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A couple of unfortunate discipline notes to get to.

First, Cal has dismissed linebacker Cecil Whiteside from the team for violating team rules.

Head coach Jeff Tedford made the announcement this morning, but no further information or the nature of the violation was made available. To get booted off the team, though, you have to assume it was probably worse than missing a study hall session.

Whiteside was expected to add depth to a very good Cal front seven. Last season he had 17 tackles -- including three sacks -- in 10 games.

Also, the recent slew of arrests at Oregon State has prompted head coach Mike Riley to issue the following statement:

"We have had a few legal issues as of late with a handful of members of our football team. This behavior is totally unacceptable and the appropriate discipline started immediately with each event and future incidences could result in exclusion from our football program.”

The most recent incident involves standout cornerback Jordan Poyer, who was arrested on charges of second-degree criminal trespass. Worth noting that Poyer says the incident was blown out of proportion. And in my limited conversations with him, this seems extremely out of character.

All in all, this hasn't been a very good offseason for the conference when it comes to bad behavior and run-ins with the law.

This is why it's important to write stories about USC going to Haiti, Oregon honoring the military in its spring game, Washington players visiting a children's hospital and Stanford players working with Habitat for Humanity.

Those stories don't drive blog traffic as much -- but they are a lot more fun to write about and a good reminder that there is also a lot of good being done by players in the conference.

The Party is not interested in the overt act; the thought is all we care about. We do not merely destroy our enemies; we change them.

• New Arizona coach Rich Rodriguez knows he needs to prove himself (again).
• This Arkansas transfer is hoping to play immediately at LB for Arizona State.
• This stinks: Former Colorado RB Rodney Stewart blows out his knee 15 minutes into his first practice of rookie mini camp with the Cincinnati Bengals.
• Oregon State CB Jordan Poyer is the latest Beaver to get in trouble at this night spot. Fellas: Find a new hangout.
• A kickoff time is set for USC's road opener at Syracuse.
• Utah is again hitting the Islands in recruiting.
• Opening up Washington's playbook. Huskies, and I think I speak for everyone here, to this I simply say, "No."
• Some thoughts on former Washington State coach Paul Wulff opening up.
• Some interesting analysis of the NFL draft by conference.

The Pac-12 blog has not made it a secret that we think the conference is going to have some pretty good defenders next season. We're not the only ones.

The Lott IMPACT Trophy announced its watch list for the 2012 season and eight of the 42 players nominated hail from the Pac-12.

• John Boyett, S, Oregon
• Jordan Poyer, CB, Oregon State
• Chase Thomas, LB, Stanford
• Patrick Larimore, LB, UCLA
• T.J. McDonald, S, USC
• Brandon Magee, LB, ASU
• Star Lotulelei, DT, Utah
• Ray Polk, S, Colorado

Boston College's Luke Kuechly was last year's winner. You can click here to see the complete watch list. The winner will be announced Dec. 9. The trophy is named in honor of Ronnie Lott -- a two-time All-American at USC and 10-time Pro Bowler with the San Francisco 49ers.

The 2012 NFL draft is over. So, naturally, let's look ahead to the 2013 draft. Will the Pac-12 recover from a miserable showing this go-around?

Maybe.

Here are the Pac-12 players on a list of the top-30 prospects from Bucky Brooks of NFL.com.

1. Matt Barkley, QB, USC
3. Robert Woods, WR, USC
11. Star Lotulelei, DT, Utah
19. Dion Jordan, DE, Oregon
23. T.J. McDonald, S, USC
26. Keenan Allen, WR, California
28. Joseph Fauria, TE, UCLA

This list of the top-five prospects by position has solid Pac-12 representation.

QB: No. 1 Barkley

RB: No. 2 Kenjon Barner, Oregon

WR: No. 1 Woods, No. 2 Allen

TE: No. 2 Fauria, No. 3 Zach Ertz, Stanford

Interior line: No. 2 Khaled Holmes, USC (center)

DT: No. 2 Lotulelei

ILB: No. 4 Shayne Skov, Stanford

CB: No. 5 Jordan Poyer, Oregon State

S: No. 2 McDonald, USC

Specialists: No. 5 Jeff Locke, UCLA (punter)

As Oregon State wraps up its spring session Saturday with its Fan Fest activities at Reser Stadium, head coach Mike Riley said he's feeling pretty good about what the Beavers accomplished this spring.

