ESPN College Football

Our All-Pac-12 bowl team has two quarterbacks and a position we made up. And it wasn't easy to pick the defense, because many of the conference defenses underwhelmed during a 2-5 bowl run.

Offense
QB Andrew Luck, Stanford: Luck completed 27 of 31 passes for 347 yards with two touchdowns and one interception in the Fiesta Bowl loss to Oklahoma State.
QB II Keith Price, Washington: It's impossible to leave Price or Luck out. Price completed 23 of 37 passes for 438 yards with four TDs and zero interceptions in the Alamo Bowl loss to Baylor. He also rushed for 39 yards and three scores. Those numbers typically would eclipse what Luck did, but Baylor might have the worst defense in the Football Bowl Subdivision.
RB LaMichael James, Oregon: James rushed for 159 yards on 25 carries with a TD in the Rose Bowl win over Wisconsin.
RB Stepfan Taylor, Stanford: Taylor rushed for 177 yards on 37 carries with two touchdowns in the Fiesta Bowl.
WR Gerell Robinson, Arizona State: Robinson caught 13 passes for 241 yards with a TD in the Las Vegas Bowl loss to Boise State.
WR Lavasier Tuinei, Oregon: Tuinei caught eight passes for 158 yards and two scores in the Rose Bowl victory.
TE Zach Ertz, Stanford: Ertz caught four passes for 38 yards and a touchdown in the Cardinal's Rose Bowl loss.
OL David DeCastro, Stanford: The unanimous All-American dominated Oklahoma State's D-linemen in the Fiesta Bowl. The Cardinal rushed for 243 yards.
OL Mark Asper, Oregon: Asper is the senior cornerstone of a line that led the way for 345 yards rushing in the Ducks' Rose Bowl victory.
OL Tony Bergstrom, Utah: The senior tackle helped RB John White gain 115 tough yards against Georgia Tech in the Sun Bowl.
OL Hroniss Grasu, Oregon: The Ducks freshman center made all the right line calls against Wisconsin.
OL Senio Kelemete, Washington: The Huskies gained 620 yards and didn't allow a sack in the loss to Baylor.
Freak: Our special position for De'Anthony Thomas, who scored TDs on runs of 91 and 64 yards in the Rose Bowl against Wisconsin. The Black Mamba also caught four passes for 34 yards and returned five kickoffs for 125 yards.

K: Giorgio Tavecchio, California: Tavecchio capped a strong senior season with a 47-yard field goal in the Holiday Bowl loss to Texas.
RET: Rashad Ross, Arizona State: Ross returned the third-quarter kickoff 98 yards for a TD against Boise State in the Las Vegas Bowl.

Defense
DL Josh Shirley, Washington: While it's difficult to recognize anyone from the Huskies defense against Baylor, Shirley did sack Robert Griffin, the Heisman Trophy winner, three times.
DL Trevor Guyton, California: Guyton had five tackles, with two coming for losses, and a sack in the Bears' loss to Texas in the Holiday Bowl.
DL Star Lotulelei, Utah: The Utes DT had six tackles and a fumble recovery and generally blew up the middle of the Georgia Tech line in the Utes' Sun Bowl victory. He was named Most Valuable Lineman.
LB Jordan Zumwalt, UCLA: Zumwalt had 10 tackles, including two for a loss, and an interception in the Bruins' loss to Illinois in the Kraft Fight Hunger Bowl.
LB Kiko Alonso, Oregon: The Ducks LB had five tackles, including 2.5 for a loss, with a sack and a key interception in the Ducks' Rose Bowl win. He was named Defensive MVP.
LB Michael Clay, Oregon: The Ducks LB had 13 tackles, including two for a loss, and a critical fumble recovery in the Rose Bowl victory.
LB Mychal Kendricks, California: Kendricks had 10 tackles, including 1.5 for losses, in the Bears' loss to Texas in the Holiday Bowl.
DB Terrance Mitchell, Oregon: Mitchell had five tackles in the Rose Bowl, but his most important contribution was forcing a Wisconsin fumble on the Ducks 27-yard line with four minutes left in the game. Perhaps even more important than that, he inspired coach Chip Kelly to jump up and down in a wonderful -- and slightly goofy -- show of spontaneous emotion (search YouTube for "Chip Kelly jumping").
DB Clint Floyd, Arizona State: Floyd had seven tackles -- two for a loss -- and an interception in the Sun Devils' loss to Boise State.
DB John Boyett, Oregon: Boyett had a bowl-high 17 tackles and half a sack in the Ducks' win over Wisconsin.
DB Marc Anthony, California: Anthony had four tackles, one coming for a loss, and two pass breakups against Texas.

P Sean Sellwood, Utah: Sellwood averaged 49.5 yards on eight punts against Georgia Tech in the Sun Bowl.

Taking stock of the 12th week of games in the Pac-12.

Team of the week: Colorado didn't quit on its season, and it was rewarded -- finally -- with a 17-14 win at Utah, a victory that ended a 24-game losing streak outside the state of Colorado. It was a nice way for 26 seniors to go out -- with a smile after a long, difficult season -- and an even better way for the players who will be back to hit the offseason with some positive momentum. And, by winning, Colorado pushed UCLA into the Pac-12 championship game against Oregon. Wait. Is that good?

