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It appears that Arizona State is going West to find a co-defensive coordinator, according to a report.

Former Illinois assistant Ron West, who was named New Mexico's defensive coordinator just last month by new Lobos coach Bob Davie, is headed to Tempe, according to the Albuquerque Journal.

"Over the weekend, Ron received an offer from Arizona State and accepted it," Davie said in a statement to the newspaper. "I'm disappointed but I certainly understand the business aspect of this profession. Coach West made a decision he felt was best for his family, and we wish him the best of luck in the future."

West worked for ASU coach Todd Graham previously at Tulsa. New Mexico was his first job in the west.

While the Sun Devils haven't announced specific responsibilities for their assistant coaches, Doug Haller of the Arizona Republic reports that "West likely will share defensive coordinating duties with Paul Randolph, who was co-defensive coordinator and defensive line coach last season at Pittsburgh."

House of Sparky points out that "West's hiring would have completed Graham's staff, but last week running backs coach Chris Thomsen left Tempe to take over the offensive line coaching duties at Texas Tech."

Not sure if you guys have joined this club, but it's what all the cool kids are doing.

To the notes.

Jason from Columbus writes: Defense wins championships. Oregon's defense stinks. Do the Buckeyes have to kill them again to prove this?

Ted Miller: First of all, I'm curious: Do Ohio State fans really view the Buckeyes 26-17 Rose Bowl victory as a "kill"? Or is this just a fringe interpretation or a bit of trash talk? In terms of being an actual assessment, it's ridiculous.

Anyway. Oregon may not have a great defense but it has a good defense. It's hard to explain this to people because, well, it requires explaining.

Most folks look at the 339 yards per game the Ducks have surrendered and say, "Neh!"

The first approach for the defense (ha!) is to point out that Oregon's fast-paced offense -- the nation's No. 1 offense in total yards and scoring -- ranks 98th in time of possession and therefore forces its defense to see a lot of plays. That's when a Ducks defender points to yards per play. Oregon gives up 4.58 yards per play, which is better than Penn State, Alabama and Florida, which are each top-20 defenses. But that number isn't really exceptional.

But this number is: 370. That's how many plays the Ducks defense has faced this year. Know how many defenses have faced more? Seven. And all of them rank 82nd or below in total defense, and five are in the 100s. Oregon ranks 52nd in total defense.

So what? It's the Ducks own fault for seeing so many plays. Just make a stop and they wouldn't see 370 plays, right?

Eureka! The Ducks do get stops. They rank ninth in the country in third-down defense. Ohio State, by the way, is 16th.

Oh, and by the way, Oregon's scoring defense ranks 15th in the nation (15 ppg). Keeping teams from scoring is good, right?

Qualifier: All these statistics -- good and bad -- are skewed. We are only five games into the season. And Oregon's defense dominated some terrible teams and hasn't looked great against Pac-10 offenses (557.5 yards per game in two games, including 6.3 yards per play).

Still, the fact that those two Pac-10 foes -- Arizona State and Stanford -- who rank in the top-17 in the nation in total offense could only score one total TD in the second half between them is pretty exceptional.

Arne from A_fop writes: According to the same logic that west coast fans and and the national media used against LSU and Auburn in 03 and 04 (which successfully deprived LSU of the AP title and kept Auburn out of the title picture altogether), Oregon, who played FCS Sacramento State, winless New Mexico, and a lousy Tennessee team, should be excluded from the national title picture because of their terrible nonconference schedule. It isn't their fault that Tennessee has fallen on hard times? Well, the same was true of LSU and Arizona in 03. And if playing an FCS team was supposed to be this horror for a national title contender when it was Auburn in 04, well UO knew that they were going to be very good this year and kept Sacramento State on their schedule anyway. And don't peddle the "UO plays 9 conference games" line. USC only played 8 conference games in 03 and 04, where Auburn and LSU played 9 thanks to the SEC title game. In order to be consistent and not hypocritical, you should take the position that Ohio State is more deserving of the national title game than is Oregon because of the Buckeyes' much tougher OOC slate. And yes, I recall your column from back in the day when you stated that Utah was more deserving of the national title than Auburn in 04 because of their tougher OOC schedule, so the hypocrite would be you personally.

Ted Miller: Wow, there's a lot here. Many tangled strands of argumentation that seemed to be strongly against the Pac-10 blog! What fun. Arne, as many of you know, is a frequent contributor to the comments section. He's not much of a Pac-10 fan, but we welcome all opinions to the Pac-10 blog. And he's clearly a bright, knowledgeable guy.

First of all, Oregon played Portland State, not Sacramento State.