Last year's growing pains, which led to a 3-9 season, also produced a lot of first-time starters who now have some game experience. In fact, there will be 27 players on the 2012 roster who have started at least one game. That depth allowed Riley to really focus on the details this spring.

"I'm not sure we got the whole volume of what we wanted to get in, but we got to repeat a lot of stuff," Riley said. "We took this spring as a fundamentals look. We tried not to be too exotic. We worked on the timing of certain routes with the receivers and quarterbacks, worked on the details of fundamentals and blocking schemes. It was a good mixture of coverages, but not too much that we can't get good reps. Volume hasn't been great, but our work on the details has vastly improved."

Riley said he's liked the growth of the quarterbacks, citing an improvement in efficiency and overall production. Starter Sean Mannion said he's a much more confident quarterback as well.

"The Sean Mannion now is more comfortable," Mannion said, when asked to describe himself from last year to this year. "I think he's more experienced. I think he's improved his accuracy, improved his decision making. But that being said, I know there is a long way to go."

The biggest frustration for Riley this spring was the lack of depth on the offensive line. With players like Colin Kelly and Grant Enger out, Riley said it was a good chance for other players to compete. Plus, with an influx of offensive linemen coming in this fall, there is more uncertainty across the line than any other position group on the Beavers' roster.

"You always want to come out of spring set on starters," Riley said. "But we're not going to be able to do that on the offensive line. We'll still be scratching and clawing to find the right group of guys."

Riley said he's been very pleased with the development of safeties Ryan Murphy and Tyrequek Zimmerman. With Jordan Poyer and Rashaad Reynolds returning at both cornerback spots, Riley thinks he's got a pretty good secondary.

"I like the look of that group a lot," he said. "They are all really instinctual players as well as talented. That goes a long way to being successful. Reynolds has grown a lot and Poyer is a proven commodity and it's been fun watching the two safeties grow."

Oregon State also was one of its deepest wide receiving corps in years. And Riley has previously said he wants to take more shots down the field this season. He's moved Obum Gwacham into the slot as a third receiver (though he'll continue to back up Markus Wheaton) in an effort to get more playmakers on the field.

"It's a good step for the growth of this offense and we really like [Gwacham] in that spot," Riley said. "We've gotten a good look at him inside and we've been really pleased how he's adapted to the role."

The Pac-12 is known for offense, so it's not surprising that a list of the nation's top-25 players includes six players from conference offenses.

Defense? Not so much. Just one Pac-12 defender -- Stanford LB Shayne Skov -- made The Sporting News list.

That is not unreasonable. The 2011 season was not a great one for Pac-12 defenses, though, of course, we can endlessly spool the "chicken or the egg" perspective of conference defenses looking worse due to playing nine games against superior conference offenses.

Still, the numbers are hard to deny. The conference featured no statistically elite defenses last fall. In fact, just two ranked in the nation's top 30 in total defense (California and Stanford at Nos. 25 and 26) and scoring defense (Utah at No. 19 and Stanford at No. 30).

But things may be different in 2012. In fact, the Pac-12 blog views this as "highly likely."

The best five defense in the conference in 2011 -- California, Oregon, Stanford, USC and Utah -- have the makings for ranking among the nation's top 25 in 2012. And some of the teams that were bad to incompetent on defense in 2011, such as Oregon State, UCLA, Washington and Washington State, seem fully capable of becoming at least respectable.

It's not really about the number of returning starters -- about 6.4 per team.

And it's not completely about star power -- 11 of 22 first- or second-team all-conference defenders are back -- though that's part of it.

It's about looking at the units as a whole and extrapolating forward with star power and young talent, as well as coaching continuity. Or new and improved coaches.

California has intriguing talent on all three levels, but it will need its youth movement to produce the expected results. Oregon looks strong at linebacker, end Dion Jordan could be ready for a star turn and safety John Boyett is the brains behind the operation. Stanford might have the conference's best front seven. USC might have the conference's best back seven. Utah appears strong on all three levels, though a couple of young linebackers need to step up.

