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We've seen David Shaw the offensive coordinator; David Shaw the head coach, recruiter and motivator. We've seen the David Shaw who gets perturbed when his strategies are questioned and the David Shaw who is humbled by praise and deflects kudos onto his assistants and players.

But there's one David Shaw we're yet to see: David Shaw the disciplinarian.

While so much of the attention heading into next season's opener against San Jose State was going to focus on who would start at quarterback, now we must also turn our attention to the defensive side of the ball and wonder who will be starting at inside linebacker. And for all the wrong reasons.

If memory serves, there were no players suspended or forced to miss time for violating team rules in the 2011 season. If there were, it wasn't made public and they weren't starters. But Shayne Skov is one of the best linebackers in the country, a poster boy for hard work and probably the most visible player on the 2012 roster. Whatever course of action Shaw takes in dealing with Skov's reported DUI will serve as a precedent for how all other disciplinary actions are taken.

I think it's safe to assume he's not going to dismiss Skov from the team -- as Mike Leach did yesterday with Washington State linebacker C.J. Mizell. Skov has neither the history nor the offense to warrant that severe of a punishment. He's a good teammate, a good student -- and if you work in the media -- a pretty good quote. All in all, he's a good guy who made a beyond-idiotic mistake.

But Shaw can't let this slide with a couple extra laps after practice and a stern talking-to, either. Skov put his life and the lives of others in jeopardy when he decided to knock back x-amount of cocktails and then turn the key.

Shaw hasn't made any comments about the incident other than an official statement issued through the school. But if David Shaw the disciplinarian is anything like the head coach, he'll approach it in the same, cool and even-tempered demeanor in which he approaches most things. But if anyone saw how distressed Shaw was when talking about Skov's injury back in Tucson, or the way he exploded in Pullman following an illegal hit on Chris Owusu, it's clear he loves his players and he's going to have their back. That makes whatever decision to come that much harder.

A suspension is certainly in order. How many games is the question. Clouding the issue is Skov's health. He's still recovering from a knee injury and we won't know if he'll be 100 percent to start the season. If he is fully healthy -- and he's suspended for the San Jose State and Duke games -- that seems fair.

But if he's still a couple of weeks away from being healthy when the season starts -- and he's suspended for both of those games -- is it really a just punishment? Suspending him for games he might have not played in -- or only played a minor role -- seems like doling out discipline with a dust pan rather than an iron fist.

Which brings us to the third game of the season: USC. This is one of the marquee games on Stanford's 2012 schedule and a true measuring stick for the Cardinal in the post-Andrew Luck era. Stanford doesn't need Skov to beat USC. Stanford doesn't need Skov at all -- for that matter. But they are a better team with him.

Whatever punishment Skov is to serve should begin when he's ready to play football. If that's the third game of the season, so be it. Using Skov's injury as a subterfuge for suspension would be letting him off the hook and a disservice to the position Shaw holds.

Shaw is, above all, a Stanford man. Now it's up to him -- David Shaw the disciplinarian -- to back up the ideals he so frequently preaches.

Here's a look at Stanford's schedule in 2012 (all games on a Saturday unless otherwise noted). Let the win-loss debate begin.

• Sept. 1 San Jose State at Stanford
• Sept. 8 Duke at Stanford
• Sept. 15 USC at Stanford
• Sept. 22 Bye
• (Thursday) Sept. 27 Stanford at Washington
• Oct. 6 Arizona at Stanford
• Oct. 13 Stanford at Notre Dame
• Oct. 20 Stanford at Cal
• Oct. 27 Washington State at Stanford
• Nov. 3 Stanford at Colorado
• Nov. 10 Oregon State at Stanford
• Nov. 17 Stanford at Oregon
• Nov. 24 Stanford at UCLA
• Nov. 30: Pac-12 Football Championship Game (just for those of you with extra high hopes).

First thoughts:

• Nice to open up with three straight at home, but a big challenge early against USC. The bye week right afterward helps getting whoever is at quarterback ready for his first trip as a starter to Washington.
• Traveling to Notre Dame is always tough -- no matter who is playing quarterback. Takes away the sting of back-to-back road games when you don't have to leave the region to play Cal.
• About the Big Game being played so early, Stanford athletic director Bob Bowlsby said this through a release from the school: “The October 20 date for Big Game is 2012 is certainly not our first choice but the conference is governed by the will of the majority and we have a duty to respect the outcome of the vote. We will work with California and the Pac-12 office to advocate for the Big Game and all rivalry games to be scheduled toward the end of the season in future years.”
• By my count, Stanford should have bowl eligibility by, at the very least, the end of the Colorado game -- though the Notre Dame-Cal stretch will be critical. Winning both would be outstanding, splitting would be passable, but dropping both could be a momentum killer because the Cardinal have three very winnable games (home to WSU, at Colorado, home to OSU) heading into Oregon.
• Would rather face UCLA with new coach Jim Mora early in the season while things are still getting sorted out. By the final week, the Bruins will know what they are doing (for better or worse). Plus, depending on how things play out, it's not out of the realm of possibility that UCLA might need that final game to clinch bowl eligibility.
• The extra time to study in between Washington and Arizona will be helpful for prepping against the new-look, Rich Rodriguez-led Wildcats.
• Having five of the final seven games on the road is going to be rough. But better to have it that way than five of the first seven on the road with a new quarterback.

