ESPN College Football

In case you haven't noticed, we've got a bit of a theme going on this week -- important games in the Pac-12. Obviously, everyone is circling the Nov. 3 showdown between USC and Oregon in Los Angeles. But there are other games to enjoy along the way. So this week we're looking at games we're most excited about.

Ted Miller: I like measuring-stick games, games that perhaps reveal the talent and heart of a team, as well as, of course, where they rank in the Pac-12 pecking order. We have a perfect example Sept. 27 (a Thursday) in Seattle: Stanford's visit to Washington, which will be played in CenturyLink Field, the Seahawks' stadium.

The obvious measure of this game's importance is this: The winner steps up in the Pac-12 North Division pecking order, the loser steps back. The winner can imagine challenging Oregon for the division title, while the loser's attention likely turns to more attainable quarry. But it's more than that. For one, it's likely both teams already will have suffered a defeat. The Huskies visit LSU on Sept. 8, while Stanford hosts USC on Sept. 15. Those opponents likely will rank Nos. 1 and 2 in the nation. This game, therefore, can serve to redirect one team's early-season trajectory. It's much better to head into October with one loss than with two.

For Stanford, this is about announcing the program's health in the post-Andrew Luck Era. Beating the Huskies on the road likely would re-establish the Cardinal as a top-25 team, where, based on the schedule, they could remain all season.

But, really, the weight falls more heavily on Washington. Why? For one, Stanford has beaten the Huskies four games in a row. But that's not the biggest issue. It's not even that the three most recent games have been blowouts. It's the nature of those blowouts. Stanford has unmanned Washington during that winning streak. Huskies fans, cover your eyes. You don't want to read this. Stanford has averaged 322 yards rushing in those four victories. 322! Last year, the Cardinal set a school record with 446 yards rushing in a 65-21 victory. The Cardinal only had 278 in 2010, but, of course, the final count was 41-zip. At Husky Stadium!

It hurts to lose no matter what. And it hurts to get blown out. But for a football team to get physically manhandled ... that's humiliation. It's hard to describe the recent turn in this series any other way. The Huskies' pride is on the line. New defensive coordinator Justin Wilcox was brought in to make sure no opponent rushes for 322 yards against Washington. It will be interesting to see if he can deliver in this early conference test. Or if post-Luck Stanford keeps churning along, winning with character and cruelty.

Kevin Gemmell: I too enjoy a good measuring-stick game -- and I don't think there is a bigger one early in the season than USC's trip to Utah on Oct. 4. First, it's a Thursday night game, which means a national TV audience. It's at Rice-Eccles Stadium -- one of my favorite venues -- and the place should be going crazy.

For the sake of argument, I'm going to work off the assumption that both USC and Utah are 4-0 heading into this game. If any Hawaii, Syracuse, Stanford, Cal, Northern Colorado, Utah State, Brigham Young or Arizona State fans take exception to that argument, I know Ted would love to hear about it in his mailbag.

In terms of measuring-stick games, there is none bigger on the 2012 schedule than this one for Utah -- which is desperate to find its way into the conversation as one of the Pac-12's elite. A victory over the Trojans -- who presumably will be one of the top-ranked teams in the country (if not No. 1) on Oct. 4 -- would go a long way toward achieving that.

Both teams will be coming off a bye week, so there is a good chance they will be rested and healthy. But the Trojans have the tougher road through the first four weeks. USC will have been put through the meat grinder against two top-rated defenses in Stanford and Cal before their bye. Then they come to Salt Lake City against -- arguably -- the best defensive front in the conference.

That makes this a pretty significant measuring-stick game for the Trojans, too. Three consecutive wins over three of the top front-sevens in the Pac-12 will likely answer any questions about the Trojans' toughness. By the way, they're on the road again the following week at Washington. This is just step three in an awfully difficult four-game stretch.

USC has the stronger offense -- even Utah fans won't dispute what the Trojans bring to the table with Matt Barkley and Co.-- but Utah's defensive line is as good as it gets. And one cannot throw the ball if one's face is buried in the turf.

This projects to be a brutal, physical game with the winner taking decisive command of the Pac-12 South.