As far as star-power, there's plenty. Among those who could get themselves into the All-American picture are Skov, Jordan, Boyett, Utah defensive tackle Star Lotulelei, Stanford outside linebacker Chase Thomas, USC safety T.J. McDonald, USC cornerback Nickell Robey and Oregon State cornerback Jordan Poyer.

There are also buy ratings on Arizona defensive back Tra'Mayne Bondurant, Arizona State defensive tackle Will Sutton, Cal defensive end Deandre Coleman, Colorado defensive end Chidera Uzo-Diribe, Oregon linebacker Kiko Alonso, Oregon State defensive end Scott Crichton, Stanford cornerback Wayne Lyons, Stanford defensive end Ben Gardner, UCLA defensive end Datone Jones (yes, we're tapping him again!), USC's young linebackers (yes, all three), Utah defensive end Joe Kruger, Utah S/LB Brian Blechen, Washington defensive tackle Danny Shelton and Washington State OLB/DE Travis Long.

Among others.

Further, the defensive numbers might be better as teams take a step back offensively. USC's offense looks potentially dominant, and Oregon is always very good, even with a new QB. But Stanford is almost certain to take a step back without four first-round NFL draft picks, as might Washington with the loss of running back Chris Polk and its top two receivers. Four teams are breaking in new quarterbacks and four teams are adopting new systems with new coaches.

Most notable: There are offensive line questions across the conference.

Will the Pac-12 suddenly start playing a bunch of 17-10 games? No.

But here's a guess that the conference will play much better defense in 2012.

All players are equal, but some players are more equal than others. That's the basis of our Most Important Player series.

First off, quarterbacks are excluded to make things more interesting. It goes without saying that Arizona's Matt Scott, USC's Matt Barkley and Washington's Keith Price are their teams' most important players. Their losses would be catastrophic.

And most important doesn't necessarily have to be "best." An All-American's backup can be pretty darn good, too.

Our most important guys are players who could swing a win total one way or the other, based on their living up to expectations. Or their absence.

Oregon State: CB Jordan Poyer

2011 production: Was named second team All-Pac-12 defense after breaking up 12 passes and logging four interceptions -- including a 51-yard return for a touchdown against BYU and a two-interception game against Arizona State. Had 57 total tackles, returned 30 kicks for an average of 22.7 yards per returned 10 punts for an average of 14.1 yards.

Why Poyer is so important: For starters, he's one of the best players at his position in the country. Mel Kiper ranks him as the No. 2 senior defensive back in the nation and in a conference where offense rules, elite cornerbacks are tough to come by. And Poyer is elite. He's the most versatile athlete on the Beavers roster -- so much so that head coach Mike Riley has talked about installing a wildcat package just to get Poyer on the field as much as he can. He can take away half of the field on defense. And when he is challenged, more often than not the result is in his favor. Oregon State is a very young team with a lot of players who saw field time last season, but need a centralized voice on the field that isn't a coach. Poyer is that guy for the defense. He tied for the conference lead last season in interceptions and passes defended and said he's improved the cerebral portion of his game. That's a scary prospect for opposing quarterbacks.

If you're looking for a night out on the town, Jordan Poyer probably isn't your best option as wingman.

Consider, Oregon State was on spring break last week.

"So, Jordan, what did you do for spring break?"

"Nothing really. Just stayed around here. Hung out. Worked out."

"No Mexico? No Miami Beach? No spring break blowout?"

"Nah, no Mexico. But I did go to a water park one day with my girlfriend."

Talk to Poyer's head coach and he'll tell you that's exactly the response you'd expect.

"He's a true gym rat," coach Mike Riley said . "He's a very unique guy."

He's also one of the top cornerbacks in the Pac-12 and, with another solid season, should find himself playing on Sundays in 2013.

Poyer and the rest of the Beavers start spring camp Tuesday. For Poyer, it's the final spring session of his college career, and it's already starting to sink in.

"It's almost surreal that this is my last one," he said. "But I'm here to enjoy every moment of it."

After an outstanding junior season that saw him earn second-team all-conference honors, Poyer is poised for a solid senior campaign. And it starts Tuesday.

"I want to do something that makes me a better player every day," Poyer said.

Another typical response. When Riley first identified Poyer as a sophomore in high school, the coach never imagined Poyer would blossom into the lockdown cornerback he is today. In fact, Riley was on the fence about even offering him a scholarship despite Poyer being Oregon's offensive and defensive player of the year.