Second, there are two layers to nonconference scheduling: Reality and intention. The reality is scheduling Tennessee or Georgia this year means you got an easy win if you're a decent team. Only no team that scheduled the Volunteers or Bulldogs thought that would be the case. The intention when the game was scheduled was to play a challenging foe. That should be rewarded, just as cowardly scheduling should be penalized. And, by the way, the Vols certainly didn't look lousy at LSU.

In 2003, Auburn was ranked sixth in the preseason poll. Many thought it would be a national title contender, starting with The Sporting News. USC, with quarterback making his first career start, went into frenzied Jordan-Hare Stadium and whipped the Tigers 23-zip. Auburn's SEC offense had 164 yards playing a Pac-10 defense, by the way. The next weekend, the Tigers lost at Georgia Tech. An exposed team thereafter played inconsistently throughout the rest of the season.

In 2004, Auburn tried a different approach to its nonconference scheduling. It played Louisiana-Monroe, The Citadel and Louisiana Tech. That worked wonders. With a clear intention of avoiding tough nonconference foes, Auburn went undefeated.

Connect the dots. It's not difficult. Lots of teams in the SEC, Big 12 and Big Ten have done so and adopted what we should all starting calling the "Auburn in 2004 -- certainly not 2003! -- Approach to Nonconference Scheduling."

Oregon's intentions this year were far different than Auburn's in 2004. Further, Arne, you need to incorporate location into your analysis. The Ducks traveled across the country to a 100,000-plus seat stadium to win at Tennessee. Auburn played all of its nonconference games in 2004 safely at home.

In other words, it's disingenuous to compare the two schedules. Heck, New Mexico went 9-4 in 2007. The Ducks didn't know the Lobos would become an FBS bottom-feeder when the schedule was made.

You compare LSU's trip to Arizona in 2003 to Oregon's trip to Tennessee. Really, Arne? Tennessee won the SEC East in 2007. It went to a bowl game last year. In 2003, the Wildcats were five years removed from their last winning season. They'd won six Pac-10 games over the previous three seasons.

Further, you write: "And don't peddle the 'UO plays 9 conference games' line. USC only played 8 conference games in 03 and 04, where Auburn and LSU played 9 thanks to the SEC title game. In order to be consistent and not hypocritical, you should take the position that Ohio State is more deserving of the national title game than is Oregon because of the Buckeyes' much tougher OOC slate."

I don't get the logic here. Oregon's nine conference games this year shouldn't count in comparison to Ohio State's eight this year because USC played eight conference games in 2003 and 2004? Why would I not peddle that? It's an incredibly strong fact in the Ducks favor, one that the computers in the BCS rankings will certainly recognize.

Despite all this, the Ducks don't automatically jump the Buckeyes in my or any other final poll. If Miami, Iowa, Michigan and Wisconsin are all highly ranked at season's end, despite losses to Ohio State, and the Pac-10 ends up with just a couple of ranked teams, then that will be a huge factor in making a distinction between the potentially unbeaten Buckeyes and Ducks. And the computers also will take note in the BCS standings.

One final question: Please e-mail me the column where I wrote, "Utah was more deserving of the national title than Auburn in 04 because of their tougher OOC schedule." Not sure I understand what you're saying I wrote.

Chuck from Clayton, Calif., writes: Saturday is homecoming for Cal. To Cal fans it's the Joe Roth game. Please mention the website: joeroth12.com. It has everything one would need to know about Joe Roth & why Cal honors him every year. Go Bears!

Ted Miller: Worth a look, whether you are a Cal fan or not. Roth was an exceptional person. It's a sad story that is also inspiring.

Chris from Oregon writes: Every time I open your predictions and see that you've picked the Beavers to upset yet another highly ranked team, my heart sinks. I immediately get out my pool of games for the week and mark the Beavers opposition to win. So far this year I'm 2 for 2. So please Ted, for the sake of all Beaver fans, I beg of you to stop. I don't know how much more our hearts can withstand.

Trevor from Salem, Ore, writes: Ted, can you make me a promise? If UA beats OSU this weekend will you please NEVER pick the Beavs to win a game again? Thanks.

Mike from Milwaukie, Ore., writes: As an Oregon State fan, I am BEGGING you reconsider your picking us over Arizona.BEGGING.PLEADING.It's not too late to say it was a typo and your editor screwed up.

Ted Miller: I remember in 2008 when I darn near got the Beavers to the Rose Bowl by picking against them (almost) every week. But so many Oregon State fans got on my case, I was forced to explain my mystical ways.

Of course, some caught on. But it was too late. The karmic forces rebelled.

