ESPN College Football

The Pac-12 provided 37 players to the NFL draft over the weekend, one fewer than the SEC, which led all conferences.

If the six combined picks from Colorado and Utah are taken away from the conference, the old Pac-10 provided NFL teams 3.1 draft picks per team, also just behind the SEC at 3.17.

Here's where the Pac-12 players went:

First round
No. 8 Jake Locker, QB, Washington: Tennessee
No. 9 Tyron Smith., OT, USC: Dallas
No. 17 Nate Solder, OT, Colorado: New England
No. 24 Cameron Jordan, DE, California: New Orleans
No. 27 Jimmy Smith, CB, Colorado: Baltimore

Second round
7. Akeem Ayers, LB, UCLA: Tennessee
10. Brooks Reed, DE, Arizona: Houston
13. Rahim Moore, FS, UCLA: Denver
21. Stephen Paea, DT, Oregon State: Chicago
24. Shane Vereen, RB, California: New England

Third round
13. Jurrell Casey, DT, USC: Tennessee
20. Mason Foster, LB, Washington: Tampa Bay
25. Shareece Wright, CB, USC: San Diego
29. Christopher Conte, S, California: Chicago
33. Sione Fua, DT, Stanford: Carolina

Fourth round
5. Jordan Cameron, TE, USC: Cleveland
19. Casey Matthews, LB, Oregon: Philadelphia
21. Jalil Brown, CB, Colorado: Kansas City
27. Owen Marecic, FB, Stanford: Cleveland

Fifth round
8. Brandon Burton, CB, Utah: Minnesota
9. Gabe Miller, DE, Oregon State: Kansas City
14. Jacquizz Rodgers, RB, Oregon State: Atlanta
23. Richard Sherman, CB, Stanford: Seattle

Sixth round
2. Ryan Whalen, WR, Stanford: Cincinnati
14. Caleb Schlauderaff, OG, Utah: Green Bay
17. Ronald Johnson, WR, USC: San Francisco
19. David Carter, DT, UCLA: Arizona
22. Allen Bradford, RB, USC: Tampa Bay
24. Mike Mohamed, LB, California: Denver
32. Ricky Elmore, DE, Arizona: Green Bay
38. Zach Williams, C, Washington State: Carolina

Seventh round
12. D'Aundre Reed, DE, Arizona: Minnesota
24. Scotty McKnight, WR, Colorado: New York Jets
30. Lawrence Guy, DT, Arizona State: Green Bay
37. Stanley Havili, FB, USC: Philadelphia
38. David Ausberry, WR, USC: Oakland
39. Malcolm Smith, LB, USC: Seattle

By Pac-12 school:
Arizona (3)
Arizona State (1)
California (4)
Colorado (4)
Oregon (1)
Oregon State (3)
Stanford (4)
UCLA (3)
USC (9)
Utah (2)
Washington (2)
Washington State (1)

The final tally by automatic qualifying conferences:
SEC... 38
Pac-12... 37
Big Ten... 36
ACC... 35
Big East 22
Big 12...19

Nebraska was a big swing to the Big Ten from the Big 12 with seven picks. With Colorado and Nebraska, the Big 12 provided 30 selections.

This was the tally through three rounds:
SEC: 20
ACC: 19
Pac-12: 15
Big Ten: 13
Big 12: 9
Big East: 4

TUCSON, Ariz. -- It was just a short, shells -- shorts and shoulder pads -- practice Thursday at Arizona, but even then there was plenty of "wow" in the downfield passing game.

No team in the Pac-12 can offer up two quarterbacks as good as Nick Foles and Matt Scott. No team in the Pac-12 can match the Wildcats depth and talent at receiver.

That's the good news. Questions, though, remain, starting with five new starters on the offensive line.

"We're going to have to throw to set up the run, I don't think there's any question about that," coach Mike Stoops said.

As for folks questioning the line, Stoops understands and has no problem with it. He hopes it bothers them.

"They'll hear about it," Stoops said. "I think that will serve as motivation."

On defense, the Wildcats must replace defensive ends Brooks Reed, Ricky Elmore and D'Aundre Reed. And it's not good that talented safety Adam Hall is standing on the sidelines with a surgically repaired ACL.

Some notes from Arizona practice -- two days before Saturday's spring game -- after chats with Stoops, offensive coordinator Seth Littrell and defensive coordinator Tim Kish.