As previously mentioned in the mailbag, I see eight wins -- though I wouldn't be shocked at seven. Anything over eight would be a bonus and anything under seven would be a disappointment. I think the schedule works out nicely for a team with a new quarterback and one that will certainly be under the spotlight once again next season, albeit for different reasons than this year.

No. 6 Stanford faces its first significant test of the season Saturday at Arizona, where the spirited 'Zona Zoo can be a challenge for opposing offenses.

The game has the potential to be highly entertaining, at least if you like A-list quarterbacks. Stanford's Andrew Luck is a leading Heisman Trophy candidate and likely will be the top over all pick in next spring's NFL draft, while Arizona's Nick Foles has put up huge numbers so far and could join Luck in the draft's first round.

Stanford blogger Kevin Gemmell and Pac-12 blogger Ted Miller decided there was plenty to discuss.

Kevin Gemmell: Ted, I think it's commonly accepted that Stanford quarterback Andrew Luck is the Heisman front-runner and will be the No. 1 pick in the NFL draft. But I couldn't help notice Arizona quarterback Nick Foles getting some love in last week's Heisman poll. Stanford's secondary has been its weakest cog through two weeks of the season. Foles will be, by far, the most accurate quarterback they have faced this season when they roll into Tucson on Saturday. That has me wondering. Do we have this all wrong? Is Foles the Pac-12 quarterback we should be focusing on and not Luck?

Ted Miller: Well, Luck is Luck, considered by many to be the best quarterback prospect in a decade. He’s the total package and almost certain top pick in the NFL draft this spring. More than a few folks believe, however, that Foles, if he turns in a good season, also could find his way into the first round of the NFL draft. He’s a big guy with a good arm and is very accurate. Further, as a third-year starter, he’s experienced. He’s not going to get surprised. And he will tax the Stanford pass defense, particularly if he gets receiver Juron Criner back. My guess is Luck will look longingly at Foles’ receivers.

The problem for Foles and Arizona, though, is five new offensive line starters. They’ve done OK pass blocking, but the Wildcats run game has been mostly nonexistent. Seems like the Stanford front seven has been stout thus far. We knew the linebackers would be good. Tell me about the defensive line.

Kevin Gemmell: You're right about the linebackers. They are good. And a significant reason they are good is because of that defensive line. As you know, linebackers rule in the 3-4 scheme, and the boys up front are there to occupy the blockers. But here's the catch. They are doing more than that. Matt Masifilo, Terrence Stephens and Ben Gardner have also been making tackles and getting to the quarterback. Those three have combined for 13 tackles, five tackles for losses of 25 yards, two sacks, a fumble recovery and a pass breakup in the first two games. First they occupy the block, then they shed it just as quickly. Where the Stanford defense has had some problems through the first couple of weeks has been in the secondary. It hasn't really been "burned" by any big plays, but the defenders have missed tackles which have led to a few big plays. They have created the big play on their own. Never a good thing. San Jose State and Duke completed 62 percent of their passes against the Cardinal. Not great numbers, but better than you'd expect from a couple of lower-tier teams. What's going to happen when an accurate passer like Foles gets in there?

Ted Miller: Well, the Stanford secondary then is going to need to buckle up because while there’s talk of trying for some balance in Tucson, it’s really going to be about Foles and the passing game. Of course, as good as Foles is and as deep as the Wildcats receivers are, the offense is not the same without Criner, who it’s fair to say is questionable after having an appendectomy last week. With Criner, Foles has a big target who’s a deep threat and has a knack for making big plays. Without him, the passing attack lacks that obvious go-to target. That Cardinal secondary, which only lost cornerback Richard Sherman from 2010, did a good job against Foles last year, holding him to 248 yards passing -- 5.2 yards per completion -- with a touchdown and an interception from Sherman. Foles has to win that battle, though, for the Wildcats to have a chance for the upset. He’ll need another 400-yard passing game.

What about the other side of the ball? While Luck is back and looking good, despite losing his top-two receivers from 2010, how has the personality of the offense changed after the departure of coach Jim Harbaugh and some key players? Arizona coach Mike Stoops said the Cardinal had been “vanilla” in the first two games. Are we going to see some new things this weekend?

