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NORMAN, Okla. — Last week, Oklahoma lost an assistant reputed for being a top-notch recruiter. The Sooners, however, are replacing him with a coach with the same reputation.

Former Arizona defensive coordinator Tim Kish is expected to be named OU’s next linebackers coach, sources have confirmed to SoonerNation. Kish, 57, will take over for ex-OU defensive coordinator Brent Venables, who last week accepted a job to be defensive coordinator at Clemson.

Kish worked with Sooners defensive coordinator Mike Stoops all eight years that Stoops was head coach in Arizona, first as a linebackers coach, then taking over as the primary defensive coordinator before the 2011 season. When Stoops was fired after a 1-5 start, Kish was named interim head coach and guided the Wildcats to a 3-3 finish.

Kish has been in coaching for more than 30 years, with stints in the Big Ten, MAC and Ohio high school ranks. He has been one of Arizona’s top recruiters, focusing primarily on the California area, where the Sooners have made inroads in recent years. In this upcoming class, OU has secured verbal commitments from wide receiver Derrick Woods (Inglewood, Calif.) and tight end Taylor McNamara (San Diego).

In the Hemingway novel, "The Sun Also Rises," a character is asked how he went bankrupt. He replies, "Two ways ... gradually and then suddenly."

And so we have the firing of Arizona coach Mike Stoops midway through his eighth season Monday.

On Oct. 30 of last year, Arizona won at UCLA and improved to 7-1 overall. The Wildcats, then ranked 13th in the AP poll, were headed to Stanford for a marquee showdown. The program's first-ever Rose Bowl was in play. Stoops was coming off consecutive eight-win seasons. He appeared to be on the cusp of becoming a hot coaching prospect.

But the Wildcats were slammed 42-17. It would be the first of 10 consecutive losses to FBS teams. As the losses piled up, "hot" became the way to describe Stoops' seat instead of his prospects.

Stoops, 49, inherited a program in the absolute dregs in 2004. The Wildcats hadn't posted a winning season since 1998. After a slow start, he led Arizona to three consecutive bowl games.

But the wheels came off badly this season. After opening with a victory over Northern Arizona, the Wildcats were blown out in four consecutive games. The schedule was brutal. The losing streak included two losses each to Oregon, Stanford, Oklahoma State and USC. But it also included one to archrival Arizona State to end the 2010 regular season. Then on Saturday, the Wildcats lost to then 0-4 Oregon State.

When the Wildcats lost to the beleaguered Beavers, the universal reaction was Stoops was in trouble. But few figured it would end so quickly.

Stoops was told Monday afternoon by athletic director Greg Byrne of the decision to fire him. Defensive coordinator Tim Kish will serve as interim coach.

“It just ended," Stoops said. "That’s his decision as the leader of the program. It is what it is.”

Byrne and school president Eugene Sander told reporters at a news conference announcing the decision that the speculation on Stoops' future was becoming a distraction.

Stoops will get a $1.4 million buyout. When I talked to him Monday, he was more gracious than grim. It's possible that the losing and frustration were wearing him down as much as they were fans and administrators.

Stoops, who leaves Tucson with a 41-50 overall record and a 27-38 mark in conference games, was heavily criticized for his animated sideline persona. He was not a guy who tried to hide his frustrations -- at officials, players or other coaches -- during games. When he won, it was tolerated, even amusing. When he lost, it was seen as a significant negative.

And little went right this year, starting in spring practices, when injuries to several key starters -- most notably safety Adam Hall and linebacker Jake Fischer -- started a downward spiral.

Two other issues hounded Stoops: (1) He had the best quarterback in program history in Nick Foles (the Wildcats haven't had a quarterback who even approximates Foles); (2) the defense, Stoops' bailiwick, is terrible.

Don't cry too hard for Stoops, though. He'll land on his feet. He's respected and well-connected as a coach -- his brother is Oklahoma coach Bob Stoops and he's good friends with Nebraska coach Bo Pelini. He'll get job offers, most likely in the short term as a defensive coordinator. And he's probably learned plenty of lessons during his first tour as a head coach that might help him get a second chance.

So what next for Arizona?

The first question: How much is Arizona willing to pay? Stoops' $1.4 million annual salary sounds great for most of us, but is fairly middling among marquee coaches. And beyond Stoops' replacement, you have to pay a coaching staff. Salaries for assistant coaches have gone way up, well beyond what Stoops' staff was paid.

Top name you will hear: Boise State's Chris Petersen. Three words: Huge long shot.

Second name: Mississippi State coach Dan Mullen. Three words: Huge long shot.

Just because Byrne knows Petersen and Mullen doesn't mean either is eager to bolt to an uncertain situation.

Other names: Former Oregon coach Mike Bellotti, former Texas Tech coach Mike Leach and former All-American Ricky Hunley.

All three of those guys would raise enthusiastic eyebrows. Each has plenty to offer.

The Wildcats are off until playing host to UCLA on Oct. 20, a Thursday night game. It will be interesting to see how the players react. Part of the reasoning to dump Stoops now was to make it easier for players to focus.

If the Wildcats were to end their losing streak, that reasoning would make sense.

And, of course, Arizona fans can always start thinking about basketball season.

Is the Pac-16 practically a done deal? Or is poor, ol' Baylor going to rally folks around Texas-ness, as if Texas is a foreign country or sumptin?

Or will legal threats complicate things? There's talk of lawyering up!