• The plan remains to redshirt Scott, if possible. He's certainly not going to enter a game late in the fourth quarter to take a knee. But if Foles gets hurt, Scott would be the guy. He'd probably start for a majority of teams in the Pac-12.
• At running back, Daniel Jenkins has had "one of the best springs of any of our young players," Stoops said. He looks like Keola Antolin's backup. Both Stoops and Littrell, however, expect incoming freshmen Ka'Deem Cary and Jared Baker to perhaps push into the mix.
• Receiver? Well, there's Juron Criner -- an All-American candidate -- David Douglas, Texas transfer Dan Buckner, David Roberts, Richard Morrison, Tyler Slavin, Austin Hill, Terrence Miller and speedster Garic Wharton. Suffice it to say, the Wildcats will be able to spread the field in 2011.
• As it stands now, the starting offensive line goes line this: LT Mickey Baucus, LG Chris Putton, C Kyle Quinn, RG Trace Biskin, RT Fabbians Ebbele. Only Quinn has started a game -- the Alamo Bowl last December -- and both tackles are redshirt freshmen. On the plus side, if you want to look ahead, no lineman on the two-deep is a senior. Four are freshmen, two are sophomores and four are juniors.
• H-back Taimi Tutogi hinted at great things last preseason but was ultimately disappointing. There's a feeling that he could break through in 2011. While he's not an elite blocker by any stretch, the 260 pounder isn't easy to deal with when he has the ball in space.
• On defense, the ends are C.J. Parrish and Mohammed Usman. Both are listed at 245 pounds, which means the Wildcats will be much smaller at end compared to a year ago. On the depth chart, redshirt freshman Dan Pettinato and converted tackle Dominique Austin are listed, but JC transfer Lamar De Rego is likely to immediately jump into the mix.
• Kish called Parrish "a pleasant surprise...We didn't think he'd pick it up as quick as he did and be as effective as he is."
• Inside at defensive tackle, there's solid depth. Justin Washington, who's sitting out with a shoulder injury, and Sione Tuihalamaka are the starters and Willie Mobley and Kirifi Taula are the backups. Aiulua Fanene is a fifth option.
• Stoops said the Wildcats "are much better inside," and Kish made an interesting point about last fall. Because Reed and Elmore were so good at pinching down from the outside against the pass, while the tackles were limited and not getting much inside push, the Wildcats often created passing lanes for opposing quarterbacks. Passing lanes and running lanes, which some of you Wildcats fans might remember quarterbacks scrambling through, such as Arizona State's Brock Osweiler.
• The good news is all three starting linebackers are back. The bad news is a lack of depth, particularly after R.J. Young -- the fourth LB -- and Trevor Erno quit. Presently, walkon Bilal Muhammed -- "He's damn good," said Kish -- is the backup at two spots and undersized though athletic Kyle Benson is No. 2 behind Jake Fisher on the outside. Both Kish and Stoops expect help from incoming freshmen Rob Hankins, Dominique Petties and Hank Hobson.
• The good news in the secondary is the renewed focus of cornerback Trevin Wade, who had a poor junior year after earning accolades as a sophomore. Stoops and Kish don't hold back when talking about Wade's struggles in 2010, but both see a different player this spring: "He took a lot for granted (last year)," Stoops said. "He has a different attitude, a different level of effort (this spring)."
• Along with Wade at corner, there's Jonathan McKnight, brother of former USC RB Joe McKnight and perhaps the best pure cover corner, and Shaquille Richardson, who's sitting out with a shoulder injury.
• Robert Golden has moved back to safety from cornerback -- he's started extensively at both spots -- after Hall went down, where he's beside free safety Marquis Flowers. Redshirt freshamn Jourdan Grandon is making a bid to be the nickel, though there's clearly competition for backup roles. Neither Mark Watley nor Josh Robbins has made a decisive push for playing time. And there's some hope that Hall could make a fast recovery and be back by October.

Life is such a roller coaster, then it drops, but what should I scream for, this is my theme park.

• D'Aundre Reed, formerly known as Arizona's third defensive end, will get his NFL shot, while the Wildcats former No. 1 end is rising on draft lists.
• More on Arizona State QB Steven Threet's decision to give up football due to recurrent concussions.
• Four former California players are participating in the NFL combine.
• The state of Oregon does well on the "All-Two-Star Team."
• Is this guy going to replace Chase Beeler at center for Stanford?
• Looking back at UCLA's 2007 recruiting class. Updating UCLA's spring practice dates.
• More USC coach Lane Kiffin and his NCAA issues. And here. What does it potentially mean for USC?
• Reviewing Washington's 2008 recruiting class.
• A look at Washington State's receivers and tight ends heading into spring practices.
• Which teams are losing the most talent, at least based on the NFL combine numbers?