Best game: The Buffaloes' win over Utah wasn't decided until Utes kicker Coleman Petersen missed a 48-yard field goal try with two seconds remaining.

Biggest play: Can there be a "big play" in a 50-0 game? We think so. After USC took a quick 7-0 lead on UCLA, the Bruins efficiently drove 79 yards to the Trojans' 1-yard line, where they faced a fourth-down decision. Coach Rick Neuheisel did the only thing he could do: He went for it. After a timeout, the ball went to Derrick Coleman, but he was stopped for no gain by Dion Bailey and Jawanza Starling. You sort of knew right then this wasn't going to be Neuheisel's night.

Offensive standout: USC QB Matt Barkley completed 35 of 42 passes for 423 yards with six touchdowns and no interceptions in the win against UCLA. He set a conference record with 39 TD passes this season. And there's a decent shot he'll get invited to the Heisman Trophy ceremony.

Defensive standout: Stanford OLB Chase Thomas had five tackles, two sacks, three tackles for a loss, a forced fumble and two QB hurries in Stanford's 28-14 win over Notre Dame.

Special-teams standout: California kicker Giorgio Tavecchio was 4-of-4 on field goals and 5-of-5 on PATs in the Bears' 47-38 win at Arizona State.

Smiley face: Tim Kish went 3-3 as Arizona's interim head coach, beating rival Arizona State along the way. Kish is a hard guy not to like, but this isn't about that. It's about a guy being a good soldier for his school and his players. Kish excelled in a thankless job, stepping in after Mike Stoops was fired. Kish is a highly respected assistant. New Wildcats coach Rich Rodriguez should give him a long look for his new staff.

Frowny face: 50-0? Really? Does that accurately represent the gap between UCLA and USC? Perhaps in pride even more so than athletic ability. It's clear Neuheisel is going to pay for that result as well as his inability to get the Bruins to play consistently good football. But there are a lot of players who should be ashamed of their performance and effort, which was bad and lacking. Let's put it like this: 50-0 will be the single biggest memory of the 2011 season for every Bruin and Trojan. That should sting for the folks in Westwood.

Thought of the week: It appears the Pac-12 will again get two teams in BCS bowl games. That's good news even if you're not a Stanford or Oregon fan. Why? Well, last year a second BCS bowl team meant an extra $6 million distributed to the conference on top of the $21.2 million the conference got for one berth. All the bowl money is divided evenly among the conference teams, so we're talking an extra $500,000 per team, which is nice.

Questions for the week: Does UCLA have any chance at all against Oregon? Will the Bruins even show up? Or are we talking another 50-point blowout? Vegas has set a 31-point spread. So the expectations is ugly for Friday night.

USC quarterback Matt Barkley, Colorado linebacker Jon Major and California kicker Giorgio Tavecchio have been named Pac-12 players of the week.

From the Pac-12 offices:

Barkley, a junior from Newport Beach, Calif., completed a school-record 35 of 42 passes (83.3 percent) for 423 yards and six touchdowns in the 50-0 win over UCLA. His six touchdowns tied his school record set earlier this year at Colorado. Barkley now has a 69.1 completion percentage this season, breaking Rob Johnson’s 1993 record of 68.6 percent. It was Barkley’s second game with more than 400 yards this year and his sixth time throwing for at least 300 yards. He finished the season with 3,528 passing yards, the fifth-highest total in USC history.

Major, a junior from Parker, Colo., had nine tackles, including two tackles for loss totaling 9 yards in the 17-14 win at Utah. He also had a sack in the fourth quarter for 7 yards. Major and the Buffalo defense limited Utah to just 39 yards and one first down in the half. Utah’s 274 yards were the second lowest allowed by Colorado this season behind 243 by Colorado State.

Tavecchio, a senior from Moraga, Calif., scored a career high 17 points on 4-of-4 field goals and 5-of-5 extra points in Cal’s 47-38 win at Arizona State. The 17 points equaled the most by a Pac-12 kicker in 2011. Tavecchio’s four field goals both tied a career high and the most in the Pac-12 this season. He has made 19 of 22 (86.4 percent) field goals this season and moved into fifth on Cal’s all-time scoring list with 252 career points.

Also Nominated (Offense): Nick Foles, ARIZ; Cameron Marshall, ASU; Isi Sofele, CAL; Tyler Hansen, COLO; Darron Thomas, ORE; Andrew Luck, STAN; Nelson Rosario, UCLA; Keith Price, WASH.

Also Nominated (Defense): Mychal Kendricks, CAL; Michael Clay, ORE; Michael Thomas, STAN; TJ McDonald, USC; Princeton Fuimaono, WASH.

Also Nominated (Special Teams): Daniel Jenkins, ARIZ; Will Oliver, COLO; Kyle Negrete, USC; Thomas Tutogi, WASH.

STANFORD, Calif. -- David Shaw was having flashbacks. In seconds, the Stanford head coach and former Cardinal wide receiver was re-running every funky play and freaky scenario and wacky finish that have been historic staples of the Big Game.