I thought folks in Texas liked free markets.

There's lots of speculation. Lots of "sources said." Here's the latest, which probably won't be anything like what actually happens.

• Jon Wilner writes that more than a few folks don't see Texas as being part of the deal. That might be true, but that would require Texas to (again) make a short-sighted business decisions. The Longhorns' most lucrative long-term move is the Pac-16. Period. Texas' best bet is to hush up and listen to Larry Scott, who's playing chess while others play checkers.
• George Schroeder, who knows his way around Oklahoma, believes the Sooners are on the cusp of joining the Pac-12, if not this week, then next.
• If you read the contract, there's little that prevents compromise on the Longhorn Network, so it could fit within a Pac-16 framework.
• Oklahoma coach Bob Stoops was grandstanding when he talked about ending the series with Texas -- about 2 percent chance of that happening -- but he probably enjoyed doing it.
• Colorado, which was eager to go all Californy, isn't eager to be reunited with its landlocked exes.
• Expansion? The coaches are focused on games but for the most part they've accepted it as inevitable.

Lots going on. Lots of chatter.

Here's the take-away.

The Pac-12, the Pac-14, the Pac-16 -- whatever -- is well-positioned. Commissioner Larry Scott is in a seat of power. Most of the players here are coming to him with hats in hand. He saw this coming months ago. And his conduct as commissioner thus far suggests he has a clear plan and vision that will work out best for the conference.

You don't have to like it. But you probably will have to get used to it.

Ivan Maisel's Northwest tour continues at Oregon State, where the Beavers are trying to bounce back from their first losing record in five years.

The offseason hasn't been kind to Mike Riley's squad -- lots of injuries to key players, most notably WR James Rodgers -- but Riley is always a glass-half-full guy, even as nearby rival Oregon has climbed to the top of the college football world:

Oregon State football is the guy who lives down the street from the guy who won the lottery. Oregon used to be a regular Joe, too. The two schools used to never stray too far from one another in the basement of the league.

The University of Oregon, just a half-hour or so from Corvallis, has become the heartthrob of college football. America can't wait to see what it wears every Saturday, much less how it plays. The Ducks have benefited from the largess of former Ducks track athlete Phil Knight, who has lavished his swooshed millions on his alma mater.

Maisel also points out the unprecedented success for Riley in his hometown of Corvallis, as well as how Riley makes it work.

He couldn't be much more successful, either. Riley has a record of 69-54 in his 10 seasons at Oregon State (1997-98, 2003-10). If the Beavers win six games this fall, he will have more victories than any coach in the school's history. That's as good a description of the uphill nature of Oregon State football as any. Bob Stoops has won 75 games since he picked up his last dealer car.

Riley wins at Oregon State, like others haven't, because he can look at the unnoticed recruit and see the NFL player within. In an era in which the marquee programs no longer redshirt, Riley continues to swear by it. "This program is a development program," he said. "We love those redshirt years. ... We're not going to get the ready-made guy with five stars beside his name.

When those players come out the other side, Oregon State has older players playing against younger ones. And they're pretty good, too. Two years ago, the NFL drafted seven Beavers, which made Oregon State second only to USC.

And what of the Beavers' prospects this season? Of course, Riley is optimistic.

"This team is going to have to be a great 'team.'" Riley said. "People are going to have to step up. I told the team this [on Tuesday]: This team, almost to a man, has improved noticeably from last year."

Bowl games are rewards for successful seasons. At least that's the theory.

But what if you lose your bowl game? What does that say about that so-called successful season?

It's hard to call a bowl game a "must-win" because it's really not -- rarely does a bowl, for example, determine a coach's fate. But it seems reasonable to measure the four Pac-10 bowl games in terms of "need to win."

So this is the third in our series rating how much each of the conference bowl teams needs to win its bowl game. You can review the first entry here and the second one here. We're working our way up from the bottom, so this No. 3.

Valero Alamo Bowl, Dec. 29, 9:15 p.m. ET (ESPN)
Oklahoma State Cowboys (10-2) vs. Arizona Wildcats (7-5)

The set up: Arizona will arrive in San Antonio lugging along a four-game losing streak that ruined a 7-1 start. Oklahoma State will arrive with one of the best offenses in the nation, but it's probably still smarting from a nailbiting 47-41 loss to rival Oklahoma that cost the Cowboys a top-10 ranking and shot at a BCS bowl game. The Cowboys boast perhaps the best offensive skill position troika in the nation in Biletnikoff Award winning receiver Justin Blackmon and a pair of All-Big 12 first-teamers in quarterback Brandon Weeden and running back Kendall Hunter. The Wildcats defense, meanwhile, struggled down the stretch, particularly against the run. On the plus side for Arizona, the Cowboys defense, while improved, is vulnerable, particularly against the pass. It gave up 540 yards to Nebraska, including 323 yards passing, and 588 yards to Oklahoma, including 468 yards passing. Arizona quarterback Nick Foles could be in for a big evening. Oh, and Cowboys fans aren't too fond of Stoops brothers. While they won't be able to knock over Bob Stoops this year, they'd surely enjoy doing it to Mike Stoops, whom they remember from his Sooners days.