"I'd like to say I knew all along," Riley joked. "But the reality is I didn't offer him until late. He was playing at a smaller high school against smaller-level competition. He was playing this hybrid safety-linebacker position and quarterback. I didn't really know what he would be. I went around the horn a lot."

What Poyer has become is a technically sound cornerback with a competitive chip on his shoulder. He tied for the conference lead in interceptions last season, led the Pac-12 in passes defended and was third in passes broken up. He's also a pretty good returner, and Riley calls him the best gunner in the conference.

Poyer is confident without being cocky. He understands that good cornerbacks only get maybe two or three looks a game. That's a sign of respect. But Poyer doesn't want respect, he wants action.

"If the ball is not coming my way, I'll try to get something going," he said. "I'll try to bait the quarterback by backing off. There are times when you can take chances and throw off an alignment and try to jump something. That's one of the ways I want to get better this offseason -- knowing the game more and learning how to get in the quarterback's head a little bit and show him an off coverage and then come down and try to get an interception."

Cornerbacks are notorious for being talkers. And Poyer is no exception, but only when the other guy starts it. Then it's on.

"That's all part of the game, trying to get in your opponent's head," Poyer said. "I won't initiate it, but I won't back down from it, either. I'll have receivers telling me how they beat me even though a pass wasn't even thrown to them, and I'll just laugh. There is a lot of explicit stuff that gets said out there that I can't really talk about."

How about mother jokes? Are they still en vogue?

"I've heard a couple of momma jokes," Poyer laughed.

Poyer is trying to help whip into shape a defense that surrendered almost 31 points per game last season. The Beavers were gouged with injuries on both sides of the ball. But that allowed younger players the opportunity to get a lot of reps and game experience.

"We need growth and discipline," Poyer said. "We all have experience. You can't say anybody on this team doesn't have experience. We need to understand our assignments and how they fit into the bigger concepts. If we do that, we'll be fine. There is no question we have the talent. We just have to put everything together. We saw glimpses of that last year when everybody came together we were tough to score on."

As for Poyer's future, Riley is certain that a life in the NFL isn't too far off.

"The only thing he lacks to be a top first-round guy is probably all-out speed," Riley said. "He's got all the other instincts. Great ball skills, great change of direction. But when they test him, they'll talk themselves out of the first or second round. But he's a football player. When he goes to camp, he'll make a team because of all the stuff he can do. He's a good tackler, he's tough. To say he's heady is an understatement. You might beat him one time, but don't try it again."

In fact, he does so much that Riley said the coaching staff has considered installing a Wildcat package just for Poyer. But if it does, that probably won't happen until this summer. For now, Poyer is enjoying one last spring in Corvallis, and Riley is enjoying one last spring with his star player.

"He's a fun guy to coach because he's got great instincts about the game," Riley said. "If you tell him something, he uses it. He can fit it in to the whole process he uses to play the game. I think his No. 1 top characteristic is his competitiveness. He wants to win the game, he wants to win the one-on-one. Being around someone like that is contagious."

What is it with defensive backs driving in the state of Oregon?

Oregon State cornerback Malcolm Marable has been suspended indefinitely after he was cited for driving 104 mph on Interstate 5 in a 65-mph zone around 1 a.m. on Sunday.

You might recall that former Oregon CB Cliff Harris, who was heading into the 2011 season as a returning All-American, was stopped last June while driving 118 mph at 4:30 a.m. That began Harris' downward spiral into suspension and then dismissal from the Ducks.

So you could conclude that Harris was a bit quicker than Marable, but neither was able to outrun the ole blue lights.

This is further bad news for the Beavers' defensive backfield. Coach Mike Riley previously suspended two other cornerbacks indefinitely: Sean Martin for an alleged DUI and Mishawn Cummings for an undisclosed team rules violation.

None of these three, however, are returning starters. Jordan Poyer and Rashaad Reynolds started every game last year at the two corners.

Oregon State head coach Mike Riley has a lot on his mind these days. He has a new recruiting class with one of the top offensive linemen in the country -- which is good for him, since a large part of his O-line is still rehabbing from last season. There's talk of his seat being toasty next season, and what's the next step for his young quarterback and standout defensive linemen?