Arizona started 7-1 and its defense ranked among the nation's best. Then the Wildcats lost their final four games, and the defense struggled mightily, particularly against the run.

The Wildcats, nonetheless, ended up in the Valero Alamo Bowl, where they will take on No. 14 Oklahoma State, which only ranks No. 1 in the nation in total offense, with 537.6 yards per game.

The Cowboys will be the third top-10 offense the Wildcats have faced this year.

Moreover, Arizona just lost a pair of defensive coaches to Colorado: co-coordinator Greg Brown and defensive line coach Mike Tuiasosopo. Joe Salave'a is already on board taking over the defensive line, but the secondary will be mostly supervised by head coach Mike Stoops heading into the bowl game.

Further, Stoops has announced that Tim Kish, who shared the coordinator duties with Brown this year, will be the solo defensive coordinator in 2011.

So it seemed like a good time to check in with Kish as he gets ready for the Cowboys potent attack and prepares for the future in Tucson.

So co-coordinator Greg Brown is gone: How does that change your job heading into the Alamo Bowl?

Tim Kish: It just requires me to do a little bit more prep work than I would do normally. But everybody is pitching in. Coach Stoops is pitching in, Ryan Walters, our graduate assistant who helped Greg with the back end is doing an awesome job right now. We are just all rallying around each other and making sure we dot our 'Is' and cross our 'Ts' in our game preparation.

There won't be any "co" with the defense next year. Coach Stoops has said you'll be the coordinator alone. How do you feel about running the defense next year?

TK: It really isn't going to change a whole lot from what we've done here in the past. We'll continue to use our base package, which we've had our previous six years with Mike's brother Mark. The thing we did this year is experiment a little bit with more man coverage and some man-pressures and things we hadn't done previously. We're going to continue to grow but we aren't going to ask our guys to do things that they are not capable of. The key to any good defense is adapting to your personnel. As that progresses, we'll progress.

Were there any challenges specific to being a co-coordinator that you won't face now?

TK: To be honest, I couldn't have had a better co-coordinator to work with. There were no egos. Greg and I kind of plotted out how we were going to handle game preparation each week. Obviously, we overlapped each other in a lot of things we did, so it was an ideal situation for both of us, I felt. It's just unfortunate it only lasted one year. Now you've got to go back and kind of reorganize your thought process. But it's not going to change dramatically. It just puts a little more onus on me being more involved in the full picture, especially in the passing game. I look forward to that challenge.

Let's talk about this season: What's your overall feeling on how the defense played?

TK: I felt like we started strong out of the gate. We were playing with some good momentum. We had some teams there at the latter part of the season that we probably didn't match up as well with as we did earlier in the season. There's no excuses, though. We just didn't play as well. We didn't have that energy and enthusiasm that I thought we played with in the first two-thirds of the season. Part of that was the types of offenses we were facing. But there are no excuses on this end. We knew what we were getting ourselves into. We didn't respond the way I expected us to respond at the end of the season.

What went wrong with the run defense late in the season?

TK: I don't know if I can point the finger at any one thing. For whatever reason, we weren't playing as physically as we were early in the season. Everybody wears down; everybody gets bumps and bruises. Those are no excuses for anything that went wrong with the run defense. We just weren't getting downhill as well at the second level, fitting our gaps. We weren't holding onto the double-teams and the scoop blocks as well as we did early in the season. It was a combination of a lot of things. We didn't tackle very well. We missed a lot of tackles at the end of the season. There were a lot of things we have to take a good, hard look at in the offseason and see what we need to do to shore up. We know we want to get bigger and more physical up front. We're not a huge team up front, and yet we have got to be in position where we can control those gaps with our front-seven. It's just something we are going to have to take a good hard look at and evaluate and critique and see what we can do to help that situation next year.

Who exceeded your expectations this season?

TK: I expected the ends [Brooks Reed & Ricky Elmore] to play well and they did. D'Aundre Reed was the biggest surprise of the three [ends] up front. At the end of the season, we were actually starting him as one of the top two guys [ahead of Elmore]. All three of those guys were as advertised. We knew what we were getting out of them over the course of the year. I think [DT] Justin Washington had his moments in there as a freshman D-lineman in there. He played well at times but he wore down a little bit there and got nicked up at the end of the season and didn't play as well. Mana Mikaele up front at nose guard had a pretty consistent year. I was pleased with his effort all year long. Obviously, with the three linebackers, the unknown was across the board. But I think Paul Vassallo exceeded my expectations, all of our expectations, because he was as much a defensive end as he was a linebacker in junior college. He was the most consistent at linebacker. Jake Fischer adds a good dose of athletic ability and flexibility in there. Derek Earls was fairly steady as well. From that standpoint, I was fairly pleased with that group. In the back end, to be honest it was the young guys who garnered the attention. [CB] Shaquille Richardson had some really good moments in there, but he's still learning. Jonathan McKnight is going to be a hell of a corner. He's just coming into his own. And so is [SS] Marquis Flowers. The future bodes pretty well for that back end right now.