Why Arizona needs to win: It's simple: The Wildcats don't want to carry a five-game losing streak into the offseason. How can a team view a season as successful when it's capped by a five-game losing streak, no matter how tough the competition? It's certainly not a burden Mike Stoops wants to carry into the offseason. Stoops got off the hot seat in 2008, but there are more than a few Wildcats fans who will start grumbling anew about a final 7-6 record that includes a five-game losing streak AND a loss at home to archrival Arizona State. Further, when the Wildcats are winning, Stoops' hyperactive presence on the sidelines is mostly viewed as amusing or perhaps just an quasi-admirable showcase of unbridled intensity. Yet when they are losing, Stoops' sideline behavior seems to become a bigger issue. If the Wildcats can beat a highly ranked team in a bowl game and win eight games for a third consecutive year, the season likely would be viewed as a moderate success, as another building block as the Wildcats try to take another step forward as a program. If they lose, the season will feel like a step backward.

Why just getting there is enough: Let's be practical: It's hard to win consistently at Arizona, which still puts basketball first. Stoops has built a winning program that has remained competitive in the top half of the Pac-10 for three consecutive years. Further, the Wildcats are substantial underdogs to a highly ranked team that only lost two close games to highly ranked teams, Nebraska and Oklahoma. How can a team be playing a "need-to-win" game when it's nearly a touchdown underdog? And say whatever you want about the season-ending losing streak, but there are five other Pac-10 teams -- including the Sun Devils -- that would gladly switch places with the Wildcats, who are playing in the Pac-10's "No. 1" non-BCS bowl game for a second consecutive season. Arizona fans should be more attuned to making Stoops happy and keeping him in Tucson than criticizing his sideline behavior or putting him on a "hot seat" for not taking another step forward.

Conclusion: These are both reasonable arguments. A five-game losing streak is a terrible way to end a season, but a berth in the Alamo Bowl can hardly be described as a poor season in Tucson. But since when does reasonable apply in college football? If Arizona loses the Alamo Bow, particularly if it gets whipped, it will be a long offseason in Tucson. And more than a handful of pundits will speculate that Stoops needs to produce better results or he will return to the hot seat in 2011.

Needs to win meter (scale of 1 to 10, "10" being a must-win): 7

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

If you don't like where you are in the power rankings, play better.

1. Oregon: The Ducks spent the entire season here. But will the best season in program history end up with a great big "No. 1" beside it?

2. Stanford: The Cardinal have come a long way under Jim Harbaugh. The biggest stress before the Discover Orange Bowl: Will Harbaugh be back in 2011? (Jim, there's no Pac-10 blog in the NFL, so make your decision carefully).

3. Arizona State: The winner of the Territorial Cup may be the front-runner for Year 1 of the Pac-12 South. Hey, Sun Devils, what are you going to do between now and August to get better?

4. Arizona: That. Was. Excruciating. And now the Wildcats ride a four-game losing streak into the Valero Alamo Bowl against a potent Oklahoma State team. Think Brother Bob might have some notes to give Mike?

5. Washington: The Huskies didn't turn out to be as good as we thought they'd be in the preseason. But they may have been scrappier. First bowl game since 2002 is meaningful. Bad news is those Cornhuskers really did a number on the Dawgs in September.

6. Oregon State: This just wasn't the Beavers' year. The downturn actually started when two defensive starters quit during the offseason and continued with injuries -- James Rodgers! -- and players not living up to expectations. It also might help to not play two top-10 teams in nonconference play.

7. USC: So was Lane Kiffin's first year a success? Under the circumstances, there were more encouraging aspects than worrisome ones. And there's grounds for hope going forward, though fans need to understand there will be no return to 2004 over the next three years.

8. California: The direction of Cal is hard to read. Not much was expected of the Bears in the preseason, and that's what they delivered. When Cal fan's chief hope is seeing Harbaugh no longer on the Farm, that's a bit dreary. At the same time: Find a quarterback, rediscover your mojo.

9. UCLA: There are plenty of valid excuses for the Bruins' flop this season, starting with injuries. But, as every coach says, that's part of the game. Coach Rick Neuheisel has some tough choices to make with his staff this offseason. And he will enter 2011 on the hot seat.

10. Washington State: Athletic director Bill Moos made the right call bringing back coach Paul Wulff for his fourth season. The Cougars should be much improved in 2011. But that means Wulff must deliver.

Oklahoma State Cowboys (10-2) vs. Arizona Wildcats (7-5)

Dec. 29, 9:15 p.m. ET (ESPN)

Oklahoma State take by Big 12 blogger David Ubben: Although the Cowboys’ defense made big improvements late in the season, there's no question: Oklahoma State got here with offense. Under new coordinator Dana Holgorsen, the Cowboys have a Biletnikoff Award finalist in receiver Justin Blackmon and a pair of All-Big 12 first-teamers in quarterback Brandon Weeden and running back Kendall Hunter. All three have been tough to stop every time they've taken the field this season.

Oklahoma State's season came down to one game against rival Oklahoma, but a loss to the Sooners kept the Cowboys out of the Big 12 Championship. The bright side: The Cowboys beat out Nebraska and Missouri in the bowl pecking order.

The Cowboys' already historic season -- Mike Gundy's team won 10 regular season games for the first time -- has a great chance to finish on a high note against Arizona. And hey, if the Cowboys can't beat one Stoops, they've got a chance at another in San Antonio. Bob Stoops has bested the Cowboys every year since 2002, but his brother, Mike Stoops, coaches the Wildcats.

---

Arizona take by Pac-10 blogger Ted Miller: Arizona played two seasons in 2010. In the first one, they rolled to a 7-1 record, high national ranking and looked like a Pac-10 contender. In the second one, they lost their final four games.

