ESPN College Football

I go to parties sometimes until four
It's hard to leave when you can't find the door
It's tough to handle this fortune and fame
Everybody's so different I haven't changed.

• Arizona expects to get a reenergized USC team next week.
• It's been a long road back for Arizona State RB Deantre Lewis.
• California has an "OR" between QBs Jared Goff and Zach Kline on its depth chart, though Goff is expected to start against Washington State.
• Colorado remains upbeat and is focused on Oregon.
• Oregon isn't worried about the altitude at Colorado.
• Oregon State coach Mike Riley reiterated that he's not interested in the USC job.
• Stanford isn't thinking revenge against Washington.
• UCLA WR Shaq Evans is mellow until he gets on the field.
• Interim coach Ed Orgeron and USC are fired up for a fresh start.
• Utah QB Travis Wilson pays tribute to his buddy, former UCLA player Nick Pasquale.
• K/P Travis Coons is making a big contribution to Washington.
• Notes & quotes from Washington State's practice.

I'm gonna go get the papers, get the papers.

• Rich Rodriguez says B.J. Denker is Arizona's best quarterback option.
• Taylor Kelly and Jaelen Strong are building chemistry.
• A California notebook including Sonny Dykes' thoughts on the dismissal of Chris McCain.
• The Buffs are excited for their opportunity against Oregon.
• Mark Helfrich weighs in on Lane Kiffin, plus other Oregon notes.
• Oregon State's offensive line is starting to get healthy.
• The Cardinal look like Stanford circa 2011.
• UCLA's offensive coordinator is quite familiar with Utah's offensive coordinator.
• Some potential candidates for the USC job.
• Utah-UCLA will put two of the league's rising quarterback stars on center stage.
• Steve Sarkisian says USC's opening won't be a distraction.
• The Cougars are moving on following their loss to Stanford.
• Athlon offers up some Pac-12 stats for your consideration.

Some Pac-12 numbers for your review.

Number to the left is national rank.

Scoring offense

2. Oregon, 59.8 points per game
3. UCLA, 52.7
11. Arizona State, 44.3
19. Utah, 42.0
20. Oregon State, 41.6
T21. Stanford, 41.3

Total offense
2. UCLA, 614.3 yards per game
3. Oregon, 599.3
5. Washington, 574.0
15. Arizona State, 505.0
16. Utah, 504
19. California, 498.3

Note: Ten Pac-12 offenses average more than 400 yards per game. But Cal shows how yards aren't the end-all. It ranks 10th in the conference in scoring with 29.2 points per game. It would seem we'll see a lot of offense Thursday night when UCLA visits Utah. But you know what should raise the most eyebrows? Stanford averaging 41.3 points per game. The Cardinal averaged 27.9 ppg last year and won the Pac-12.

Rushing offense

1. Oregon, 332.5 yards per game
9. Arizona, 291.5
11. Washington, 288.8
13. UCLA, 284.3

Passing offense

2. Oregon State, 420.6
4. California, 373.0
7. Arizona State, 358.8
12. UCLA, 330.0
14. Washington State, 327.4
25. Colorado, 295.7

Note: On the downside -- Of this group, only UCLA is running the ball well, too. The other five are the bottom five in the conference in rushing, though at No. 8, Arizona State is respectable with 146.2 yards rushing per game.

Scoring defense

T4. Oregon, Washington, 10.8 points per game
12. Arizona, 14.3
29. UCLA, 18.0

Total defense
13. Washington, 288.0
19. USC, 306.8
23. Oregon, 320.5
25. Washington State, 323.8

Yards yielded per play (FBS foes only)

3. Washington, 3.80 yards per play
T4. Oregon, 3.82
18. UCLA, 4.42
19. Arizona, 4.47
23. Stanford, 4.64
29. USC, 4.81
31. Washington State, 4.83

Pass efficiency defense
2. Washington
9. Oregon
13. Arizona
22. USC

Note: What's becoming increasingly clear is Washington's Justin Wilcox is not just a good defensive coordinator, he ranks among the nation's best. He has transformed the Huskies. Of course, the Huskies face Stanford, Oregon and Arizona State over the next three weeks. That will be three HUGE tests for Wilcox and his defense.

Rushing

1. Bishop Sankey, Washington, 151.8
3. Ka'Deem Carey, Arizona, 143.7
5. Jordan James, UCLA, 141.3
17. Tre Madden, USC, 116.6


Note: Three of the nation's top five rushers in the Pac-12? Pretty impressive. It will be interesting to see if James and Madden remain among the nation's top rushers. If the Bruins and James continue to run well, Noel Mazzone's offense will be tough to stop. If the Trojans run the ball as effectively as they did at Arizona State, the passing game with Cody Kessler might get some room to breathe.

Pass efficiency

11. Kevin Hogan, Stanford
12. Keith Price, Washington
15. Travis Wilson, Utah
16. Brett Hundley, UCLA
17. Sean Mannion, Oregon State
21. Marcus Mariota, Oregon

Note: Again, Hogan atop this list should worry all Pac-12 teams. Mannion's 21 TD passes is four more than anyone else in the country, and his second interception of the season, thrown against Colorado, bounced off his receiver's chest. It's not unreasonable to say that if the Beavers hadn't lost to Eastern Washington in the opener, Mannion would be getting a raised eyebrow or two as a Heisman Trophy candidate.

Receiving yards per game

1. Paul Richardson, Colorado, 162.3
2. Brandin Cooks, Oregon State, 161.4
14. Jaelen Strong, Arizona State, 108.3
22. Dres Anderson, Utah, 101.0

Note: Strong is looking every bit like the budding star coach Todd Graham predicted he'd be. Cooks decisively won the battle with Richardson last weekend. If you're looking for a WR to replace USC's Marqise Lee in the Biletnikoff discussion, Cooks is your guy. He's not only stepped out of Markus Wheaton's shadow, he's starting to look like he's better than Wheaton.

Random notes: Stanford and Arizona are tied for second in the nation in tackles for a loss allowed, surrendering just 3.25 per game. Oregon is tied for eighth at 3.75. ... The much-maligned Oregon State defense is 15th in the nation in third down percentage (0.286). The Beavers are also eighth in the nation with eight interceptions. ... UCLA is No. 1, Washington No. 3 and Stanford No. 7 in the nation in third-down conversion percentage on offense. ... Eight of the top 25 players in all-purpose yards come from the Pac-12.

This week’s mailbag is just like last week’s. Only better!

Pete in Austin, Texas writes: Do you see any way the Beavers could get into the top 25 before they play Stanford?