Tell me about Oklahoma State's offense.

TK: The All-American wide receiver doesn't drop a ball [Justin Blackmon]. He catches anything within 10 feet of him. He's just smooth. He looks so natural out there running routes. He has a great knack for finding grass and sitting down in the zone and beating man coverage. And the quarterback [Brandon Weeden] has played consistently all year long for them. They are real solid up front -- three juniors, a sophomore and a redshirt freshman starting for them up front. They know how to zone block. They know how to pass protect. It's hard to get to [the QB] because they are not doing a lot of five-step drop. They're getting the ball quickly out of the quarterback's hands. Those two other receivers complement Blackmon because they're steady. I don't know if people call them possession receivers but I know they run good routes and catch the ball as well. Then once you look at all that, they've got a bevy of running backs -- they can throw any one of three at you -- and they can pound the ball on you. We're expecting them to try to run the ball early and then play-action pass us like they do everybody else. We can't give up a lot of after-contact yardage, whether it's in the passing game or run game. So we've concentrated on trying to shore up our tackling.

You guys lost your final four games. What do you think the guys mindset is after the disappointing finish?

TK: We've put that behind us. No question about it, we laid an egg last year at the Holiday Bowl last year. These kids have a lot of pride. You can say, 'What if, what if, what if,' but that's not what we do. We have to learn from our mistakes. We certainly didn't finish the season the way we wanted to. Could we have won a couple of those games? Absolutely. But that didn't happen. Our mindset is totally on Oklahoma State and getting prepared as well as we can for this bowl game, playing hard for 60 minutes.

As a strength-on-strength matchup, Stanford's offense versus Arizona's defense is about is good as it gets.

Arizona is No. 7 in the nation in scoring defense, No. 6 in rushing defense and No. 10 in total defense. Stanford is No. 5 in the nation in scoring offense, No. 10 in the nation in passing efficiency and No. 16 in the nation in total offense.

The Cardinal has the best quarterback in the Pac-10 in Andrew Luck, who might be the first overall pick in this spring's NFL draft. The Wildcats counter with the best tandem of defensive ends in the conference, in Ricky Elmore and Brooks Reed, who have combined for 13.5 sacks.

Just ask the players and coaches. No. 15 Arizona's visit to No. 13 Stanford on Saturday certainly has inspired a mutual admiration society on both teams.

"No question this is the best defense we've played. Or will play," Stanford coach Jim Harbaugh said. "These are the best defensive ends in the conference. You could probably say by far. Even their third defensive end [D'Aundre Reed] would start on any other Pac-10 team but Arizona."

Added Luck, "They are a tough bunch -- those numbers don't lie. They are extremely well-coached, extremely physical, they've got a great set of defensive ends. It's definitely going to be our toughest challenge so far."

Not to be outdone, Arizona coach Mike Stoops found plenty to like about Harbaugh's offense.

"The creativity of Jim is what makes his offense very unique -- the way they move and create formations is the biggest thing," Stoops said.

Of course, if you were to pick two coaches who are mostly likely to claw out the eyes of an opponent, Stoops and Harbaugh would probably be you first choices in the Pac-10. Both are fiery. Both love physical football. And both know that the winner of this game will remain in the Rose Bowl race and likely will land in a comfortable spot in the nation's top-10.

Last year, these teams put on a barn burner, and suffice it to say neither defense felt terribly good about itself. They combined for nearly 1,200 yards -- both Luck and Arizona's Nick Foles passed for more than 400 yards -- and the Wildcats rallied from a nine-point fourth-quarter deficit to win 43-38 in Tucson.

One of the reasons the Wildcats defense struggled was Brooks Reed only saw a couple of plays due to a high-ankle sprain that mostly killed his season. He watched most of the action helplessly from the sidelines.

"I remember us stopping their running game, which is surprising because they had Toby [Gerhart] back there," he said. "But then they threw all over us. They killed us in the air."

Gerhart rushed for 123 yards and two touchdowns, but that was well off his season average. Luck completed 21-of-35 for 423 yards with three touchdowns and an interception. Foles, who has missed the past two games with a dislocated knee cap but is expected to play Saturday, completed 40-of-51 for 415 yards with three touchdowns and no picks.