I picked Oregon State to beat TCU. Wrong. Boise State. Wrong.

But I got a good feeling this week about the Beavers in Tucson!

So relax.

E-dogg from Bend, Ore., writes: Yo Ted! Good times talking shop with you out in Eugene last Friday night. You made about 10 obsessed college football fans nights..... Most famous celebrity I have seen since I bagged Drew Bledsoe's groceries back in 2005. Oh yea, Go Beavs.....I see you picked them to win again......Thanks a lot for the jinx bro.

Ted Miller: I showed this note to my wife, using my finger to underline "most famous celebrity."

She told me to take out the garbage.

Oregon is nearly a two-touchdown favorite for its visit to Tennessee on Saturday. That seems a bit odd, doesn't it, if you watched much of the Volunteers when they won 152 games and a national title from 1993-2008 under former coach Phillip Fulmer?

But Tennessee has experienced as much upheaval as any program in the country over the past two years. First, Fulmer was pushed out the door and replaced with Lane Kiffin. Some of you may have read this: Kiffin then bolted after a single season for USC, inspiring near-riots in Knoxville. Next, after being rebuffed by a number of higher-profile candidates, Tennessee hired Derek Dooley away from Louisiana Tech. He's the son of SEC coaching legend Vince Dooley, who won a national title at Georgia, and he's in charge of returning the Vols to past glory.

But that ain't happening this year. The roster Dooley inherited doesn't much look like the NFL factory once quarterbacked by the likes of Peyton Manning.

"Everything is new," said Oregon coach Chip Kelly, speaking specifically about the Tennessee coaching staff, which has brought in new offensive, defensive and special teams schemes, the nuances of which certainly weren't revealed in a 50-0 beatdown of Tennessee-Martin.

Still, making a cross-country trip to play in the Southeastern humidity in front of more than 100,000 fans isn't an easy task even when the Vols are down. Just ask California. In 2006, a talented Bears team wilted in Tennessee in a 35-18 route that wasn't nearly as close as the final score suggested. More than a few Bears later admitted they got wide-eyed taking in the Neyland Stadium frenzy.

Neyland is no joke. It's going to be loud and rowdy and orange. Lots of orange. And Oregon's sophomore quarterback Darron Thomas will be making it the venue for his first road start.

No matter how cavalier Oregon fans want to be on that -- well, UCLA's Kevin Prince did just fine last year! -- it's an issue until Thomas makes his mark.

"It's still an unknown -- he hasn't played in this environment," Kelly said. "There aren't many stadiums in college football that have 100,000 [fans]. We've got a lot of young guys it's going to be new for."

One of the most interesting statistics coming out of the Ducks blitzkrieg versus New Mexico was zero rushing yards from Thomas. Oregon quarterbacks ALWAYS have rushing yards. By design? No, said Kelly. But it was hard not to wonder if Kelly -- a certifiably tricky guy -- has something up his sleeve.

If Oregon handles the atmosphere in a businesslike way, the Ducks roll. They're just too fast, too experienced and too talented on both sides of the ball for the Volunteers. But the Vols also have enough talent that if the Ducks make mistakes or get distracted by 105,000 screaming Volunteers fans, then things could get interesting.

Oregon didn't punt vs. New Mexico. Kelly said Tuesday that's he's sure that won't be the case in Knoxville. This one, whatever the word coming out of Vegas is, won't be easy.

"We're going to be tested," he said.

Oregon running back Kenjon Barner, Oregon State safety Lance Mitchell and Oregon punt returner Cliff Harris have been named Pac-10 Players of the Week.

Barner, a sophomore from Riverside, Calif., carried the ball 17 times for a career-high 147 yards and four touchdowns covering 1, 25, 10 and 41 yards. He also added one reception for 60 yards and a touchdown in Oregon’s 72-0 win over New Mexico. He posted 225 all-purpose yards in the game’s first 21 minutes and nine seconds before taking the bench for the remainder of the game. Barner’s five TDs tied a school record and he currently leads the nation in scoring (30.0 points per game). Oregon rolled up a school record 720 yards in the victory.

Mitchell, a junior from Pasadena, Calif., collected a career-high 18 tackles, the eighth most in Oregon State history, in the 30-21 loss to TCU. He also added his second career interception which set up the Beavers’ first touchdown of the game.

Harris, a sophomore from Fresno, Calif., set a school record, and matched a Pac-10 record, with two punt returns for touchdowns that covered 61 and 64 yards, respectively. The two other times that was accomplished in the Pac-10 was in 1965 by Mike Garrett, USC vs. California; and 1954 by Sam Brown, UCLA vs. Stanford.

