ESPN College Football

The Heisman Pundit has released its official 2012 Heisman Trophy Watch List, and as you’d expect, it’s the usual suspects from the Pac-12 on the list.

Though in alphabetical order, it’s widely assumed that USC quarterback Matt Barkley is the front-runner with all others playing catch-up before the first snap has been taken. Here’s the list.

• Tavon Austin, Sr., AP, West Virginia
• Montee Ball, Sr., RB, Wisconsin
• Matt Barkley, Sr., QB, USC
• Tajh Boyd, Jr., QB, Clemson
• Tyler Bray, Jr., QB, Tennessee
• Knile Davis, Jr., RB, Arkansas
• James Franklin, Jr., QB, Missouri
• Landry Jones, Sr., QB, Oklahoma
• Collin Klein, Sr., QB, Kansas State
• Marcus Lattimore, Jr., RB, South Carolina
• Aaron Murray, Jr., QB, Georgia
• Keith Price, Jr., QB, Washington
• Denard Robinson, Sr., QB, Michigan
• Geno Smith, Sr., QB, West Virginia
• De’Anthony Thomas, So., RB, Oregon
• Sammy Watkins, So, WR, Clemson
• Tyler Wilson, Sr., QB, Arkansas
• Cierre Wood, Sr., RB, Notre Dame

The Pac-12 blog entertained which player from the conference we thought would emerge as the Heisman winner in a Take 2 back in March. Watch lists are always subject to change, and until we actually see some games, it’s only fun speculation at this point.

No question that Barkley is the early leader in the minds of many. Given his statistics last season, the receivers he has around him and the lofty preseason ranking the Trojans are expected to enjoy, he’s looking down on the pack – at least for now.

Thomas is going to have big play after big play this season, which makes him a very strong Heisman candidate. His exploits can be packaged into an explosive highlight reel that is easily digestible for East Coast voters. No one ever gets tired of seeing 85-yard touchdown runs (unless you're safeties chasing Thomas).

Price lacks the national brand at this point, but that could all change in Week 2 in Baton Rouge. A strong showing against LSU is certain to boost his exposure and could catapult him from dark horse contender to major candidate. And then he's got Stanford, Oregon and USC all in the first six games. He could be the leader at the turn ... or slip out of the running all together.

TEMPE, Ariz. -- On Jan. 6, Mike Bercovici was chilling with some friends when he got a call from Arizona State receiver Aaron Pflugrad. There, it seemed, was some big news for the Sun Devils' backup quarterback.

In a surprise to many, junior Brock Osweiler, the Sun Devils' starting quarterback, had decided to enter the NFL draft.

"My mindset changed immediately," Bercovici said. "I was really excited when I heard the news."

Of course he was. It's natural that the backup becomes the favorite to win the job when the starter leaves. Osweiler's decision meant Bercovici was suddenly in line to become No. 1 on the depth chart a year earlier than expected -- as a true sophomore.

But, as everyone also knows, Osweiler also wasn't the only person who bolted the Sun Devils. When coach Dennis Erickson was fired, offensive coordinator Noel Mazzone and his spread passing attack moved on to UCLA. Enter Todd Graham and his spread-option, Oregon-esque offense, which asks the quarterback to be a running threat.

Bercovici has a big arm but isn't really known for his ability to run the ball.

"I'm not as familiar with the zone read," he said.

The guy who lost out on the backup job to Bercovici last preseason, sophomore Taylor Kelly, however, does have experience running the spread option. And, oh by the way, redshirt freshman Michael Eubank, an impressive athlete at 6-foot-5, 235 pounds, was recruited by Graham to play quarterback at Pittsburgh.

"He tells me he knows me. He's told me that numerous times since he's been here," Eubank said. "But I'm fighting for the job like the rest of the guys. I don't feel like I have any advantage just because I know him."

What we do know: This feels like an honest-to-goodness battle. This offense seems to fit Kelly's and Eubank's comfort zone better than Bercovici's, but Graham's offense also emphasizes throwing the ball downfield -- much more so than Mazzone's quick-hit passing attack. Bercovici can hurl the rock downfield, there is absolutely no doubt about that.

But Graham isn't talking so much about the different skill sets of his signal-callers. For one, spring practices only start Tuesday, so he hasn't seen them in action. But he makes clear that there's a lot more to playing the position than passing and running.

"We spend a lot more time focusing on the intangibles, the mental part of it," he said. "The guy who will win this job will be the guy who can lead our team."

That said, becoming proficient with the spread option is a key component of the competition. But it's not all about athletic ability and blazing speed, either.

"The read zone is a part of what we do," Graham said. "We want to hurt them with our legs but slay them with our arm. Most of the guys in this system have been between 4.8 and 5-flat [in the 40-yard-dash], but if you have great technique you can be very deceptive in the option game."

(Graham said his offense best compares to what Chad Morris runs at Clemson and what new Arkansas State coach Gus Malzahn ran as Auburn's offensive coordinator).

None of the three has any real college experience. And all three are young, so whoever wins could be in line to be a three- or (in Eubank's case) four-year starter. Graham and offensive coordinator Mike Norvell said each will get equal time with the first-team offense until a pecking order establishes itself.

"I don't have a timeline for when we're going to cut it to a two-man race or when we're going to name a starter," Norvell said. "It's a process and it's going to take its course. We're going to see how the guys compete."

And the competition is almost certain to extend well into fall camp.

Said Norvell, "I think I'll find it hard to name a starter after just 15 practices."

Maybe California's Mychal Kendricks really is a better inside linebacker than Arizona State's Vontaze Burfict, even when you don't consider Burfict's baggage.

Kendricks, the Pac-12 Defensive Player of the Year, was the top inside linebacker at the NFL combine on Monday in the 40-yard dash (4.47), vertical jump (39.5) and broad jump (10-7). He tied for fifth overall at the combine in both the vertical and broad jump. He also had a time of 4.19 in the 20-yard shuttle, the fifth fastest for linebackers.

And there's this from Scouts Inc.:

The surprise of the inside linebacker group was California's Mychal Kendricks (5-11 1/8, 239), who absolutely crushed his workout. Kendricks had the top 40 (4.47), vertical (39 1/4) and broad jump (10-7) in the group, and was in the top five in the short shuttle (4.19). He was also above-average on the bench with 24 reps.

Kendricks' explosiveness showed up during drills, when he stayed low to the ground, showed quick feet and was effective shaving the edge as a pass-rusher. He was under control at all times, and this performance combined with good things seen recently on film give him a realistic shot to come off the board late on Day 2.

Things went much worse for Arizona State ILB Vontaze Burfict (6-1 3/8, 248), whose 40 time (5.09) and broad jump (8-7) were well below the four-year averages. Burfict's 2011 film says he's a third-rounder, and when you add in those results along with character baggage and poor interviews his stock is beginning to plummet.

USC linebacker Chris Galippo also struggled a bit:

USC MLB Chris Galippo didn't do enough to show teams he's more than just a two-down linebacker who will come to the sideline on passing downs. Galippo almost lost his balance when asked to backpedal between bags, and he didn't show great burst out of breaks in coverage.

