Posted by ESPN.com's Ted Miller
Not easy to do the middle this week.
1. Oregon: Ducks defense is carrying the team, but Oregon needs to get healthy in order to continue its push toward the elite.
2. USC: The Trojans can deliver a national statement at Notre Dame on Saturday. The Oct. 31 date with the Ducks looms.
3. Oregon State: At home, the Beavers crushed Stanford but lost to Arizona. Stanford pounds Washington, but Washington beats Arizona. So what's a power ranker to do? Beavers climb because they're riding a two-game winning streak. And they always do this.
4. Arizona: How can the Wildcats rank ahead of Washington? Would the numbers from the game at Husky Stadium satisfy as an explanation? You know, other than the scoreboard?
5. Stanford: The Cardinal's climb hit a snag in Corvallis. The visit to Arizona on Saturday should be revealing for both teams.
6. Washington: The Huskies, at 3-3, legitimized bowl hopes by finding a way to win against Arizona. Now can they get a first road win at Arizona State?
7. UCLA: Bruins have lost two in a row with the offense still trying to find its rhythm. Sounds a bit like the team that comes calling Saturday: California.
8. Arizona State: The Sun Devils struggled at Washington State and are uncertain at quarterback. Beat the Huskies, though, and the season is back on track.
9. California: Cal can climb out of its dark hole at UCLA. Or not. Two desperate teams in the Rose Bowl.
10. Washington State: The Cougars are fighting. They just don't have any firepower.
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ABOUT THIS BLOG
Ted Miller
Miller has been covering college football since 1997, starting with Auburn and then heading West to Washington and the Pac-10. His columns for the Seattle Post-Intelligencer won first place in 2007 APSE Best Writing contest. The Atlanta native and University of Richmond graduate presently lives with his wife in Scottsdale, Ariz.