Here’s the scene on a rainy Saturday night at Stanford Stadium: Cal scores a touchdown with 14 seconds left to cut Stanford’s lead to 31-28. Here comes the onside kick. Anything can happen, right? A Cal recovery and Hail Mary? The ball bounces off of seven Stanford players and Cal converts a 65-yard field goal? It’s the Big Game. Seems plausible. At least at the time.

“I got The Play going through my head. I got the 1990 crazy game with the onside kicks going through my head,” Shaw said. “We just supported our defense. Even if they went down and scored, we made them take so much time off the clock. We knew if we got the onside kick the game was over.”

And it was. The onside kick went right to tight end Coby Fleener, who caught the ball on the one hop, cradled and dropped. No crazy bounces. No students or trombones appeared on the field until the clock read 0:00. Game over. Stanford wins the 114th Big Game. The Axe stays in Palo Alto for at least another year.

“There is still with 14 seconds – you’re thinking about The Play – you never know what can happen – ‘The band is on the field,’” said defensive end Ben Gardner, recalling Joe Starkey’s famous call from the 1982 game. “Luckily, the band stayed in their seats and Coby was able to recover the onside kick. He saved us.”

Aside from the late-game Cal heroics, it was standard Stanford. A slow start on offense before the Cardinal picked it up in the second half and – seemingly— pulled away behind two touchdown passes from Andrew Luck.

The Cardinal were coming off their first loss of the season – a 53-30 schooling by the Oregon Ducks – that dashed (maybe?) their national title hopes. Luck in particular didn’t have that great of a game. Like his teammates, he was anxious to get back on the field.

“The best medicine, I guess is football when you’ve lost a game,” said Luck, who finished 20-of-30 for 257 yards, an interception (which came when Ty Montgomery slipped and fell on his route) and two touchdowns. “It was good to get out and play a quality opponent in a rivalry game.”

And despite the rain and the cold, the rivalry game proved to be as advertised. The Cardinal struck first. Following a Cal fumble, Montgomery scored on a 34-yard end-around. But after a Giorgio Tavecchio field goal and Luck’s interception – his fifth in four games – Cal took a 10-7 lead.

“It was tough sledding,” Shaw said. “We didn’t make some plays early in the game that I thought we should have and they took advantage of it and came storming back … It wasn’t pretty. But doggone it we fought to the end and got the win.”

The Cardinal returned to their ground game in the second quarter, rushing for 85 yards, which included a 6-yard Tyler Gaffney touchdown run.

Then Luck took off in the third quarter, completing 8 of 10 passes for 135 yards and tossing touchdowns to Levine Toilolo and Ryan Hewitt.

But Cal quarterback Zach Maynard wouldn’t let the Axe go that easily. He orchestrated a touchdown drive early in the fourth and the final-minute dramatics that ended with the onside kick.

Safety Delano Howell called it a character victory for the Cardinal.

“We understood that how we responded to the loss last week was a challenge to our character,” said Howell, who finished with seven tackles and a fumble recovery. “Grown men, they respond in a positive way. They don’t reflect on the past or use that in a negative manner or in an adverse way. In order to prove who we were as a team, we had to come out and make a statement tonight.”

And there were, of course, the standard missed tackles in the open field. Wouldn’t be a Stanford game without them. But it’s a win – and that’s exactly what this team needed in the wake of last week’s crippling loss to the Ducks.

“I think we were looser as a team,” Gardner said. “The nature of last week’s game, the national implications. Now we’re playing like a team with nothing to lose, because we don’t. We’re a team fighting for a BCS bowl and we know that. But we knew we had to come out and play looser than we did last week because we made too many mistakes last week and that’s partly because we were tight. At the same time, it’s Cal. We knew they’d try to punch us in the mouth. We had to play our game. It wasn’t always pretty. But we got the win and the Axe is staying here.”

For Luck, it caps a conference career that ends with back-to-back wins over Stanford’s oldest rival.

“It means a lot,” he said. “It will mean more once the season is over when you get to reminisce. But I feel very grateful and blessed to have won two games in a row against them and retain the Axe for at least another year.”

Happy Friday.

• Arizona needs to find a way to protect quarterback Nick Foles.
• Arizona State needs to avoid a letdown against Oregon State.
• California kicker Giorgio Tavecchio is eager for redemption against Oregon.
• Colorado is expecting Washington State to bring an air show.
• Oregon has shut down access to media and fans.
• A report from Oregon State practice -- still some injury questions.
• Stanford is good when it comes to YAC-ing.
• Some quick hits from UCLA practice.
• USC will challenge Arizona's struggling run defense.
• Is John White ready to join Utah's long list of productive running backs?
• Washington has been good in close games.
• Washington State offensive tackle Wade Jacobson is cooking something up.
• Big fan of "The Soup," and I had no idea this guy played football at Washington -- and during the glory days, too.

Four Pac-12 players were among 47 FBS semifinalists for the 2011 William V. Campbell Trophy, which recognizes the best scholar-athlete in the nation.

Nominated by their schools, which are limited to one nominee each, candidates for the award must be seniors or graduate students in their final year of eligibility, have a GPA of at least 3.2 on a 4.0 scale, have outstanding football ability as a first-team player or significant contributor, and have demonstrated strong leadership and citizenship. The class is selected each year by the NFF Awards Committee, which is composed of a nationally recognized group of media, College Football Hall of Famers and athletics administrators.