Another Pac-12 defensive standout was former USC end Nick Perry, who ran a blistering 4.64 40. That said, ESPN's Todd McShay is a bigger fan of Clemson's Andre Branch.

Clemson's Andre Branch (6-4 1/4, 259) and USC's Nick Perry (6-2 3/4, 271) are similar conversion/hybrid players and both rank on the edge of the first round. Perry has better workout numbers but Branch is more athletic and shows better bend as an edge rusher. Perry has more straight-line explosiveness, but Branch blows him out of the water in terms of change-of-direction skills and lateral quickness in space.

Another take on Perry:

USC DE Nick Perry had a strong day. There is some tightness in his hips, and it showed when he was asked to open up in space. But Perry moved well enough to give base 3-4 defenses something to think about as a possible outside linebacker. The 271-pounder is quick and gets to depth, and he showed that he can pluck the ball out of the air. His most natural fit is at defensive end, though. Perry showed above-average lateral mobility and quick hands during bag work.

There were a few Pac-12 defenders that didn't burn up the 40, though. Washington defensive tackle Alameda Ta'amu ran one of the slowest 40s at 5.37, but he injured his hamstring while doing so. For the defensive ends, Cal's Trevor Guyton (5.07) and Arizona State's Jamaar Jarrett (5,02) were among the slowest in their position group.

It was about this time last year that people started predicting that Stanford quarterback Andrew Luck would hoist the Heisman Trophy. How'd that work out, by the way? Still, it's not too soon to start looking at some odds.

Odds maker Danny Sheridan -- as originally reported with Alabama flavor by Izzy Gould of al.com -- released his 2012 Heisman odds Tuesday and his list includes three Pac-12 candidates in total and one obvious front-runner.

• USC quarterback Matt Barkley tops the list at 5-1 odds.
• Oregon running back De'Anthony Thomas checks in at 25-1 odds.
• Washington quarterback Keith Price is the darkhorse at 40-1.

At first glance, Barkley is the obvious choice. He has a very good offensive line protecting him -- including the nation's top center in Khaled Holmes (just once, I'd love to see a center get Heisman love). The running game will come together, but until it does, you might see Barkley pass a little more. And why not? With his receivers he should put up crazy good numbers. A little surprised not to see Robert Woods on this list.

Thomas is going to do what Thomas does -- run really, really fast and score a lot of touchdowns. His chances might be hampered a bit by splitting carries with Kenjon Barner (by the way, shouldn't he be on this list also?). But with the amount of plays Oregon runs per game, that shouldn't be too much of a concern. Because Thomas is a speed guy, he's also going to have to get over the national stigma that he can't run between tackles. LaMichael James had the same label, but was quite good this past season at going up the middle.

Price is the wild card of this bunch. Last year, he spent the season with a lot of nagging injuries that forced him to be a better pocket passer. But when healthy -- as we saw in the Alamo Bowl with his three rushing touchdowns -- he can be just as explosive with his legs. Next season he should be a true dual threat and a player that should warrant serious consideration.

Other players picked by Sheridan include:

• Wisconsin running back Montee Ball: 6-1
• Oklahoma quarterback Landry Jones: 7-1
• Michigan quarterback Denard Robinson: 7-1
• West Virginia quarterback Geno Smith: 10-1
• Georgia quarterback Aaron Murray: 12-1
• Arkansas quarterback Tyler Wilson: 15-1
• Kansas quarterback Dayne Crist: 25-1
• Nebraska running back Rex Burkhead: 25-1
• Clemson wide receiver Sammy Watkins: 25-1
• Alabama quarterback AJ McCarron: 30-1

But as we've seen in recent years, there is always an out-of-nowhere candidate that was off the radar. Just looking at this awfully impressive lineup, however, it seems like it's going to be tough for an unknown to wiggle his way in.

Has something seemed odd to you about the BCS bowls this year? Does it seem like ... oh wait, West Virginia just scored again.

Does it seem like ... wait, there goes De'Anthony Thomas. Don't think he'll get caught from behind.

Does it seem like ... wait, would somebody please tackle Justin Blackmon?

Does it seem like there have been a lot of points this bowl season?

It's not just you. There have been a lot of points. More points than ever before. And by huge quantities.

So far, BCS bowl teams have averaged a total of 77 points in the Rose, Fiesta, Orange and Sugar bowls. That, folks, is nearly 26 points more than last year (51.6). And it's nearly 11 points better than the previous high of 66.3 from 2001-02.

Perhaps pairing two SEC teams in the title game has created a black hole sucking all defensive stinginess into the LSU-Alabama rematch, which you might recall went 9-6 with no touchdowns in their first meeting. West Virginia scored 10 touchdowns -- 10! -- against Clemson. Alabama gave up 12 TDs all season.

Speaking of Clemson: ACC. Well, well, well.

After the Tigers ingloriously fell 70-33 to the Mountaineers, we got our second story from the BCS bowl season: The ACC's insistence on throwing up on itself in BCS bowl games.

The conference that was once expected to challenge the SEC is now 2-13 in BCS bowl games. That's hard to do. You'd think in 15 BCS bowls the conference could get lucky at least five or six times. But no, it insists on making ACC blogger Heather Dinich, a genuinely nice person, into some sort of Grim Reaper every bowl season.

Heck, the Big East has won seven BCS bowls -- second fewest among AQ conferences -- but it's 7-7.

Of course, this all ties together, and we're here to bring out a bow, but first a warning: If you don't want to read about how good the SEC is for the 56,314th time this year, then stop reading. I'd recommend an episode of "South Park" or perhaps a John le Carré thriller as an alternative for passing the time.

We can all agree the SEC plays great defense right? Alabama and LSU will play for the title Monday with the nation's top-two defenses. Do you think perhaps that it's not a coincidence that the conference that is 16-7 in BCS bowl games plays great defense?

The only other AQ conference with a winning record in BCS bowl games is the Pac-12, which is 11-7. The Pac-12 isn't known for defense, either, but USC was when it won the conference's last national title in 2004.

The only team to win a BCS national title without an elite defense was Auburn in 2010, but the Tigers' defense seemed to find itself late in the season. Since 1999, eight national champions had a top-10 defense. Other than Auburn, the lowest-rated defense to win a BCS national title was Ohio State in 2002. It ranked 23rd in the nation in total defense.

Three of the four BCS bowl games have been thrillers. Two went to overtime. We've seen big plays all over the field in the passing game and running game. Yet, if things go according to script in the title game, we'll see none of that. We might not see more than a couple of plays that go for more than 20 yards. We might not see any.

Some might call that boring. It might seem that both offenses are so paranoid of making a mistake that they are stuck in mud, both in game plan and execution.

But, snoozefest or not, when the clock strikes zero a team from the SEC will hoist the crystal football for a sixth consecutive time.

That might say something about playing better defense.

» BCS standings reaction: ACC | Big 12 | Big East | Big Ten | Pac-12 | SEC | Non-AQ

Stanford is squarely in the national title race.

The Cardinal moved up from No. 8 to No. 6 in the BCS standings released Sunday.

