ESPN College Football

Again, we love lists. We love rankings.

The Sporting News goes all out with its latest: Ranking all FBS coaches from Nos. 1 to 124. From No. 1 Nick Saban -- no argument -- to UMass' Charley Molnar in last place.

How does the Pac-12 rate? Oregon's Chip Kelly rates No. 6 overall and first in the conference -- no argument -- and 11 of the 12 rank among the top 75. Colorado's Jon Embree is rated No. 106, but, of course, that's entirely based on him being a first-time head coach in just his second year taking over a major rebuilding project.

The Pac-12 coaches go like this:

6. Chip Kelly, Oregon
17. Mike Leach, Washington State
20. Lane Kiffin, USC
21. Kyle Whittingham, Utah
30. Steve Sarkisian, Washington
32. David Shaw, Stanford
39. Rich Rodriguez, Arizona
55. Mike Riley, Oregon State
57. Jeff Tedford, California
68. Jim Mora, UCLA
75. Todd Graham, Arizona State
106. Jon Embree, Colorado.

Kevin and I ranked the Pac-12 coaches a few weeks back -- you can see our lists here.

Such lists are, obviously, subjective and highly fluid. You can bet any such ranking of coaches will look substantially different in mid-January. So I'm not going to quibble much with TSN's list, even if I did slap my forehead a few times.

Not too much.

Whittingham and Rodriguez are too low.

For one, it's cloudy how BYU's Bronco Mendenhall, ranked 15th, is ahead of Whittingham. They have nearly identical records in seven years and Whittingham is 4-3 against Mendenhall. He also has a Sugar Bowl victory over Alabama -- and Saban -- and is 6-1 in bowl games. And, er, did anyone at TSN see last year's Holy War in Provo?

As for Rodriguez, too much is made of his Michigan tenure, a mismatch from the beginning where everything was stacked against him. And it's not only his success at West Virginia, which included four Big East titles and two Coach of the Year awards, that should push him into the top 25. It's also what he did at Glenville State -- practically (re)inventing the spread option offense -- and as the offensive coordinator at Tulane and Clemson.

As for the Pac-12 in general, TSN notes its average ranking of coaches is 43.8, which ranks third behind the Big 12 (27.2) and SEC (43.8).

The Oregon State Beavers announced Thursday that it has scheduled the Chicago Bears to a home-and-home series.

The 1985 Chicago Bears.

No, not really, but the Beavers continue to be the most aggressive schedulers in the nation.

The school announced that it will play BYU in a home-and-home series in 2011 and 2012.

The first game will be in Corvallis on Sept. 3, 2011. The second will be in Provo, Utah on Sept. 1, 2012.

Oregon State's nonconference schedule in 2012: at BYU, Wisconsin and Boise State.

The Beavers slate in 2011: BYU, at Wisconsin, at Hawaii. They also are looking for a 13th game -- either Sept. 17 or Nov. 19 -- because of the NCAA’s exemption rule that allows a team to play an additional contest over the 12 dates when traveling to Hawaii.

Texas? Maybe Alabama?

The 2011 meeting will be the tenth between the two programs in a series that dates back to 1955. Oregon State has won five of the previous nine meetings but lost to the Cougars in last December’s MAACO Bowl Las Vegas 44-20. The Beavers and BYU played six previous times in Corvallis, with the Beavers victorious four times, including a 24-19 upset win over the then No. 20 Cougars in 1977.

“I have great admiration for the BYU program and what Coach (Bronco) Mendenhall and the Cougars have accomplished,” coach Mike Riley said in a statement. “I think both teams enjoyed being around each other at the Vegas Bowl last December and I know our team will look forward to these games in the future.”

There are plenty of staff connections. Mendenhall was a starting safety and two-year letterman (1986-87) at Oregon State under then head coach Dave Kragthorpe. He later served as a graduate assistant coach at OSU (1989-90) and returned to the Beaver sideline as the defensive line coach (1995) and defensive coordinator (1996). In addition, BYU offensive line coach Mark Weber held the same position at OSU (1987-90).

Oregon State's nonconference slate this fall: vs. TCU in Cowboys Stadium on Sept. 4; vs. Louisville on Sept. 18; at Boise State Sept. 25.

One word: ouch.

Don't expect either Jeff Tedford or Mike Riley to suggest that Utah or BYU would be "mid-level" Pac-10 teams over the next few days.

That assessment about BYU made by then-Oregon coach Mike Bellotti in 2006 came back to bite the Ducks and the Pac-10 when the Cougars rolled to a 38-8 Las Vegas Bowl victory.

Utah fans probably don't spend much time fretting perceived slights lobbed at rival BYU, but conference pride is an issue anytime the Pac-10 and Mountain West square off, as they will twice early next week when Oregon State faces BYU in the MAACO Las Vegas Bowl on Tuesday and Tedford's Bears take on Utah in the San Diego County Credit Union Poinsettia Bowl on Wednesday.