The NFF Awards Committee will select up to 16 honorees for $18,000 post-graduate scholarships.

The Pac-12 semifinalists are.

Arizona State -- Aaron Pflugrad
California -- Giorgio Tavecchio
Colorado -- Travis Sandersfeld
Washington State -- Jared Karstetter

Who's hot and who's not in the Pac-12?

Here's a random sampling.

Hot: Stanford's defense. It ranks seventh in the nation in scoring, holding foes to just nine points per game. It ranks fifth in the nation with 13 sacks. It ranks No. 2 in the nation against the run. Sophomore DE Ben Gardner leads the conference with 5.5 tackles for a loss. LB Chase Thomas is tied for first in the conference with four sacks.

Not: Washington's and UCLA's defense. The Huskies rank 108th in the nation in total defense and 107th in scoring defense. The Bruins rank in the 100s in run defense (108), scoring defense (103), total defense (100) and tackles for a loss (111).

Hot: Tedfords. California coach Jeff Tedford won his 75th game at Cal to make him the Bears' all-time winningest coach, and his son, junior receiver Quinn Tedford, caught his first career pass in the win over Presbyterian.

Not: Defensive injuries. Stanford LB Shayne Skov is done for the year due to a knee injury and Arizona State DE Junior Onyeali also is likely done for the year with a knee injury. Skov is a certain first-team All-Pac-12 linebacker, and Onyeali was a good bet for that postseason honor, too. Two great players, two great teammates, two great big drags.

Hot: Utah opportunism. The Utes forced seven turnovers, including six fumbles, in their blowout win over BYU.

Not: Arizona's running game. The Wildcats rank 116th in the nation with 55.67 yards per game.

Hot: Giorgio Tavecchio. The Cal kicker missed three of his first nine PATs but he was 9-for-9 against Presbyterian.

Not: Jaime Salazar. The Arizona kicker has lost his job after making just 1 of 4 field goals. He missed all three outside of 30 yards and also missed a PAT.

Hot: UCLA kicker/punter Jeff Locke. Locke averaged 48.8 yards on four punts against Texas and was 2-for-2 on field goals with a long of 51 yards, as he stepped in for normal kicker Kip Smith.

Not: Stanford punting. The Cardinal rank 94th in the nation in net punting at 34.75 per boot.

Hot: Oregon's run offense. The Ducks rank eighth in the nation in rushing with 261 yards per game.

Not: Oregon run defense. The Ducks rank 107th in the nation against the run (214.33 yards per game).

Hot: A dual-threat Buffalo. Colorado RB Rodney Stewart had 98 yards rushing and 93 yards receiving against Colorado State.

Not: Colorado's kickoff returns. The Buffs rank 120th -- last -- in the nation in kickoff returns (14.67 per return).

Kicker is typically a strong position in the Pac-12. That is not the case -- at least based on preseason appearances -- this fall.

Just five teams welcome back experienced kickers. The pickings is so slim in terms of quality that Phil Steele named Arizona's Alex Zendejas third-team All-Pac-10 in his preview magazine.

So how does this thin group stack up? Read on.

Great shape

Washington: Erik Folk was perfect on 33 PATs last year while also connecting on 13 of 20 field goals with a long of 54 yards. Most years, these numbers would rate as "good" rather than "great," but having the best returning kicker in the conference, even if his numbers aren't scintillating, is a significant boost.

Good shape

Oregon: Rob Beard made 10 of 13 field goals last year -- coach Chip Kelly doesn't like field goals -- and was 63 of 64 on PATs.

Arizona: Zendejas had some, er, notable issues -- we won't even bring up the PATs in the Arizona State game -- but he did make 14 of 19 field goals with a long of 47. His 73.7 percent field goal percentage ranked third in the Pac-10 in 2010, ahead, by the way, of UCLA's Kai Forbath.

Washington State: Washington State only attempted 11 field goals last year. It made seven of those, three from Andrew Furney, who tops the post-spring depth chart. He also was 18-of-18 on PATs.

California: Giorgio Tavecchio is probably not going to be a great kicker, but he's experienced. He made 11 of 16 kicks last year with a long of 53. He missed two of his 39 PATs.

We'll see

Stanford: Jordan Williamson and Eric Whitaker battled this spring to replace Whitaker's older brother, Nate, who was first-team All-Pac-10 in 2010. Williamson seemed to have a slight lead heading into the offseason, though Whitaker has more experience.

USC: True freshman Andre Heidari was the nation's top-rated prep kicker last year. It's unlikely he will do worse than last year's kicker, Joe Houston, who ranked last in the conference in field goal percentage, though he was perfect on 43 PATs.

UCLA: The post-spring depth chart included an "or" between junior Jeff Locke -- the Bruins' punter -- and redshirt freshman Kip Smith.

Oregon State: Trevor Romaine was ahead of Max Johnson after spring practices to replace Justin Kahut. Both missed two attempts in the spring game. Romaine showed a good foot on kickoffs.

Utah: Coleman Petersen beat out Nick Marsh, the Utes' kickoff specialist last year, this spring to replace Joe Phillips. He's never kicked in a game.