"We both really lit up the scoreboard," said Luck, who added he didn't expect the same point production on Saturday.

The Wildcats had almost no running game the entire night, but two long, fourth-quarter touchdown runs -- Greg Nwoko for 43 yards and Nic Grigsby for 57 yards on a third-and-12 play -- were the difference.

The first matchup is the ground game. Even without Gerhart, the Cardinal is averaging 223.8 yards rushing per game. Arizona is yielding just 88.4.

Reed said he expects Stanford to "come out heavy" and try to test the Wildcats interior defense with power running plays.

"They move so many guys around," Reed said. "They have all sorts of motions, where they try to get guys out of gaps. Once they do that you are screwed. They got some big old-linemen and they like those heavy sets. It will be a challenge to get everyone on the right page."

And, of course, once a defense is worried about the run, Luck goes over the top. Luck ranks 10th in the nation in passing efficiency, but he's probably the nation's most accurate downfield passer, which is why NFL scouts click their heels together while watching his game film.

"We've got to make sure we don't overreact to the run," Stoops said.

One more thing to worry about: Luck is an outstanding athlete who is a run threat himself, see his 51-yard touchdown run at Washington last weekend on a zone-read play. That athleticism and an outstanding line is why Stanford has surrendered just three sacks this year, which is tied for second fewest in the nation.

Meanwhile, Arizona ranks fifth in the country with 3.38 sacks per game. Something must give in that head-to-head. Reed admitted that Luck isn't easy to touch.

"When they pass, they like to max protect, and they like play action," he said. "So it's hard for D-linemen to get a pass rush."

The key for Arizona will be at least getting a stalemate at the line of scrimmage -- as it did last year -- while giving Luck a variety of looks and pressures, while still maintaining rush lanes and spying on Luck if he opts to take off.

That won't be easy.

On the other side of the ball, the Wildcats are pretty good on offense -- their 453.4 yards per game ranks 19th in the country -- and Stanford is vastly improved on defense, ranking third in the Pac-10 in total and scoring defense.

But the money matchup is Luck versus the Wildcats D.

First in a series of Pac-10 thoughts that might come from unusual angles (you can see Arizona's 2009 prediction here).

Don't be surprised if... The Wildcats defense is all about big plays -- both positive and negative ones.

Consider the Arizona defense, which is replacing seven starters from a unit that ranked second in the Pac-10, including quality leaders such as tackle Earl Mitchell and safety Cam Nelson.

Also consider the combination of Ricky Elmore and Brooks Reed at end. They might become the best pass rushing tandem in the conference.

See three new linebackers and two voids in the secondary. And then see ball-hawking cornerback Trevin Wade.

Two things stand out when you look at the Wildcats defensive depth chart in 2010: 1. Inexperience, particularly at linebacker; 2. Playmakers, particularly Wade, Reed and Elmore.

So: Good things. And bad things.

Here's what I expect to see in 2010:

• Reed and Elmore will lead a pass rush that records perhaps three sacks per game. Also, expect to see the capable D'Aundre Reed making things even more challenging for an O-line by lining up as a "third" end in obvious passing situations.
• That pressure, combined with Wade's presence -- guess here is QBs will try not to throw his way -- will create plenty of turnover opportunities.

That's the positive. But here's the negative:

• Inexperience at LB means the secondary will need to offer more run-support. And when safeties lean forward, bad things can happen behind them.
• With the arrival of co-defensive coordinator Greg Brown, the Wildcats figure to use more press-man coverage and less zone (we'll see). One-on-one matchups are risky, particularly vs. quality QBs, which are plentiful in the conference.
• Knowing that the Wildcats will have a strong pass rush and that they are questionable at linebacker, opposing offenses will dink and dunk with the hopes of catching one of those inexperienced LBs out of position. That's how short screens and hot routes become 55-yard catch-and-runs.

Every defensive coach loves sacks and takeaways. And they hate yielding explosion plays.

The Wildcats look like they could see a fair share of the former and latter in 2010. How the numbers swing one way or the other will be telling.

Posted by ESPN.com's Ted Miller

Little game of Pac-10 Jeopardy: This nationally ranked team controls its own conference destiny and it never rains in its home stadium.

Oregon!

	Chris Morrison/US PRESSWIRE
	Even with a tough upcoming schedule, coach Mike Stoops believes Arizona's best football is ahead.

No, though we enjoy that jocular pregame announcement at Autzen Stadium as much as anybody. And, please, remember to phrase your answer in the form of a question.

Who is Arizona?

Right!

No, really. Who is Arizona?