A victory for Utah would catapult the Utes into conference legitimacy and mark that they have arrived. A USC victory re-affirms its status as the team to beat in the South and will likely leave the rest of us licking our chops for Nov. 3.

USC, which finished this season 10-2 and ranked No. 5, will have 19 starters returning in 2012 including both specialists and a guy by the name of Matt Barkley.

The Trojans welcome back their top rusher, top three receivers, four starting offensive lineman and a guy by the name of Matt Barkley.

Also back in 2012: The Trojans' top four tacklers. And five of their top six. And a first-team All-Pac-12 kicker. And a guy by the name of Matt Barkley.

The Trojans looked like a preseason top-10 team a month ago. They looked like the preseason Pac-12 South Division favorites. But when Barkley announced Thursday, "I have not yet finished my journey as a Trojan football player," it sent a shockwave across the college football landscape.

Remember that little girl staring at the TV snow in "Poltergeist"? All together now: "They're baaaaack!"

Barkley makes USC a national title contender. Barkley makes things around Heritage Hall feel like it's 2002-2008 all over again. Barkley means Trojans fans can stop thinking about the injustice it suffered when the NCAA whacked it with severe sanctions and start dreaming of BCS bowls again.

Just FYI: Miami on Jan. 7, 2013. What happened the last time the Trojans played in South Florida with big stakes?

Ah, the Oregon fans have just arrived. To borrow a phrase: Not so fast, my friend.

The Ducks are the three-time defending Pac-12 champions. They've got a whole bunch of key guys coming back in 2012, too. They, too, are a certain top-10 team, perhaps top-five. They will be the overwhelming favorites to win the North Division.

Both have highly favorable schedules. USC's nonconference schedule: Hawaii (with head coach Norm Chow!), at Syracuse and Notre Dame. Oregon's is, well, pitiful: Arkansas State, Fresno State and Tennessee Tech.

Oh, then there is this little date for both in LA next year. The Pac-12 schedules aren't official yet, but the conference confirmed to the Pac-12 blog that USC and Oregon will play in the Coliseum next fall. That regular-season game, not hard to project as a matchup of top-five teams, very likely could lead to a rematch in the Pac-12 title game, which could be a gateway to the national title game for the winner.

Ducks and Trojans: Feel free to talk amongst yourselves.

Meanwhile, Barkley, by passing up a chance to be a top-10 NFL draft pick as Matt Leinart and Andrew Luck did before him, immediately established himself as the leading 2012 Heisman Trophy candidate. His status as front-runner is only slightly less firm than Luck's was last year when he announced a shocking return.

And that point -- thump -- should provide a speed bump of moderation for our foray into admittedly hysterical hyperbole about Barkley and USC. Just about every time you try to write a college football season's story before it plays out, you end up being wrong.

Preseason predictions can be completely off: Oklahoma was the consensus preseason No. 1 this year. Or they can be slightly off: Luck and the overwhelming Heisman favorite in August. Or they can fall just short in the end: USC as the best team in college football history in 2005.

Or, then again, sometimes they are spot-on: USC in 2004 was preseason No. 1 as well as the postseason national champion.

Still, while grand scenarios are merely reasonably conceived potential endings for something that is a year away and laden with unforeseen variables, there is no downside on this day for USC. In fact, it spiderwebs positives throughout the program, from making the future at QB more secure, to bolstering the present recruiting effort, to getting USC fans excited and reinvested again, ready to fill up the Coliseum next fall.

By the way, USC folks aren't the only ones smiling. Pac-12 commissioner Larry Scott is grinning ear-to-ear. He sees another bright, articulate Heisman Trophy candidate who conducts himself with class acting as the face of the conference, as Luck did this past fall. He sees two big ticket national title contenders in 2012, just as the conference's new TV contract kicks in. He's got broadcast partners -- ESPN and Fox -- as well as a new Pac-12 Network that are going to be thrilled that the conference's ratings-driving bell cow is back under the klieg lights in LA.

Toss in four new, high-profile coaches, and there are plenty of sexy story lines for the Pac-12 in 2012.