Most of that was a quirk of the schedule. The final four games were at Stanford, USC, at Oregon and Arizona State. Still, the Wildcats wanted to take another step in the building of a program. They fell short of that goal because they weren't consistent on either side of the ball.

The Wildcats jumped out of the gate quickly and recorded what seemed at the time a marquee victory over Iowa on Sept. 18. That win included a clutch offensive drive led by quarterback Nick Foles and a dominating effort by the defense. But the Wildcats seemed to be lacking that same fire three weeks later in a home loss to Oregon State.

The Wildcats then reeled off three consecutive wins, including two with Matt Scott at quarterback after Foles injured his knee. But that surge proved illusory when the schedule toughened up.

The running game -- the inability to consistently run the ball and stop the run -- has been a problem for Arizona this year, particularly late in the season. It's what prevented the Wildcats from taking the next step.

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.

PASADENA, Calif. -- Some quick hits from media day.

• Coach Mike Stoops with quarterback Nick Foles. Arizona was picked fifth in the media poll after finishing tied for second in 2009.
• Said Stoops: "It's nice to be a little later in the afternoon here." Teams appear on stage in reverse order of conference finish the previous season.
• Stoops: "The ability to mature defensively will be key."
• Stoops on replacing three linebackers: "We feel like we have some talented players."
• Stoops on wide receiver Juron Criner: "He has to be the beast of a receiver outside."
• Stoops: "We're not as deep a team as a year ago but I think we're a better team."
• Foles on being the starter from Week 1 after taking the job in Week 4 in 2009: "The big thing it changes is confidence in the offseason ... I just feel a lot more comfortable going into the season."
• Stoops on possibly playing his brother, Oklahoma coach Bob Stoops: "That's not something we'd ever want to do purposefully ... but sometimes it's inevitable ... hopefully we could play him in the Rose Bowl or national championship game."

Fifth in a series looking at potential dream and nightmare scenarios for all Pac-10 teams, starting at the bottom and working up from my vote in the Pac-10 media poll.

Understand: These are not predictions. They are extreme scenarios and pieces of fiction.

Up next: Arizona

Best case

Toledo and The Citadel got Arizona's vanilla. Iowa got the Rocky Road.

Workmanlike efforts during a 2-0 start didn't generate much buzz, but when the Wildcats roll up 480 yards of offense in a 41-28 slamming of No. 8 Iowa, let's just say the 'Zona Zoo goes politely cuckoo. Quarterback Nick Foles & Co. make a defense reputed to be among the nation's best look like it's stuck in molasses, as five receivers catch at least four passes and Nic Grigsby and Keola Antolin combine for 193 yards rushing.

"Some folks were skeptical whether we could make four coordinators work," says coach Mike Stoops while giving the hairy-eyeball to a mild-mannered Pac-10 reporter. "Well, I've got one thing to say: 'Ha!'"

Arizona prevails over California in a hard-fought battle and, at 4-0, rises to No. 12 in the national rankings with No. 15 Oregon State coming to Tucson. The Beavers arrive having bounced back from a season-opening loss vs. TCU to win at No. 3 Boise State. With Jacquizz Rodgers emerging as a leading Heisman Trophy candidate, Arizona fans try to mount a grassroots effort on behalf of Foles, who's thrown 11 touchdown passes and is averaging 295 yards passing per game. T-shirts and signs are distributed throughout the stadium asking, "Why not Nick?"

Neither Foles nor Rodgers disappoint, but it's the other Rodgers -- receiver James -- who takes a fly sweep 16 yards for the winning score in overtime.

"Our offense is doing great, but we're still looking for answers on defense," Stoops says.

That defense seems to find its rhythm though over the next month. The Wildcats whip Washington State, take revenge on Washington for 2009's controversial ending and slip by UCLA in the Rose Bowl. A trip to Stanford features two ranked teams that are still in the conference hunt and two quarterbacks who are hanging up All-America numbers.

Yet Foles seems out of sorts much of the afternoon as Stanford takes a 28-17 lead into the fourth quarter. Then, just as Andrew Luck and the Cardinal look to be driving for the score that will put the game out of reach, Trevin Wade takes an interception to the house 72 yards for a touchdown. The Wildcats get the ball back with 2:30 left and drive to the Cardinal 8-yard line. On fourth down, Foles scrambles away from pressure and lobs a toss to the corner of the end zone.

Where it falls just out of reach of a diving Juron Criner. It's a dispiriting loss, but Stoops rallies his team the following weekend, as they nip USC 20-17. They head to Oregon after a bye week still with an outside chance to play in the Rose Bowl.

The two teams played a double-overtime thriller the year before in Tucson, and this one is no different in Eugene, with dizzying momentum swings, odd-ball miscues and eye-popping playmaking. Only there is one difference: This time Nate Costa instead of Jeremiah Masoli makes the key plays that save the day for the Ducks in a 41-38 win.

The Wildcats take out their frustrations on Arizona State, blitzing the Sun Devils 33-10 and earning a berth in the Alamo Bowl opposite Oklahoma, which ensures a great media angle but makes Stoops and his brother Bob uncomfortable.

Still, one has to think Mike Stoops feels pretty good about his team's precise execution on both sides of the ball in a 28-20 victory. The Wildcats' 10-3 finish, their best since 1998, lands them at No. 11 in the nation in the final polls.