The Wildcats, ranked 18th in the BCS standings, are 5-2 overall and, at 3-1 in conference play, are alone in second place in the standings. If not for an odd and controversial deflection at Washington, the Wildcats would be sniffing the top 10.

Yet few folks seem to know much about them.

They rank No. 1 in the Pac-10 and 14th in the nation in total offense (455 yards per game) and third in the conference in total defense (315 ypg). They are balanced on offense -- 12 rushing touchdowns, 12 passing touchdowns -- and they do a good job of stopping the run, ranking 17th in the nation (101.3 ypg).

Yet the buzz around the program -- outside of Tucson, at least -- is only a light hum.

"That's all the time. We're always laying low," said Wildcats senior safety Cam Nelson, who knows personally about being underrated.

"We don't get much credit, which doesn't bother us. We don't need anybody to know us. We like being a no-name team that's going to sneak up and make a big run."

Nelson sounds more resigned than perturbed. As for that big run, don't disregard the notion. The schedule ahead is brutal (perhaps the toughest in the nation) but nothing worth achieving is ever easy to obtain.

Arizona should know. It has been waiting a long time for a Rose Bowl berth. Like, er, forever.

We must pause now and acknowledge what Wildcats coach Mike Stoops has been relentlessly telling his team for the past two weeks (Arizona had a bye last week): Do not overlook Washington State, which comes to town on Saturday.

"Our guys are smart enough to understand ... anybody can beat anybody if you give them the opportunity," Stoops said.

But, outside of the locker room, we are free to consider this slate of four games: at California, Oregon, at Arizona State and at USC.

Is it far-fetched to imagine the Wildcats running that gauntlet unscathed? Absolutely. But not impossible.

Arizona whipped Cal 42-27 last year. It's won two of three from Oregon. It beat the rival Sun Devils 31-10 last year. USC only beat the Wildcats 17-10 in 2008, and these Trojans don't appear as salty as those.

Moreover, the Wildcats have reached this point -- on the cusp of consecutive bowl berths for the first time since 1997-98 -- despite major injury issues.

They lost their best player, tight end Rob Gronkowski, before the season began with a back injury. They've played their last four games without their best pass-rusher, end Brooks Reed. Two of their top three running backs, starter Nic Grigsby and No. 3 Greg Nwoko, likely will miss the Washington State game with shoulder injuries, while No. 2 Keola Antolin is still nursing a sprained ankle. The offensive line has been down one or two starters much of the season.

Said Stoops, "I think our best football is still in front of us. It's going to need to be."

The good news is that Reed appears set to play Saturday, and Nelson believes the return of one of the best ends in the Pac-10 will have a big impact for a unit that has struggled to consistently pressure opposing quarterbacks.

"It will help a whole lot," Nelson said. "Brooks' intensity on the field, the way he plays and carries himself, you'll see a big change in the defense. D'Aundre Reed has stepped in and done a good job, but there's no substitution for Brooks on the field. He plays reckless, hard. He's fast every play, trying to cause a turnover. Once we get him back, things will be a whole lot different. There will be more pressure, which will make it easier on the back end for us."

Speaking of back ends: Nelson has no problem talking about the rigorous back end of the schedule and what it's going to take to win-out. That doesn't, however, mean he's overlooking Washington State.

"Regardless of their record, they are still a Pac-10 team," he said. "Every week is a challenge."

But if Arizona is up to that challenge from now until Dec. 5 at USC, it may accomplish something it's never done before.

What is earn a Rose Bowl berth?

Posted by ESPN.com's Ted Miller

There are many ways to lose a football game. Sometimes a team goes rear end-over-tea kettle during the early going. Other times a team blows it at the end.

Neither is terribly pleasant. Perhaps Stanford and Arizona coaches, players and fans can debate the relative demerits of each in Tucson on Saturday.

A week ago, both Stanford and Arizona looked poised to enter the national rankings and climb atop the Pac-10. Cardinal fans were imagining their first bowl game since 2001 and a Heisman Trophy campaign for running back Toby Gerhart. Wildcats fans were agog over new starting quarterback Nick Foles and a potential 4-1 start despite three consecutive tough road games.

Things didn't go according to plan, though.

Stanford opted not to wait for its disappointment. It entered the halftime locker room at Oregon State trailing 31-7.

"We got our butts beat," said Cardinal coach Jim Harbaugh, cutting to the chase when asked what he saw while watching the game film of the 38-28 loss.

And then there's Arizona. Take a moment, Wildcats fans, and express your feelings about the 33-26 defeat at Washington, in which your team out-gained the Huskies 461 yards to 256 yet still managed to yield a 12-point lead in the final four-plus minutes. Any thoughts on the officiating?