Here's part one of a Q&A with the OSU head coach.

Passing yards you were top 20 nationally, rushing yards almost last. Is making those numbers a little more balanced a priority next year?

Mike Riley: Oh man, it was so unlike who we've been. We've always prided ourselves on the running game. We've had great runners with great production through the years -- we've been a good running team and it's been a key to the success that we've had. Last year, not running the ball was an indication of the lack of success we had. As I visited with our coaches coming off recruiting, I basically said, "work on the running game. Find our identity. Get our people positioned correctly on the line of scrimmage and let's have a great plan going into spring practice of who we're going to be and how we're going to do it." That's our No. 1 priority offensively. We can throw the ball. We have a good quarterback and receiving corps. We'll tweak what we do in the passing game as Sean [Mannion] gets older. But none of it is going to matter if we can't run the ball better than we did a year ago.

Depending on who you talk to, some are considering next year a "hot seat" year for you. Do you buy that? And do you care?

MR: You know what, I don't think about those things. I think coaches probably feel the hot seat every game. I think that's natural. The biggest pressure you have in the world is the pressure you put on yourself and the team to do well. I've coached 36 years and I know that kind of talk is natural. It doesn't affect my day-to-day life or my day-to-day thoughts. I know what has to be done. We're the least satisfied of everyone who pays attention. The people right here in the coaches' offices are the ones who were most displeased by what went on. We want to win. The biggest pressure is the pressure we put on ourselves.

What's your impression of the four new coaches in the conference?

MR: I think they were exciting hires. As long as I've been in the league, you end up being pretty good friends with the guys you get to coach against. I was disappointed for the guys who were let go and I have a lot of respect for them and thought they were doing a good job. But life goes on. There have been some very exciting hires and I know they have given a boost of enthusiasm in those programs. It will be, for us, with new staffs, new preparation. It's not going to be building on a plan for how Arizona State has been with Dennis [Erickson]. We're going to have to look at a new team and a new scheme and study as it grows and not have much history. It makes it interesting. I think we play every team that has a new coach next year. That will be four new kinds of preps for us and the gathering of new knowledge.

What's the next step for Sean Mannion?

MR: I think continued efficiency. He's got great poise and great knowledge and a great desire to succeed. He's a tremendously hard worker. He's a really neat guy. Relatively quiet, but really well-respected by the team for the work he puts in and he handles tough situations like we were in last year very well for a young guy. It's just a matter of more knowledge, more growth, more repetitions. I think his efficiency can jump up. He threw for a pretty good percentage but he can be a higher percentage. We want to be able to throw the ball down the field and he has the accuracy and the arm to do that. We want to help him make better decisions about taking that shot down the field or dumping the ball tot the tailback. When we're going good, our tailbacks or fullbacks or tight ends should be catching a lot of balls. [Rodgers] caught 78 balls one year and Sean Canfield was at his peak of making decisions, throwing the ball down the field or dumping it to [Jacquizz Rodgers]. When we're doing that, we're at our best. That's where Sean needs to continue to grow. When to get that ball down and when to take that shot. We want to have a high yards per completion and we want to have a high percentage so we'll continue to grow him in those areas.

On defense, Dylan Wynn and Scott Crichton both had very good years for youngsters. How exciting is it going to be to watch them develop and grow up side by side on the defense?

MR: I really am excited about that. Those are two pretty special guys to start as freshmen for us. I think they have talent and they also have a lot of tenacity. They play hard. Joe Seumalo does a good job coaching them. They are pups, but they have a lot of experience behind them. And they are two of our hardest working guys. I think they're going to do nothing but grow. What's going to help them is they have a base talent level, but they are hard workers and now they have played a little bit so I think that combination of being talented and having experience should push them into spring practice and fall camp being ahead of where they were.

You need good cornerback play if you're going to survive in this conference. Jordan Poyer comes back as one of the best in the country. Talk about his growth this year and what you expect from him next season?