The Cardinal are No. 3 in the coaches poll and No. 4 in the Harris poll, the two human polls that count in the standings. It's rated No. 9 with the computers, with a high of 6 and low of 21 (the high and low scores are dropped).

But with games against USC and Oregon ahead, as well as the Pac-12 championship game, Stanford should see its computer standing go up significantly if it keeps on winning.

The top five: LSU is No. 1, Alabama No. 2, Oklahoma State No. 3, Boise State No. 4 and Clemson No. 5.

Stanford fans are now rooting hard for Oklahoma State and Clemson to lose. Boise State will eventually fall behind Stanford if both teams remain undefeated.

ESPN numbers guru Brad Edwards said Sunday night that if Clemson, Boise State and Stanford each finished undefeated, the Cardinal would end up on top, with Clemson second.

Oklahoma State, if it finished undefeated, might be another matter. The Cowboys are No. 1 with the computers and have a rugged remaining schedule. The question is can the Cowboys win-out with Kansas State and Oklahoma ahead?

Meanwhile, Oregon is the top one-loss team at No. 7. The Ducks are not out of it if things go haywire, which has happened before.

The Ducks are seventh in both human polls and 12th with the computers.

Arizona State is 21st in the standings.

Bottom line: With Wisconsin and Oklahoma losing over the weekend, the Pac-12 is a much bigger player in the BCS standings.

The final entry in a series looking at potential dream and nightmare scenarios for all Pac-12 teams.

Understand: These are not predictions. They are extreme scenarios and pieces of fiction. You can read last season's versions here.

We're going in reverse order of my post-spring power rankings (which might not be identical to my preseason power rankings).

Up next: Oregon

Best case

The moderator walks into the interview room at Cowboys Stadium: "We have LSU coach Les Miles here. Any comments coach before we take questions?"

"Yes," Miles says, letting out a breath. "Wow."

Four hours before, a pre-game brawl between the Ducks and Tigers was barely averted as the teams stood face-mask-to-face-mask at midfield. Later, the exact cause -- and instigators -- would become a subject of intense speculation and rumor. But both teams went back to their locker rooms before kickoff unhappy with the other.

Pregame: Ducks coach Chip Kelly, splatters of blood spider-webbing down his white shirt, stands amid his players.

"We have practiced better than any team in the nation," he begins. "We have come together for this moment. I'm all about judging ourselves only by the perfection of our effort every day, not by anything outside our program. That's win the day. That's what we are about. But if anger motivates you, then feel free to be angry. It's clear that team doesn't respect you. I will guarantee you this, though. That is going to change."

Oregon outgains LSU 476-220 in a 42-10 victory. Running back LaMichael James rushes for 185 yards and two scores, doing most of his damage between the tackles. The Ducks sack LSU QB Jarrett Lee five times.

"Wow, that's a good football team," Miles says. "They are fast and physical. They will get my vote for No. 1 this week."

The Ducks are voted No. 1 in both polls.

After pounding Nevada and Missouri State, the Ducks visit Arizona. The game is tied 17-17 at halftime. Five minutes into the fourth quarter, the score is 44-17.

"No team explodes like the Ducks," ESPN's Chris Fowler. "They are sort of like my favorite superhero, another green beast, the Incredible Hulk."

"Oh, good one," replies Kirk Herbstreit. "I can just see Chip Kelly, 'Don't make me angry. You wouldn't like me when I'm angry.'"

The Ducks roll over California, Arizona State, Colorado and Washington State. James is neck-and-neck with Stanford QB Andrew Luck in most Heisman Trophy polls.

"I don't care about individual awards," James says. "I care about my teammates and winning -- in that order."

The Ducks head to overflowing Husky Stadium to take on 10th-ranked Washington, which has only lost at Stanford.

An enterprising Huskies fans sells 50,000 purple T-shirts with a cartoon of Kelly passing money to alleged street agent Willie Lyles, and College GameDay runs a story on the bad feelings over the shirts.

"Did Chip Kelly run up the score?" a reporter asks Washington coach Steve Sarkisian after the Ducks whip the Huskies 60-14, their eighth victory in a row in the rivalry, each by at least 20 points.

Sarkisian pauses, "Well, it's our job to stop them. And I guess he thought getting LaMichael James rushing for 300 yards would help his Heisman Trophy chances."

That sets up the biggest conference game in decades: No. 1 Oregon versus No. 3 Stanford.

"One of the biggest regular-season games we've had in a while," Herbstreit says. "Not only will the winner earn poll position in the race for the national title game, you'd have to think either Luck or James wins the Heisman tonight."

Not unlike the 2010 game, Luck and Stanford start quickly and lead at halftime. And not unlike the 2010 game, the Ducks roll in the second half, winning 48-31.

Oregon improves to 11-0 with a 45-17 win over USC. Next up: The Civil War, against 17th-ranked Oregon State.

"Chip, a lot of folks are saying this is the best team of all time," Fowler says from the GameDay set in front of Autzen Stadium. "What do you think?"

"Maybe," Kelly replies.

"What are your feelings on the NCAA clearing you and the program of all wrong-doing in the Willie Lyles investigation?" Fowler asks.

"Who?" Kelly replies. "Oh, you mean, Will. My feelings are ... good."

Oregon whips the Beavers 55-10.

After stomping Arizona State 43-16 in the Pac-12 title game, the Ducks earn a berth in their second-consecutive BCS national championship game. The opponent? Unbeaten and second-ranked Alabama.

James wins the Heisman Trophy.

"The lead story for the national championship game, obviously, is the Ducks top-ranked offense against the Crimson Tide's top-ranked defense," Fowler says. "But SEC fans might be a little surprised that this Pac-12 team can play some D -- see 15.2 points per game. Oh, and by the way, this SEC team can play some offense -- see 41 points per game."

"And, of course, everybody is asking what would it mean for college football if the SEC wins a sixth consecutive national title and adds Texas A&M, Oklahoma, Virginia Tech and North Carolina," Herbstreit replies. "Fair to say much of the college football nation is rooting for the Ducks to bring the SEC back down to earth."

"Other than Washington fans," Fowler quips.

"True that," says Herbstreit.

The Ducks gather inside the Louisiana Superdome.

"Great moments, are born from great opportunity," Kelly says."Forever is about to happen, gentlemen. That is your opportunity: To complete a perfect season and have your name written down on a list of champions where it will never be stricken. Look around this room. Look around! My heart is full of love for you guys. Our bond from this season will never be broken. And that is why we have to live in this moment together. We love this game. Play it with absolute joy tonight. Don't let any play, any moment of this game pass without your absolute focus, your absolute intensity. That is what we owe each other. Forever is about to happen, gentlemen. Lay it on the line. Four quarters for forever."

Oregon trails 24-19 with 12 seconds left. It faces a fourth-and-goal on the Crimson Tide 1-yard line.

"Darron," Kelly says to QB Darron Thomas. "We're going right at them. Tell LaMichael to jump. High."

James is immediately met short of the goal line by Alabama linebacker Courtney Upshaw. He lands, twists. Ducks tackle Mark Asper rams Upshaw. Three more Crimson Tide players surge into Upshaw, James and Asper, and three Ducks join the fracas. What develops is a scrum of 22 bodies moving sideways along the line of scrimmage. With no whistle.

