 points in their first five Pac-10 games.

Gerhart and Luck didn't seem impressed. If the Ducks ganged up to stop Gerhart, Luck beat them downfield. If they dropped into coverage, Gerhart bowled them over.

Stanford also seemed to consistently get the upper hand at the line of scrimmage, and defensive tackle Brandon Bair said the Cardinal confused them with formations that gave them extra blockers at the point of attack.

"It was something we needed to adjust to and it took us too long to do it," he said. "We didn't give it the attention we should have."

As for why the Ducks failed to pressure Luck?

"We needed to keep guys back in coverage and we didn't have a chance to get as much blitzes as we normally wanted," Bair said.

The Ducks were sloppy at times on both sides of the ball, despite not committing any turnovers. They were flagged for nine penalties for 89 yards -- a number of which came at inconvenient times -- and dropped a handful of passes.

Kelly took note of those, but he wouldn't blame them on a hangover from the USC victory.

"We got beat by a better team," he said. "If you say we were looking behind or ahead, it takes away from Stanford. Stanford is a heck of a football team."

Oregon (7-2, 5-1) and Arizona (6-2, 4-1) are the only Pac-10 teams that control their own destiny. They play in Tucson on Nov. 21.

Thus Kelly's message in his locker room after the game

"The same thing I told them after the Boise game: One game doesn't define you," he said.

The Ducks will start their second push for redemption Saturday at home against Arizona State.

Posted by ESPN.com's Ted Miller

	AP Photo/Marcio Jose Sanchez
	Stanford running back Toby Gerhart, center, is congratulated by fans after Saturday's 51-42 win over Oregon.

STANFORD, Calif. -- Stanford sat at home during its bye week and watched Oregon shred USC 47-20. Most of the nation went, "Wow!" The Cardinal went, "Hmm."

They took some notes. They paused and rewound some video. They grinned when reporters asked them if they felt intimidated facing the No. 1 offense and No. 1 defense in the Pac-10.

And then they went out and ran all over the eighth-ranked Ducks in a 51-42 victory.

Stanford coach Jim Harbaugh, in fact, called the bye week an "improvement week." It was one of many correct calls he's made of late.

While Oregon rallied in the fourth quarter, this one was about a balanced Stanford offense that never let up. Running back Tony Gerhart piled up a school-record 223 yards on 38 carries and scored three touchdowns, while redshirt freshman quarterback Andrew Luck passed for 251 yards and two scores with no interceptions. His favorite target was Chris Owusu, who piled up 111 yards receiving on just four receptions.

"We saw some things that we could take advantage of, but we focused more on us, not them," quarterback Andrew Luck said. "I think that paid off."

Yep. Stanford, now 6-3 on the year and 5-2 in the Pac-10, is bowl eligible for the first time since 2001.

So what? said Harbaugh.

"That's never been our goal," he said. "Our goal has been to win the Pac-10 championship. We're still alive for that."

That's certainly true. Stanford opened the door for a number of teams by handing the Ducks (7-2, 5-1) their first conference defeat.

The Cardinal could make a major statement for themselves if they win next weekend at USC. That should be no problem, considering they have already beaten the two teams that beat USC: the Ducks and Washington.

Stanford led 31-14 at the half and pushed its lead to 48-28 early in the fourth quarter, but the Ducks kept clawing back. They actually outgained Stanford 570 yards to 505 in a contest that was a horror story for defensive coordinators.

"It's scary," Gerhart said. "Normally when you have a 20-point lead, you feel good about yourself. But against them I was till on edge."

Stanford's offense was physically dominant -- let's hear one for power trumping speed for once! -- but a defensive stop and curious coaching call played a big role in the second half.

Stanford stopped Oregon on a fourth-and-3 play on the Cardinal 39-yard line on the last play of the third quarter with the score 45-28. Stanford cornerback Michael Thomas perfectly timed a blitz and tackled Ducks quarterback Jeremiah Masoli for a loss as he tried to run a read-option keeper.

"That was kind of key," Oregon coach Chip Kelly said.

Then, with 15 seconds on the clock and Oregon out of time outs, Harbaugh, leading 48-42, opted to attempt a 47-yard field goal instead of conservatively falling on the ball. A blocked field goal could have been a disaster and would have made him a massive goat if the Ducks had pulled out a miracle finish.

But Nate Whitaker, who'd missed from 44 yards on his previous attempt, booted through the kick, which essentially ended the game.

"I just had a good feeling about Whitaker," Harbaugh said. "I just felt like he was going to make it."

As previously noted, Harbaugh made a number of good calls on this day.

Pac-10 blogger Ted Miller analyzes Stanford's upset win over Oregon from Palo Alto.

Posted by ESPN.com staff

California tailback Jahvid Best has been carted off the field after he landed on the back of his head when he leapt over a defender to score a touchdown in the second quarter against Oregon State on Saturday night.

Posted by ESPN.com's Ted Miller

STANFORD, Calif. -- Oregon couldn't stop Stanford. That's the story.

Andrew Luck completed 12 of 20 for 251 yards with two touchdowns and no interceptions to lead Stanford past Oregon, 51-42. Toby Gerhart rushed for 223 yards and three touchdowns.

Stanford finished with 505 total yards. Oregon had been giving up only 301 yards per game.

Sure, Oregon seemed to suffer a hangover from its 47-20 win over USC last weekend. But this was about Stanford's offense dominating the Ducks defense, and the Ducks offense not being able to keep up.

What does it mean?

It means the Pac-10 is now wide-open. Arizona controls its own fate, but there is so much football left that it's almost meaningless to speculate.

It means the Pac-10 is out of the national title hunt.

It means the Oregon vs. Boise State rankings debate ends.

And it means Stanford, at 6-3, is bowl eligible. The Cardinal haven't gone to a bowl since 2001.

Posted by ESPN.com's Ted Miller

STANFORD, Calif. -- Not yet into the third quarter here, but Stanford running back Toby Gerhart has 176 yards and three touchdowns.

That gives him 16 touchdowns on the season. He entered the game ranked seventh in the country with 124.25 yards per game.

Might his big effort today against the No. 8 team push him back into the Heisman Trophy conversation?