"It's been a great season, but this program has higher goals," Foles says afterward. "Next year, we want the Granddaddy."

Worst case

Talk about deja vu. For a second consecutive season, Iowa provides a physical humbling that takes the shine off Arizona's 2-0 start.

This time, however, the Wildcats' defense deserves much of the blame for the 40-27 loss, as Nick Foles passes for 250 yards and two touchdowns against a stout Hawkeyes defense. But Iowa's offense, led by senior quarterback Ricky Stanzi, pushes around and picks apart the Wildcats' rebuilding defense.

That becomes the theme of the season: Good on offense, inconsistent on defense. And, of course, that frustrates the defensive-minded Mike Stoops.

"Being inconsistent on offense frustrates me," Stoops says. "You might notice a look of frustration on my face."

The Wildcats squeak by California, in large part because of four Bears turnovers. But Oregon State comes to town, and the Rodgers brothers put together highlight film for the 'Zona Zoo. A win at Washington State is followed by a home loss to Washington, with Jake Locker rushing for 155 yards and passing for 240. Still, after a last-second win at UCLA, the Wildcats remain in position to secure a good bowl berth.

But the schedule over the final third of the season is brutal. Andrew Luck outduels Foles at Stanford. Matt Barkley throws for three TD passes in a USC win in Tucson. Oregon rolls up 500 yards of offense in an easy win in Eugene.

The stakes when Arizona State comes to town are high. Both teams are 5-6. Both, therefore, need a win in order to be eligible for a bowl berth. And, of course, these two programs hate each other.

Arizona leads 21-17 with 12 minutes left and pins the Sun Devils on their own 1-yard line. What ensues, however, will go down as perhaps the worst 12 minutes in program history. The Sun Devils drive 99 yards in 18 plays -- all runs and none longer than seven yards -- as their much-maligned offensive line takes control. Stoops is apoplectic on the sidelines, but it doesn't help.

"I'm worried that his head may explode," remarks the play-by-play announcer.

With 30 seconds left in the game, ASU quarterback Brock Osweiler sneaks in for the game-winning score.

A reporter meekly asks after the game if Stoops will continue to use four coordinators going forward. Four of five news stories the next day reference Linda Blair's 360 degree, head-turning scene in "The Exorcist" to describe Stoops' reaction.

Elite local recruits Christian Westerman and Brett Hundley both announce that they have changed their minds and want to go to Arizona State.

I and the public know
What all schoolchildren learn,
Those to whom evil is done
Do evil in return.

• Lots going on in the off-season for the Stoops brothers.
• A look at the Arizona State offensive line, which is a questionable position for the Sun Devils.
• Will California and Stanford present a united front when the Pac-12 is divided into divisions?
• Andy Staples deconstructs the twittering savant that Stanford coach Jim Harbaugh is.
• UCLA athletic director Dan Guerrero talks Bruins football.
• Former USC coach Pete Carroll takes some shots at the NCAA.
• Jerry Brewer considers Washington QB Jake Locker's East Coast tour.
• Should Washington State recruit in Florida? This article makes a compelling case for the affirmative.
• The blogs of the expanded Pac-12 get together and talk about expansion and what's ahead. Good stuff.

Here's the headline from last year's Pac-10 meetings: "Cost Containment Proposals Highlight Pac-10 Meetings."

Things are a bit more interesting this year.

A report that the Pac-10 is now looking to expand to 16 teams, with the new six all coming from the Big 12 -- Texas, Texas A&M, Texas Tech, Oklahoma, Oklahoma State and Colorado -- sent shockwaves through college football on Thursday.

The Pac-10, according to the reports, would then split into two divisions, with Arizona and Arizona State joining the Big 12 six and the old Pac-8 forming the other division.

(One of my first thoughts was I know two guys who hate the idea: The Stoops brothers, Oklahoma's Bob and Arizona's Mike, who would suddenly be playing not only in the same conference but also in the same division, which means playing every year. Mike Stoops has repeatedly told me he has no interest in playing a game against brother Bob.)

Two immediate questions arise: 1. Is this about to happen? 2. And if it is not imminent, is this still the most likely endgame?

I do not know the answer to either, but my feeling is: 1. No; 2. I'm not sold. Yet.

Before all of this hullabaloo started, Pac-10 commissioner Larry Scott told me that nothing of significant news value would happen this weekend. Yes, he said, expansion was on the agenda and a variety of scenarios would be discussed. Yes, he said, the conference is looking into creating its own network but that can't come into fruition until it first negotiates with its present contracted broadcast partners.

In a lighter moment, he told me he didn't want me to end up like other reporters who wrote about imminent blockbuster expansion scenarios that turned out to not be that imminent after all.

After all of this hullabaloo started, Scott still told other reporters the exact same thing: No invitations have been extended. Nothing has been decided.

Is the "Pac-16" a possibility? Absolutely. Will that scenario be discussed this weekend during the Pac-10 meetings in San Francisco? Without a doubt. And it already has been discussed, according to a source. But so have other scenarios.

Expect expansion to play out over the next few months like a coaching search. Conference presidents and commissioners are working behind the scenes, looking for tango partners. They also are aware of how the media works, so there will be a considerable effort to create plausible deniability. Such as:

Reporter: Has Conference X contacted University of Z?

Commissioner: No.

But, of course, there has been some contact through some sort of back channels using representatives with some sort of authority to represent their organization.