MR: I just love that guy. He's an ultimate gym rat. He played football, basketball and baseball. Matter of fact, he could have signed a baseball contract out of high school. Pat Casey our baseball coach thought he was a great prospect. We were going to allow him to play both sports, but he opted just for football after playing as a true freshman here. He brings a special savvy for sports. You can put him in a ping pong match and he'd be good. He just competes and he stays on top of everything. You might beat him once, but probably not twice because he's so smart and so aware. He's got that big-play potential. He'll step in front of a ball and take it all the way. He has that knack to him. He's not overly fast, but he is a very good athlete with very good ball skills and a very good sense of what he's doing.

The coaches announced their All-Pac-12 team here, and the Pac-12 blog followed shortly thereafter here.

We even created an All-Underrated Team.

Now we recognize our Most Improved Players on both offense and defense.

Defense (tie): Dion Jordan, DE, Oregon

Jordan went from single-game starter in 2010 to first-team All-Pac-12 as a junior in 2011. Jordan had 5.5 tackles for loss and two sacks in 2010, when he showed promise after converting from tight end. He lived up to that promise in 2011 with 13 tackles for loss and 7.5 sacks. Jordan figures to be a leading candidate for Pac-12 Defensive Player of the Year in 2012, particularly if he gets his skinny butt into the weight room and eats a lot of steak.

Star Lotulelei, DT, Utah

Lotulelei started the final three games of the 2010 season and finished with 21 tackles with 2.5 tackles for loss and 0.5 sacks. In 2011, he won the Morris Trophy as the Pac-12's best defensive lineman, as voted on by his peers -- the guys who had to block the 325-pounder. He earned first-team All-Pac-12 honors and was the lineman of the game in the Utes' Sun Bowl victory over Georgia Tech. He finished with 44 tackles, including nine for loss, but his main job was occupying two blockers so linebackers could make tackles. The Utes ranked third in the Pac-12 -- and 20th in the nation -- in run defense.

Honorable mention: Conroy Black, CB, Utah; Ben Gardner, DE, Stanford; Trevor Guyton, DE, California; D.J. Holt, LB, California; Josh Kaddu, LB, Oregon; C.J. Mizell, LB, Washington State; Nick Perry, DE, USC; Eddie Pleasant, S, Oregon; Jordan Poyer, CB, Oregon State; Nickell Robey, CB, USC; Trevin Wade, CB, Arizona

Offense: Gerell Robinson, WR, Arizona State

Robinson went from bust to bust-out in 2011. In 2010, the once-touted recruit caught just 29 passes for 387 yards. He was best known for inconsistent hands. And at the start of 2011, he also caught an early case -- or two -- of the dropsies. But Robinson caught fire just as the rest of the Sun Devils started to tank, hauling in more than 100 receiving yards in six of the final eight games, including 13 receptions for 241 yards in the Las Vegas Bowl loss to Boise State. He finished with 77 receptions for 1,397 yards and seven touchdowns. His 107.5 yards receiving per game ranked ninth in the nation, and his 18.1 yards per catch was tied for first in the Pac-12. His late-season surge earned him a spot in the Senior Bowl.

Honorable mention: Mark Asper, OG, Oregon; Matt Barkley, QB, USC; Matt Kalil, OT, USC; Brock Osweiler, QB, Arizona State; Isi Sofele, RB, California; Markus Wheaton, WR, Oregon State; Marquess Wilson, WR, Washington State; Robert Woods, WR, USC

OREGON STATE BEAVERS

Record: 3-9, 3-6 Pac-12

Once thought to have the most secure job in the conference, Mike Riley's seat might be a little toastier next year after back-to-back disappointing seasons. It started with an overtime loss to Sacramento State in Week 1 and quickly snowballed as the Beavers lost five of their first six. Freshman Sean Mannion showed glimpses of what could be, tossing for 3,328 yards. But 18 interceptions to 16 touchdowns stains his 64.5 percent completion percentage.

If you're looking for things to build off of, there was the 38-21 win in the second to last game of the year over Washington. Mannion completed 26-of-37 balls for 339 yards and a pair of scores. There was the season-high 44 points the Beavers put up against Washington State -- four touchdowns courtesy of the freshman quarterback.

There were flashes, but they came so inconsistently that Oregon State could never string together a complete game -- half -- or sometimes even a quarter.

Riley gets another year to turn the ship around -- but with just eight wins in the last two seasons -- he better start moving quicker. Ranking 99th in points for (21.8) and 88th in points against (30.8) is a good way to charcoal your chair.