Then everything collapses. It takes two minutes to clear the bodies.

It starts slowly. A hum, an inhale of recognition, then an explosion of joy followed by complete, prolonged pandemonium.

Touchdown, Oregon. The Ducks are national champions.

"It was a great football game," says Alabama coach Nick Saban afterward, "No shame in losing to a great team."

Kelly signs a lifetime contract. He could leave for another job, but he's agreed that he can only do so if he cuts off all of his limbs and leaves them behind. Most think that condition will keep him in Eugene.

Oregon announces it's expanding Autzen Stadium to 100,000 seats and that Nike has figured out a way to get the work done in advance of the 2012 season.

The Ducks sign the nation's No. 1 recruiting class.

The renovation of Husky Stadium uncovers a massive lake of quicksand, into which the entire stadium sinks in just minutes.

The Pac-12 blog's postseason list of the conference's top-25 players is entirely made up of Ducks. Oregon fans complain that the list should number 30.

Worst case

The moderator walks into the interview room at Cowboys Stadium: "We have LSU coach Les Miles here. Any comments coach before we take questions?"

"Yes," Miles says, letting out a breath. "Wow."

He continues, "Did we beat their butts or what?"

The Ducks offense is again stymied by a big, fast defense with extra time to prepare as the Tigers prevail 28-12.

But the Ducks bounce back with seven consecutive impressive victories, rising again to No. 5 in the polls.

"They are still in the national title hunt," notes ESPN's Chris Fowler.

The Ducks head to Husky Stadium to take on unbeaten, fourth-ranked Washington, which handed Stanford its only loss two weeks before.

Oregon leads 28-24 with nine minutes left. A Jackson Rice punt rolls out of bounds on the Huskies 1-yard line.

On first down, Huskies running back Chris Polk rushes for 3 yards. On second down, Polk rushes for 8 yards. On first down, Polk rushes for 4 yards. After 16 plays, Washington has a first down on Oregon's 8-yard line with 40 seconds left.

Polk rushes for 3 yards. Polk rushes for 2 yards. Polk rushes for 2 yards. Polk scores the winning touchdown as time expires.

"Wow, Chris Polk just ripped the hearts out of Oregon fans everywhere!" says Oregon play-by-play man Jerry Allen. "You can see why he's neck-and-neck with Andrew Luck in the Heisman Trophy race. The Huskies clearly are in the national title hunt."

Up next: No. 8 Stanford.

"This looked like the Pac-12 game of the year in the preseason, but right now everyone is chasing the Huskies," observes Fowler.

Luck throws four touchdown passes in a 42-28 win.

The Ducks bounce back with a win over USC.

"If we win the Civil War, we can still go to a quality bowl game," Ducks coach Chip Kelly says."I was reading the paper the other day, and it said we can still get to the Alamo Bowl."

Beavers receiver James Rodgers hauls in a game-winning 2-point conversion in triple-overtime. The Beavers rush the Autzen Stadium field, and chant together, "@%$@! Oregon!"

The Ducks lose to Clemson in the Sun Bowl to finish 8-5.

Washington beats Oklahoma for the national title.

Kelly becomes Georgia's new head coach. The Ducks hire Jim Lambright to replace him. "Now I can be happy about watching Kenny Wheaton return that interception!" Lambright says at his introductory press conference.

On July 20, the NCAA docks Oregon 15 scholarships and gives it a one-year postseason ban.

Nike files for bankruptcy. Phil Knight moves to Tibet, becomes a monk.

Eleventh in a series looking at potential dream and nightmare scenarios for all Pac-12 teams.

Understand: These are not predictions. They are extreme scenarios and pieces of fiction. You can read last season's versions here.

We're going in reverse order of my post-spring power rankings (which might not be identical to my preseason power rankings).

Up next: Stanford

Best case

Stanford doesn't look like it misses Jim Harbaugh much, and rumors about this Andrew Luck guy being pretty good at playing quarterback turn out to be true.

Luck throws six touchdown passes in the Cardinal's first two games, but as big a story is the defense, which pitches a pair of shutouts against San Jose State and at Duke.

At Arizona, Luck throws for two touchdowns and runs for another -- the Cardinal rushed for 225 yards -- in a 38-17 win. The Cardinal heads into the bye week ranked fifth.

"So I was sitting around with Shayne Skov watching TV and the talking heads were talking about balancing the budget," Luck says during his weekly sit-down with reporters. "So Shayne and I got to talking about it. We ordered a pizza and got out some graph paper and in about 90 minutes we figured out how to balance the budget without cutting Social Security or Medicare."

"Or defense!" Skov adds.

"Oh, Shayne! Always thinking about defense," Luck says through a laugh. "We had to raise taxes. But we found out a perfect way to do that: We'll only raise taxes on people who are jerks. That's where Moose and David come in."

Offensive linemen Jonathan Martin and David DeCastro join the news conference. Says Martin, "It's a simple, painless blood test David and I came up with in the lab. It immediately recognizes who is a jerk and who isn't with 100 percent accuracy. We've been testing it for a year."

"Did you test it on Oregon coach Chip Kelly?" a reporter asks.

"Yes," DeCastro says. "Not a jerk. His millions are safe."

"So can you give us any names of jerks?" the reporter asks. Luck, Skov, Martin and DeCastro exchange amused glances.

"We tested it on a certain Pac-12 blogger from ESPN.com," Martin says. "Thanks for helping balance the budget, Miller."

Stanford blows out UCLA, Colorado, Washington State and Washington. It rises to No. 3.

"Luck has thrown for 20 touchdown passes and run for five more through seven games," ESPN's Chris Fowler said."Along the way, he balanced the budget. Is there anything he can't do?"

"And don't forget, he made the Kardashians, the cast from the Jersey Shore and all of the housewives who appear on shows calling them housewives spontaneously disappear from the collective cultural consciousness of the nation," replies Kirk Herbstreit. "It's not easy to make this country smarter, but he did it."

"I don't know what you're talking about -- did you see 'The Real Scientists of Harvard' last night?" Fowler replies. "Riveting."

Stanford trails No. 10 USC by two with 58 seconds remaining, but a 25-yard Luck scramble sets up the winning field goal.

"Students claim they saw me walking on Lake Lagunita?" Luck says. "No. That's silly."

Stanford beats Oregon State 42-10, setting up a marquee showdown with top-ranked Oregon.

Oregon explodes out of the gate, scoring touchdowns on its first three possessions. Luck has a sure touchdown pass dropped, and the Cardinal lose two fumbles, including one from Luck, just his third turnover of the season. At halftime, Oregon leads 24-3.

Poised, polished, Stanford-educated first-year Cardinal coach David Shaw goes ballistic in the locker room. "&$%#@," he says, then adds. "&%@#."

He calms himself. "We are letting ourselves down. We are letting our families down. We are letting our fans down. I let you down in the first half because we weren't ready to play. We are all accountable here. So it's simple. We redeem ourselves one play at a time. If we each put everything we have into every play, one after the other, we win this game. Now go out there and @*&^% do it!"