Our condolences. Now hush. We must move on to the rest of the story, which as Arizona coach Mike Stoops will tell you is about looking forward to Stanford.

"You've got to let it go. You can't hold onto it or it will devastate you," Stoops said.

Added Harbaugh, "The good news is it only counts as one game."

There's more good news. In the preseason, there were questions about the declining quality of Pac-10 quarterbacks. These two teams have answers, now and into the future.

Foles, a sophomore, ranks No. 1 in the Pac-10 in pass efficiency and had been mostly outstanding -- six TD passes in just 106 attempts -- until he threw his first two interceptions of the season late in the Washington game, though the nature of one of those picks was fairly controversial, you may have heard.

At Stanford, redshirt freshman Andrew Luck ranks second in pass efficiency. Just like Foles, he's got six touchdown passes and two interceptions, and would have produced a seventh if receiver Chris Owusu didn't drop a sure long scoring throw on the first play from scrimmage at Oregon State.

Not to pick at those scabs or anything.

It's not easy being a young, first-year starter, but these two have thrived from the get-go and thus far have even outplayed the conference's most celebrated young QB, USC's true freshman Matt Barkley.

"Talent has a lot to do with it -- physical maturity, mental maturity," Harbaugh said. "Being able to focus and play loose at the same time, where it's not overwhelming to be out there."

Stoops said he's not surprised but Foles' early success, though that sets up the question of why fellow sophomore Matt Scott initially won the job and started the first three games (the answer, by the way, is Scott consistently outplayed Foles during most of preseason practices).

"He's one of those classroom junkies," Stoops said of Foles. "He loves the science behind everything and wants to know everything. He can get better and better because he puts a lot of time into his trade, that's for sure."

Despite the hostile environment -- Arizona Stadium can get pretty raucous -- Luck has an advantage over Foles on Saturday: Gerhart, who likely is looking to be more of a factor than he was when the Cardinal fell hopelessly behind at Oregon State.

The Wildcats defense is beat up. Defensive tackle Earl Mitchell (concussion, laceration to his head from a swinging door) and ends Brooks Reed (ankle) and D'Aundre Reed (hand) are questionable.

As is the Wildcats once-potent running game: Nic Grigsby (shoulder) and Keola Antolin (ankle) area questionable. Both are the quick, scatback types that give the Cardinal trouble -- see the Rodgers brothers last week. No. 3 back Greg Nwoko is a 220-pound straight-ahead runner that plays into the strength of a physical defense accustomed to practicing against Gerhart.

But throw the nuances aside. Both these teams have high aspirations. Not to draw a line in the sand or anything, but the loser might find it hard to reach those goals with a loss.

"We're not going to put any more pressure on ourselves than we already have," Foles said. "We all know what we have to do."

Perhaps Harbaugh said it best: "Both teams need a win. Both teams are very capable."

Posted by ESPN.com's Ted Miller

Some injury notes based on news reports.

Arizona
Guard Conan Amituanai sprained his knee against Washington. He won't play against Stanford. Defensive tackle Earl Mitchell was hurt in a freak accident on Oct. 9 -- he was knocked out by a door and required stitches -- and didn't play Saturday, but he might return this week. Receiver Bug Wright (knee), defensive end Brooks Reed (ankle), running back Nic Grigsby (shoulder), running back Keola Antolin and defensive end D'Aundre Reed (hand) are all questionable.

Arizona State
The Sun Devils got two player back at Washington State -- guard Garth Gerhart and safety Ryan McFoy -- and didn't suffer any additional injuries. Receiver Kerry Taylor (hamstring), guard Matt Hustad and cornerback Omar Bolden (knee) each missed the Washington State game and are questionable this week.

California
After taking the weekend off, the Bears may get guard Matt Summers-Gavin (shoulder), wide receiver Nyan Boateng (foot) and tight end Spencer Ladner back for the UCLA game. On the downside, receiver Verran Tucker is battling a calf injury and backup nose tackle Kendrick Payne, who didn't play against USC, is doubtful with plantar fasciitis.

Oregon
The Ducks only practice Wednesday and Friday during their bye week. It's unclear if quarterback Jeremiah Masoli (knee) or safety T.J. Ward (ankle) will be ready to participate. Offensive tackle C.E. Kaiser sat out all last week with a shin injury but he played against UCLA.

Oregon State
Offensive guard Gregg Peat bruised his knee against Stanford but he should be able to play after the bye week at USC. Running back Ryan McCants (knee) has yet to play this season but he is questionable for the USC game. Receiver Darrell Catchings (ankle) isn't expected to be ready by Oct. 24.