Consider this interesting story on the Big Ten side of things from the Columbus Dispatch. If the Pac-10 has "contacted" Texas -- despite denials -- well, it's not alone. From the Dispatch: "Ohio State University President E. Gordon Gee sent an e-mail to Big Ten Commissioner Jim Delany on April 20 saying that he had spoken with Texas President William Powers."

You can read Big Ten blogger Adam Rittenberg's amusing explication of the story and the e-mails here, but know that the Big Ten's Jim Delany has maintained -- much like Scott -- that the conference hasn't made official contact with any other university.

What should you take away from all this as of Friday, June 4?

Know how Scott has repeatedly said -- to me at least 20 times -- that everything is on the table.

It is. And the endgame options range from no change (still not completely unrealistic) to huge change (more realistic now than it was 24 hours ago).

And now, our expansion links!

• Jon Wilner gives a very reasonable take. Wilner is going to a family wedding on the East Coast this weekend, so he won't be providing on-the-scene updates when things conclude on Sunday. Drat.
• All reports at this point are still speculative.
• Here's a good destination for you expansion-obsessed folks.
• Ray Ratto considers the Pac-10 "meet market."
• Texas, the key to everything, can save the Big 12.
• The Pac-10 and Big 12 were talking alliances. Now they are adversaries.
• Why Texas Tech and not Kansas?
• Colorado doesn't know it's going to be invited to join the Pac-10 (it may just think that it will).
• Does the Big 12's silence speak volumes?
• The Pac-10 pros and cons for Oklahoma and the same for Oklahoma State. (Doesn't that sound strange?) Conclusion: It's a good thing.

Part II of a chat with Arizona's co-offensive coordinator Seth Littrell, who will call the offensive plays this season.

Read Part I here.

We know the established guys: Give me some names of youngsters or former reserves who impressed you.

Seth Littrell: A guy who not a lot people have heard about who had a pretty solid spring was two guys at receiver. Gino Crump, who transferred here last year from West Virginia, has really done some good things and is developing his skills. His deal when he got here was he was inconsistent catching the football, but he did a better job hanging onto the football this spring. He didn't drop as many balls. Also a guy in the same category is Travis Cobb, who is always impressive because he's extremely fast. He can really stretch the field. The biggest thing with him was getting comfortable in the offense. He did a lot better this spring than he did last fall when I don't know how comfortable he was. He was pretty impressive in practices just going to get the football. Nick would drop back and throw a fade route and it would look like it was going to be overthrown by 10 yards and Cobb just runs and gets it. Pure speed, he's probably the fastest guy on our team. Then there's Taimi Tutogi. He played a few games last year and didn't redshirt and played as Chris Gronkowski's backup. But this spring he's really come along. We've done a lot of things with him, from the fullback position to putting him on the line as a tight end, or lining him up at tailback, which we've done in a few practices. He's a guy who, if he develops and gets that confidence as a running back, or fullback, H-back, the more we can expand his role even to tailback also. There's a lot of guys who stepped up and had good springs. Some young O-linemen. It's hard to say one guy. There's a lot of young guys who did some good things this spring.

What will be different about the offense next fall compared to what we saw in 2009?

SL: Hopefully, we'll be better. Without giving away too much, we're going to do some different things, things we were even talking about before Coach Dykes got the head job at Louisiana Tech. We're always looking to expand and looking to get better. I feel like this spring we've done some evaluations of what we feel like we need to do to be a top offense in the country. Even with Coach Scelfo coming in, bringing a new set of eyes and being able to evaluate some of the things we were doing. Sometimes it's good to have something from the outside looking in to give you a different perspective. We've been looking at some of the stuff he did at La-Tech. They were very successful there.

Tell me about how Coach Stoops decided that you would call plays?

SL: The biggest thing with this offense is we are all part of this offense. Obviously, one guy has to be designated to call the plays. In the course of the game, we're all having input. Even though I may be calling the offense, we've called it all week, we have a script, we pretty much know what we're going to do situationally throughout a game. When you're calling it, obviously you've got to get some type of game-time rhythm, know the situations and how to set stuff up. But also at the same time, Frank is going to be in the box with me. Coach Bedenbaugh will be on the field with [receivers coaches Garret Chachere and Dave Nichol]. Really, honestly, it's a matter that coach Bedenbaugh has to be on the field with the O-linemen. That's a huge role for him, being around the linemen the whole game, making adjustments. It would be pretty difficult for him to call plays from down there. Not to say he couldn't because he could but it's really just a matter of me being in the box.

Football coaches, by nature, are fiery guys, as you know from working with the Stoops brothers. Sometimes the collaborative process can get pretty animated: Think everybody will be able to get along?

SL: I don't think there's any doubt. We're all pretty passionate. I've been around coach Stoops for a long time. I played offense [at Oklahoma], but I played under Bob Stoops at OU and Mike Stoops was the D-coordinator. And I've been under [Mark] Mangino and Mike Leach and a lot of different guys. Everybody has their own fire and passion. Obviously, I've only coached with them [at Arizona] for one season but we've been around each other. One thing about Mike is he's passionate about the game but nothing is ever personal. It's about business and winning football games. He knows I'm the same way. We've always gotten along and always had a great relationship. It's going to be no different.

In 2000, Seth Littrell was a fullback and captain of Oklahoma's national championship team.

In 2004, he was a graduate assistant at Kansas.