But with 12 seconds left, the Cardinal still trails by four. On fourth and eight from the Ducks 38, Luck drops back, then ducks under a sack attempt from Dion Jordan and sprints to his right. He shakes off Brandon Hanna, reverses course back across the field to his left. Looking, looking. He sets. Fires. Coby Fleener in the corner of the endzone. Touchdown. Clock hits zero.

On Monday, Stanford is the No. 2 team in the land.

The highlight of the throw will be spooled endlessly for an entire week, broken down from every angle.

"It was a laser -- seemingly never more than 10 feet off the ground for roughly 49 yards of flight," Herbstreit says.

"See how he sets here ... look at the vision ... he picks up Fleener here and releases," says ESPN draft guru Todd McShay, frenetically telestrating. "There is no margin for error, but see how committed he is? Total confidence. Nothing tentative. He just threads it through one of the best secondaries in the country and puts it in the only place Fleener and no one else can catch it. Extraordinary."

The Cardinal hands California its seventh loss of the season, ensuring no postseason for the Bears for a second-consecutive year. The Axe stays in Palo Alto.

"I know this might be an unpopular position on the West Coast," says an East Coast college football analysis. "But when you get down to it, Stanford really hasn't beaten anybody. I know Oregon beat LSU and everything but the Tigers didn't have their starting quarterback, and Alabama whipped LSU pretty good. Luck has put up big numbers against weak Pac-12 defenses. I think he and Stanford struggle against Notre Dame, to me a far more physical team."

Stanford rolls the eighth-ranked Fighting Irish 40-10. It then wins the Pac-12 championship game 30-28 over Arizona State when Luck muscles through a tackle attempt from Vontaze Burfict on a scramble for the game-winning touchdown.

Stanford earns a berth in the national championship game opposite Alabama.

"I know this might be an unpopular position on the West Coast," says an East Coast college football analysis. "But when you get down to it, Stanford really hasn't beaten anybody. I know Oregon beat LSU and everything but the Tigers didn't have their starting quarterback, and Alabama whipped LSU pretty good. Notre Dame? The Irish aren't any good. Luck has put up big numbers against weak Pac-12 defenses. I think he and Stanford struggles against the Crimson Tide, to me a far more physical team."

Luck wins the Heisman Trophy by the largest margin in the award's history.

"You're probably wondering why I've brought what looks like a chemistry set to the lectern here," Luck says after receiving the award. "But my outstanding receiver Chris Owusu and I were sitting around one day and we wondered why no one had created a device that could quickly and inexpensively convert sand into fresh, potable water. This is neat. Watch!"

Stanford whips Alabama 33-17 and wins the national championship with a perfect, 14-0 season. Luck wins game MVP.

"So, Andrew, what are you going to do before the NFL draft," a reporter asks.

"Glad you're curious," Luck says. "Well, Owen Marecic was in town the other day and we got to talking, and you know what really, really bothers us?"

Everybody waits.

"Cancer."

Worst case

Stanford and Luck looked dominant during a 2-0 start. That was not the case at Arizona, where the Cardinal faced a team armed with a talented secondary and a hunger for revenge.

Wildcats quarterback Nick Foles outplays Luck, throwing for 405 yards and four touchdowns in a 40-35 victory, his completely rebuilt offensive line muting the Cardinal defensive front. Stanford's three new offensive linemen struggle to protect Luck, while its rebuilt receiving corps struggle to get open.

Luck and the Cardinal bounce back with five consecutive victories, with Luck throwing for 10 touchdowns during the streak to put himself back in the Heisman Trophy race. Stanford rises back to 12th in the country and heads to USC for a marquee matchup with the 10th-ranked Trojans, who are fresh off a win over Notre Dame.

But USC quarterback Matt Barkley, with a superior supporting cast of receivers, outplays Luck, throwing for 295 yards and three scores in a 31-28 victory.

"It's a lesson we've learned before but it frequently comes back to remind us," says Fowler. "One guy can't do it all. It's hard to do great things as a quarterback when your line isn't protecting you and your receivers aren't good enough to get open and make plays."

"And injuries," replies Herbstreit. "The Cardinal has taken some injury hits and they don't seem to have the depth to overcome them, at least at the level of a top-10 team."

The Cardinal wins at Oregon State. Up next: No. 1 Oregon.

Not unlike the 2010 game, Luck and Stanford start quickly and lead at halftime. And not unlike the 2010 game, the Ducks roll in the second half. The stadium is less than half-full when the clock hits zero on a 48-31 Oregon win.

"Sure, we've had some tough times this season," says Luck, who's been sacked 19 times, six more times than he was the previous two seasons combined. "But keeping the Axe would make up for a lot."

But resurgent Cal gets a sterling performance from quarterback Zach Maynard in a 28-24 win. Maynard scrambles in from 18 yards for the winning score with three minutes left.

Stanford beats Notre Dame in the season-finale and earns a berth in the Sun Bowl, where it loses to Clemson, 28-24, to finish 8-5.

Not long ago, that would have been a successful season. But the headline in the Stanford Daily tells the new story: "Is Shaw up to replacing Harbaugh?"

Cal ends up 11-2 and ranked ninth after beating Texas 45-3 in the Alamo Bowl.

"The balance of power has shifted back North, as it should," crows Cal linebacker Mychal Kendricks, not typically one to crow.

After Stanford loses its bowl game, offensive linemen Jonathan Martin and David DeCastro as well as linebackers Shayne Skov and Chase Thomas opt to join Luck in the NFL draft a year early.

Stanford's recruiting class ends up ranked eighth in the Pac-12, six spots below Cal.

Cal eclipses Stanford on the National University Ranking from US News & World Report.

Second in a series looking at potential dream and nightmare scenarios for all Pac-12 teams.

Understand: These are not predictions. They are extreme scenarios and pieces of fiction. You can read last year's versions here.

We're going in reverse order of my post-spring power rankings (which might not be identical to my preseason power rankings).

Up next: Colorado

Best case

Hawaii quarterback Bryant Moniz shook his head.

"If Colorado is the worst team in the Pac-12 South, I'd hate to play in the Pac-12 South," said the touted Warriors QB after the Buffaloes sacked him five times and intercepted him twice in a 42-20 victory that ended a 17-game road losing streak.

Says new Buffs coach Jon Embree, "We don't have too much time to feel good about this. We have to go back home and watch film of last year's game with California. That should make us sick."

That 52-7 defeat to the Bears is a major reason many old school Pac-10 fans don't think too much of the Buffs. But after Colorado prevails 24-21 in a highly physical contest, it becomes clear the Buffs have been underestimated.

"Colorado has been underestimated," the Pac-12 Blog insightfully observes.

After whipping Colorado State, the 3-0 Buffs head to Ohio State brimming with confidence, though pundits believe the Buckeyes -- even down a few players -- have too much talent to lose, particularly inside the Horseshoe.

Down 21-17, with two minutes left, QB Tyler Hansen drives the Buffs to the Buckeyes 17-yard line. On third-and-10, he connects in the corner of the endzone with Paul Richardson.

But the officials rule Richardson didn't have possession when his landed. The play is reviewed but not overturned. Ohio State survives.