Also nominated for offensive player of the week honors were wide receiver Juron Criner of Arizona, running back Cameron Marshall of Arizona State, wide receiver Keenan Allen of California, quarterback Andrew Luck of Stanford and quarterback Matt Barkley of USC. Also nominated on defense were linebackers Paul Vassallo of Arizona, Colin Parker of Arizona State, Mike Mohamed of California, Casey Matthews of Oregon and Max Bergen of Stanford. Also nominated for special teams play were kickers Thomas Weber of Arizona State, Kai Forbath of UCLA and Nico Grasu of Washington State, and punt returners Jeremy Ross of California and Ronald Johnson of USC.

Some movement after Week 1. To paraphrase Lane Kiffin: If you don't like where you are in the power rankings, play better.

1. Oregon: New Mexico isn't very good, but the Lobos' badness doesn't completely account for 72-zip and 720 total yards. The Ducks look athletic and poised on both sides of the ball. Now let's see how they handle a tough road test against Tennessee.

2. Arizona: The Wildcats answered a lot of questions with a 41-2 win at Toledo. They'd put an exclamation point on those answers if they can beat Iowa when it visits on Sept. 18.

3. Oregon State: The Beavers don't go down because they lost on the road to the nation's No. 6 team. Still, the run defense has to be a concern.

4. Stanford: We learned nothing from the Sacramento State game -- we already knew Andrew Luck was a good quarterback. The visit to UCLA should be more revealing.

5. USC: The Trojans offense looked great, the defense pitiful at Hawaii. It wasn't supposed to be like that. Wonder if the defense will redeem itself Saturday in front of the home fans against Virginia?

6. California: The biggest news from the easy win against UC Davis is that freshman receiver Keenan Allen is as advertised. Colorado will be a far better test for the Bears.

7. Washington: The Huskies went to BYU to throw down the gauntlet on their return to relevance. Didn't happen, though it might turn out that BYU is pretty good. The Huskies must avoid a letdown this week against a Syracuse team that is capable of beating them.

8. Arizona State: While whipping Portland State means nothing, and doing the same to Northern Arizona won't either, there was enough on the field last Saturday -- most particularly better offense with quarterback Steven Threet -- to suggest reasons for hope for beleaguered Sun Devils fans.

9. UCLA: The offense wasn't good. The defense wasn't good. Kansas State probably isn't very good. And with this schedule -- Stanford, Houston and Texas over the next three weeks -- the Bruins need to get good fast.

10. Washington State: Those who expected significant signs of WSU improvement at Oklahoma State -- a group that included me -- were surprised by how bad the Cougars looked. A home loss against Montana State, an FCS team, on Saturday likely would ignite "Paul Wulff on the hot seat" talk in earnest.

Don't hang on, nothing lasts forever but the earth and sky
It slips away, all your money won't another minute buy
Dust in the wind, All we are is dust in the wind.

• If you're going to nitpick, Arizona's running game wasn't great at Toledo.
• A look back at Arizona State's easy win against Portland State. The only downer is some more health issues at defensive tackle.
• What grade does California's win against UC Davis get?
• Tennessee's best chance vs. Oregon is the Ducks doing a Cal, 2006, at Neyland Stadium. Folks, do not underestimate the road atmosphere challenges here. And the dominance vs. New Mexico doesn't mean much.
• Oregon State just couldn't get TCU's offense off the field.
• Some observations from Stanford's opening win. Does Stanford have injury issues? Tight end Levine Toilolo, running back Jeremy Stewart, receiver Chris Owusu and linebacker Shayne Skov are banged up, but it's hard to say for sure because Jim Harbaugh has gone all super-secret with injury info.
• UCLA coach Rick Neuheisel remains hopeful despite the bad performance at Kansas State.
• USC isn't ready to make major changes on defense. Yet.
• Washington doesn't want the poor performance at BYU to define its season.
• Washington State needs to get better in many ways. And quick.

One week is in the books, and it wasn't a good one. The Pac-10 went 6-4 and ended up frowning in each of its major tests.

Team of the week: Other than a brief first-half lull, Arizona looked like a good team in midseason form, despite losing both of its coordinators and rebuilding its defense. The 41-2 blitzing of a solid Toledo team featured dominance in all three phases. Goodbye bad taste from the Holiday Bowl. The Wildcats outgained the Rockets 518 to 183. Nuff said.