Arizona State: Thomas Weber is gone. His replacement looks like redshirt freshman Alex Garoutte, who wasn't consistent this spring.

Colorado: Justin Castor topped the depth chart this spring -- he wasn't terribly consistent -- but incoming freshman Will Oliver might give him some competition.

What were Oregon's top-10 plays this season on its way to the Tostitos BCS National Championship Game?

Here's my take. You might have your own thoughts.

1. Eddie Pleasant's 51-yard fumble return vs. Stanford: The game was tied 31-31 in the third quarter, but Stanford was driving into Oregon territory after an Andrew Luck pass to Chris Owusu converted a third down. But Owusu fumbled on a hit from Javes Lewis, and Pleasant rumbled to the Cardinal 3-yard line. A LaMichael James run later, and the Ducks took control.

2. Cal kicker's false start: California kicker Giorgio Tavecchio stutter-stepped as he knocked a chip-shot, go-ahead field goal through the uprights and earned a flag for illegal motion on the first play of the fourth quarter. Then he missed from 29 yards. While Oregon fans have long been annoyed by how this play has been dramatized as a game-saving moment, the penalty prevented the Ducks from trailing in the fourth quarter this season.

3. Cliff Harris' 64 yard punt return for a TD at Cal: Oregon only scored two TDs at California, and this one in the second quarter accounted for eight points (the Ducks converted a 2-point play) in a 15-13 win.

4. The onside kick surprise: Oregon scored a touchdown to cut its deficit against Stanford to 21-10 early in the second quarter, but the Ducks needed a defensive stop against Luck and the potent Cardinal offense. Or not. Chip Kelly opted for an onside kick and the Ducks recovered. They promptly drove for another TD. The bigness here isn't just about the score. That play set the tone for the Ducks: Kelly, as Oregon students often point out with colorful chants, is not afraid to take chances.

5. Huff puffs past Arizona for 85 yards: Oregon produced many long plays this season, but freshman receiver Josh Huff's 85-yard scamper against Arizona was the longest. Not only that, it gave the Ducks a 20-19 lead in the third quarter and signaled that they were about to open their second-half can of whip-butt.

6. Maehl's third touchdown catch at USC: While Ducks receiver Jeff Maehl's 30-yard TD reception wasn't as impressive athletically as his spectacular 45-yard grab, it was bigger. The Ducks trailed the Trojans 32-29 in the third quarter and faced a 3rd-and-13 play. But Darron Thomas found Maehl for the go-ahead score and the Ducks rolled from then on.

7. Three fourth-quarter interceptions at Arizona State: Talmadge Jackson, Casey Matthews and Harris each intercepted Sun Devils quarterback Steven Threet, and Jackson's and Matthews' picks came on first down plays inside the Ducks' 30. The Sun Devils only lost by 11, making them one of two foes to go down by fewer than 17 points.

8. Pass interference against Oregon State: Not all important plays are plays. Oregon State cut the Ducks' lead to 23-13 at the beginning of the fourth quarter, and the Beavers appeared to force a three-and-out on the ensuing drive. But linebacker Michael Doctor was flagged for pass interference against Kenjon Barner, and the Ducks converted. Five plays later, Barner went 23 yards for a 30-13 lead.

9. James' 72 yard run at Tennessee: The spectacular run gave the Ducks a 20-13 lead in the third quarter as their stomping of the Volunteers began. The first of many spectacular plays for James, who was suspended for the opener. It showed the nation that Oregon was playing at a different speed than everyone else. And the phrase "Heisman Trophy candidate" got attached to James thereafter.

10. Thomas's first touchdown pass: The Ducks thought Thomas might be good. But they wouldn't know until he walked the walk. His 30-yard touchdown pass to tight end David Paulson in the opener against New Mexico wasn't meaningful in a 72-zip win, but it was the first of 28 TD passes he'd throw, a total few thought he'd reach.

A late California field goal prevented dueling doughnuts in Berkeley at the break.

On the plus side, we are getting an answer to the age-old question of what happens when a bad offense (California) faces a bad defense (Washington) and a solid defense (Cal) faces a solid offense (UW).

Not much.

If it seems like we're kind of prattling here, it's because the game isn't on in the Portland Airport and if it were there still wouldn't be much to recount.

Struggling Cal kicker Giorgio Tavecchio's 53-yard field goal -- a career-long -- as the half ended produced the only points, which is a bit of a surprise in itself.

There were nine punts in the half and three turnovers. The Bears also turned it over on downs once.

Both QBs have thrown interceptions but done little else, so it doesn't appear that Jack Locker will not duplicate his strong performance against the Bears from last year.

Oh, how a season changes things.

The two stars on offense are the running backs. The Huskies' Chris Polk has 60 yards on 10 carries. Cal's Shane Vereen has 65 on 11.

It's not a bad bet that the one who ends up with better numbers will play for the winning team.

The loser will become bowl-ineligible. If Cal wins, it finishes 6-6 and will play in a bowl game. If the Huskies prevail, they will also need to win their season finale at Washington State in order to finish 6-6.

A look back as we now hit the meat of the conference race.