Kevin Gemmell: The Beavers are slowly starting to rebuild their brand. But losing to an FCS team is a stigma that isn’t easily washed away. Stuff like that sticks with voters, and many will continue to punish the Beavers in the rankings long after it’s probably warranted. A slow start against Hawaii and a miracle win over San Diego State didn’t help the cause.

Let me ask you, Pete, even if Oregon State is 6-1 when the Stanford game rolls around, do you think they’d be worthy of a top 25 spot based on their six wins? Because I’m not sure that I do.

Oregon State’s first seven games were already seen as games they should win -- so dropping one of them is a dent in their perception. Dropping one to an FCS team (an FCS team that is now 2-2, by the way, following back-to-back road losses at Toledo and at Sam Houston State) is a gash in the side of the hull.

I give a ton of credit to Mike Riley for holding this thing together amid all of the defensive injuries. He’s got Sean Mannion playing like a first-round draft pick and he’s convinced his team that the Week 1 snafu was more aberration than actuality.

But top 25? They may pick up a few votes at 6-1, but I don’t see enough to get them back in the rankings. Beat Stanford, and then we’ll talk.

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Richard in Fort Hood, Texas writes: Marion Grice of ASU seems to get no national attention why is that? He leads the nation in total touchdowns rushing/receiving combined. He had 4 against Stanford and 4 against USC. Is he the most underrated player in the conference? Also DJ Foster also seems to be lost in the conversation around the PAC12 but he’s just as deadly.

Gemmell: I wouldn’t say Grice is underrated in the conference. People in these parts know who he is and what he’s capable of.

Nationally? That’s a different story. It’s a bit like how folks treated De'Anthony Thomas the last couple of years. Is he a running back? Is he a receiver?

Yes.

Grice is a hybrid. A hybrid that has an outstanding nose for the end zone. But he only averages 3.9 yards per rush. And he only has 256 yards. But then again, he’s also got eight rushing touchdowns and four receiving touchdowns.

If “hybrid” was a defined role, I think we’d hear a lot more about Grice nationally. But when you look at the top running backs, does he fit? Maybe, but he doesn’t have the same measurables as some of the other backs in the league. Same for receiving numbers. His lack of national hype is a product of the system Arizona State runs and the role he plays within that system.

Some national recognition would be nice. But the folks in the Pac-12 know what they are up against when going against Grice. And league-wide respect goes a lot further than glancing national recognition.

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Clemson fans everywhere write: Idiot, dummy, grumble, gumble, fool, nitwit, nincompoop – how could you rank Georgia ahead of Clemson -- grumble, grumble. Ted Miller is a genius. Grumble, grumble, pinhead, ninny, imbecile, dork.

Gemmell: I threw in nincompoop on my own, but that’s the gist of multiple notes.

Everyone has their own system of ranking. Personally, I don’t give as much weight to Week 1 games as some others might (the exception being losses to FCS teams, see above). Teams have had extra time to prepare for that game and it’s not always the strongest measuring stick. Just to localize it a little bit from a Pac-12 perspective, Washington’s Week 1 win over Boise State isn’t quite as signature today as it was three weeks ago now that Broncos are 3-2. (Oh yeah, for everyone who ripped me for not having Boise in my Week 1 top 25, all I'm hearing are crickets …).

I remember last year when I took heat for being one of the first to put Clemson back in the top 10 and not punishing them as much for the Florida State loss as some others did. Where were you guys then? Huh!? Huh!?

To me, Clemson’s three-point win at home in the season opener doesn’t carry as much weight as what Georgia has done since then. It lost to Clemson, a top 10 team, on the road and I rightfully dropped the Bulldogs (I think 10 spots). But since then Georgia has beaten two top 10 teams in South Carolina and LSU. It's 3-1 with three of four games against top 10 teams. That’s bought them enough credibility, for now, to overtake Clemson, which has done nothing but paste South Carolina State and Wake Forest and dispose of a so-so NC State team.

Right now, in my mind, Georgia has the more impressive resume. But that doesn't mean things will stay the same a month from now. If Clemson is still undefeated after its two week stretch against Florida State and Maryland, it will have an argument for moving up. Especially because Georgia’s schedule ramps down with Tennessee, Missouri and Vanderbilt -- all games Georgia should win. If all things are equal on Halloween -- an undefeated Clemson team and a one-loss Georgia team -- that would mean Clemson has added two top 25 wins and is still undefeated. And then you’ll see them -- at least on my ballot -- ahead of Georgia.

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Brett in Price, Utah writes: I came across this article from 2010 written by Pat Forde. As a Utah fan, it is a shame to see USC fall this far. Although, I am not sure what exactly they were thinking with when they hired Kiffin. Another interesting fact, Kyle Whittingham is the only coach to have survived the PAC 12 South since its inception. No real questions, just observations. Thanks for the blog! I love reading it. Go Utes!!

Gemmell: Thanks Brett. I recall reading that piece too with great interest. I was still at the San Diego paper at the time, but had made a few trips up to UCLA and USC for some offseason features, etc. And I remember thinking Pat was either going to eat a lot of crow in a few years or look pretty darn smart. Right now, he’s looking pretty darn smart.

Good observation on Whittingham. Crazy to think that we’re only in the third season of “Pac-12” and there are no holdover coaches from that division from the Pac-10 days. Coaching continuity is huge. And I think Utah has already made significant strides this season. In another couple of years, they’ll be ready to make a push into the tier of South contenders.

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Oscar in Irwindale, Calif. writes: Hey Kevin! I know it’s just rumors and the details are sketchy but what’s the deal with the whole leaving Lane Kiffin at the airport deal! I just hope it’s not true and USC has more class then that! Just saying.

Gemmell: Not true. His car was at the airport, per Chris Huston at Heismanpundit.com I know Chris. I consider him a friend and I trust his reporting.

Right now it's open-season schadenfreude for anyone and everyone that Kiffin directly or indirectly offended, tweaked and irked. And they aren’t shy about coming out of the woodwork to make an already uncomfortable situation look even worse.

As for the timing? Meh. Makes no difference in my mind if it was at 3 a.m. or 7 a.m. Gone is gone.

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Brady in Seattle writes: Admit it Kevin. You've been hoping for a long time for Kiffin to get fired just so you could refer to it as "Operation changing Lanes". Well played, my friend. Kudos.

Gemmell: Thanks Brady. It’s funny you brought that up. My wife -- a high school English teacher and the hardest editor I’ve ever had -- sent me an email Monday morning indicating that since I used “Lanes,” plural, that would indicate that another person named Lane would have to be the new coach.

It’s a fair criticism from my significantly better half. The only Lane I could come up with was Lane Meyer? (I want my $2).

Here's a quick look at Week 6 in the conference. All times are ET.