"What did I think of that call?" Embree asks. The term "pregnant pause" is used in 17 of 23 game stories the following day.

After whipping Washington State to improve to 4-1, the schedule gets tougher. Andrew Luck picks apart the Buffs secondary in a 41-20 loss at Stanford. An overtime win at Washington is followed by consecutive defeats to Oregon and Arizona State.

The Buffs could use a bye, but the schedule says 13 consecutive weeks, none off. Most of the whining, nonetheless, comes from the beat writers, who start to wish hotel room keys still had numbers on them.

The Buffs bounce back and upset USC, which guarantees them bowl eligibility, but lose to Arizona when QB Nick Foles lines up with five receivers and throws for 425 yards and four TDs against a game but overmatched secondary.

Colorado outlasts UCLA in the Rose Bowl when linebacker Jon Major blows up Bruins receiver Taylor Embree, who for a moment appeared to catch a game-winning TD pass.

"He's my son and I love him and I wish that it wasn't him on that play," Embree says, "But I really wanted to win this football game."

The 7-5 Buffaloes head to Utah, which is 7-4, with the apparent stakes being a berth in the Sun Bowl. The game is billed as a rivalry game between the Pac-12's two new members.

"Do you guys see this!" an enraged Embree says to his team during a meeting Monday before the game. He holds a bike above his head that it appears someone has vandalized with cheap, red spray paint.

"This is my 15-year-old daughter's bike. Look what they did to it! It used to be black and gold, our beloved colors. And now it is Utah red! Those, those, Utes... they made her cry!"

The meeting room erupts. "They made coach's daughter cry!" rages 6-foot-8 guard Ryan Miller. "We must crush them, see them driven before us, and hear the lamentation of their women!"

It will become known as the "Red Bike Incident." Utes fans will alternately revel in it or deny involvement. Years hence, college football historians will lean back and sagely say, "Yep, that was when those Buffs and Utes really started to hate each other. Might be the most vicious rivalry in all of college football."

Colorado prevails 28-27 in a game that features 195 yards in penalties. The Buffs then stomp Clemson in the Sun Bowl and finish 9-5.

Embree's recruiting class ranks 15th in the nation. The Big 12 falls apart. Nebraska finishes last in the Legends Division of the Big Ten.

The snow comes early and often and is most righteous.

Worst case

A team that can't win on the road and has a highly dubious secondary is not a good thing when you're facing a QB like Hawaii's prolific Bryant Moniz, who throws for four TDs against the Buffaloes.

And so Jon Embree's debut as Colorado's coach becomes an 18th consecutive road defeat, 44-35. Embree isn't happy.

"I'm not happy," Embree says.

The Buffaloes try to rally around the embarrassment of their 52-7 defeat at California last year, but they don't have anyone in the secondary who can cover receiver Keenan Allen, who catches three TD passes in a 38-20 Bears victory.

The Buffs beat state rival Colorado State, but the schedule becomes unforgiving thereafter. It doesn't help that injuries start to pile up.

They get rolled at Ohio State, picked apart by Washington State QB Jeff Tuel and blistered by Stanford QB Andrew Luck. An upset win at Washington ends the road losing streak -- the Huskies are struggling to throw the ball with new QB Keith Price -- and briefly stops the bleeding. At least until Oregon hangs 55 on the Buffs in a game that foregrounds Colorado's lack of team speed.

That becomes the first of four consecutive defeats. Though they win a sloppy game at UCLA, they go down hard at Utah, which captures the South Division crown.

A 3-10 finish is blamed on former coach Dan Hawkins, as are poor early snow accumulation and flu symptoms lots of fans seem to be having. Further, fans no longer burst into song each time Jon Embree's name is mentioned.

"I'm not happy," Embree says. "We need to get faster. We need to get tougher."

Nebraska loses the national championship game to Oklahoma, one of two BCS bowl teams from the nation's best football conference, the Big 12.

"Well, at least we signed the top five prospects from the state of Colorado," Cornhuskers coach Bo Pelini says after the game.

Couple of good notes that might answer your questions. First, lots of folks have emailed asking if Zeus swaggered down from Olympus -- lightning bolts in hand! -- and visited Oregon last weekend. And by "Zeus" of course you know we mean defensive end Jadeveon Clowney, the No. 1 recruit in all the land.

The long answer is no. Per Jamie Newberg:

There were rumors that he was making an official visit to Oregon over the weekend, but the fact he was at both of his basketball games Friday and Saturday ended that talk. But expect more talk and speculation about Clowney's future right up until he steps up to the microphone and makes his announcement.

Clowney is picking between Clemson, South Carolina and Alabama on Feb. 14, his 18th birthday.

Keeping with a recruiting focus, ESPN.com's Bruce Feldman asks himself which junior college imports could have the biggest impact on the 2011 season? You might recall that a couple of JC transfers helped Auburn a bit this past season. Feldman ranks eight, and Utah fans concerned about losing Matt Asiata and Eddie Wide will be glad to know John White ranked eighth on his list. Writes Feldman:

The Utes lost two very good runners, but the 5-foot-9, 190-pound back should be a good complement to highly regarded power runner Harvey Langi. "He is an SEC-type talent," says one coach who tried to recruit White.

Sure all of you will love that "SEC-type" talent quip.

SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. -- Oregon and Auburn are the same: They both thrive in the second half. And they are different: The Ducks have yet to trail in the fourth quarter and just one foe lost by less than 11 points. The Tigers have trailed in eight of 13 games and won six by single digits.

Both teams dominate the second half. Auburn has outscored foes 246 to 117 after the break, including 125-48 in the fourth quarter. Oregon has outscored foes in 277-77 in the second half, including 115-24 in the fourth quarter.

Oregon has trailed three times at halftime -- Stanford, California, Arizona -- and only Cal stayed close with the Ducks into the fourth quarter. Tennessee, Arizona State and Oregon State were tight with the Ducks at halftime but ended up losing by 35, 11 and 17 points.

The Ducks often looked like a completely different team after halftime.

"That's something we take a lot of pride in, in terms of having a second-half mindset, a finish mindset," offensive coordinator Mark Helfrich said.

Auburn trailed Clemson, South Carolina (regular season) and Alabama at halftime this year and was tied with LSU and Georgia. It trailed by double-digits at some point in four games. But the Tigers also were a different team in the second half. Not that they wouldn't like to be a good first-half team, too.

"We'd like to get that corrected before we run out of the tunnel to start the game," Auburn defensive coordinator Ted Roof said. "I even thought of blindfolding them before the game started and telling them it was the start of the second half."

But Roof did have a serious explanation, which is not unlike what Oregon coach Chip Kelly and defensive coordinator Nick Aliotti have said: We want to see what teams do against us, then adjust.

"We've seen several times teams doing things we haven't seen before in the first halves," Roof said.

Every team wants to own the second half and the fourth quarter. Finishing strong says something good about a team. But both Auburn and Oregon would prefer to be in top form for all four quarters, particularly when they meet Monday in the Tostitos BCS National Championship Game.

"There's a discrepancy there," Roof said. "And we can't afford to do that in this game against this bunch."