Team of the week: UCLA shocked the nation with a 34-12 stomping of No. 7 Texas. The Bruins, who were physically dominant on both lines of scrimmage, now seem fully recovered from an 0-2 start.

Best game: Arizona needed a late drive and defensive stand for a second weekend in a row as the Wildcats nipped California 10-9. Not a lot of 10-9 games through the years in the Pac-10, eh?

Biggest play: The Wildcats wouldn't have won without a 51-yard completion from Nick Foles to Juron Criner, which was the centerpiece of the 77-yard, game-winning drive. Criner, who was questionable for the game with a turf toe, fought off tight coverage from Darian Hagan to make the play.

Offensive standout: The UCLA running game, which piled up 264 yards against Texas, gets the nod. Therefore, we include the offensive line, running backs Johnathan Franklin (118 yards) and Derrick Coleman (94 yards) as well as quarterback Kevin Prince (50 yards).

Defensive standout(s): UCLA linebacker Akeem Ayers led the defensive effort at Texas. He had six tackles and an interception, and his sack included a forced fumble. Oregon safety John Boyett also merits a tip of the cap. He recorded a game-high 11 tackles against Arizona State and returned an interception 39 yards for a TD.

Two-way standout: Owen Marecic, Stanford's starting fullback AND linebacker, scored on an offensive run and interception return that were just 13 seconds apart at Notre Dame.

Special teams standout: Stanford kicker Nate Whitaker tied a school record with five field goals: 24, 41, 36, 33 and 29 yards during the Cardinal's 37-14 win at Notre Dame, where Whitaker played before transferring to Stanford.

Smiley face: Oregon and Stanford both passed tough road tests and set up a top-10 matchup in Autzen Stadium on Saturday that will announce the Pac-10's early leader.

Frowny face: Poor Cal. The Bears have lost consecutive games in painful fashion. First, they were embarrassed at Nevada, a team they couldn't stop on defense. Second, they yielded a late TD vs. Arizona, failing to score a TD in a 10-9 loss. Two missed field goals from Giorgio Tavecchio would have helped the cause, too.

Thought of the week: The Pac-10 is clearly nine teams deep. Good for the conference. The question, however, is whether any team can go undefeated in a nine-game conference schedule and play its way into national title consideration. The feeling here is no. Then the question becomes: Can any team get through with only one loss? Maybe. But it will be taxing to do so.

Thought of the week II: While most national eyes will be on Stanford's visit to Oregon -- and rightly so -- Washington's visit to USC and Arizona State's trip to Oregon State should be revealing. We don't know what to make of these four teams just yet. We should get a much clearer picture of the conference pecking order by Sunday.

Quote of the week: Said UCLA safety Tony Dye to the LA Times: "The first two weeks, we didn't exist. This is our team right now. If we keep rolling like this, we're going to win the [Pac-10]."

Quote of the week II: Said Stanford coach Jim Harbaugh as he opened his press conference following a blowout win at Notre Dame, "Might be the biggest press conference I've ever been to right here."

Good information in this California notebook from Jonathan Okanes.

Okanes notes that coach Jeff Tedford has been more open about revealing the pecking order at competitive positions, which is a great help when practices are closed.

So there is a lot of choice info here:

On offense, [Tedford] said the definitive starters as of right now are QB Kevin Riley, RB Shane Vereen, WR Marvin Jones, WR Keenan Allen, TE Anthony Miller, LT Mitchell Schwartz and C Chris Guarnero. Allen was the only player he quantified with “as of now.”

On defense, Tedford said the only concrete starters are DE Cameron Jordan, ILB Mike Mohamed and OLB Mychal Kendricks.

Tedford also said Giorgio Tavecchio would handle both kickoffs and field goals if the season started today.

Key tidbit there: That's true freshman Keenan Allen at receiver next to Jones, which confirms the scuttlebutt coming out of practices that a number of freshmen are in the mix.

As for defense:

A few days ago, Tedford said Keith Browner was the starter at weakside linebacker. But today he said true freshman Dave Wilkerson is still in the mix there. Tedford also said Kendrick Payne is probably the starter at nose tackle, but it is still competitive with Derrick Hill and Aaron Tipoti in the mix.

Tedford said both corner positions are still up in the air, with Darian Hagan, Steve Williams, Bryant Nnabufie and Marc Anthony competing for the two spots.

Another true freshman in Wilkerson. Payne ahead of Hill is a bit newsy, too, but that's three pretty good nose tackles, which is a key position to keep fresh in a 3-4 defense. As for cornerback, my money is on the first two -- Hagan and Williams -- but it's not like I've seen them practice this month.

A good kicker solves a lot of problems. An inconsistent one makes everyone anxious, particularly late in tight games.

The Pac-10 will feature two of the best kickers in the nation -- two Lou Groza Award winners, no less -- in 2010, but for a handful of schools, the position is questionable.

So, who stands where?

Great shape

• UCLA: Kai Forbath is the best kicker in the country. The first-team All-American and 2009 Groza Award winner is practically automatic, even outside 50 yards.
• Arizona State: Thomas Weber suffered through a lost 2009 season because of injuries, but when healthy the 2007 Groza Award winner is a potential All-American.
• Oregon State: Justin Kahut earned second-team All-Pac-10 honors in 2009 after converting 22 of 27 field goals with a long of 50 yards.
• Washington: Erik Folk bounced back from two injury-plagued years to connect on 18 of 21 field goals in 2009.