The week started with USC fans slapping their foreheads over Ohio State's middling NCAA sanctions for severe infractions. It was a frustrating reminder of the seeming cosmic forces that conspired to end the USC dynasty, including Pete Carroll skipping town back to the NFL.

But the week ends with an early Christmas gift for USC. Matt Barkley telling it, "I am staying because I want to finish what I started."

Yes, college football fans across the country pricked up their ears Thursday and thought, "Drat. I hear those darn "Tribute To Troy" drums again."

It's long been one of the difficult questions college football fans ask: Why won't anyone give Norm Chow a chance to run a program?

Chow, widely considered one of the best offensive minds in college football history, got plenty of interviews, most notably of late at Stanford in 2005, and made plenty of "candidates" lists during the annual coaching carousel. He also turned down the head coaching job at Kentucky in 2002 to remain at USC. But, in reputation and reality, he was the perennial bridesmaid.

You'd hear things, of course. All the why-nots. He wasn't terribly good at interviews. He was an Xs-and-Os guy who didn't have people or management skills. Most schools wanted a dashing, young, charismatic guy who could slap backs, enticing a flood of elite recruits and booster checks. Chow was never reputed to be much of a recruiter, something he doesn't particularly enjoy.

Chow, 65, is professorial. His personality isn't "big." He's not a commanding presence. He also is stubborn, territorial and not terribly good at coaching politics. He holds grudges — just ask Washington coach Steve Sarkisian and USC coach Lane Kiffin, whom Chow -- not unfairly -- believes pulled the carpet out from under him at USC with head coach Pete Carroll. (Carroll's almost childish jealousy of the credit given Chow during USC's glory days is another story entirely).

It also was perfectly fair to wonder if Chow's being Asian-American had anything to do with the critiques and whispers. His hiring at Hawaii, after all, makes him the first Asian-American head coach of a major football program.

First. That's pretty big, folks, even if most FBS rosters have little to no Asian presence, though if you go with that old standard "Asian/Pacific Islander" category, things change dramatically there.

Not only is Chow, after 39 years as an assistant coach, finally getting his shot as a head coach, he's going home to do it. He was born in Honolulu and is a Punahou School alum. He began his coaching career as head coach at Waialua High School on the North Shore of Oahu from 1970-72. This seems like a good fit, though coaching at Hawaii has built-in challenges, starting with geography.

Chow will serve as Utah's offensive coordinator in the Hyundai Sun Bowl against Georgia Tech on Dec. 31 before officially taking over the Warriors. For the Utes, it's a blow, but not a crippling one. Coach Kyle Whittingham brought Chow aboard to install a pro-style offense with a downhill running game, replacing the spread the Utes had long used. After quarterback Jordan Wynn went down in the fourth game against Washington with another shoulder injury, Chow's chief task was managing an extremely conservative, almost run-exclusive offense that didn't mess things up for a very good defense.

Chow did a good job of making running back John White into an effective weapon even when everyone knew he and his 24 carries a game were coming. But the Utes never got the full Chow offense. The expectation here is that Whittingham will look for a guy who believes in the same pro-style, run-first concepts. The Utes don't figure to go back to a spread, though that does seem to be the thing in the Pac-12 after the hiring of four new coaches who all run a version of it.

Utes fans should be more concerned about who's going to play quarterback in 2012. Whittingham is going to make a good hire at OC.

And this day is about Chow.

He's a three-time national assistant coach of the year. He's served as offensive coordinator for three national championship teams (Brigham Young, 1984; USC, 2003 and 2004). He has tutored three Heisman Trophy winners (Ty Detmer, BYU; Carson Palmer, USC; Matt Leinart, USC) and six NFL first-round draft picks.

His resume has always been impressive. Just not impressive enough to overcome the things whispered about him.

Over the past decade, he's been portrayed as a bit of a nomadic mercenary, but keep in mind he was a bastion of stability most of his career, coaching at BYU for 27 years before things turned sour and he bolted to N.C. State in 2000, the first of five jobs he'd hold over the next 11 seasons before landing at Hawaii.

Chow is coming home to get his big chance. No matter what happens at Hawaii, his coaching legacy is secure. But, let's face it, if he retires a big winner in 10 years, he'll surely enjoy at least thinking "I told you so" through a big grin.