Thursday


No. 12 UCLA (3-0, 0-0) at Utah (3-1, 0-1) 10 p.m. FoxSports1: UCLA leads the series with Utah 9-2 and the Bruins are 3-2 in Salt Lake. Utah, however, has won two of the last three games, winning in 2007 and 2011 before losing last year 21-14. Utah's leading receiver Dres Anderson’s father Flipper played receiver for UCLA from 1984-87. Flipper Anderson led the Bruins in receiving yards in 1986 and 1987 and ranks 10th in UCLA history with 2,023 career yards. He went on to a 10-year NFL career. Dres Anderson has three straight 100-yard games (103 yards vs. Weber State, 101 vs. Oregon State and a career-high 141 vs. BYU). Utah coach Kyle Whittingham is 6-2 coming off regular-season byes with both losses coming in Pac-12 play (to Washington in 2011 and USC in 2012). Utes QB Travis Wilson is 15th in the nation in passing efficiency. UCLA QB Brett Hundley is 16th. Hundley is 19th in the nation with 282.7 yards passing per game. Wilson is 23rd with 279.5. Both teams also run well. The Bruins average 284.3 yards rushing per game. Utah averages 218.8. Both teams were off last weekend.

Saturday


Washington State (3-2, 1-1) at California (1-3, 0-1) 4 p.m. FoxSports1: California leads the series 44-25-5 and has won eight consecutive meetings. The teams have not met in Berkeley since 2009 after playing the 2011 meeting in San Francisco at AT&T Park, home of baseball’s San Francisco Giants. The Cougars’ last win in the series came at Memorial Stadium, a 48-38 victory in 2002 behind Jason Gesser’s 432 yards and four touchdowns along with Eric Coleman’s blocked punt he returned for a touchdown. Both teams prefer to throw the ball. Cal ranks fourth in the nation with 373 yards per game, while the Cougars are 14th with 329.3 yards per game. Neither runs well, with Cal ranking 97th in the nation in rushing and the Cougs at 121st. Both teams were forced to make QB changes in losses last weekend -- Bears QB Jared Goff due to fumble issues and Connor Halliday due to injury. Nonetheless, it appears that neither team will change starters.


No. 2 Oregon (4-0, 1-0) at Colorado (2-1, 0-1) 6 p.m. Pac-12 Network: Oregon leads the series 9-8, including a 70-14 win last year. The most notable meeting, of course, was the Ducks’ 38-16 win in the Fiesta Bowl after the 2001 season, when Oregon would finish No. 2 behind Miami. The Ducks are second in the nation in scoring offense with 59.8 points per game. They are third in the nation in total offense with 599.3 yards per game. The Ducks lost their first two turnovers of the season last weekend in torrential showers against California. Colorado throws the ball well but can't stop the pass -- it yields 300 yards passing per game. It stops the run well -- 10th in the nation in run defense -- but ranks 103rd in the nation in rushing. That run defense figures to be challenged by the Ducks, who rank No. 1 in the nation with 332.5 yards rushing per game.


No. 22 Arizona State (3-1) vs. Notre Dame (3-2) at AT&T Stadium, 7:30 p.m. NBC: The Sun Devils have lost both previous games with Notre Dame, going down in 1998 and 1999 by scores of 28-9 and 48-17, respectively. In the history of USC and Notre Dame football, a team has played both programs in consecutive weeks on 12 separate occasions. No team has ever won both of those contests. ASU RB Marion Grice has 12 touchdowns through four games this season. In his last seven games dating back to last season, Grice has found the end zone 18 times (13 rushing, five receiving) -- scoring at least one touchdown in each of those contests. In 2013, he is averaging a touchdown every 7.3 times he touches the ball (12 TDs on 87 touches/13.8 percent of touches). Jaelen Strong is off to one of the best starts for a WR in school history, amassing 433 yards (108.2 ypg) on 31 receptions (7.8 rpg) in his first four games. Twenty of those 31 receptions this season have resulted in first downs. He has also drawn six pass interference penalties against him this season, four of which have resulted in first downs, giving him a total of 24 of ASU’s 104 first downs this season (23.1 percent). QB Taylor Kelly is one of just three FBS quarterbacks in 2013 to pass for over 300 yards in each of their starts this season (Sean Mannion of Oregon State and Keith Wenning of Ball State being the others). The Sun Devils haven’t fared well against the run the past three weeks, making Saturday’s matchup intriguing as Notre Dame hasn’t done well running the ball this season. The Fighting Irish rank 93rd nationally in rushing offense (135.5 ypg) while ASU is ranked 92nd nationally in rushing defense (192.3 ypg)


No. 15 Washington (4-0, 1-0) at No. 5 Stanford (4-0, 2-0) 10:30 p.m. ESPN: Washington leads the series 41-38-4 but Stanford had won six of the previous seven games before the Huskies notched a 17-13 upset of the No. 8 Cardinal last year. The Huskies won that game due to a great defensive effort and two big offensive plays: a 61-yard run from Bishop Sankey on a fourth-and-one play and a 35-yard TD catch from Kasen Williams in the fourth quarter. Sankey enters the week as the nation’s No. 1 rusher with 151.8 yards per game. He broke Corey Dillon’s UW record with 40 carries (for 161 yards) last week vs. Arizona. He’s rushed for 100 or more in seven of the last nine and for 200 in two of his last five. Stanford QB Kevin Hogan is 11th in the nation in passing efficiency. Huskies QB Keith Price is 12th. Washington has run over 80 plays in all four games (85, 85, 81, 86).

Oregon State quarterback Sean Mannion has been named the Pac-12 offensive player of the week, along with ASU safety Alden Darby as defensive player and Oregon WR/KR Bralon Addison as special teams player.

Some more on the trio per the league’s release:

Mannion, a junior from Pleasanton, Calif., set a school record with six touchdown passes in a single game in the Beavers’ 44-17 victory over Colorado at Reser Stadium. Mannion completed 27 of 52 passes for 414 yards and one interception as the Beavers move to 2-0 in Conference play and 3-1 overall. He now has 21 touchdowns on the year and 52 in his career, good for third-most in program history. Mannion leads the nation in passing yards per game (403.6 ypg) and total offense (390.2 ypg). He is also on pace to throw 50 touchdown passes this season, which would rank fourth in the NCAA record book. The honor is the second for Mannion in three weeks and marks the first Pac-12 multi-award winner in 2013.

Darby, a senior from Long Beach, Calif., racked up two interceptions, a forced fumble and a fumble recovery in the Sun Devil’s 62-41 win at home against USC on Saturday night. His fumble recovery led to an ASU field goal that put the Sun Devils ahead 20-14 before the half, while his 46-yard interception return extended the lead to 34-21 and was the second of four straight ASU touchdowns in the quarter. Darby was also third among tacklers in the game with seven, including five solo tackles.