Best game: It's very possible that Oregon State lost to a TCU team that will play for the national title. I came away more impressed with the top-to-bottom quality of TCU than believing the Beavers got exposed. As it was, it was a competitive, well-played, entertaining game. And if Beavers fans need to vent for the sake of venting -- as we all sometimes do -- I'd suggest wondering how might the Beavers' defense have looked if end Matt LaGrone and middle linebacker David Pa'aluhi, returning starters from 2009, hadn't decided to quit the team.

Biggest play(s): Washington twice had fourth-down plays in the fourth quarter inside BYU's 30-yard line. Both times QB Jake Locker threw an incompletion. The Huskies lost 23-17. Great QBs need to make those plays.

Offensive standout(s): Wow. Lots to choose from. USC QB Matt Barkley completed 78 percent of his passes at Hawaii with five TDs. Arizona's Nick Foles and Stanford's Andrew Luck also were outstanding. But the top notice has to go to Oregon's "backup" running back Kenjon Barner, who was a force of nature against New Mexico, rushing for 147 yards on 17 carries -- 8.6 yards per tote -- with four TDs. Oh, he also caught a short pass he turned into a 60-yard TD.

Defensive standout: Wow. Not a lot to choose from. While it's hard to laud a player from UCLA's defense after it got pushed around by Kansas State, OLB Akeem Ayers showed why so many NFL scouts are salivating over him. He piled up 11 tackles with a sack and a pass breakup. But what really stands out is his ability to get his hands on the football -- he recovered two fumbles. He might want to refrain in the future, however, from pushing a running back when he's out of bounds.

Special teams star: USC receiver Ronald Johnson not only caught three TD passes against Hawaii, but he also went 89 yards for a TD on a punt return. It's notable that UCLA kicker Kai Forbath ignored a preseason injury that was supposed to keep him on the bench and went 3-for-3 on field goals at Kansas State, with a long of 44.

Smiley face: The QBs lived up to the preseason hype. The known guys -- Barkley, Foles, Locker and Luck -- each played well. The new guys -- Arizona State's Steven Threet, Oregon's Darron Thomas and Oregon State's Ryan Katz -- were solid. California's Kevin Riley played well, and Washington State's Jeff Tuel was hardly the reason the Cougars went down hard at Oklahoma State. The only QB who played poorly was UCLA's Kevin Prince, and he probably looked rusty because he sat out most of fall camp with a back injury.

Frowny face: Defense. The top two rushers in the nation at present -- and three of the top 14 -- played against Pac-10 defenses this past weekend. And look who ranks 106th in the nation in total defense, two slots below Washington State.

Thought of the week: This is a quiet week with few marquee games, other than the start of the Pac-10 slate with Stanford's visit to UCLA. But the week of Sept. 18 will define how the Pac-10 is perceived nationally this season. Consider the slate:

Iowa at Arizona
ASU at Wisconsin
Nebraska at Washington
Cal at Nevada
Wake Forest at Stanford
Houston at UCLA
USC at Minnesota
Washington State at SMU
Louisville at Oregon State

Five at home, four on the road. Three ranked teams. No patsies. The Pac-10 needs to get at least six wins or you'll start to hear how it's a "down year" instead of folks lauding the conference's depth.

Questions for the week: Can California (vs. Colorado), USC (vs. Virginia) and Washington (vs. Syracuse) take care of business against inferior BCS conference foes at home? Same for Oregon: Will the Ducks be able to handle the atmosphere at Neyland Stadium against a Tennessee team the Ducks shouldn't have too many problems against? How will the Trojans' defense react after a terrible effort at Hawaii? Who's got the advantage between UCLA's new pistol offense and Stanford's new 3-4 (which the Cardinal didn't use vs. Sacramento State)? How do the Huskies react to a disappointing loss at BYU?

What did we learn in the Pac-10's opening week?

1. Pac-10 quarterbacks were as advertised (mostly): While the level of competition varied, the four Pac-10 quarterbacks who were showcased in New York and at ESPN put up huge numbers. USC's Matt Barkley, Arizona's Nick Foles, Washington's Jake Locker and Stanford's Andrew Luck combined to complete 72.5 percent of their throws, averaged 300 yards per game and threw 12 TD passes vs. just one interception (a Foles pass that bounced off his fullback's hands). Of course, Locker lost at BYU, turning the ball over on downs twice in the fourth quarter after incompletions.

2. New QBs were solid if unspectacular: Three conference QBs made their first career start. Oregon State's Ryan Katz was mostly solid vs. a good TCU defense, throwing for a pair of TDs with no interceptions, though completing just 9 of 25 passes isn't ideal. Oregon's Darron Thomas shook off an early interception to complete 13 of 23 for 220 yards with two TDs in the blowout win over New Mexico. Finally, Arizona State's Steven Threet completed 14 of 21 for 239 yards with two TDs and an interception. While none of the three was gangbusters, each suggested he can get the job done.