It appears that Norm Chow will finally get a chance to run his own program.

Chow, presently the offensive coordinator at Utah, is expected to be named Hawaii's next head coach, according to the Honolulu Star-Advertiser.

It would be a homecoming for Chow, 65, a native of Hawaii who has interviewed many times for positions but never been a head coach.

Before coming to Utah last spring, Chow was the offensive coordinator at UCLA, the Tennessee Titans, USC, North Carolina State and BYU.

The Utes' defensive coordinator, Kalani Sitake, also interviewed for the job, as did Oregon State defensive coordinator Mark Banker.

No! No! I want an Official Red Ryder Carbine-Action Two-Hundred-Shot Range Model Air Rifle!

• Rich Rodriguez and Todd Graham go way back, so the Arizona-ASU rivalry just got more interesting. The Wildcats are eyeballing some QBs.
• Paola Boivin's exasperation in this column about Graham amused me. The whining is thick in Pittsburgh, which recently ditched the Big East for the ACC due to self-interest.
• Aaron Rodgers is the best QB in the NFL, but he's still mad about California's Rose Bowl snub of 2004. And the Bears donned burnt Orange to liven up practice.
• Life for Colorado defensive coordinator Greg Brown -- and other Pac-12 DCs -- will be tougher in 2012.
• Oregon WR Josh Huff played through pain this year. RB LaMichael James won't confirm it, but The Oregonian reported he's headed into the NFL draft.
• Oregon State athletic director Bob De Carolis is unhappy with losing but believes in coach Mike Riley.
• There is no one or thing to blame for Stanford QB Andrew Luck finishing second for the Heisman Trophy a second consecutive year (other than RGIII, maybe).
• Yes, things are a bit odd at UCLA practice. More on Jim Mora's coaching staff.
• Ten reasons for USC QB Matt Barkley to stay for his senior season.
• Thoughts on Hawaii taking a look at both of Utah's coordinators for its head coaching vacancy.
• What was the biggest play of Washington's season?
• The Mike Leach radio tour continues so Washington State fans can hear the mellifluous sounds of Leach's voice. He's the Sinatra of coach chat.

Arizona State is preparing to announce that SMU coach June Jones will become the team's next coach, sources told ESPN.com.

While the Twitter-sphere has already moved into the analysis phase, Doug Haller of the Arizona Republic reported that a final deal has not yet been signed: "According to sources, both sides are working to iron out final details. As of 11:30 a.m. (MT), ASU had not scheduled a news conference announcing Jones' hire."

Jones, 58, a run-and-shoot specialist, has rebuilt two losing college programs into bowl teams: Hawaii and SMU. He led Hawaii to the Sugar Bowl in 2007. He also was an NFL coach with the San Diego Chargers and Atlanta Falcons.

This season, SMU went 7-5 overall and 5-3 in Conference USA. The Mustangs will play Pittsburgh in the BBVA Compass bowl on Jan. 7.

A string of losing seasons? It wasn't always like this for Colorado and Washington State.

Sure, the Buffaloes haven't posted a winning season since 2005, which wasn't such a great year considering then-coach Gary Barnett was fired before the bowl game of a 7-6 finish. But they split a national title in 1990 and won the Big 12 in 2001.

Sure, the Cougars haven't posted a winning season since 2003. But that was the third of three consecutive 10-win seasons, and the Cougs played in the Rose Bowl after the 1997 and 2002 seasons.

Both programs are trying to crawl out of the dumps, but both fan bases can recall what it's like to be on top. And they're ready to start climbing in a positive direction again.

And it's likely that when Buffs and Cougs fans went through the 2011 schedule in the preseason and registered in their mind's eyes most likely spots to record wins, both wrote a W by Oct. 1, when Washington State visits Colorado for the first Pac-12 conference game in Folsom Field (the California game, again, was a nonconference game and doesn't count in the Pac-12 standings).

Obviously, one team is going to be disappointed, and probably for good reason. It's hard to imagine the loser earning bowl eligibility.