Good shape

• Stanford: Nate Whitaker made 16 of 22 field goals last year, which is solid, but his 54-yarder against Wake Forest was the longest in the conference last season.
• Arizona: As a sophomore, Alex Zendejas was true on 17 of 22 field goals with a long of 47 yards.

We'll see

• California: Cal used two kickers last season -- Giorgio Tavecchio and Vincenzo D'Amato -- but neither was consistent.
• Washington State: Nico Grasu was solid in 2008 -- booting the game-winner in the "Crapple" Cup against Washington -- but he faded in 2009, missing the final four games with a thigh injury.
• Oregon: The Ducks are replacing the reliable Morgan Flint. Rob Beard and incoming freshman Alejandro Maldonado are the top candidates for the spot.
• USC: Unproven seniors Joe Houston and Jacob Harfman are competing to replace Jordan Congdon, the seventh-best kicker in the conference in 2009.

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

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

Up next: Stanford

Hard to say when it really started. "It" being the notion that Stanford was a national title contender. And a team to be feared.

The blowout win over Sacramento State didn't exactly reverberate with the college football nation. Nor did three running backs combining for 225 yards and doing their best Toby Gerhart imitation at UCLA earn top billing on SportsCenter.

A 24-3 win over Wake Forest pushes the Cardinal to 14th in the nation. A 31-17 win at Notre Dame lands them just outside the top-10. Still, things were mostly quiet outside the Farm.

"Things are mostly quiet here," says coach Jim Harbaugh. "To strive, to seek, to find, and not to yield. That's what Stanford football is about. Not noise."

Oh, but there are whispers.

"What about the Stanford Cardinal?" Kirk Herbstreit asks on College GameDay. "Their quarterback may end up the No. 1 pick in this year's NFL draft. They may have the best offensive line in the nation. They're averaging over 200 yards rushing per game, despite the departure of Toby Gerhart. And, finally, they've got a defense to match."

Replies Chris Fowler, "Let's see what they do at No. 5 Oregon."

What they do is Luck throws for three touchdowns and the Cardinal rolls up 485 yards of offense in a 31-24 win.

The Cardinal climbs to No. 7 in the national polls. Yet some are still not sold.

"I'm still not sold," says Lou Holtz. "Let's see what they do against Southern Cal."

What they do is stink up the joint. For three quarters. But Luck completes 10 of 12 passes for 148 yards and two TDs in the fourth quarter, including a 28-yard seeing-eye bullet that finds Ryan Whalen for the winning score with 15 seconds left.

"That's two unbeaten, top-10 teams in two weekends," Rece Davis says to Holtz. "Are you sold?"

"Yep," says Holtz.

After a bye week, Stanford easily dispatches Washington State. It then heads to Washington. Scouts from every NFL team are on hand to watch Luck's showdown with Jake Locker. Luck and Locker each account for three TDs apiece, but the Huskies get the ball last, and that proves the difference. Stanford suffers its first defeat. When Oregon wins at USC that night, it looks like the Cardinal and the Ducks will engage in a race to the Rose Bowl finish.

After wins over Arizona and Arizona State, the fifth-ranked Cardinal heads to Berkeley for the Big Game, with California eagerly embracing the role of spoiler. Stanford leads 28-14 in the third, but a pair of TD passes from Kevin Riley ties the count with two minutes left. Then Jeff Tedford shocks everyone in the stadium with an on-side kick. The Bears recover. Riley expertly leads his offense to the Stanford 10-yard line, and Giorgio Tavecchio lines up for the chip-shot winner.

Stanford blocks the kick. Chris Owusu picks up the ball and runs it the other way for the game-winning score. "D'oh," is the one-word column on California Golden Blogs that night.

After beating Oregon State 28-24, Stanford finishes fourth in the BCS standings. It's consolation prize is the Rose Bowl opposite No. 3 Ohio State, which is one of three unbeaten teams. The mighty Buckeyes, Rose Bowl champs the year before and ranked No. 1 in both human polls, aren't happy they got computered out of the national title game.

"We're going to make a statement," says quarterback Terrelle Pryor.

Before taking the field, Harbaugh gathers his team.

"From this day to the ending of the world, but we in it shall be remembered," he says. "We few, we happy few, we band of brothers. For he today that sheds his blood with me shall be my brother."

Whispers Whalen to center Chase Beeler, "Is it Saint Crispin's Day?" Replies Beeler, "Forget the Rose Bowl. We're at Agincourt!"

Stanford wins 21-17, securing its first Rose Bowl victory since 1971 after stopping the Buckeyes on fourth-and-goal from the 2-yard line.

The 12-1 Cardinal finishes ranked No. 2 behind Alabama. Harbaugh announces he's signed a lifetime contract.

"Yes, I'm coming back," Luck tells reporters a week later. "We have unfinished business."

Worst case

A switch to a 3-4 defense evidently isn't the answer for Stanford's defensive woes. That's made clear when UCLA and quarterback Kevin Prince roll up 468 yards in a 35-30 win.