In 2010, he became the Arizona Wildcats' co-offensive coordinator. And, at 31, will be the youngest play-caller in the Pac-10 and one of the youngest in the nation.

It's been a quick climb through the coaching ranks for Littrell. And there's pressure, sure. Wildcats coach Mike Stoops tapped him to fill the job capably manned last fall by Sonny Dykes, who's now Louisiana Tech's head coach, over two more veteran assistants, line coach and co-coordinator Bill Bedenbaugh and quarterbacks coach Frank Scelfo.

While Littrell goes to great lengths to play down the distinction of calling plays, it's clear that Stoops believes he's got a talented young coach who's up to the job.

The good news is Littrell has a lot to work with. Seven starters return from an offense that averaged nearly 32 points per game in Pac-10 play, including quarterback Nick Foles.

With the Wildcats concluding spring practices last weekend, it seemed like a good time to check in with Littrell.

So give me the rundown of the offense this spring: What are you happy with? What didn't go as well as you wanted it to?

Seth Littrell: Overall, we were pleased. The biggest thing was the effort. We did some different things offensively that we haven't done in the past, trying some new things out to maybe fit us a little bit better personnel-wise with some guys. I think our players really enjoyed it. So overall they were pretty focused and intense. There was good competition. We had a lot of guys with a lot of returning experience so the hardest thing with that a lot of times is they get bored. We tried to find different ways to keep it exciting and keep it enthusiastic. They were willing to come out and work to become the No. 1 offense in the Pac-10, which is always what our goal is. Probably the most disappointing thing was we came out flat in the spring game. I thought we had good work for the most part leading up to that. We were pretty basic and vanilla in the game, but I was a little disappointed in how flat we were. We didn't make plays we'd made all spring. We dropped too many balls, which hadn't been a problem. Way too many turnovers. Things we didn't have issues with during the spring just kind of popped up in a game-type atmosphere. But that's really the only disappointment I had.

Nick Foles, I wouldn't say faded a bit late in the season, but he didn't have a good Holiday Bowl: Where did he get better this spring?

SL: Overall grasp of the offense. In Nick's defense, he played pretty well early in the season but each and every game we put more on him. I don't know if he faded out but looking back on it maybe we had a little too much offense. Maybe he wasn't ready for all that. That's not an excuse for him. He'd only played a few games -- he redshirted and played a few games at Michigan State [from where he transferred] -- so he's still pretty young. We probably could have kept it a little safer for him, not put so much on him. I think the thing he's really improved in is understanding the offense. Understanding that not every play has to be a touchdown. It's about moving the chains and being productive and getting the ball into other guys' hands. He doesn't have to be the superstar. There's 11 guys on the field and everybody has a role to play. He's just one part of that 11.

Where does backup quarterback Matt Scott stand?

SL: I thought Matt Scott had an unbelievable spring. He's probably been one of the guys I've been most impressed with -- he's probably had the biggest jump of anybody. Coach Scelfo does an unbelievable job with those quarterbacks. [No. 3 QB] Bryson Beirne even had a good spring. Things [Scott] needed to work on, he worked on them and bought into it and worked each and every day. He's way more accurate than he was because of the things he's worked on with Coach Scelfo. Another thing is he really took it upon himself to study the offense. He wants to get involved and learn and it showed on the field.

You oversee the running backs: Are there concerns that Nic Grigsby might not be able to stay healthy?

SL: It may appear that way, huh? It wasn't only him, though. I was down to my fifth running back last year. We played five different guys. We had to get [fullback Taimi Tutogi] ready to take some snaps at tailback. It's always a concern for running backs. I've been around offenses that have been two or three years without one injury and they've been some of the smallest guys on the field. It's always a concern, as a running backs coach, keeping your guys healthy. But as long as we're doing what we need to do in the offseason with [strength and conditioning coach Corey Edmond] and the weight room. As long as we are taking care of our bodies, I don't think that should be too big of an issue. I don't know how well we did that last year. Hopefully we learned a big lesson and are trying to protect ourselves better by taking care of our bodies and doing what is necessary in the offseason to prevent some of that.

Seems like you guys are fairly strong on the offensive line: How did they do this spring?

SL: They are a very solid group. Coach Bedenbaugh does an unbelievable job with O-linemen. Just how physical and tough those guys are. They are obviously the leaders on our offense. Everybody kind of looks to those guys and they set the tone. One thing we still have to develop is depth across the board. But when you talk about our first five -- and really up to seven or eight, we've got pretty solid guys -- we're pretty comfortable. As always, and it's the same across the country, everybody is looking for depth across the offensive line.

In Part II on Thursday, Littrell talks about youngsters who stood out this spring, changes in the offensive scheme and why he was tapped the play-caller.

It's probably no surprise that many of our all-decade stories generated a lot of feedback, much of it the "how the heck can you . . . ?" variety.

Some of you made valid points. If it helps any, when putting together the All-Decade team, I grappled most with leaving off California center Alex Mack, Oregon State running back Steven Jackson, Arizona State receiver Derek Hagan and Washington receiver Reggie Williams.

It's too much to go through each gripe.

That said: Couple of things, Cal fans.

First, Aaron Rodgers?

No.

Rodgers had 5,469 career passing yards and 43 touchdowns.

USC's Matt Leinart, who won the Heisman Trophy and two national championships, passed for 10,693 yards and 99 TDs, most in Pac-10 history.