While the Buffs have suffered, and they did go 2-10 in 2006, their fall was not as precipitous as Washington State's. Colorado has won 13 games over the past three years. The Cougars have won five over the same span. Still, new coach Jon Embree almost seems amused with the notion that his players might overlook the Cougs.

"First off, we've only won one game so we can't take anybody lightly," he said. "When I watch them on tape, I see how explosive they are on offense. I really felt like coming into this year, them and Arizona State would be the two most improved teams."

That's fair. While beating Idaho State and UNLV, as Washington State did before losing at San Diego State, doesn't announce a team as a Pac-12 contender, it's worth noting UNLV beat Hawaii by 20 points. That's the same Hawaii team that beat Colorado 34-17 in the season opener.

Last year, the Cougs transformed from grade-A FBS patsy to a competitive team. Now, in order for coach Paul Wulff to keep his job into 2012, the program needs to take the next step, which means winning some games.

"All the parts have improved but we are still nowhere near where we can be and we've got to keep growing," Wulff said.

That growth is best demonstrated by the Cougars not folding after starting quarterback Jeff Tuel went down in the opener with a broken collarbone. Senior Marshall Lobbestael has come off the bench and played well, ranking sixth in the nation in passing efficiency.

Said Embree, "That's a testament to Coach Wulff and him getting this program back to where he wants it."

Lobbestael and the Cougars deep receiving corps could be where the game turns. Entering the season, Colorado's biggest question was its secondary. That unit has been adequate, probably better than expected, even with some key injuries. But part of that is not playing good passing teams. While the Buffs haven't given up many passing yards -- 183.5 yards per game is the fewest in the conference -- they also rank only 10th in pass efficiency defense.

The Cougs rank No. 1 in the conference in passing efficiency.

That said, the Buffs front seven will challenge the Cougars offensive line. Colorado leads the conference with 14 sacks. It's likely Lobbestael will need to unload quickly, and it would helpful if he gets some production from his running game.

Speaking of running games, Colorado would prefer not to. Only miserable Arizona has prevented the Buffs from ranking last in rushing in the conference.

Playing at home should make things easier for that offense. In its only other home game so far -- against Cal -- Colorado rolled up 582 yards, including 108 yards rushing.

"If we are going to have any kind of successful season, we have to win home games," Embree said.

The opposite could prove true for Washington State: It must win on the road because a vast majority of its most winnable games on paper -- Colorado, UCLA, Oregon State (in Seattle), California and Washington -- are on the road. That list once included San Diego State, a game in which the Cougs imploded in the fourth quarter.

Washington State has had a bye week to shake off that loss and game plan for the Buffs. It's not melodramatic to say a lot is on the line for Wulff.

The Buffs and Cougs were the preseason picks to finish at the bottom of the South and North Divisions, respectively. The winner Saturday has a much better chance of avoiding that fate.

So, forget about the past, there's plenty of present urgency.

Colorado flew 4,100 miles to Hawaii to fall to 0-1. It's flying 1,300 miles to play Ohio State on Saturday, where pundits believe the Buffaloes will fall to 1-3.

The Buffs will play 13 games in 2011. They will not have a week off. They will play a nine-game Pac-12 schedule after already having played a bonus matchup with California -- a heartbreaking 36-33 overtime loss -- that won't count in the conference standings.

Welcome back to college football, new coach Jon Embree, who inherited a roster with more than a few holes from fired former coach Dan Hawkins and a brutal schedule from his administration.

"It gets harder and harder each week," Embree said. "But that's OK. It is what it is. We can't change it."

But coaches know they often have to remake a poke in eye into a wonderful teachable moment. Here's how Embree spins what's probably the nation's toughest schedule.

"In a way as a coach, it kind of makes it a little bit easier," he said. "Because of the nature of our schedule, there's always something to be excited about from a players standpoint."

It's hard to know what to expect from Ohio State, which dropped out of the national polls this week for the first time since 2004. Ohio State is still Ohio State -- loaded with talent -- but it's looked bad in its last two games: a close win over Toledo and a 24-6 loss at Miami. It should be mad and motivated in front of a typically raucous crowd in the Horseshoe, but you never know. There's a lot of distractions in Columbus, and the Buckeyes might be buckling.