Stanford
Defensive end Erik Lorig didn't play at Oregon State because of a groin injury. Safety Delano Howell is nursing a quad injury. Both are questionable for the visit to Arizona.

UCLA
Linebacker Reggie Carter played through a sprained knee against Oregon but he's questionable for the Cal game. Tailback Johnathan Franklin and safety Glenn Love are both nursing sprained ankles. Defensive end Korey Bosworth bruised his ribs but is probable for Saturday.

USC
Receiver Ronald Johnson (collarbone) and defensive end Armond Armstead (foot) are expected to be cleared to play at Notre Dame.

Washington
Offensive guard Greg Christine broke his fibula against Arizona and is likely done for the year. He was replaced by sophomore Nick Wood. Running back Chris Polk played through a sprained shoulder against Arizona. Linebacker E.J. Savannah and defensive tackle Cameron Elisara are nursing stingers.

Washington State
It's good news and bad news for the Cougars. Cornerback Daniel Simmons may be done for the season after breaking his leg against Arizona State. On the plus side, guard Zack Williams (ankle) should be ready for the visit to California after the bye week. Tackle Steven Ayers (ankle) and guard B.J. Guerra (knee) are questionable, as are defensive tackle Bernard Wolfgramm (hip) and linebacker Alex Hoffman-Ellis (staph infection).

Posted by ESPN.com's Ted Miller

The Pac-10 spring position reviews conclude with the defensive ends, the guys who get after the quarterback. Or are supposed to.

Even with four of the top five conference leaders in sacks gone, this is a fairly solid position across the board. The only team that raises a rebuilding red flag is Oregon State, which lost twin sackmasters Victor Butler and Slade Norris.

Of course, Washington and Washington State both produced only 16 sacks in 2008, tied for worst in the conference and among the fewest in the nation.

Great shape

• California: Cal welcomes back underrated end Tyson Alualu, second-team All-Pac-10 in 2008, and rising star Cameron Jordan, a junior. They combined for 22 tackles for loss last year in the Bears' 3-4 defense. There's also solid, young depth behind them in sophomore Trevor Guyton and junior Keith Browner.
• Arizona: Juniors Brooks Reed and Ricky Elmore combined for 15 sacks last year and both backups, D'Aundre Reed -- who started four games and had 2.5 sacks in 2008 -- and Apaiata Tuihalamaka are back.

Good shape

• Arizona State: Dexter Davis had 11 sacks and 15 tackles for loss last season. James Brooks, Jamaar Jarrett, Jamarr Robinson and 25-year-old newcomer Dean DeLeone will battle it out to replace Luis Vasquez and provide depth.
• Stanford: Tom Keiser had six sacks last year and earned freshman All-American honors while Erik Lorig has started 20 career games. Tom McAndrew provides experienced depth.
• UCLA: Senior Korey Bosworth had 7.5 sacks and 11 tackles for loss in 2008, while junior Reginald Stokes started five of the final seven games last year. He will be challenged by sophomore Datone Jones.
• Oregon: Sackmaster Nick Reed is gone, but that at least means Will Tukuafu might finally get some credit. He had 7.5 sacks and 17.5 tackles for loss last year. Competition will be hot to replace Reed, with juniors Brandon Bair, Zac Clark and Kenny Rowe in the running.
• USC: Sure, both Kyle Moore and Clay Matthews are gone, but how many teams in the nation do you think would trade defensive ends with the Trojans? Everson Griffen, who had 4.5 sacks last year, is a true talent as a pass rusher, but he needs to be more consistent. Sophomore Malik Jackson and freshmen Wes Horton and Nick Perry each have huge upside.
• Washington: The Huskies sneak in here mostly because of second-team All-Pac-10 end Daniel Te'o-Nesheim, a high-motor senior who had eight of the team's 16 sacks in 2008. Senior Darrion Jones returns at the other end and youngsters like Kalani Aldrich and Everrette Thompson showed flashes of promise.

We'll see

• Oregon State: The Beavers also had to replace both starting defensive ends last season, but this year the backups don't arrive with 19.5 sacks split between them like Victor Butler and Slade Norris did. Sophomore Kevin Frahm and senior Ben Terry split two sacks between themselves in 2008.
• Washington State: Matt Mullennix is gone, but Kevin Kooyman is back as is Andy Mattingly, but he might end up as an outside linebacker. But, really, the Cougars only had 16 sacks last year (in 13 games). Youngsters and newcomers will need to step up.