Offensive MVP: A case could be made for Mannion, certainly. But junior receiver Markus Wheaton, a Pac-12 honorable mention selection, caught 73 balls for 986 yards. He had just one touchdown, but drew a lot of attention with James Rodgers not being 100 percent.

Defensive MVP: Junior defensive back Jordan Poyer, who landed on the All-Pac-12 second team, led the team in passes defended (16) and also hauled in four interceptions. Worth noting that he's also one of the most versatile players on the squad, returning kicks on special teams.

Turning point: Every time another player went down to injury, it was a turning point. The Beavers only had six positions where they had the same starter all season long. But if you're looking for one individual game or moment, it's probably the Washington game. Though OSU went on to lose its regular season finale against Oregon, it still gives a little bit of momentum heading into another bowl-less offseason.

Up next: Recruit, recruit, recruit. After posting 36 wins between 2006-2009, Riley knows how to motivate and win in the Pacific Northwest. But next season will be critical to his future in Corvallis.

CORVALLIS, Ore. -- Jonathan Martin and Chase Thomas are a couple of cats you probably don’t want to tick off. But that’s what the Oregon State fans did in the second quarter of Stanford's 38-13 win Saturday afternoon.

When wide receiver Chris Owusu was laying on the ground after suffering a concussion, Thomas and Martin said the Oregon State crowd was taunting Owusu -- who was put on a stretcher and in a neck brace before being transported off the field in an ambulance. Neither player disclosed what the fans were specifically saying.

“The fans were kind of rude about it and making fun of him,” Thomas said. “That lit a fire. They were yelling things that shouldn’t be said when someone is hurt on the ground like that. We took it personally.”

It hit a little too close to home for Martin, who said he did his best to brush it off.

“That’s my roommate,” Martin said. “One of my best friends. It gets to you a little bit.”

Conversely, the Oregon State player who put the hit on Owusu, Jordan Poyer, apologized to head coach David Shaw when he came on to the field to check on his wide receiver.

“He came up to me and apologized and I put my arm around him and said ‘Hey, don’t worry about, just play. Play hard, man,’” Shaw said. “It happens in this game. It’s hard. It’s a split-second decision between ducking your head and just barely missing his head or getting helmet-to-helmet. I’m not going to say it’s easy. It’s hard. But when it’s close, the officials have told us they have to call it.”

Stanford has been at the center of the illegal hit firestorm this season -- and unfortunately -- several of those plays have involved Owusu. The receiver was released from the hospital and rejoined the team after the game for the trip back to Palo Alto. But this is the third time in the last four games that Owusu has left the game and not returned after taking a vicious hit.

Four times this season a Stanford receiver has gone out for the game because of a hard hit -- three of those times it’s been Owusu and only twice was an illegal hit called despite contact above the shoulder pads. The fourth involved tight end Coby Fleener, who took a helmet-to-helmet hit against Arizona.

“It’s scary,” said Stanford quarterback Andrew Luck. “It’s scary when that happens. Especially when it happens to a guy that has had it happen before. As far as the mood, it’s a tough thing. When something like that happens in the middle of a game, you just have to flush it and forget about it, as harsh as that may sound. For me, it was a little contemplative. You start thinking a little bit. First thoughts are ‘Please be OK, Chris, please be OK.’ It’s a tough thing, but you have to sort of forget about those things in a game as harsh as that may sound.”

Shaw did not rule Owusu out for Saturday’s big showdown against Oregon -- though it seems unlikely that after sustaining his second concussion in 21 days he’d be back on the field. This is at least the third concussion for Owusu in the last 13 months.

“There are a lot of checks he’s got to pass in order to get back on the field and we’re going to make sure he passes all of those before he plays,” Shaw said. “With concussions, they’re fickle. They change. He had one a couple of weeks ago and gosh, by Monday he was great. He still hadn’t passed all the tests yet but he felt great. So we will be overly cautions. I’ll tell you that. We’ll be overly cautious with Chris Owusu.”

The hit by Poyer came at a critical juncture of the game. Owusu fumbled after the reception and it was returned for a touchdown -- but Poyer was flagged for an illegal hit which negated the play. Rather than the score being tied 14-14 in the second quarter, the Cardinal added a field goal to go up 17-7 at the break.