When NCAA sanctions against USC included a two-year postseason ban, the bowl season took a major hit.

Or at least that's what the Wall Street Journal says. "When Southern California is in a bowl game, TV viewers tune in," the business newspaper reported this week.

How so? Well, the WSJ wanted to measure which teams moved the needle among viewers: "To figure out which teams are the most popular TV draws during the bowl season, we looked at the national viewership figures for every bowl since 1998. We then ranked each school based on whether it exceeded or fell short of its bowls' average audience size."

And the numbers showed that USC was the top draw, even over Notre Dame.

The best was USC, which exceeded its expected audience size by 29%. The most famous example of this was its epic national-title loss to Texas in 2006, which drew 35.6 million viewers—33% more than what the title game has averaged since its inception.

The ACC won't like the numbers. Four of the worst draws hail from the conference: Clemson, Georgia Tech, NC State and Virginia.

Oregon running back LaMichael James and Stanford quarterback Andrew Luck are two of the "Players to Watch” for the Walter Camp Player of the Year award, the fourth-oldest college football award in the nation.

A list of five finalists will be announced on Wednesday, Dec. 1.

The 2010 Walter Camp Player of the Year recipient, who is voted on by the Football Bowl Subdivision head coaches and sports information directors, will be presented live on Dec. 9 during the 6 p.m. edition of ESPN's "SportsCenter."

Here's the complete list.

Justin Blackmon, WR, Oklahoma State
Da’Quan Bowers, DL, Clemson
Andy Dalton, QB, TCU
LaMichael James, RB, Oregon
Nick Fairley, DL, Auburn
Robert Griffin III, QB, Baylor
Kendall Hunter, RB, Oklahoma State
Colin Kaepernick, QB, Nevada
Andrew Luck, QB, Stanford
Ryan Mallett, QB, Arkansas
Kellen Moore, QB, Boise State
Cam Newton, QB, Auburn
Terrelle Pryor, QB, Ohio State
Denard Robinson, QB, Michigan
Jordan Todman, RB, Connecticut

It's time for a blogger debate! And it doesn't get much better than when we match the SEC and Pac-10.

Our topic: No. 1 Oregon and No. 2 Auburn. Who's better and why?

Both are unbeaten, and if the season ended today, they'd play for the national title.

We've got lots of football left, and probably many more plot twists in the hunt for the national title, but there's no reason we can't engage in a hypothetical, is there?

So the Pac-10 blog -- Ted Miller -- and the SEC blog -- Chris Low -- have decided to meet for some civilized debate on Auburn versus Oregon.

Ted Miller: Chris, since things are so quiet in the sleepy SEC, I think we should spice things up with a Pac-10-SEC blogger debate! It seems like a long time since we last had a debate between our two conferences. How’d that one go? Let’s see I championed Taylor Mays and you celebrated Eric Berry. Wait. Why did I bring that up?

Anyway, our topic is Oregon and Auburn: Who’s better and why.

This is a potential national title game between the No. 1 Ducks and No. 2 Tigers, who are both unbeaten and feature Heisman Trophy candidates leading high-powered offenses.

You get first blood. Tell me about Auburn. It seems like it wasn’t too long ago that Jay Jacobs was getting hounded for hiring Gene Chizik. Guessing that’s died down a wee-bit.

Chris Low: No doubt, Ted. I wonder where that obnoxious guy is now, the one yelling at Jacobs as he was leaving the airport after finalizing the deal with Chizik? Maybe Jacobs knew what he was doing after all. The guy with the 5-19 record at Iowa State has done all right by himself on the Plains. He has a Heisman Trophy-caliber quarterback and the SEC's leading rusher in Cam Newton, a 6-foot-6, 250-pound freak of nature who runs like Bo Jackson and also has an NFL arm. Keep your eyes, too, on freshman running back Mike Dyer, who they haven't had to lean on much this season, but is oozing with talent and has fresh legs for this stretch run. The Tigers' defensive numbers are nothing to write home about, but they do have the kind of dominant interior defensive lineman, Nick Fairley, who can take over games. Georgia coach Mark Richt said Fairley's the closest thing he's seen to Warren Sapp. Auburn's calling card defensively has been making plays at key times in the fourth quarter. The Tigers have been a serviceable defense through three quarters this season, but they've been a championship-caliber defense in the fourth quarter -- which is why they're 10-0.

So tell me about Oregon?

Ted Miller: Speaking of coaches: How about Oregon’s Chip Kelly? How could he possibly expect to top winning the Pac-10 and playing in the Rose Bowl his first season? How about contending for a national title in his second? The Ducks, however, expected to be here when the 2009 season ended because just about everybody was coming back from the Pac-10 champions. That is until a guy you are now familiar with -- quarterback Jeremiah Masoli -- got caught up in some off-field issues and eventual got himself booted from the team. That seemingly left a void behind center, but sophomore Darron Thomas has not only filled Masoli’s shoes, he’s gone up a few sizes: He’s 15th in the nation in passing efficiency and 21st in the nation in total yardage. Meanwhile, speedy running back LaMichael James is the top Heisman alternative to your guy, Newton. As for the defense, it’s like the offense: Extremely fast. It ranks 13th in the nation in scoring defense and it has forced 28 turnovers, second-most in the nation. Folks often underestimate the Ducks' defense because it gives up some yards -- it ranks 29th in the nation in total defense -- but that’s because the offense scores so quickly: The nation’s No. 1 offense ranks 115th in the nation in time of possession. But the Ducks only give up 4.45 yards per play. Our factoid of the day is that number would rank No. 1 in ... wait for it ... the SEC!

Obviously, we're talking about two very good teams that have done impressive things on their way to remaining unbeaten. I know we both have Oregon ahead of Auburn in our power rankings, but give me the case for Auburn.

Chris Low: Ted, I think what separates Auburn is Newton. Nobody has been able to stop him. If you commit to taking away the run, he's proved he can beat people throwing the ball. And if you come after him and/or don't have enough people in the box, he's been magic running the ball. Keep in mind, too, that we're not talking about a 220-pound guy running the ball. We're talking about a 250-pound guy who's physical, tough and doesn't run out of bounds. In the red zone, he's the great equalizer, because he gains 3 yards when he falls forward and has the size and the strength to push the pile. On top of it all, he's always a threat to throw the ball. Similar to Oregon, Auburn doesn't flinch if somebody puts 30-plus points on the board, because the Tigers' mentality is that they're going to score 50. Their offensive coordinator, Gus Malzahn, will make you defend everything -- reverses, throwback passes, passes to the backs, even passes to Newton. He caught a touchdown pass two weeks ago against Ole Miss. The Tigers also play at a tempo on offense that has opposing defenses gasping for air in the fourth quarter. But when they have to, they can put teams away and finish games by running the ball. They're fourth nationally (one spot ahead of Oregon) this week in rushing offense with an average of 307.2 yards per game. Auburn's top four rushers -- Newton, Dyer, Onterio McCalebb and Mario Fannin -- are all averaging at least 6.4 yards per carry. Do the Ducks have any answers for that running game?