This could be a big opportunity for the Buffs to kick a Buckeye when it's down.

Further, Colorado seemed to find itself over the last six quarters. It came back from a 23-13 third-quarter deficit against California to force overtime and asserted itself on both sides of the ball against Colorado State. The Buffs ultimately dispatched the Rams with a hard-nosed, 16-play, 85-yard touchdown drive that ate up more than 10 minutes of the fourth quarter after the Rams had pulled within 21-14 on a trick play.

"That's three weeks now that we've improved," Embree said. "I'm very encouraged."

Embree expects both teams to try to run the football, even though the Buffs have struggled to do so. They rank 103rd in the nation with just 90 yards rushing per game, though Rodney Stewart did break through against the Rams with 98 yards rushing as well as 93 yards receiving.

Stewart likely wants as many touches as he can get. He's an Ohio native who wasn't recruited by the Buckeyes.

"It will probably be a fast game with both teams trying to run the football," Embree said.

Embree has seen a lot of improvement from his team since a disastrous first half at Hawaii. But the Buckeyes -- and the Horseshoe -- are an entirely different animal.

It's the next game on the schedule, yes, but it's also an elite program playing inside one of the sport's great venues.

"It will tell us where we are as a program and how far we need to go to reach the levels we want to reach around here," Embree said. "That's the No. 1 thing at playing at a school like Ohio State. It's a great measuring stick."

And then in two weeks there's Stanford. And a few weeks later Oregon. Etc, etc.

Happy Friday.

• Not too much to be happy about for Arizona.
• Arizona State isn't hiding how much the Missouri game means to the program.
• California's Zach Maynard and Keenan Allen have a brotherly connection.
• No question who Colorado's go-to receiver is. The Buffs are concerned with California's team speed.
• Sure, he fumbled twice against LSU, but it was clear that Oregon running back De'Anthony Thomas has skills.
• Oregon State's quarterback controversy is a surprise to Ryan Katz, who didn't know his job was threatened.
• Stanford's Ben Gardner has bulked up and helped the defense.
• UCLA's defense needs to step up.
• Birthday boy Matt Barkley -- he's 21! -- is hoping USC puts four quarters together against Utah.
• Will Norm Chow and Jordan Wynn make beautiful music together at USC?
• Washington practiced hard on Thursday.
• A surprise captains' pick for Washington State feels like a good thing.

Some notes to get you through the hours until Saturday. Many thanks to ESPN Stats & Information.