Kevin Gemmell: The personality is a lot like David Shaw. Balanced. You haven't seen "Heisman-esque" numbers out of Luck, because he doesn't play in a five-wide spread offense. They want to establish the run, be physical, and then pick their moments to take the shots down the field. The running game has been hit-and-miss to this point. But that's to be expected with three new starters on the offensive line. Some readers have commented to me that they think Stanford has lost its "swagger" sans Harbaugh. I couldn't disagree more. There is plenty of swagger to go around, and 101 points in two games to back that up.

Shaw heard the "vanilla" comment, and he called it a fair assessment. But so far we've seen a flea-flicker and a nifty little shovel pass. Not entirely vanilla. There's nothing wrong with showing other teams on film that you have those clubs in your bag. And they've also shown a lot of their three tight-end formations. Talk about mismatch issues! Stanford has three tight ends -- two of them 6-foot-6 and another at 6-8 -- who would create matchup problems for any defense in this country. Those tight ends have more than made up for the missing wide receivers from last season. And speaking of the receivers, even though Chris Owusu hasn't had that "big play," he is coming off a 100-yard receiving game against Duke, and Griff Whalen has proven to be a nice presence underneath.

Let's call it vanilla with sprinkles, cookie dough and a drizzle of caramel sauce.

OK, Ted. Prediction time. You're the Pac-12 veteran. How do you see this one playing out?

Ted Miller: It would be a lot easier, Kevin, if we knew if Criner was going to play. My hunch is no. But I still wouldn’t pick the Wildcats in this one because they lack a running game to help Foles, and the young offensive line is going to struggle with the Cardinal front seven. Still, Arizona plays better in front of the ‘Zona Zoo, one of the best home crowds in the Pac-12. My pick is a competitive 35-24 victory for Stanford, with the Cardinal asserting itself in the fourth quarter.

What’s your take?

Kevin Gemmell: Truly, great minds think alike. I had Stanford pegged at 35-24 in my Thursday prediction. I'm looking for a lot more running out the of the Cardinal than people are probably expecting in a game with two marquee quarterbacks. I think the Cardinal are a little tired of hearing the folks say they haven't played anyone yet. Not that Arizona is Alabama or Oklahoma -- but a win against an above average Pac-12 team on the road would go a long way toward silencing some of their critics. Foles is going to get his stats, but Stanford will get the win.

Taking stock of the second week of games and looking ahead to Week 3.

Team of the week: Arizona State announced its return to relevancy -- and the national polls -- with a 37-30 win aganst Missouri. Sure, it was sloppy, and the Sun Devils nearly blew a 14-point fourth-quarter lead, but that was the sort of game that was a near-miss, not a win over the previous two seasons.

Best game: While the Sun Devils produced a thriller, it was ruined by 23 combined penalties with the Tigers. Utah's visit to USC was played at a high level throughout and lived up to its backdrop as the first-ever Pac-12 game (again, Colorado and California fans who didn't read any of the the 12,237 mentions that their game wasn't conference game: Your game wasn't a conference game; it didn't count in the standings). USC's 23-14 victory even featured a thrilling -- thrilling -- final score controversy.

Biggest play: Utah could have forced overtime at USC, but kicker Coleman Petersen's 41-yard field goal attempt was low and was easily blocked by Matt Kalil. Torin Harris returned the block for a TD, which accounts for the deceiving final margin.

Offensive standout: Wow. So many big numbers this weekend it's hard to single out one player. But one Pac-12 team beat a ranked nonconference foe, so we're going with Sun Devils quarterback Brock Osweiler, who completed 24 of 32 passes for 353 yards with three TDs and no interceptions and also rushed five times for 34 yards and a score. The number of Osweiler doubters has been greatly reduced.

Defensive standout: The many big offensive performances obscured a brilliant defensive one by Stanford outside linebacker Chase Thomas, who got screwed out of a helmet sticker. Duke couldn't handle Thomas, who recorded 2.5 sacks, 3.5 tackles for a loss and a forced fumble against the Blue Devils

Special teams standout: Colorado was concerned about its kicking during the preseason, but Will Oliver has answered those concerned. In the overtime loss to California, he was 4 for 4 on field goals, with a long of 52 yards, and 3 for 3 on PATs. He accounted for 15 of the Buffs 33 points. He's yet to miss a kick in two games.

Smiley face: USC, California and Arizona State have found ways to lose games they should have won of late, but all three found ways to win tight games over the weekend.

Smiley face II: Huge performances in the passing game over the weekend, from both quarterbacks and receivers. Quarterbacks accounted for 33 TD passes and just four interceptions. Seven threw three or more TD passes. Five threw for more than 350 yards. Only UCLA passed for fewer than 230 yards. And receivers had big days: Arizona's Dan Buckner, Arizona State's Aaron Pflugrad, Colorado's Paul Richardson, California's Keenan Allen, Oregon's De'Anthony Thomas (a running back!), Stanford's Chris Owusu, USC's Robert Woods, Utah's DeVonte Christopher, Washington's Devin Aguilar and Washington State's Marquess Wilson.