Ted Miller: That’s what’s so interesting about this as a potential national title game match -- there’s an odd familiarity that both teams will have with each other despite never crossing paths. My guess is Malzahn and Kelly already have studied each other, just in terms of mutual admiration. And both defenses will be familiar with up-tempo, no-huddle, spread-option offenses that can power you and finesse you and throw downfield. Further, the Ducks have played against a number of big, fast, capable quarterbacks with NFL futures: Washington’s Jake Locker, Ohio State’s Terrelle Pryor and Stanford’s Andrew Luck. The results have been mixed. Last year, Luck and Pryor got them. Luck beat the Ducks with uncanny downfield accuracy, which is why he’ll go No. 1 in this spring’s NFL draft. Pryor shocked them with the best passing game of his career in the Rose Bowl. Locker missed this year’s game, but he’s never had much luck against Oregon. In general, Oregon has a good run defense: Opponents are averaging 3.38 yards per rush. But the Ducks are undersized. A physical Stanford team had some success, rushing for 177 yards. But one thing about Oregon on both sides of the ball: It is masterful with halftime adjustments. They shutout Stanford, owners of the nation’s No. 5 scoring offense, in the second half, and have given up just 48 points in the second half this year -- just seven in the fourth quarter!

Obviously, two very good teams that have done impressive things on their way to remaining unbeaten. I know we both have Oregon ahead of Auburn in our power rankings, but give me the case for Auburn if it played Oregon in the national title game. How do you see it going?

Chris Low: Well, if that happens, the first thing we all better make sure we have is a calculator. That and make sure there's no danger of a power surge to the scoreboard. You're right about Oregon. Nobody in the country has been better in the second half. The Ducks' ability to score points in bunches is amazing, but the Tigers are equally adept at going on head-spinning scoring sprees. Just ask Arkansas, which saw Auburn roll up 28 points in the fourth quarter in Xbox-like fashion. I have no doubt that an Auburn-Oregon matchup would be played in the 40s. I think the difference, though, would be Auburn's ability to put the breaks on the track meet and run the football in the fourth quarter, especially with Newton being so good at converting on third down. So I'm going Auburn 45, Oregon 41 in a game that rates up there with the Texas-USC classic to decide the 2005 national title.

Ted Miller: That's clearly something we can all agree on: This likely would be a highly entertaining, offensively driven national title game if these two teams manage to get themselves there. Further, I think, after never getting a USC-SEC title game, folks on both coasts would enjoy an SEC-Pac-10 matchup. No trash-talking there, right? And I do see a clear advantage for Auburn: It has been tested. It's played five games decided by eight points or fewer, and three decided by a field goal. The Ducks closest game? An 11-point win at Arizona State. But that's also why I'd pick Oregon in this one. Oregon beat the No. 6 team in the nation, Stanford, by 21 points. It shut Andrew Luck out in the second half. And I look at all of Auburn's close games: Mississippi State, Clemson, South Carolina, Kentucky and LSU, and think: None of them would be within 10 points of the Ducks. Maybe LSU, because any game Les Miles touches is surprising. And I think Vegas would agree with me. So if we ended up with an Oregon-Auburn national title game, my guess is the Tigers would go TD for TD with the Ducks in the first half, then the Ducks would pour it on late for a 50-35 win. But I reserve the right to change my mind, particularly because I think the Tigers' toughest test -- Alabama -- is ahead.

Moreover, both teams should be advised: You probably should get to the Jan. 10 date in Glendale before you start trash-talking each other. At least before you use your best stuff.

Here's a quick look at the season-openers for every Pac-10 team.

All times are PDT.

Thursday
USC at Hawaii (8 p.m., ESPN): The first game of the Lane Kiffin Era will kick off at 11 p.m. (EST) in Knoxville (just saying). Here's a guess that the Trojans will come out fast, hard and motivated after all the offseason turmoil. Hawaii returns 12 starters from a 6-7 team. Up next: Virginia.

Friday [This has been corrected... my bad]
Arizona at Toledo (5 p.m., ESPN): A Pac-10 team playing in the Glass Bowl is not something you see very often. Toledo welcomes back 12 starters from a 5-7 team, but the Rockets rolled up 54 points in a home win vs. Colorado in 2009. The Wildcats shouldn't take this one lightly, though it's hard to imagine the Rockets defense will be able to keep up with Nick Foles and company. Up next: The Citadel.

Saturday

UCLA at Kansas State(12:30 p.m., ABC): The Bruins beat Kansas State 23-9 last season. The Wildcats welcome back 12 starters from a 6-6 team. There are two big questions here: 1. Will quarterback Kevin Prince (back) be healthy enough to start? 2. Will the patchwork offensive line be able to hold up? Up next: Stanford.

Washington at BYU (4 p.m., CBS College Sports): The Jake Locker show begins: Will it end in New York at the Heisman Trophy ceremony? In 2008, BYU won 28-27 at Washington after Locker was flagged for tossing the ball into the air after scoring what appeared to a tying touchdown, pending the PAT. With 15 yards tacked on, though, UW missed the extra-point attempt. Funny thing: That still might have been the high point of a 0-12 season. BYU welcomes back 12 starters from an 11-2 team. Up next: Syracuse.

Washington State at Oklahoma State(4 p.m., FSN): The Cowboys, who welcome back just eight starters from a 9-4 team, beat the Cougars 39-13 in Seattle in 2008. While it might be premature to flag this one as an upset alert, don't be shocked if the Cougars play a tough, competitive game against a rebuilding Big 12 team. Up next: Montana State.

Oregon State vs. TCU (Cowboys Stadium, 4:45, ESPN): Sixth-ranked TCU welcomes back 16 starters from a 12-1 team, so, yeah, this is a heck of a test. The Horned Frogs are 9-2 vs. BCS teams, beating Clemson and Virginia in 2009. The game is a homecoming for the Rodgers brothers, Texas natives James and Jacquizz. It also will be the first start for sophomore quarterback Ryan Katz. Up next: Bye.

Portland State at Arizona State(7 p.m): The Sun Devils will look to make a statement with their new-look offense against the first of two FCS opponents to start the season. Think of it as a preseason before the visit to Wisconsin on Sept. 18. Up next: Northern Arizona.

UC Davis at California (1 p.m., CSN California): The Bears should roll this FCS foe. What's worth watching? Will quarterback Kevin Riley complete more than 60 percent of his passes. The higher his completion percentage, the better Bears fans should feel with Colorado and a visit to Nevada ahead. Up next: Colorado.

New Mexico at Oregon (12:30 p.m): New Mexico welcomes back 11 starters from a squad that went 1-11 in 2009. The Lobos figure to give new Ducks quarterback Darron Thomas plenty of opportunities to gain confidence. Running back LaMichael James is suspended for this one, so expect to see some flashy highlights from backup Kenjon Barner. Up next: At Tennessee.

Sacramento State at Stanford (3:30 p.m., Comcast SportsNet Bay Area): Stanford quarterback Andrew Luck should sit out the fourth quarter (third also?) against this FCS foe. Good chance for the new look 3-4 defense and rebuilt running game, post-Toby Gerhart, to get some quality preseason work before a visit to UCLA the following weekend. Up next: At UCLA