3. The Mountain West strikes again: Thank God for New Mexico, otherwise the Mountain West Conference could crow about another strong showing versus the Pac-10. Washington fell at BYU and Oregon State went down to No. 6 TCU. Sure, both were road games. Sure, both were against two of the MWC top-three teams. But many projected wins for the Pac-10 in both. The visit to BYU was supposed to be the launching point for Locker's Heisman Trophy campaign. Didn't happen, and suddenly the Huskies high hopes entering the season are in question. And Oregon State was hoping to get off to a rare fast start with a strong showing vs. the Horned Frogs. Moreover, with UCLA's loss at Kansas State and Washington State's poor showing at Oklahoma State, the Big 12 also got into the act, pushing the conference around. Going 6-4 on the opening weekend was not what the Pac-10 wanted.

4. Play defense; win the conference: USC gave up 588 yards and 36 points at Hawaii. Bad. UCLA gave up 31 points and 313 rushing yards to Kansas State. Bad. Washington State surrendered 65 points and 544 yards at Oklahoma State. Yuck. Oregon State yielded 30 points and 278 rushing yards vs. TCU. Ugh. While Arizona, Arizona State, California, Oregon and Stanford probably feel good about their defensive numbers, the mostly poor competition leaves each with an incomplete. Clearly, there's a lot of offense in this conference. So whoever can pair stops with points is going to win this thing.

5. FCS teams have no chance vs. the Pac-10: Arizona State, Cal and Stanford buried three FCS teams by a combined count of 168-29. While that's really not something to celebrate, at least one BCS conference can't say the same this morning.

Who deserves a sticker on his helmet for a job well-done?

Matt Barkley, USC: Barkley completed 18 of 23 passes for 257 yards with five TDs in the Trojans 49-36 win over Hawaii.

Arizona: There was little not to like about the Wildcats 41-2 win at Toledo. A rebuilt defense gave up just 183 yards. Quarterback Nick Foles completed 32 of 37 passes for 360 yards with two TDs. Receiver Juron Criner caught 11 passes for 187 yards and a TD. Co-coordinators on both sides of the ball seemed to make beautiful music together.

Kenjon Barner, Oregon: With starting running back LaMichael James suspended, Barner accounted four five touchdowns in the Ducks 72-0 stomping of New Mexico. He rushed for 147 yards on 17 carries -- 8.6 yards per rush -- and turned a short pass into a 60-yard TD.

Keenan Allen, California: The true freshman made the most of his four receptions in a 52-3 win over UC Davis, gaining 120 yards on them, including a 48-yard TD pass from Kevin Riley.

Doug Baldwin, Stanford: Baldwin only caught four passes last year and fell off the radar. But in the Cardinal's 52-17 win over Sacramento State, the senior caught two of Andrew Luck's four TD passes among his four receptions for 111 yards.

Oregon outgained New Mexico 720 yards to 107 in a 72-0 win.

Not much else to say, other than things will be a bit tougher at Tennessee next weekend.

Checking in from palatial -- in the truest sense of the word -- Cowboys Stadium.

Oregon is beating the pooh out of New Mexico.

That sort of analysis is something you can't get just anywhere.

It's 59-0 at the half. The Ducks have outgained the Lobos 429 to 47. I am not watching the game, but I suspect the Ducks are exploiting their speed advantage.

Kenjon Barner, LaMichael James' backup, has 147 yards on 17 carries with four TDs.

Darron Thomas threw an interception deep in New Mexico territory on the Ducks' first possession. Since then, solid. He's 13-for-23 for 223 yards with two touchdowns.

The defense? Forty-seven yards and a bagel on the scoreboard speak for themselves.

Some quick notes to get you through the hours until Saturday.

• Arizona's visit to Toledo will be the first time a Pac-10 team has played in a MAC team's home stadium.
• Arizona State opens its season vs. back-to-back Big Sky opponents, starting with Portland State on Saturday. Because the Sun Devils play two FCS foes, they must win seven games to become bowl eligible.
• California is 8-0 all-time vs. UC Davis, but the last meeting was in 1939.
• Oregon has won 16 of 17 home openers, dating to 1993. The only loss during that span was a 30-24 defeat vs. Indiana in 2004.
• The Ducks will be without the services of running back LaMichael James and kicker Rob Beard as they serve one-game suspensions.
• Oregon State, which has never played TCU, opens the season against the Horned Frogs ranked in the Top 25 for first time since 2001.
• Oregon State: 1-3 in its past four seasons openers vs FBS schools.
• Stanford's game vs. Sacramento State has been designated as the Bill Walsh Legacy Game in honor of the Hall of Fame coach who had two separate stints at Stanford (1977-78; 1992-94).
• UCLA leads the series with Kansas State 1-0, winning last year 23-9.
• The Bruins have won three of four openers on the road this decade.
• BYU has won 4 of its plast 5 vs Pac-10 schools; Washington is 1-4 vs Mountain West competition since the conference was formed in 1999.
• Huskies coach Steve Sarkisian was the BYU quarterback in 1995-96.
• Washington State holds a 2-1 advantage vs.Oklahoma State, but the Cowboys won the last matchup 39-13 in 2008.