Addison, a sophomore from Missouri City, Texas., returned two punts for 142 yards and a Conference-record tying two touchdown returns in the Duck’s 55-16 win over California on Saturday. He returned punts of 75 and 67 yards for scores in heavy rains in Eugene and is first in the country in punt return average (36.50 ypg). Thanks to Addison, Oregon is third-best in the nation in punt return average (24.78 ypg).

Also nominated for offensive player of the week honors were running backs/tailbacks Marion Grice of Arizona State, Byron Marshall of Oregon, Justin Davis of USC and Bishop Sankey of Washington; and wide receiver Devon Cajuste of Stanford. Also nominated for defensive player of the week honors were linebackers Trent Murphy of Stanford and Princeton Fuimaono of Washington; defensive end Scott Crichton of Oregon State; and cornerback Ifo Ekpre-Olomu of Oregon. Also nominated for special teams player of the week honors were kickers Zane Gonzalez of Arizona State, Travis Coons of Washington and Oregon State safety Zack Robinson.

I will let you go, Ricky. But first, I want you to say..."I ... love ... crepes."

• The firing of USC coach Lane Kiffin might not be a good thing for Arizona.
• Arizona State made a South Division statement with its win over USC.
• California's woes continue with DE Chris McCain getting kicked off the team.
• Colorado WR tries to stay patient after a quiet game at Oregon State.
• Oregon is flashy, yes, but it is also mentally tough.
• The bye week comes at a perfect time for Oregon State, which needs to get healthy.
• Stanford shows a new side with a more dangerous passing game.
• UCLA is rising and USC is falling, but it's no time for the Bruins to gloat (Bruins fans, of course, feel free to let loose with barbaric yawps).
• The challenge now for USC? Hiring the right coach, which is easier said than done.
• Utah's big test will be slowing down UCLA QB Brett Hundley.
• Washington's visit to Stanford features an A-list battle of unbeatens.
• Some thoughts on Washington State's, er, difficult game with Stanford.

Taking stock of Week 5 in the Pac-12.

Team of the week: Arizona State’s home victory over USC was an announcement to the rest of the country that the Sun Devils deserve to be ranked, and the country responded by putting ASU back in the Top 25 at No. 22. More important than national perception, however, is that the Sun Devils didn’t fall to 0-2 in conference play, which would have been devastating for the team’s season-long goals. They picked up a South Division win and are still in control of their destiny in the division. One last nonconference game next week against Notre Dame and then it’s all league games the rest of the way -- including a pivotal Oct. 19 game against Washington and the all-important No. 23 game at UCLA.

Best game: In a week where the average margin of victory was 29 points in the five games, the “closest” was Washington’s 18-point victory over visiting Arizona. But there was a sense Washington was in control all 60 minutes. Oregon was fun to watch simply for the fact that not even Mother Nature could play defense against the Ducks. Stanford was fun to watch because the Cardinal looked explosive. Oregon State was fun to watch because it was a complete performance. But the ASU-USC game probably had the most drama. We had an idea of what was at stake, and even when USC cut it to 48-34 with 9:54 left in the game, there was still that lingering thought that maybe it wasn’t over. Of course, ASU scored two more touchdowns to put it away. And the end result was Lane Kiffin’s dismissal.

Biggest play: After USC took a 21-20 lead in the opening minute of the second half, the Sun Devils responded 21 seconds later with a 74-yard touchdown from Taylor Kelly to D.J. Foster. But that wasn’t the biggest play. On USC’s next series, less than a minute later, Alden Darby jumped a Cody Kessler pass and returned it 46 yards for a score, giving the Sun Devils a 34-21 lead less than two minutes into the third quarter. He had two picks on the day, and the pick-six was a massive momentum swing, and it happened while Pat Haden and USC decision-makers were huddling to decide Kiffin’s future.

Offensive standout: Tough to ignore the kind of numbers Sean Mannion is putting up. After matching a school record two weeks ago at Utah with five touchdown passes, he surpassed the record by throwing for six touchdowns and 414 yards in the blowout win over Colorado. He did have an interception, but only because his receiver’s hands and chest got in the way and it was tipped in the air. Mannion now has 21 touchdowns on the year to just two picks.

Defensive standout: Has to be Darby, who totaled seven tackles to go with his two interceptions and a fumble recovery. Defensive standout 1B goes to Stanford’s Trent Murphy. Is there any outside linebacker with better hands? Or does he only show them off at CenturyLink Field? Saturday he intercepted a point-blank pass in the backfield from Austin Apodaca and returned it 30 yards for a touchdown. If that looked familiar, he did the same thing last year at the CLink against Washington.

Special teams standout: With four games in the Pacific Northwest Saturday, weather was dominant storyline when it came to special teams. We saw numerous fumbles, bad snaps and weather-induced wackiness. But there was nothing wacky about Oregon’s Bralon Addison, who returned two punts for touchdowns. The first was a 75-yard return in the second quarter that was pure sideline speed. The second, a 67-yard return, required a little more dancing and cutting -- and avoiding being knocked down by his teammate before the play even got started.

Smiley face: The Pac-12 once again has five teams ranked in the Top 25 in both polls with ASU’s victory over USC. And Oregon State is receiving votes in the coaches poll.

Frowny face: Injuries always get a frowny face -- and Saturday saw two of the league’s superstars go down with injuries. Oregon’s De’Anthony Thomas was injured on the kickoff and didn’t return. And USC wide receiver Marqise Lee suffered a knee injury that hopefully looked worse than it really is.

Thought of the week: The Beavers are back, sort of. Oregon State finally strung together a game where its defense matched the offense. And Colorado is a much-improved team from last season. Are the Buffs bowl bound? Probably not. But they aren’t the Buffs of last year, which gives a little credence to Oregon State’s dominating performance. The initial thought was that the Beavers would be 7-0 or 6-1 heading into their Oct. 26 showdown with Stanford. And they might still be (though Washington State isn’t going to make it easy). Not suggesting you go all-in on the Beavers. Remember, they are only a week removed from a miraculous win over San Diego State. But don't sell just yet, either.

Question of the week: The Trojans have a bye week to patch holes and put “Operation: Changing Lanes” in action. Do they look to an NFL name or a college name? UCLA is showing that a former NFL coach can have success in Los Angeles, even if he’s not an alumnus. USC is an attractive gig, and you can bet there were a lot of back-channel phone calls going out over the past 72 hours.

If you don't like where you are in the Power Rankings, play better.

See last week's Power Rankings here.