Frowny face: Arizona and Oregon State both lost on the road to very good teams, but neither distinguished itself with a competitive effort.

Thought of the week: If the quarterback play continues at the present pace, who wins first- and second-team All-Pac-12 quarterback? Consider the pecking order here before you answer.

Questions for the week: Can the Pac-12 make big statements on the road? Four conference teams face tough road matchups Saturday. Arizona State is at Illinois, trying to avoid a letdown game. Utah visits rival BYU in a contest that might be even nastier than before for the former Mountain West Conference members. Washington plays Nebraska for the third time in a year, this time with the Cornhuskers wanting revenge. And Washington State plays at a tough San Diego State squad looking for a 3-0 start.

Stanford wasn't always pretty but it dispatched Duke in workmanlike fashion, despite Andrew Luck delivering a pick-six.

Other than the interception, Luck completed 20-of-28 for 290 yards with four touchdowns. So, you know, good day.

It's also good news the running game got on track. The Cardinal rushed for 205 yards. The defense yielded some yards but was mostly dominant. The Blue Devils got a late TD against reserves.

No. 6 Stanford should get its first real test of the year next Saturday at Arizona. The Wildcats are desperate, and they are tough in front of the 'Zona Zoo.

Once upon a time, and a very good time it was, there was a moocow coming down along the road.

• It appears that Arizona will be without star receiver Juron Criner at Oklahoma State, which is not good.
• Missouri will start an inexperienced quarterback at Arizona State. The Sun Devils are hoping to beat a ranked team for the first time since 2007.
• California didn't get its kicks in the season opener. The Bears will be down a receiver at Colorado.
• Colorado wide receiver Toney Clemons and coach Jon Embree try to get on the same page. The quarterback of the future looks good.
• It's uncertain if Oregon running back Kenjon Barner will play against Nevada, which has a pistol offense that will challenge the Ducks.
• Is quarterback Ryan Katz going to be Oregon State's scapegoat? Trying to make the special teams special.
• Stanford is just LOADED at tight end. Previewing the Cardinal's visit to Duke.
• UCLA coach Rick Neuheisel blows his top at practice. Quarterback Kevin Prince's status remains uncertain.
• USC wideout Robert Woods finds that catching 17 passes has its downside. Some notes, including a look at the uncertain running back situation.
• Utah is glad to get a starting offensive tackle back. There could be more sharing in the backfield.
• Washington's star last week was a kicker. Running back Chris Polk is getting better.
• Washington State quarterback Marshall Lobbestael gets a second act.
• Jon Wilner on expansion madness.
• Why are SEC lines so much bigger? Three words: Biscuits and gravy.

Ten issues to consider heading into the second week of games.

1. Foles versus Weeden: It's possible we'll have 750-800 yards passing in Arizona's visit to Oklahoma State. It's a showdown of two marquee quarterbacks in the Wildcats' Nick Foles and the Cowboys' Brandon Weeden, though the showdown of marquee receivers -- Juron Criner and Justin Blackmon -- doesn't look like it will happen because Criner has missed practices with an undisclosed illness. The Cowboys bombed Arizona in the 2010 Alamo Bowl 36-10, which was the last of five consecutive season-ending losses for the Wildcats. The Wildcats want redemption, but for them to have any chance, Foles must outplay Weeden.

2. Play smart, Arizona State: Missouri is one team that can claim as many injuries to key players as Arizona State -- the Tigers are down six starters. It's possible that the Tigers will play things fairly close to the vest with new QB James Franklin, who's a better runner than passer, perhaps waiting for the Sun Devils to make mistakes. And that strategy has worked in the past for teams facing the Sun Devils. ASU has long been penalty- and turnover-prone. The Sun Devils have the talent to win this game outright ... as long as they don't blow it. If ASU wins the turnover battle and is at least close to even in penalties, it should be a happy Friday night in Tempe.

3. Play loose, attack, Oregon State: The Beavers odds are pretty darn bad at Wisconsin. Even without significant injuries, or a loss to Sacramento State in the opener, few would be predicting an upset. Most likely, the best-case scenario for Oregon State is a respectable performance that includes no new injuries. Still, the Beavers need to reclaim their pride and confidence. They need to enjoy the big stage and regain some swagger. To do that, they will need to play loose and take some chances. Throw deep. Run some trick plays. Blitz. Try to have some fun, because that's exactly what didn't seem to happen last weekend.