And so it begins.

• Arizona is hoping to nickel and dime Toledo to death. On defense, we mean.
• Arizona State safety Clint Floyd is solid at safety, but there are some concerns about DT depth. A notebook.
• A couple of updates with California's offensive line. Filling the voids on defense.
• Despite, er, the loss of certain players, Oregon's expectations are really high. So much Oregon stuff here that you'll never read every word.
• Paul Buker takes a nice, big-picture look at Oregon State's Jacquizz Rodgers. The return of Wilder McAndrews is a good story.
• What were Stanford's training camp surprises.
• UCLA kicker Kai Forbath might not play at Kansas State, which is another big injury hit for the snakebit Bruins. Also, QB Kevin Prince remains iffy.
• Its tumultuous offseason over, USC now focuses on Hawaii. USC wouldn't consider leaving the Pac-10 to go independent, would it?
• It appears Washington RB Chris Polk wants to talk with his legs. The Huskies are ready-- and mostly healthy -- for BYU.'
• Some Washington State notes and a look at the two QBs who'll face off in Stillwater on Saturday.
• Jon Wilner's always entertaining and informative action/reaction.

I was freaking brilliant last year. And that's just me being modest.

I went 60-21 (74 percent) picking games last season. The Pac-10 went 2-5 in the bowl season. I went 5-2 (though that Arizona over Nebraska pick didn't exactly go my way -- any Nebraska fans want to chime in because I'm sure I haven't heard from ALL of you?).

I know what you are thinking, though: Well, let's pin a rose on your nose and stop living in the past.

So here we are. New season. Everyone has a 0-0 record. And my little episode of braggadocio here is likely to ruin my prognostication karma.

Where's my voodoo gear?

Thursday

USC 40, Hawaii 9: You know what I think? I think assistant Ed Orgeron is going to whip these guys into a pre-game froth, and I think the Trojans are going to open up a can of whup-butt on the Warriors. And Matt Barkley is going to play well enough that some commentators will start throwing around the "H" word.

Friday

Arizona 42, Toledo 28: First of all, let's just celebrate me getting the day of this game right for the first time! I suspect you'll see some defensive growing pains vs. a solid Rockets offense. But I don't think the Rockets will be able to stop Nick Foles and company.

Saturday

Oregon 50, New Mexico 10: Quarterback controversy? What about a running back controversy when Kenjon Barner goes all ludicrous speed on the Lobos with LaMichael James serving a one-game suspension?

UCLA 27, Kansas State 24: Almost flagged an upset special here: The Bruins are beaten up on the offensive line and QB Kevin Prince has seen very little action during the preseason due to a nagging back injury. But UCLA has enough playmakers on both sides of the ball to, you know, make enough plays to win.

California 55, UC Davis 11: I love picking scores. Double-nickels and legs-11! An FCS school doesn't move the needle much on the interest meter.

Stanford 44, Sacramento State 11: See how I did that? I've given Stanford fans something to grouse about. It's for their own good. Now that your team is competitive again, Cardinal adherents, you need to adopt the irrational paranoia that infects all great fan bases. As in: "I can't believe Miller picked us to only score 44 on Sacramento State while he picked Oski-U to score 55 on UC Davis. He's clearly biased towards Cal!"

Washington 33, BYU 28: This is a tough road test for the Huskies. And it should be revealing. After an offseason of hype about QB Jake Locker and the program's resurgence under Steve Sarkisian, it's time to walk the walk.

Oklahoma State 31, Washington State 24: At some point in the first quarter, the Cowboys are going to look at each other in the huddle and go, "I thought these guys were supposed to be terrible." This might fit a pattern all season for the Cougs: Competitive close calls.

Arizona State 38, Portland State 10: This one should operate as a preseason game and confidence-builder for the Sun Devils new spread offense and QB Steven Threet. It will be interesting to see how much -- and how well -- backup Brock Osweiler plays when he gets the call.