1. Oregon: Another week, another blowout win. The only worry is RB De'Anthony Thomas' ankle. A visit to Colorado on Saturday doesn't promise much of a test for the Ducks.

2. Stanford: A dominating win in the rain against Washington State. The maturation of a downfield passing game should worry the rest of the Pac-12. The Cardinal look like a team without any obvious holes.

3. Washington: After winning impressively over unbeaten Arizona, the Huskies move up with the Bruins idle. They are 4-0 for the first time since 2001 and have yet to trail this season.

4. UCLA: UCLA had a bye this week, so it got to watch things go splat for its friends at USC. Sure that greatly pained them. At this point, the Bruins top challenger in the South Division appears to be Arizona State. See below. Up next is a potentially tricky trip to Utah on Thursday.

5. Arizona State: While we can speculate on what USC brought to Tempe, the Sun Devils' offense positively dominated a defense that had been the Trojans' lone bright spot. The ASU run defense, however, continues to be a major concern.

6. Oregon State: The Beavers have steadily climbed since their opening loss to Eastern Washington. Sean Mannion to Brandin Cooks is the best pass-catch combination in the conference, and the defense seems to be finding itself. A week off to get healthy is a good thing.

7. Utah: The Utes were off over the weekend. UCLA visits Salt Lake City on Thursday. Utah, meet opportunity. Opportunity, meet Utah.

8. Arizona: There was some grit shown on both sides of the ball at Washington, but the Wildcats got worn down. The defense is better, yes, but it's not ready to dominate. And the offense shows few signs of having a Pac-12-quality passing game.

9. Washington State: Stanford showed the Cougars how far they are from the top third of the conference. A visit to California on Saturday could, however, show how far the Cougs are from the bottom now. Seems like a critical game for bowl hopes.

10. Colorado: The Buffaloes looked rusty at Oregon State, but they also looked overmatched. While the 2-0 start was encouraging, the start of conference play reminded folks that this is still a major rebuilding job.

11. California: A mix of torrential rain and a pass-happy offense is not a good thing. It's even worse when the opponent is No. 2 Oregon. The Bears could use a more manageable foe. Washington State could provide that. But is there a QB controversy?

12. USC: When your coach gets fired midseason, you end up right here. Of course, some USC fans feel better today than they did a week ago.

Another week of bowl projections for you. These are only for entertainment purposes. Do not make travel plans just yet.

VIZIO BCS National Championship (Jan. 6, 2014): Oregon vs. BCS
Rose Bowl Game Presented by VIZIO (Jan. 1, 2014): Stanford vs. Big Ten
Valero Alamo Bowl (Dec. 30): UCLA vs. Big 12
Holiday Bowl (Dec. 30): Washington vs. Big 12
Hyundai Sun Bowl (Dec. 31): Arizona State vs. ACC
Las Vegas Bowl (Dec. 21): Arizona vs. MWC
Fight Hunger Bowl (Dec. 27): Oregon State vs. BYU
Gildan New Mexico Bowl (Dec. 21): Washington State vs. MWC
New Era Pinstripe Bowl (Dec. 28): USC vs. American
Heart of Dallas Bowl (Jan. 1, 2014): Utah vs. Conference USA

Five things we learned during the five games in Week 5.

1. Changing impressions? Maybe rumors of Oregon State’s demise have been greatly exaggerated ... maybe. Since losing the opener to Eastern Washington, the Beavers have run off four in a row. Granted, the combined record of the four teams they beat is 6-9 (five of those six wins coming from the two Pac-12 teams). Many expected the Beavers to start 7-0, or 6-1 at worst. While no one expected that the “1” would be from an FCS team, Oregon State is still on pace. And with Sean Mannion and Brandin Cooks continuing to scorch stat sheets, you have to imagine they’ll stay competitive offensively. On the flip side of Saturday's game in Corvallis, the 2-0 start was nice for the Buffs, but they reverted against the Beavers. Going out of state for the first time -- and playing for the first time in three weeks -- the Buffs managed just 300 yards of total offense in the 44-17 loss.

2. Making impressions: People wanted to see what Washington looked like once the Huskies got into league play. Same for Arizona -- which hadn’t been tested after blowing through a vanilla nonconference schedule. The Huskies weren’t always clean, missing on a few opportunities especially in the first half of their 31-13 win over the Wildcats. But Bishop Sankey earned his 161 yards on a school-record 40 carries. Keith Price was good enough (14-of-25, 165 yards, two touchdowns, one interception). The Huskies are 4-0 for the first time since 2001. For what it’s worth, Arizona’s defense put up a gritty effort, keeping them in the game.

3. Impressive: Oregon, Stanford, Mannion and Arizona State’s offense. In a sloppy mess, the Ducks were still able to score 50-plus points for the fourth consecutive game. That’s a record for a program that doesn’t have many offensive records left to break. Stanford put on a dominating display on both sides of the ball. The offense looks explosive -- much more explosive than it did last season -- and deep threats are opening things up on the ground ... or is it the ground game opening up the deep threats? More importantly, the Cardinal put together a 60-minute game, which is what David Shaw had been preaching all week. Mannion’s monster season continues with six more touchdowns -- an Oregon State record. He now has 21 passing touchdowns on the year -- and that’s his career high for a single season. He leads the country in passing touchdowns, attempts, completions and yards. And the Sun Devils, who rolled up 612 yards of offense, received a dominating performance by quarterback Taylor Kelly, who accounted for more than 400 yards of total offense.

4. Unimpressive: Weather, obviously, had a lot to do with some of the offensive struggles for Arizona, Cal and Colorado. But there were also drops, fumbles, picks and flat-out bad reads and passes. Cal's offense was grounded with just 325 total yards and five turnovers. USC’s defense also falls into the unimpressive category. Give the credit where it’s due for ASU. Kelly was fantastic with some of his back-shoulder throws and Marion Grice just keeps finding the end zone. That said, the Trojans, who had been getting it done on defense, looked tired and beaten in the fourth quarter. And now they are 0-2 in conference play for the first time since 2001.

5. Northern impressions: With the Oregon State and Washington victories, the Pac-12 North moves to 5-0 against the South. In previous weeks, Oregon State beat Utah in overtime, Washington State beat USC and Stanford beat ASU. The average score of those five games is 36-23. Next week brings us only one North-South matchup when Oregon makes a trip to Colorado. Arizona, Oregon State and USC are on byes and UCLA and Utah play the only South matchup. Stanford hosts Washington, WSU is at Cal, and ASU takes on Notre Dame.

So who deserves a helmet sticker for a job well done?