Again: 99 TDs. That's 336 points more than Rodgers.

Then there's Toby Gerhart. Cal fans preferred Marshawn Lynch.

First, Gerhart was a Heisman Trophy runner-up and Doak Walker Award winner. Second, he accounted for 27 rushing touchdowns this past season. Lynch rushed for 29 in his career.

Gerhart, who sat out his sophomore year with a knee injury, finished with 3,522 career rushing yards vs. 3,230 for Lynch. Lynch was a better receiver, no doubt, but even with his six touchdown receptions, his 35 career touchdowns is still well behind Gerhart's 44.

Now, perhaps, Cal fans, you might argue that Gerhart was surrounded by a better supporting cast?

Do you want to argue that?

Now, Oregon State fans, about Steven Jackson . . . er, it's too much to go through each gripe.

To the notes.

Brandon from Phoenix writes: Considering offensive coordinator Sonny Dykes leaving Arizona [for Louisiana Tech], and Foles, Grigsby, and Criner in place. Which coach out there is a good fit to be hired by Arizona to run the potentially great offense in 2010?

Ted Miller: I do not know what Mike Stoops is going to do, but if he called me and said, "Hey, Ted, love the blog. It's so super awesome! By the way, who should I hire as my next offensive coordinator?" I'd say "Josh Heupel," who is presently Oklahoma's quarterbacks coach.

Stoops might have competition though.

Heupel was the quarterback and Stoops was the defensive coordinator when Oklahoma won the 2000 national championship, so they obviously know each other. Heupel has been working under Stoops' older brother, Bob, so there's a strong connection. And Heupel is a spread guy, just like Dykes is.

The only downside: Heupel is a rising star at just 31-years-old. If he were successful, he obviously becomes a hot coaching candidate -- much like Dykes did.

Still, Heupel would be a great get for Arizona and an outstanding tutor for Nick Foles.

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Jai from San Francisco writes: Is Jim Harbaugh really turning down NFL head coaching jobs to stay at Stanford? All my friends from Tennessee, So Cal, & Cincinnati keep telling me not to get all emotionally involved and that all head coaches are the same, but I'm really starting to think he's the one. Am I setting myself up for heartbreak, or can I go ring shopping?

Ted Miller: I'd advise Stanford fans to enjoy the present and be hopeful that Harbaugh sticks around. He's clearly a good coach and good recruiter.

It's always hard to say just how many "offers" a coach actually received. But if we can say Harbaugh was a legitimate candidate at Kansas, the Buffalo Bills and the Oakland Raiders, we can conclude that he's not just going to jump at any job, even if the money is better.

Keep this in mind: While he could make a lot of money elsewhere, he's got a pretty good setup at Stanford. Really, is there any better place to live than Northern California if you've got the money to support the lifestyle?

Is Harbaugh going to retire as Stanford's coach? Unlikely. But he may stick around long enough to win a few bowl games and earn the right to take the next step up the coaching ladder.

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Bob from the Bay Area writes: As the "Pac-10 guy", who can influence public perception of the conference, I have one small request.Yes, USC won 7 titles. BUT, it shared 3 of them.When writers write that USC won 7 titles without the modifying phrase, it simply reinforces the 1 King and 9 Dwarfs image. "Won outright or shared" is not that many words to modify.

Ted Miller: Fair enough.

USC shared the Pac-10 title in 2002 (Washington State), 2007 (Arizona State) and 2006 (California).

And one of those years, 2002, USC lost the tiebreaker and didn't go to the Rose Bowl.

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Gary from Portland writes: The Oregon-Oklahoma replay...sigh. I was at the game and here's what it looked like from the stands. At the time, no one in the stadium knew what really happened. They ran the replay on the jumbotron only once. The fans didn't know. The coaches didn't know. The players didn't know. It was simply a close call that went Oregon's way. (OK benefited from several calls earlier in the game, by the way.) And at the point, guess what? Oklahoma was still leading! It isn't like the blown call handed Oregon the win. It isn't the Oregon's players fault that Oklahoma's defense stopped playing. And still, OK had a chance to win with a field goal after Ducks took the lead -- yet they let the Ducks block the field goal to seal the victory.So, had OK recovered the onsides kick, the surely would have won. But that's not why they lost. A close call went against them, and Ducks outplayed them from that point on.

Ted Miller: Gary makes a valid point that's popular among Oregon fans: Oklahoma was not the first team to lose a game in which a lousy call went against it at a critical moment.

Still -- and most Oregon fans realize this -- that was a horrible, horrible call.

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Gerry from Scottsdale writes: Every time someone writes about Pete Carroll winning two national championships, someone insists he only won one and that 2003 doesn't count. What's your take?

Ted Miller: USC won national titles in 2003 and 2004. Period. There is no debate, discussion or question.

It's not valid, or legitimate, or honest to say otherwise.

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Sam from Nashville writes: I don't listen to much local sports talk radio, but every time I've tuned in this past week its been about Kiffin. These people hate him. One ridiculous comment after another and the collective Vol fandom has no memory or perspective. Its a big family hate fest out here.I'm looking forward to providing Vol fans some perspective on the West during Oregon's trip east on September 11 and to the unavoidable Neuheisel / Kiffin drama that is sure to come out of LA in 2010.

Ted Miller: I understand where you are coming from, Sam, but a lack of perspective is fundamental to passionate fans.

And Tennessee has as passionate fans as any team in the nation.