The Pac-10 is a BCS conference. The MWC is the best of the non-AQ conferences. That means one conference wants to prove it belongs at the expense of one that already does.

Tedford obviously has no interest in fanning any perceived rivalry flames.

"The Mountain West is as strong as there is. I have a lot of respect for everybody in their conference," he said. "We have a lot of respect for them. I don't know if we look at it like a rivalry-type thing."

As for Riley, controversial comments really aren't his style, not to mention that BYU coach Bronco Mendenhall is a former Beavers player and coach and he and Riley have become friendly through the years.

"I have a lot of respect for him," Riley said.

Notice the respect theme?

Still, things have been fairly spirited between the Pac-10 and MWC since the 2006 Las Vegas Bowl. Much was made of the MWC going 6-1 vs. the Pac-10 during the 2008 regular season. Less has been made of the Pac-10 running off four consecutive victories since then. The Pac-10 went 6-3 vs. the MWC in 2007.

No. 23 Utah and No. 14 BYU are ranked ahead of their Pac-10 foes, unranked Cal and No. 18 Oregon State. But the Bears and Beavers are both slight favorites to win.

The conference rivalry, however, is mostly an issue among fans. Motivation and attitude will be bigger issues for the players.

Three of the teams are coming off season-ending defeats and none of the four teams are thrilled about their bowl destination.

BYU had hopes for a BCS bowl berth when it opened with a victory over Oklahoma. Those fizzled after blowout defeats to Florida State and TCU.

Instead of a BCS bowl, the Cougars are playing in their fifth consecutive Las Vegas Bowl. Feel free to consider the humor of BYU being redundantly sent to Sin City.

Utah, meanwhile, has played three ranked teams this year and lost to all three, most painfully to BYU, 26-23, in the season-finale. The Poinsettia Bowl won't feel much like last year's Sugar Bowl berth opposite Alabama, a victory that capped an unbeaten season.

Cal once was ranked sixth in the country, but it was thoroughly drubbed in each of its four losses, including a stunningly poor performance in the season finale at Washington that ended a late-season surge with a thud.

Oregon State also lost its season-finale to rival Oregon. That only cost the Beavers a berth in the Rose Bowl.

So which teams will overcome disappointment, be focused in practice and play with a sense of urgency come game time?

The teams that end up winning.

"It's one of those life lessons for everybody," Riley said. "Disappointment is not a bad thing."

Riley said it's all about how a team responds to adversity. He said his team appears to be responding well and will not use disappointment as an excuse.

Said Tedford, "There's been a lot of excitement... I sense an eagerness to have another opportunity to play."

What are the stakes then upon which that excitement is based?

None of the four want to be perceived as a mid-level Pac-10 team.

You're a foul one, Mr. Grinch.
You're a nasty, wasty skunk.
Your heart is full of unwashed socks
Your soul is full of gunk.
Mr. Grinch.
The three words that best describe you,
are, and I quote: "Stink. Stank. Stunk."

• Arizona will be looking for a new athletic director because Jim Livengood is leaving whether UNLV hires him or not. The Wildcats are bringing in some defensive talent.
• Chip Kelly isn't the only reason Oregon's offense is clicking.
• Applause from John Canzano on Oregon State's apparent decision to add TCU to its 2010 schedule. Mike Riley and Bronco Mendenhall have a history.
• Stanford running back Toby Gerhart was a unanimous choice for the AP All-America team.
• UCLA Bruins are piling up postseason honors.
• With Josh Pinkard out for USC, it will be interesting to see who emerges in the Emerald Bowl at cornerback. Where does Matt Barkley rank among the deep roster of Pac-10 QBs in 2010?
• A history of Washington players who left early for the NFL draft, a list that quarterback Jake Locker won't be on. Jim Moore has more to say on Locker's decision to return.
• Maybe the bowl season will reveal the best conference of the 2009 season.

His lack of education is more than compensated for by his keenly developed moral bankruptcy.

• Arizona scores against Nebraska -- in recruiting. Defensive coordinator Mark Stoops' name continues to bounce around as a hot coaching candidate.
• Jeff Metcalfe makes a great point here about Arizona State's season.
• We're going to call this one of the few bad parts of the "LaMichael James Effect."
• BYU coach Bronco Mendenhall isn't getting sentimental about playing Oregon State.
• Stanford coach Jim Harbaugh might not become Notre Dame's head coach, but that doesn't mean he's not a candidate. Speaking of candidates, Toby Gerhart is one for college football's highest honor. By the way, ending zero mystery, Gerhart let it slip that he's entering the NFL draft.
• USC receiver Damian Williams is outspoken about the Trojans' season.
• A former NFL quarterback thinks Jake Locker should return for his senior year at Washington. Some notes from Steve Sarkisian's press conference.
• Some final Pac-10 report cards.