Brandin Cooks, WR, Oregon State: Cooks was the best player on the field in Corvallis, decisively winning his battle with Colorado WR Paul Richardson in the Beavers' 44-17 victory. Cooks caught nine passes for 168 yards (18.7 yards per catch) with two touchdowns. He also rushed five times for 47 yards.

Sean Mannion, QB, Oregon State: Cooks was brilliant, but Mannion was also stellar, throwing six touchdown passes, a new team record. He completed 27 of 52 passes for 414 yards with an interception in the blowout win. That pick, by the way, bounced off the chest of his receiver, so it shouldn't count against him.

Bishop Sankey, RB, Washington: Sankey set a school record with 40 carries in the Huskies' 31-13 win over Arizona. He gained 161 tough yards and scored a TD.

Taylor Kelly, QB, Arizona State: Kelly completed 23 of 34 passes for 351 yards with three touchdowns and an interception in the Sun Devils' 62-41 win over USC. He also rushed for 79 yards on just four carries -- 19.8 yards per pop.

Alden Darby, S, Arizona State: Darby had two interceptions against USC, including one he returned 46 yards for a touchdown. He also forced and recovered a fumble and tied for second on the Sun Devils with seven total tackles

Bralon Addison, PR, Oregon: Addison returned two punts for touchdowns against California, the first for 75 yards and the second for 67 yards.

Devon Cajuste, WR, Stanford: The big receiver was the star of the Cardinal's new downfield passing game. He caught four passes for 115 yards in their 55-17 win over Washington State, including touchdowns of 57 and 33 yards.

TEMPE, Ariz. -- It was blowout Saturday in the Pac-12. It was not a day and evening for subtlety. It was a time for loud butt kickings. Substantive statements were made in Seattle, Eugene and Tempe. And there was one notable whimper.

That whimper came from USC coach Lane Kiffin, whose Trojans were battered by Arizona State 62-41. It was the most points the Sun Devils have ever scored against USC. That sort of ignominy, coupled with an 0-2 start in Pac-12 play, pushed the likelihood Kiffin will be fired further from the speculative and toward the certain. All Kiffin could do afterward was show growing resignation about the crescendoing "hot seat" talk.

"I'm fine with that," he said. "I have been dealing with that for 12 months. That's fine. That's the last thing I'm worried about. We have to find a way to coach better and play better and get our backups ready."

The most notable backup will be whoever replaces Biletnikoff winner Marqise Lee. The unanimous All-American hurt his left knee in the fourth quarter and was carted off the field.

"Obviously it didn't look very good," Kiffin said. "It didn't sound very good or look very good, so that's all I got for you."

USC's wasn't the only dreary losers' locker room, as some harsh reality was delivered by conference favorites on Saturday.

The average margin of victory in Pac-12 games among Oregon, Stanford, Arizona State, Oregon State and Washington was 29 points. The closest game was Washington's 31-13 win over Arizona. The biggest margin was Oregon's 55-16 battering of California. Stanford humbled Washington State 55-17, while Oregon State brought Colorado back to earth with a 44-17 victory.

The Sun Devils made a statement in the South Division a week after getting pushed around at Stanford. They, by the way, are the only South Division team that owns a conference victory at this point.

It was an impressive bounce-back win for the Sun Devils, who gained 612 yards, their most since piling up 667 yards in a loss to Oregon in 2000. QB Taylor Kelly passed for 351 yards and three touchdowns and rushed for a team-high 79 yards. Touchdown-generating machine Marion Grice scored twice rushing and twice receiving. With 12 touchdowns this season, he seems likely to continue to lead the nation in scoring again this week.

The Sun Devils scorched a defense that hadn't yielded more than 285 yards or 14 points in its first four games. The offensive fireworks helped background a struggling run defense, one that yielded 247 yards to the Trojans.

While Arizona State made the first move in the South Division, the two North favorites, Oregon and Stanford, playing in the rain-soaked Northwest, continued to look like the lords of the Pac-12 manor.

The Ducks jumped all over mistake-prone Cal, grabbing a 27-0 lead in the first quarter and coasting home. The Ducks needed only 381 yards to score 55 points because of five Bears turnovers, including four fumbles.

Stanford did a slower mash on Washington State, turning a 17-3 halftime lead into a second-half laugher. The Cardinal scored touchdowns on a pair of pick-sixes, and a reinvigorated downfield passing attack included three scoring strikes from QB Kevin Hogan.

Looking up at the Ducks and Cardinal in the North are Washington and Oregon State. The 16th-ranked Huskies took down previously unbeaten Arizona behind 161 yards from RB Bishop Sankey, who did his damage with a school record 40 carries. Oregon State got a school record six touchdown passes from Sean Mannion while whipping Colorado.

The Huskies can make a big statement in the North next Saturday at Stanford. Washington upset the Cardinal last year in Seattle, but that was before Hogan took over at quarterback.

That's the headliner game in the conference next week. Arizona State will play Notre Dame in Cowboys Stadium, giving the Pac-12 another shot at being loud in nonconference play.

There was no fourth-quarter excitement on Saturday in Pac-12 games. But not only thrillers are meaningful.

While the Pac-12 has been lauded for its depth over the first quarter of the season, what Blowout Saturday made clear is there remains a clear line of demarcation between the teams in the top-half and the bottom half.

And USC's apparently being in the bottom half is going to be a problem for Kiffin.

Here's a look at Saturday's games. All times are ET.

Colorado (2-0, 0-0) at Oregon State (3-1, 1-0), 3 p.m., Pac-12 Network
This is the first meeting of these teams as Pac-12 members. The Buffaloes lead the series 3-2, including a 28-21 win in 1988, the teams' last meeting. There should be plenty of passing in this game. Buffs QB Connor Wood has passed for 370.5 yards per game, which ranks fourth in the nation, while Oregon State's Sean Mannion has passed for 401.0 yards per game, which ranks second in the nation. Mannion also leads the nation with 15 touchdown passes. His top target is Brandin Cooks, who leads the nation with 10.8 catches per game and has caught seven of Mannion's TD throws. Meanwhile, Woods has Paul Richardson, who leads the nation with 208.5 yards receiving per game. The last time these teams played, Colorado rallied from a 21-16 fourth quarter deficit to pull out a 28-21 win. Buffs RB Eric Bienemy carried the ball 20 times for 211 yards and three TDs, including a 66-yard TD run in the fourth quarter to put Colorado on top. Oregon State QB Erik Wilhelm was 27-of-38 for 353 yards and 2 TDs.