4. Can Colorado block Cal? You might have noticed that I picked Colorado to upset California. If you want to know why that pick may end up making me look bad, it's the matchup of the Buffaloes' offensive line against the Bears' strong front seven. Hawaii pushed the Buffs around, recording seven sacks and holding them to 17 yards rushing. Cal has a more talented front seven than Hawaii, so that's a huge issue worth watching during the early going: Are the Buffs able to protect Tyler Hansen and create some gaps for Rodney Stewart? Playing at home will help, but the Colorado O-line is where an upset will start. Or end.

5. Oregon's fire: The last time the Ducks suffered a disappointing season-opening loss in a marquee nonconference game was in 2009 at Boise State. You might recall the Ducks didn't play particularly well the next two weeks against Purdue and Utah, though they managed to win both games. While the players will talk about trying to get the bad taste of the LSU game out of their mouths, it's easy to imagine the Ducks coming out flat against Nevada. This is not the same Nevada team that went 13-1 in 2010, but the Wolf Pack are good enough to steal one if Oregon takes too long to wake up.

6. Man-up, Washington: The Huskies played soft on both sides of the ball in a weak effort against Eastern Washington. That performance won't beat Hawaii, which pushed Colorado around on both lines and is coming to Seattle expecting to win. If Washington thinks it can coast into its visit to Nebraska the following weekend, it's going to get embarrassed. Two key issues: 1. QB Bryant Moniz is the Warriors' offense as both a runner and passer. He must be contained. And hit. 2. The running game must get going with Chris Polk. The Hawaii front seven had its way with the Buffs. Are the Huskies next?

7. Lucky numbers: While everyone knows Stanford QB Andrew Luck is the best player in college football, he's going to have to put up some numbers to win the Heisman Trophy. 171 yards passing -- his total in the opener -- won't get it done. Duke should offer an opportunity for Luck to pad his stats a bit. While the Cardinal's chief interest is getting their running game going -- it sagged a bit against San Jose State -- Luck throwing aggressively downfield is also a good thing.

8. Lobbestael as starter: It's one thing to come off the bench and play well. There's no thinking time. It's all about instincts. But with the injury to QB Jeff Tuel, Marshall Lobbestael now knows he's Washington State's starter for at least six weeks. He's had time to process that -- and perhaps overthink and get nervous about that. The Cougars have the players to beat UNLV at home without Tuel. But Lobbestael needs to be a good game manager. He's not going to be asked to throw for 350 yards. He needs to avoid mistakes, go through his progressions and take what the defense gives him.

9.Utah's secondary vs. USC's Matt Barkley and Robert Woods: Utah completely rebuilt its secondary this offseason, replacing all four 2010 starters. While reviews were solid during preseason practices, we have no idea how good the unit is. We will have some idea after it faces Barkley and Woods, two future high NFL draft choices. If there is one matchup where it looks like the Trojans can exploit the Utes, it's in the passing game. Utah's first job is to contain Barkley and make things uncomfortable for him in the pocket, which might not be too difficult with an uncertain Trojans O-line.

10. Reproduce the second half at Houston: UCLA played terribly at Houston for a half, which left it down 31-14. But the Bruins were pretty good on both sides of the ball in the second half. First, that shows that they fought back, which is a good sign. But it also shows the Bruins can get it done on both sides of the ball. If the Bruins play like they did in the second half for all four quarters against San Jose State, they will romp the Spartans and build some confidence for Texas' visit the following weekend.

The Pac-12 went 8-4 last week. I went 9-3.

This week I'm going to try harder.

Thursday

Oklahoma State 38, Arizona 24: Even without wideout Juron Criner's uncertain status, this was going to be a tough trip for the Wildcats. The Cowboys look like a better team than the one that blew Arizona out in the 2010 Alamo Bowl.

Friday

Arizona State 30, Missouri 24: Both teams have injury issues, but the Tigers' are more recent, therefore more taxing for their preparation. The Sun Devils will make a statement on both sides of the ball, with quarterback Brock Osweiler and linebacker Vontaze Burfict both stepping up.

Saturday

Wisconsin 48, Oregon State 20: A week after losing to an FCS team, the Beavers head to Madison to play a national title contender. Oregon State wants to put in a respectable performance, get home in one piece and get healthy for Pac-12 play.

Colorado 24, California 21: This week's upset special! The Bears look better on paper, and they whipped the Buffs 52-7 in Berkeley last year. But think about it: This is EXACTLY the type of game in which Cal throws up on itself.

Oregon 44, Nevada 27: I suspect the Ducks will start a bit flat and this one won't be in the bag until the fourth quarter. So much was invested in the LSU game, it seems likely the Ducks won't be at their best on either side of the ball. But, most important, they will survive.

Washington 33, Hawaii 30: Warning! Warning! Huskies, warning! Hawaii shut down Colorado's running game, and quarterback Bryant Moniz is one of country's best playmakers. The difference should be Husky Stadium. And the poor performance last weekend versus Eastern Washington should help the focus.