• Missouri is coming off a lackluster performance against Miami (OH) last week. The Tigers managed just 129 yards passing.
• Missouri has won 23 straight games played in the months of August/September. Its last such loss was in 2005 against New Mexico. That loss was also the last time Missouri lost a regular season nonconference game. Since then, the Tigers have won 22 straight.
• While Missouri has been stellar in the months of August/September, Arizona State been less impressive recently. Since 2008, ASU is 7-5 in those months.
• It’s the second time in the last three games that Missouri has played in Tempe. The Tigers lost to Iowa in the Insight Bowl there on Dec. 28.
• Arizona State has won four straight regular-season home games against Big 12 teams. That streak includes a 19-0 win over top-ranked Nebraska in 1996.
• These teams haven’t met since 1990, a 30-9 Missouri win.
• California beat Colorado 52-7 last year in Berkeley.
• The Bears lead the Buffaloes in their all-time series 3-2.
• Colorado QB Tyler Hansen became the 11th player in school history eclipse 3,000 yards passing after throwing for 223 yards at Hawaii.
• Cal WR Keenan Allen and Marvin Jones both eclipsed 100 yards receiving in the Bears victory over Fresno State.
• Oregon has won 16 straight home games (last home loss Sept. 20, 2008 to Boise State).
• Nevada lost 12 straight games when opening season on the road (1987 last time Wolf Pack won on the ROAD to start the season, when they were in Big Sky Conference).
• Nevada won seven straight games to end 2010, only Auburn (16) and Stanford (9) have longer active FBS win streaks.
• Only series meeting between Oregon State and Wisconsin was 1961, 23-20 Wisconsin win.
• Wisconsin has won 10 straight home games (last loss at Camp Randall was to Iowa, 20-10, on Oct. 17, 2009).
• Wisconsin has won 29 straight regular-season games against nonconference opponents (last loss came to UNLV on Sept. 13, 2003). That is the second longest active streak in nation behind LSU (34 straight).
• Stanford moved up to No. 6 in the AP Poll this week, its best ranking this early in the season since 1970, when it reached No. 4 in the Sept. 14 poll.
• Stanford QB Andrew Luck is 21-5 all-time as a starter, currently the highest win percentage by a QB in school history.
• Stanford is on a nine-game winning streak, the second longest streak in FBS behind Auburn’s 16. The Cardinal have won their past four games
  by at least 28 points each.
• Duke has lost 42 straight games against ranked opponents, last beating No. 13 Virginia in 1994. The Blue Devils last beat a top-10 team in 1989, when Steve Spurrier’s Duke squad knocked off No. 7 Clemson.
• UCLA and San Jose State are in the same state but they have never played before.
• UCLA running back Johnathan Franklin had his eight career 100-yard rushing game at Houston. His 1,821 career yards rushing ranks him 18th on the Bruis all-time list.
• QB Richard Brehaut's 351 yards of total offense against Houston is tied for 20th on the school's all-time list (87 yards rushing, 264 passing).
• Utah's visit to USC is the first official conference game of the newly formed Pac-12. Utah joined the conference in 2011 after spending the previous 12 years in the Mountain West Conference. This will be the 6th different conference that the Utes have played in. Utah is 3-1-1 in its first ever games in a new conference.
• This is the first meeting between these teams since 2001 when Utah defeated USC 10-6 in the Las Vegas Bowl. This is the first regular season meeting between these teams since 1948.
• Robert Woods caught 17 passes in USC's season opening win over Minnesota to break Johnnie Morton’s single game school mark of 15 (set in 1993). It was the second-most receptions in a game by a Pac-12 receiver (2 shy of the record). Woods’ 3 touchdowns (all in the first half) also tied a school-record and tied a career-high for Woods.
• Matt Barkley completed 34 passes against Minnesota breaking Todd Marinovich's single game school record back in 1989. Barkley has 5,830 career pass yards, 296 yards shy of passing John David Booty for 5th on the school’s all-time passing yardage list.
• Hawaii leads its series with Washington 2-1. The Warriors won the last game 35-28 in 2007.
• Huskies running back Chris Polk produced his 12th career 100-yard rushing game against Eastern Washington, tied for third most in school history.
• Washington's five-game winning streak is tied for sixth longest in the nation. Only Auburn (16), Stanford (9), Nevada and Ohio State (7) and Oklahoma (6) have longer current winning streaks.
• Washington State is 4-0 all-time against UNLV. The teams last played in 1991, a 40-13 Cougars win.
• 11 different Cougs caught passes in the win over Idaho State
• Washington State rolled up 590 yards of offense against Idaho State. The Cougars 60 points was their most since scoring 77 against Southwestern Louisiana in 1997.

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.

It was an epic thrashing.

It was 31-zip at halftime. After Colorado scored its lone touchdown in the third quarter, California added three in the fourth.

Final tally: Cal 52, Colorado 7.

If you want to know why many Pac-10 fans don't think much of the Buffaloes entry into the Pac-12, it's that single game.

"It just seemed like everything that could go wrong, did go wrong," Colorado quarterback Tyler Hansen said. "It was... bad."

He's right, starting with the three picks Hansen threw. Or how Cal's defensive line abused the Buffs offensive line, most shockingly whipping all-everything tackle Nate Solder a number of times.

New Colorado coach Jon Embree wasn't around for this bludgeoning, but the lost weekend in Berkeley is one of the reasons he's in Boulder now.

"That was one of the first things I heard about when I got hired here, about the Cal game, from our fans and from our players," he said.

Of course, one game doesn't define a team or a season. Cal looked like a physically dominant outfit in that outing, but four games later USC stomped the Bears 48-14.

Was that indicative of Cal's talent? Or just a horrible game? What about Cal's 35-7 loss to Oregon State? If any team in the Pac-12 should know about the vagaries of each Saturday, it should be Cal.