Owusu was involved in an illegal hit last week against USC that drew a flag on a critical third down late in the game that kept Stanford’s drive alive. USC safety T.J. McDonald was penalized and then suspended half a game by the Pac-12 conference. According to Shaw, Owusu did not have a concussion as a result of that hit.

“We’ve heard from all of the officials and the NCAA and our conference -- if it’s close, they are going to call it,” Shaw said. “And I don’t think that one was close. They have to call it. In order for us to make this game as safe as we can be, when it’s going to be close, we have to call that so we can teach our guys how to make tackles. Not so high, not close to the head, so this game can be as safe as it can be so they have to make that call.”

All right, but apart from the sanitation, medicine, education, wine, public order, irrigation, roads, the fresh water system and public health, what have the Romans ever done for us?

• Arizona's offensive coaches have complete autonomy under interim coach Tim Kish.
• Want some perspective? Do what some Arizona State players did this week. And -- no way! -- good injury news for the Sun Devils.
• California appears to have some injury issues at linebacker.
• Colorado freshman running back Tony Jones steps in for the injured Rodney Stewart.
• Odds appear long that Oregon running back LaMichael James and quarterback Darron Thomas will play at Colorado. Perhaps they shouldn't pay until November, when the schedule ramps up.
• Oregon State cornerback Jordan Poyer's truck's was vandalized after the BYU game. A practice report.
• Stanford wide receiver Chris Owusu, who took a big hit against Washington, is expected to play Saturday.
• UCLA's official injury report. Is frosh quarterack Brett Hundley ready, if needed?
• USC running back Marc Tyler wants to play against Notre Dame, despite a dislocated shoulder. Quarterback Matt Barkley was pretty good his last time at Notre Dame.
• Utah's offense has yet to click, at least in Pac-12 play.
• Washington's defense gets ready for Stanford quarterback Andrew Luck.
• The matchup with Oregon State in Seattle feels like a must-win for Washington State and coach Paul Wulff.

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

Team of the week: Arizona State ended an 11-game losing streak to USC with a 43-22 victory in front of an inspired home crowd. The win pushed the Sun Devils back into the national rankings and bolstered their position in the Pac-12 South Division.

Best game: Washington outlasted California 31-23, with the Huskies' defense getting a fourth-down stop on their 2-yard line to preserve the win.

Biggest play: With USC down six and facing a third-and-5 from the Arizona State 14-yard line, Sun Devils defensive end Greg Smith sacked and forced a fumble from Trojans quarterback Matt Barkley, and defensive tackle Bo Moos recovered. The Sun Devils then drove 82 yards for a touchdown and a 36-22 lead with 6:48 remaining in the game.

Offensive standout: LaMichael James rushed for a school record 288 yards on 23 carries with two touchdowns in the Ducks' 56-31 win at Arizona.

Defensive standout: Oregon defensive end Dion Jordan had 1.5 sacks and 2.5 tackles for loss to go along with five total tackles in the Ducks' win over the Wildcats.

Special teams standout: Oregon State's Jordan Poyer returned a punt 85 yards for a touchdown against UCLA. He also had 56 yards on two kickoff returns. He ended up with 156 return yards in the game.

Smiley face: Washington's maligned defense held California to just three second-half points, including none in the fourth quarter. The Bears had just one TD in five red zone chances.

Frowny face: Arizona gave up 415 yards rushing to Oregon. The Wildcats presently rank 114th in the nation in run defense (233.5 yards per game). They also rank 106th in the nation in scoring defense (35.0 ppg) and 112th in total defense (484 ypg).

Thought of the week: Assuming that Stanford's Andrew Luck will win first-team All-Pac-12 quarterback, who would you pick for second team right now? Eight conference QBs rank among the top 40 in the nation in passing efficiency. While USC's Barkley, Arizona's Nick Foles and Oregon's Darron Thomas entered the season as "name" QBs, through four games the second-best Pac-12 QB would be Washington's Keith Price, followed closely by Arizona State's Brock Osweiler.

Questions for the week: At 0-3, Oregon State is the first team to have a stamp of doom put on its season. Who's next? You might be able to say that the loser of Arizona's visit to USC and Washington State's trip to Colorado will start to see reasons for optimism this season slip away.