Arizona (3-0, 0-0) at No. 16 Washington (3-0, 0-0) 7 p.m. FOX
Washington leads the series 18-10-1, but the Wildcats rolled the Huskies 52-17 last year in Tucson. Unlike the above game, this one might be about rushing. Arizona ranks fifth in the nation with 322.3 yards rushing per game, while Washington ranks ninth with 303.7 yards rushing per game. RB Ka'Deem Carey leads Arizona with 149.5 yards rushing per game, while the Huskies counter with Bishop Sankey, who averages 148.7 yards per game. Arizona leads the Pac-12 in scoring defense (8.7 ppg). Washington is third in the Pac- 12 in scoring defense (10.0 ppg). The Wildcats have given up only 26 points through three games. The last time they gave up 26 or fewer points through the first three games of the season was in 1996. The Wildcats are 2-9 over their last 11 league road games, with five of those nine losses coming against ranked opponents. The Huskies are 3-0 for the first time since 2001 and have scored 34 or more points in three straight games for the first time since 2002. UW senior QB Keith Price tossed three TD passes to add to his Husky career record total of 61 (tied for 20th all-time in Pac-12). Price has completed 77 percent of his passes this season with seven TDs and just one INT.

No. 5 Stanford (3-0, 1-0) vs. Washington State (3-1, 1-0), 10 p.m., ESPN (CenturyLink Field, Seattle)
Stanford leads the series 37-25-1, including a 24-17 victory last year. At 61 percent, Stanford is one of three Pac-12 teams with a third-down conversion rate better than 60 percent (UCLA at 68.3 percent, Washington at 65.9 percent). All three Pac-12 teams are among the top five nationally in third-down conversion. Stanford has won 11 straight dating back to last season, which is currently the second longest streak in FBS (Ohio State is at 15). Stanford is returning to CenturyLink Field, where it suffered its lone conference defeat last year, to Washington. Cardinal junior WR Ty Montgomery is third in the Pac-12 in all-purpose yardage (165.7 ypg) and averages 20.7 yards per touch. In the win over Idaho, Washington State junior QB Connor Halliday recorded his sixth career four-touchdown game, tying Ryan Leaf for most all-time in school history. With 346 yards passing, he also posted his third straight 300-yard performance, and eighth career 300-yard performance. Sophomore WR Gabe Marks posted career-highs with 11 receptions and 146 yards in the win over Idaho. His 31 receptions this season are currently tied for fifth among all FBS players. The Cougar defense is allowing just 221.7 yards per game over the last three games. The Cougars have won three in a row for the first time since the 2006 season and are looking to make it four straight for the first time since the winning the final game of the 2004 season and the first three contests of the 2005 season. In last season's surprisingly close game, Stanford sacked Cougars QB Jeff Tuel a record 10 times.

USC (3-1, 0-1) at Arizona State (2-1, 0-1), 10:30 p.m., ESPN2
USC leads the all-time series against Arizona State, 19-10. The Trojans are 12-1 in the series since 2000, with ASU's lone victory coming in 2011, a 43-22 win to end an 11-game losing streak. Before this millennium, ASU was 9-7 all-time against USC. The Trojans beat the Sun Devils in Los Angeles last year in a 38-17 rout in the Coliseum. Arizona State RB Marion Grice is ranked No. 1 in the nation in scoring (16) and No. 5 in rushing TDs (6). Over the past six games, he has scored 14 TDs (11 rushing, three receiving), scoring once every 7.8 touches in that span. Sun Devils QB Taylor Kelly set a new career high with 367 passing yards against Stanford, and is sixth in the nation at 339.7 passing ypg. USC OLB Morgan Breslin leads the Pac-12 in sacks (1.3 per game) and tackles for loss (1.8 per game) -- Breslin missed the opener against Hawaii due to injury. USC has four players on its roster from Arizona (OLB Devon Kennard of Desert Vista HS, C-OG Cyrus Hobbi of Saguaro HS, SNP Peter McBride of Chaparral HS and S John Auran of Brophy College Prep), while the Sun Devils feature 39 Californians.

California (1-2, 0-0) at No. 2 Oregon (3-0, 0-0), 10:30 p.m., Pac-12 Network
California leads the series 39-34-2, but the Ducks prevailed 59-17 last year. In that game, Ducks QB Marcus Mariota completed 27 of 34 passes for 377 yards with six touchdowns and no interceptions, which gave him a 230.79 passer efficiency rating. Cal is facing its second-consecutive top-five opponent -- two weeks ago the Bears played Ohio State -- and third ranked foe this season. Cal freshman QB Jared Goff tops the FBS with 435.3 yards passing per game. The Ducks are 13th in the FBS in pass efficiency defense, so Goff versus the Ducks secondary is an interesting matchup. Oregon leads the Pac-12 and is second in the FBS in scoring, averaging 61.3 ppg. It has scored 50 or more points in a game three straight times and in 10 of the last 16 games. The Ducks have scored in less than two minutes on 23 of 28 scoring possessions, and 12 different players have found the end zone for the Ducks.

Welcome to the mailbag.

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To the notes!

Brian from Denver writes: Like other Stanford fans, I was a little freaked out by the second half performance last Saturday evening - sullied the first night of my long Telluride weekend, for crying out loud! With time I've come to think of it as less of a "conservative fail" and more as part of Coach Shaw's long play. With the win already in hand, get some backups playing time against a ranked conference foe, and continue the early-season sandbagging, so that more of the playbook remains unavailable for film review. And use the dismal late performance to help the team focus. Make sense to you? Oh, and please keep printing the Duck fans' "Which SEC team will we play in the title game?" questions. That hubris will make 11-7 all the more enjoyable.

Ted Miller: What Brian's not saying is he was forced to break the seal on his Pappy Van Winkle Family Reserve to un-sully things.

Before I engage this question, let me tell you a story that I might have used before. After another blowout Oregon victory -- I don't remember which one -- several local reporters quizzed Chip Kelly on why the running game struggled in the second quarter. He found this amusing. And perhaps a bit annoying. The Ducks had won by 40-something, yet the media focus was only on what didn't go well, and only for a couple of series at that.

He brought this up to me later during a casual conversation, and I told him that reporters needed something to write about, an angle. They can't just write "Oregon was again awesome today. The end." They needed to find something to distinguish one blowout win from another. I don't think he got my point, just as David Shaw was probably more defensive than he needed to be after Stanford beat a ranked team by two touchdowns but had a bad fourth quarter.

Coaches think differently than sports writers. Just as fans often do, too. I don't think any less of Stanford -- or Shaw -- because of that bad fourth quarter, but it certainly was worth writing about.

If Stanford had just hummed along at a steady pace and won 42-28, the victory would have been viewed as a solid win, with perhaps some folks questioning the defense. But the Cardinal led 39-7 after three quarters and looked completely dominant getting there, so the fourth quarter became an unexpected plot twist.