Despite beating Wake Forest and Notre Dame, it becomes clear that Stanford has to score a lot of points to win. Its defense still lacks top-end athleticism, which is abundantly evident during a 45-30 loss at Oregon. Moreover, a backfield-by-committee approach does not a Toby Gerhart make.

That puts pressure on quarterback Andrew Luck to make plays downfield against defenses scheming to stop him. USC does just that in a 31-20 win, sacking Luck five times.

Washington State doesn't have the talent to follow the plan. Luck out-duels Washington's Jake Locker in Husky Stadium and leads a comeback win over Arizona. But, in the first quarter at Arizona State, Luck feels a tweak in his hamstring as he tries to elude Vontaze Burfict. With Luck out, the Sun Devils record the upset.

A Big Game in Berkeley without Luck is not a good thing for Stanford. California rolls 38-17. Luck again isn't available for the finale vs. Oregon State, and the Beavers drop the Cardinal to 6-6 on the year.

Luck returns to lead the Cardinal to a victory over Temple in the Eagle Bank Bowl, but it's hardly a day of celebration when Harbaugh announces he's headed to Michigan.

That's big news over at Rose Bowl practices for both California and Ohio State.

A week after Cal's victory, Luck announces he's entering the NFL draft.

"I'm sure the program will do great things during the second tenure of Walt Harris," Luck says.

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

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

Up next: California

Best case

California fans had seen it before. They were suspicious of a 3-0 start. Even though quarterback Kevin Riley was completing 65 percent of his passes and had thrown only one pick. Even though the defense was averaging three sacks per game. There was a feeling of foreboding heading down to Tucson for a date with unbeaten Arizona.

"I have a foreboding feeling about this," Cal fans tell each other.

And when Wildcats quarterback Nick Foles throws three first-half TD passes to take a 24-7 lead into the locker room at the break, Bears fans feel vindicated in that odd, masochistic way fans often do.

But Riley, off-target early, takes over in the second half, throwing scoring passes to Marvin Jones, Anthony Miller and Shane Vereen. With the Bears down one with two minutes left, he completes 5 of 5 passes for 63 yards, and Giorgio Tavecchio hits the chip-shot field goal for the win.

A Cal fan then writes a 11,000-word essay on The California Golden Blogs, the gist of which is Riley only needs to beat UCLA for the Bear nation to finally believe in him. The Bears beat the Bruins 28-24. Another fan writes that she'll only buy-in if Riley leads the Bears to a win over USC.

Not this time. Riley turns in solid numbers but his defense can't stop Matt Barkley and company: Trojans win 30-24.

The Bears bounce back and beat Arizona State, lose a heartbreaker at Oregon State and whip Washington State. Oregon beats the Bears in overtime after Tavacchio misses a 49-yard field goal for the win in regulation.

"Of course it hurts," Riley tells reporters after the game. "But this is a mentally tough team. We still have plenty to play for, including the Big Game."

Stanford comes to Berkeley talking about revenge for 2009, not to mention that the Cardinal can go to the Rose Bowl if it wins its final two games. But Vereen provides an encore performance from a year ago, rushing for 168 yards a two TDs, and the Bears defense mostly contains Stanford QB Andrew Luck in a 28-24 victory.

Before the Bears take the field against Washington, coach Jeff Tedford rolls 10 televisions into the locker room. He says nothing. He turns on the TVs and walks out. It's highlights of Jake Locker and the Huskies 42-10 beatdown of the Bears in 2009.

Cal wins 40-21, sacking Locker five times.

The Alamo Bowl picks Cal over Stanford. The opponent? Texas. A Cal fan writes a 58,345-word essay on TCGB about how the Bears got screwed out of the Rose Bowl in 2004 because of old-school Texas politicking. A Texas fan shows up and demonstrates that, mathematically, the changes in the poll votes had little to no affect. Bears fans are irritated but respect the math skills and everyone becomes great friends.

"Who cares?" Riley says about the 2004 controversy. He then throws three TD passes in a 28-20 win. Cal finished 10-3 and ranked 10th.

Worst case

When California quarterback Kevin Riley threw six touchdown passes in victories over UC Davis and Colorado, it looked like the senior had finally arrived. His three interceptions in an upset loss at Nevada brought that theory into question. As a result, there was a feeling of foreboding heading down to Tucson for a date with unbeaten Arizona.

"I have a foreboding feeling about this," Cal fans tell each other.

Feelings justified. Arizona beats the Bears 28-17. A win over UCLA is followed by a blowout loss at USC. A win over Arizona State is followed by a loss at Oregon State. The Bears barely squeak by at Washington State.

Bears fans rant about the inconsistency. That shortly will be solved. Cal is uniformly bad while losing its final three games to Oregon, Stanford and Washington.

The 5-7 finish is Jeff Tedford's first losing season.

"We're going to have to take a long look at everything we do," Tedford says.

Stanford beats Iowa in the Rose Bowl and finishes ranked fifth in the country. Coach Jim Harbaugh wins National Coach of the Year and signs a long-term contract extension.

"We've only just begun," Harbaugh says. "Prometheus has brought fire down the mountain and we have become mighty men. But we only will be happy when we live among the Olympians."