Stanford 48, Duke 13: The Blue Devils already lost to Richmond, an FCS powerhouse best known for producing awesome college football bloggers. Will quarterback Andrew Luck get to play in the fourth quarter? Will he put up Heisman-worthy numbers after a solid but unspectacular performance in Week 1? Do the Blue Devils have any say in this one?

Washington State 33, UNLV 21: The Cougs improve to 2-0 -- just four wins away from bowl eligibility -- as backup quarterback Marshall Lobbestael does a solid job replacing Jeff Tuel.

Utah 27, USC 24: Upset special No. 2! Don't like the Matt Barkley-Robert Woods matchup with the Utes secondary, but do like the Utes D-line vs. the USC O-line? Utah is going to come in hungry and well-coached and I don't know if the Trojans will match that intensity. Utah announces itself to the Pac-12 WITH AUTHORITY!

UCLA 35, San Jose State 17: The Bruins will bounce back from the Houston loss with a victory, playing better on both sides of the ball.

The week that wasn't. The week that might be.

Welcome to "Measuring Stick Week" for the Pac-12, which comes right on the heels of "Mostly Laid an Egg Week" in the Pac-12.

To recap:

• The conference went 8-4 when 12-0 seemed perfectly reasonable to expect.
• Oregon lost its marquee showdown with LSU. The nation is saying it was because the Tigers bullied the Ducks with their super-superior angry robot players. Seems completely reasonable, of course, to ignore four Ducks turnovers and 12 Ducks penalties. Sure that had nothing to do with it.
• Oregon State lost at home to Sacramento State, which is not only an FCS team, it's a mediocre FCS team.
• UCLA lost at Houston, a team it pushed around a year ago.
• Colorado lost the battle on the line of scrimmage at Hawaii.
• Even the teams that did win didn't do so with distinction: Washington needed a late interception to beat Eastern Washington. Utah most certainly did NOT just barely beat Montana State -- that's for you angry Twitter sorts -- but it looked terrible on offense against Montana State. USC went scoreless in the second half and also needed a late interception to beat Minnesota.
• And in, "Other than that, how was the play Mrs. Lincoln?" news, Washington State's price for manhandling Idaho State was quarterback Jeff Tuel's clavicle.

One word: Yuck.

But if you lay an egg, you can always pick it up and make an omelet. (Preferably with real butter. And some cheese.)

Measuring Stick Week offers plenty of opportunities for redemption. Or, if you want to be a negative-Nelly, for a precipitous slide in national esteem. (Here's a quick preview of the games).

• Instead of FCS foes, games include matchups with three ranked teams from other AQ conferences -- two on the road -- and two games against foes from non-AQ conferences that had double-digit wins in 2010 (Nevada and Hawaii).
• There are two conference games, though only one counts as a conferences game. Utah's visit to USC not only counts in the standings, it will be widely viewed as an early measure of the Utes' place in the conference pecking order. California's visit to Colorado stands as a nonconference game -- it was scheduled before expansion -- and is all about the Buffs hoping to redeem themselves for the disaster in Berkeley last year.
• Stanford and UCLA are heavy favorites against Duke and San Jose State, respectively, but Stanford is traveling 2,800 miles to Durham, while it's never certain what the Bruins will do.
• Can Washington State improve to 2-0 for the first time since 2005 at home against UNLV without its starting QB?

Pac-12 teams are underdogs in only two of these nonconference games: Arizona and Oregon State (by two and three TDs, respectively). That means the conference needs to go at least 6-2 to hold serve. That means Arizona State -- a 7.5-point favorite even though Missouri is ranked -- and Washington need to beat good teams at home. And Oregon, Stanford, Washington State and UCLA need to take care of business against double-digit underdogs.

And it wouldn't hurt if the Wildcats and Beavers at least distinguished themselves with competitive performances on the road.

The reaction to the Pac-12's first weekend of games was bad from the national media. You can see some here. And here.

You might find it unfair that few took note of the SEC suffering a few embarrassing performances, too, with Georgia getting outclassed by Boise State in a glorified home game and Ole Miss going down at home to BYU and Auburn just escaping Utah State. But that conference, as its adherents are known to point out, has won five consecutive national titles.

The Pac-12 needs more teams in the Top 25 to burnish its image. If Arizona State and Washington win this week, the Sun Devils will be in and the Huskies will be close. The Utah-USC winner will be ranked, while the Wildcats would be too if they pull the upset.

College football is often more of a beauty contest than a game contested on the field of play. The Pac-12 made big news this offseason by getting rich. That's why it has so many suitors now who want a piece of the action.

Being rich makes you attractive in our society.

But the Pac-12 would rather be George Clooney -- rich, good looking -- rather than T. Boone Pickens -- rich and wrinkled.