But Hansen said he isn't sure the Buffs will have the Bears' respect when they visit on Saturday.

"We talked about that in our meeting yesterday," Hansen said. "They think they are going to come in here -- yeah, they beat us by 45 points last year -- but they think they are going to come in here and do it again."

Maybe. Cal is coming off an impressive win over Fresno State, while the Buffs extended their road losing streak to 19 games at Hawaii. New Cal QB Zach Maynard shook off a first-drive interception and played well, and the Bears defense dominated the Bulldogs. The Buffs? It seemed like it took an entire half to wake up at Hawaii. Particularly disappointing was the play of the offensive line, which got pushed around.

"Up front, those guys need to get after it a lot better," Hansen said. "I think they were kind of lackadaisical up there. They need to get that mentality of being physical and getting after guys."

Over at Cal, coach Jeff Tedford said, "We haven't even talked about last year's game... We're going to have our hands full. We can't think about last year."

Another level of intrigue -- or just strangeness. This is a game between Pac-12 teams but it doesn't count in the Pac-12 standings. It was scheduled before expansion and will remain a nonconference game.

That really has nothing to do with preparation but, as Embree noted, "It is weird, though."

If there is one obvious area of concern for Cal, it would be Maynard making his first road start in an A-list venue. Folsom Field seats 53,000. Maynard's previous toughest road start came in 2009 at Central Florida in front of 33,000 when he was the starting QB for Buffalo. Further, Boulder's elevation -- 5,430 feet -- often taxes a visiting foe that lives closer to sea level.

For Cal, the game is all about this year. It's a little different for Colorado.

Said Hansen, "I think having last year's game in the back of our minds will help a lot."

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.

If you don't like where you are in the power rankings, play better.

See last week's power rankings here.

1. Stanford: It's nice to play San Jose State in the opener. Still, the Cardinal did nothing to suggest they're not an elite team. Perhaps a little bit of concern about the middling running game versus Spartans.

2. Oregon: No shame in losing to LSU, but the Ducks sloppiness was concerning. On the other hand, sloppiness being such a critical element in the loss means there's an easy way to get better: Don't be sloppy.

3. USC: Beating an AQ conference foe means there's no reason to drop USC. But there sure as heck isn't any reason to move the Trojans up after a terrible offensive second half against Minnesota.

4. Arizona State: Sun Devils can move up if they beat No. 21 Missouri at home on Friday. And they will move down if they don't.

5. California: Bears were 10th in our post-spring power rankings, so our esteem for them is trending up. Most of that is solid play at quarterback from Zach Maynard against a respectable foe in Fresno State.

6. Arizona: Not unlike their good friends in Tempe, the Wildcats can move up -- BIG! -- if they manage to win at Oklahoma State on Thursday.

7. Washington: Huskies fall two spots after FCS foe Eastern Washington lit up their secondary. An, oh, no! here comes Hawaii quarterback Bryant Moniz.

8. Utah: Utah sags after its offense sputtered against Montana State. But the Utes can get a quick boost in the conference pecking order by winning the first-ever Pac-12 game at USC.

9. UCLA: Bruins showed some second-half fight at Houston, playing better on both sides of the ball after the break. But the Cougars used to be the sort of program the Bruins picked their teeth with. The screws tighten on Rick Neuheisel, as the margin for error in a must-win season narrows.

10. Washington State: The Cougars are out of the basement for the first time in the history of the power rankings, as far as I can recall. Too bad about quarterback Jeff Tuel's clavicle. Can the Cougs maintain enough for the next five to eight weeks he's going to be out? Can they get to 2-0 against UNLV?

11. Colorado: It's possible Hawaii is pretty good -- we'll find out during its visit to Washington -- but at this point, the Buffaloes showed more than a few weaknesses while losing their 19th consecutive game away from Boulder. The O-line is a particular worry.

12. Oregon State: Lots of Beavers fans protested being 11th last week. They probably feel less aggrieved now after losing to Sacramento State, an FCS team. What sort of fight will Oregon State put up at Wisconsin? Or does that one get ugly? The Badgers are a team not afraid to run up the score if they can.