Oregon State 27, TCU 24: Cool-as-a-cucumber Ryan Katz caps a late fourth-quarter drive with a 32-yard strike to James Rodgers for the winning score. Of course, Oregon State fans, my record picking your games through the years isn't great...

There's a full slate of 10 nonconference games this week, so there's a lot to watch.

1. How will Katz react when the lights go on at Cowboys Stadium? Oregon State's Ryan Katz has done everything well since he quickly took control of the quarterback job during spring practices. He's got the arm, head and athletic ability to become an All-Conference QB. But no one really knows how he will react to the big-stage pressure of his first career start. Many great QBs played like a squirrel darting across a highway in their first start. Others did just fine.

2. Time for Locker to step up: It's no longer about Jake Locker's extraordinary potential, which has NFL scouts salivating. Now it's about Locker performing. It's about him becoming the QB he is projected to be but hasn't yet been. That means completing 60-65 percent of his passes with few mistakes and converting big play after big play with both his arm and his feet. The visions of Locker now need to match the reality of him. Otherwise, a season of great hope for the Huskies won't get out of the starting gate.

3. Is Prince ready? what about his line? UCLA QB Kevin Prince has missed almost all of fall camp with a back problem. Sure, he's a returning starter, but the Bruins are adopting -- at least parts of -- a new "pistol" offense, which he inconsistently ran during the spring. You would think Prince, at the very least, will be a bit rusty at Kansas State. Also, it won't help much that the line he played behind in the spring doesn't look much like the makeshift unit that will be protecting him Saturday.

4. USC can make a statement: Everybody is curious how motivated the Trojans will be in 2010 when they aren't eligible for the postseason due to NCAA sanctions. If they deliver an angry beatdown at Hawaii, some of that curiosity will be answered. And it wouldn't hurt Lane Kiffin for his squad to be sharp in his first game as head coach.

5. Oregon QB Darron Thomas needs to get his starters legs under him: Oregon is going to whip New Mexico, no matter how Thomas does in his first start at quarterback. But Thomas needs to push through those inevitable first-game jitters and find a comfort level on the big stage. Because next weekend he's going to be playing at Tennessee in front of 105,000 folks who will be slightly less supportive than the crowd Saturday at Autzen Stadium.

6. Can Oregon State get pressure on TCU QB Andy Dalton? While much of the pre-game attention with the Beavers showdown with TCU is focused on how Katz will react to the Horned Frogs' relentless blitzes, the Beavers own pass rush is almost as big a question. Recall that last year Oregon State, typically an attacking defense, struggled to get much pressure on opposing QBs, registering just 17 sacks, which ranked ninth in the conference and was just four more than poor ole Washington State. The hope is tackle Stephen Paea will be such a distraction inside that ends Gabe Miller and Taylor Henry will be able to beat one-on-one blocks with their athletic ability. But if the Beavers can't get to the underrated Dalton, it could be a long evening.

7. Are Arizona's three new LBs still thinking too much? The chatter started in spring and lasted through much of fall camp: The Wildcats new linebackers were thinking too much and therefore not playing with the right amount of aggressiveness. And then when they attacked, they often made the wrong fit or ended up in the wrong place. Toledo plays well at home and runs a productive spread offense. They will challenge Derek Earls, Jake Fischer and Paul Vassallo, who are each making their first career start. The Rockets will try to confuse them and get them out of position. There's inevitably going to be a growth process for the new LBs. The question is how slowly that process will progress.

8. How much better is Washington State? Few folks believe the Cougars are going to win many games this season, but there are good reasons for cautious optimism, starting with a more experienced -- and healthier -- lineup. It's certainly not helpful, however, to open at Oklahoma State, even if the Cowboys are rebuilding. Still, if the Cougs make this one competitive heading into the second half, they likely will have already exceeded some expectations. The key here is for WSU to walk away from Stillwater thinking, "We can win some games this year." Conversely, a blowout loss could prove catastrophic to the program's fragile confidence.

9. Will anyone produce a Heisman moment? Locker at BYU? Jacquizz Rodgers versus TCU in his home state? Will Arizona's Nick Foles or USC's Matt Barkley roll up big numbers? There are many potential Heisman Trophy candidates in the conference in 2010. Will any make a statement with a SportsCenter performance in week one?

10. Cal, Stanford and Arizona State just need to avoid injuries, not embarrass themselves: All three take on FCS foes -- UC Davis, Sacramento State and Portland State, respectively -- which means they are going to win easily (or become national laughingstocks). The key thing is to start fast and then get the starters safely to the bench.