It figures to become one or the other when the smoke clears after Measuring Stick Week.

Each Pac-12 team plays again this week, and no game is against an FCS foe.

Here's a quick look (all times ET).

Thursday, Sept. 8
Arizona at Oklahoma State, 8 p.m. (ESPN): Arizona is hoping for revenge after getting embarrassed in the 2010 Alamo Bowl, but the No. 9 Cowboys are loaded, particularly on offense with quarterback Brandon Weeden and wide receiver Justin Blackmon, last seen showboating horribly on a long touchdown reception. First of three games against top-10 teams. Up next: Stanford.

Friday, Sept. 9
Missouri at Arizona State, 10:30 p.m. (ESPN): The Sun Devils can announce their national arrival if they can best No. 21 Missouri. The Tigers have a lot of guys back, and QB James Franklin, a new starter, is a touted dual-threat. He's been telling everyone he's going to run over Vontaze Burfict. Kidding! Completely made that up. Up next: at Illinois.

Saturday, Sept. 10
Oregon State at Wisconsin, noon (ESPN or ESPN2): The Beavers should be plenty motivated after losing at home to Sacramento State, an FCS team. The Badgers looked dominant while stomping UNLV and have extra time time to prepare. Wisconsin, ranked 11th, looked good before quarterback Russell Wilson arrived. Now they look like national title contenders. Up next: off.

Stanford at Duke, 3:30 p.m. (ESPNU): The SAT Bowl! The two best private schools playing FBS football, but the Cardinal play the game a little bit better with quarterback Andrew Luck. Now if this were hoops ... Up next: at Arizona.

Nevada at Oregon, 3:30 p.m. (FX): Ducks try to bounce back at home after losing to LSU. The Wolf Pack lost many key starters from a 13-1 team from 2010, and we don't know what they will look like after an opening week bye. But Nevada isn't a team to take lightly.

California at Colorado, 3:30 p.m. (FCS/CSNCA): It's a nonconference conference game -- it was pre-scheduled and doesn't count in the Pac-12 standings. The Buffs will want revenge for last season's embarrassing 52-7 defeat in Berkeley, but Cal looked good and Colorado not so much in the opening weekend. Up next for Cal: Presbyterian. Up next for Colorado: Colorado State.

Hawaii at Washington, 3:30 p.m. (Root NW): Hawaii whipped Colorado in the opener, but the Warriors are a much better team at home. Still, the Huskies looked bad while winning a nail-biter against Eastern Washington, particularly the pass defense. Enter Hawaii quarterback Bryant Moniz, one of the nation's most prolific passers.

UNLV at Washington State, 5 p.m.: This is a huge game for the Cougars bowl hopes. With quarterback Jeff Tuel, the Cougars would seem like a decisive favorite at home. Without him, this feels more like a pick 'em. Back quarterback Marshall Lobbestael needs to come up big for coach Paul Wulff. Up next: at San Diego State.

Utah at USC, 7:30 p.m. (Versus): The first-ever Pac-12 game (at least that counts in the standings)! Utah wants to prove it belongs. USC, which is not eligible to win the South Division because of NCAA sanctions, wants to show the Utes it plans to rule the South as soon as it is unyoked by the NCAA. Neither team was thrilled by its Week 1 performance. Up next for Utah: at BYU. Up next for USC: Syracuse.

San Jose State at UCLA, 10 p.m. (FSN West): UCLA should bounce back after losing at Houston, but it needs a quality performance not one that is "just enough." Odds are Richard Brehaut gets the start. At this point, it's the defense that needs to make more of a statement after the offense did well at Houston. Up next: Texas.

Andrew Luck's numbers aren't spectacular, but Stanford doesn't need spectacular to whip San Jose State.

Stanford leads 27-0 with two minutes before halftime.

Luck has accounted for three touchdowns -- two passing, one rushing -- but he's only 9-of-13 for 90 yards.

Perhaps the Cardinal are saving their best stuff for Duke?

The Stanford defense has held San Jose State to minus-5 yards rushing.

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.

Each Pac-12 plays this week, though for some just barely -- plenty of FCS foes.

The slate is, obviously, led by Oregon-LSU. Next week, things ramp up considerably.

Here's a quick look (all times ET).

Thursday, Sept. 1

Montana State at Utah, 8 p.m. (KJZZ): Utah should record a blowout in its first game as Pac-12 team. Will be interesting to see how well quarterback Jordan Wynn throws after shoulder surgery, but here's a guess he doesn't play four quarters. Up next: USC.

UC Davis at Arizona State, 10 p.m. (FS Arizona): The Sun Devils get a warmup before a marquee nonconference foe comes to town. Up next: Missouri (Friday).

Saturday

Minnesota at USC, 3:30 p.m. (ABC): Minnesota arrives with new coach Jerry Kill. Trojans should do exactly that against perennially rebuilding Big Ten foe. Up next: Utah.

UCLA at Houston, 3:30 p.m. (FSN): Bruins figure to get a full dose of Cougars quarterback Case Keenum, who had a season-ending knee injury in last season's game at the Rose Bowl. Bruins need to get out of gate fast. Up next: San Jose State.

Sacramento State at Oregon state, 4 p.m. (OSUBeavers.com): Oregon State gets a warmup game before a big nonconference trip. Needs to get healthy. Up next: at Wisconsin.

San Jose State at Stanford, 5 p.m. (CSNBA): The debut of new coach David Shaw. And the first date of Sir Andrew Luck's royal tour. Up next: at Duke.

Idaho State at Washington State, 5 p.m.: Cougars will be 1-0 for first time since 2005. Up next: UNLV.

E. Washington at Washington, 7 p.m. (Root NW): Huskies might want to take the defending FCS champs -- and preseason FCS No. 1 team -- seriously. Up next: Hawaii.

Fresno State versus California, (CSNCA): Cal and new quarterback Zach Maynard tries to get off to a fast start at Candlestick Park. Up next: at Colorado.

Oregon versus LSU, 8 p.m. (ABC): Winner might rise to No. 1. Which team overcomes offseason distractions and starts season with huge bang? Up next: Nevada.

Northern Arizona at Arizona, 10 p.m. (FS Arizona): Wildcats get warmup before big nonconference test, which is a good thing with five new starters on the offensive line. Up next: at Oklahoma State (Thursday)

Colorado at Hawaii, 10:15 p.m. (ESPN2): Buffaloes try to end 17-game road losing streak in new coach Jon Embree's debut. Up next: California.

We'll be reviewing each Pac-12 team's schedule, starting with the North Division.

Up next: Stanford

Breakdown: seven home (five conference games), five road (four conference games)

Nonconference opponents (with 2010 records)

Sept. 3 San Jose State (1-12)
Sept. 10 at Duke (3-9)
Nov. 26 Notre Dame (8-5)

North Division games

Oct. 15 at Washington State
Oct. 22 Washington
Nov. 5 at Oregon State
Nov. 12 Oregon
Nov. 19 California

Crossover games

Sept. 17 at Arizona
Oct. 1 UCLA
Oct. 8 Colorado
Oct. 29 at USC

Conference misses

Arizona State
Utah

Key stretch: Though a trip to Arizona on Sept. 17 could be tricky, Stanford should be 6-0 when it plays host to Washington, a team it's pushed around of late. The next five weeks will determine the North Division champion, with road trips to USC and Oregon State preceding the potential conference game of the year: Oregon's visit to the Farm on Nov. 12. And don't forget about the Big Game the following week, which could ruin everything if the Cardinal does.

Trap game: As previously noted, Stanford visits Oregon State the week before it plays host to Oregon, a game between potential top-10 teams that will be hyped the entire season. Yes, this could become a vintage "look ahead" upset special. Big seasons have died in Corvallis before. Just ask USC.

Sure thing: Putative Bay Area rival San Jose State used to be a pain in Stanford's rear. The Spartans beat the Cardinal three consecutive times from 1998-2000, including the 1999 Rose Bowl season. But since then, Stanford has dominated the series, with seven wins in eight games since 2001 (they didn't play last year). The Spartans bottomed out in 2010 while the Cardinal surged. The courses won't reverse this fall.

Analysis: Not to cause Stanford fans to get unhinged, but this schedule whispers something that hasn't been heard around Palo Alto for, well, a really, really long time: national title contender. At this point, the Cardinal might be favored in every game, even the sure-to-be-ballyhooed visit from the Ducks. The conference misses are favorable: Arizona State and Utah are two of the South Division's top teams. The nonconference games are manageable, with the visit from Notre Dame giving the Cardinal a national stage for the final weekend of the regular season. In addition to Oregon and the Fighting Irish, games with Washington and rival California are in Stanford Stadium, where the Cardinal have won 12 of 13. This is a good schedule for Andrew Luck & Co., one that sets up for them to improve on their 2010 season in the only way possible: Undefeated.

Only Oregon and Washington didn't experience any staff turnover this offseason, so we're running through the staff changes for the other 10 Pac-12 teams.

Next up is Arizona State, which was relatively stable.

Team in parenthesis is where the departing coach ended up.

Out
Grady Stretz, defensive line (Tampa Bay Buccaneers)

In
Scott Brown, defensive line

Reaction: The Sun Devils seem poised for a breakout season as the Pac-12 South favorite, so little turnover is a good thing, particularly when 19 starters are returning. Still, two of those departed starters are defensive tackles, so Brown will be in charge of the area with the most turnover this spring. Brown coached at Colorado State the past three years and was at Duke the previous 12.