It reminded me a bit of USC's win over Penn State in the 2009 Rose Bowl, when the Trojans led 31-7 at the break but only won 38-24 when the Nittany Lions gamely scored 17 fourth quarter points. At halftime, I was wondering if AP pollsters might go ahead and vote with their brains and rank USC No. 1. Some might have if the Trojans had won 50-10.

As for the "long play," I understand what you are saying, but I think Shaw's hope was that his backups, many of whom see regular action, would be able to maintain the game's status quo. Still, there, indeed, may be a more valuable longterm payoff.

The Cardinal was able to make a statement with a decisive victory and, because of the poor fourth quarter, maintain a sense of having a chip on its shoulder. That Shaw and many of the players seemed a little chippy afterward might prove to be a good thing. I'm guessing it helped them focus on Washington State this week.

Michael from Tempe, Ariz., writes: Not to say that I am a USC fan, in fact watching them lose and struggle might be my second to watching the Sun Devils win...when we do win that is. But I do have to ask how do you feel about Penn States penalties being reduced and the NCAA rejecting USC's appeal? Quotes from the article here on ESPN "There is no comparison between USC and Penn State," and "USC's appeal was denied and there is no further consideration being given." I do love watching them lose, but I do know what a disadvantage they are at because of this, and I wonder how you and the media feel about this. Is it fair? Who regulates the regulators?

Ted Miller: No, nothing has been fair about the NCAA's handling of the USC case. It was distinguished by buffoonery in both the investigative and punitive phases, as well as questionable motives from the members of the Committee on Infractions.

There isn't an objective person in the world -- in the UNIVERSE -- who is familiar with the details of the case who doesn't believe USC was treated unfairly, and that position has been strengthened through the years as the NCAA has handed down toothless punishments for far more serious violations than what Reggie Bush and his ethically challenged parents did.

The problem is the regulators are the regulated -- the COI was made up of representatives of other institutions -- a couple of whom represented schools that had been whipped by USC. At some point in their heads they decided to ignore the facts of the case as well as past precedent and just hammer USC. It required a massive rationalization -- "We're doing wrong for the greater good!" -- with a strong spice of Machiavellian impulse -- "We can't beat USC without trumping up charges!"

But I've written about this so, so many times. I am relieved that this might be the very last time.

Matt from Bellevue, Wash., writes: Ted, Is WSU uniquely positioned to play physical with Furd? I said it in the preseason as strange as it is to say a Mike Leach teams strength is their Defensive front 7. Through 4 games they have done nothing to disprove that.

Ted Miller: I think Washington State's strong front seven -- cough, cough -- gives the Cougars a chance against Stanford, particularly with the Cardinal O-line missing All-American guard David Yankey, who is dealing with a personal, family matter.

I don't know if I'd say "uniquely positioned," as there are a lot of good front sevens in the Pac-12. But I think the Cougs are good enough to potentially contain the Cardinal's bread-and-butter power running game and force QB Kevin Hogan to pass.

The bigger question might be how the Washington State offensive line matches up with the Stanford front seven, which is one of the best crews in the nation. The Cougs still have no running game, so can that line protect Connor Halliday and give him time to throw downfield?

South Park from San Francisco writes: Best defense in the Pac-12 based on the eyeball test? Oregon, Stanford, or USC.

Ted Miller: USC and Oregon have been more impressive thus far, but I suspect at season's end Stanford will have the Pac-12's highest rated defense. All three appear to be among the best in the nation.

Tai from Klamath Falls, Ore., writes: Hi Ted, Every time you address the idea of paying players, including in today's chat, you emphasize the need to abide by Title IX, and suggest that any system of pay must be equitable across all sports. Wouldn't it be possible to bypass all of that, while still allowing star athletes in revenue sports to get a share of the massive amount of money their performance generates, by simply removing the restrictions on their ability to profit from their own likeness? You don't have to directly pay them, which of course does run afoul of equity concerns. Just let them go out and get sponsorships. All athletes, equally. If an athletic equipment company wants to hire a member of the crew team to be in an ad, they can, and if a fan wants to pay for the autograph of a softballer, that's okay too. I mean if someone decides that a member of the marching band is super skilled, and thinks they might be the next Yo Yo Ma, and wants to buy their autograph, there's no cry of outrage over lost "amateurism" there, right? So let a football player do the same. Let the market determine how much each athlete deserves to earn beyond their scholarship (if anything).

Ted Miller: That is a reasonable idea. But, as with anything when it comes to the paying-college-athletes conundrum, it has the potential for myriad, negative unintended consequences.

Starting with this: What if it becomes standard at Oregon that all Ducks get Nike endorsements, and that star players get as much as $1 million?

How many schools could match that?

The rich ones could, of course, the Alabamas, Ohio States, Texases and USCs. It then would become such a massive recruiting advantage that many programs that are presently competitive on a national level would be forced to simply drop out of the game.

Maybe that's what's eventually going to happen anyway. But I'm rooting against that outcome. I don't want college football to be reduced to, say, 30 or so superpowers competing for the national title, NFL style. That's not the game I grew up loving. Call me old fashioned.

Perhaps there could be limits, rules and regulations to even things out. But then you'd just have more limits, rules and regulations that programs try to circumvent. So ... new ways to cheat!

Your idea sounds like a simple, equitable, free-market solution. Unfortunately, I doubt it would play out that way.

Tony from Clackamas, Ore., writes: Feel free to put this question in your Getting-Way-Ahead-of-Ourselves file, but I am curious if you think Oregon could surpass Alabama in the rankings if both teams finished the year undefeated. On one hand it really doesn't matter (as a Ducks fan) provided the Ducks finish 1st or 2nd in the BCS at the end of the year. On the other hand, there seems to be a ton of sentiment that the PAC12 might be the best conference this year and Alabama has lost a few first-place votes to Oregon. As of today, each would finish the season with three wins against ranked foes. Would voters recognize the depth of the PAC12 and reward Oregon? I could see Oregon cutting into the #1 votes over the next 9 weeks considering they play a tougher schedule and face Stanford on the road.

Ted Miller: If the Pac-12 ends up with five or six ranked teams on Dec. 8, with, say, UCLA's and Stanford's only losses coming to Oregon (and each other), and the SEC isn't as strong top-to-bottom, it's possible the undefeated Ducks would eclipse the undefeated Crimson Tide, at least in the BCS standings, if not the human polls.

But Alabama will get a significant benefit of the doubt, particularly if it's clear that Oregon and Alabama will play for the title in any event. The sentiment will be that the two-time defending champions are No. 1 until someone proves otherwise, particularly when the SEC has won seven titles in a row.

And that doesn't seem unreasonable to me.

Jeff from Portland writes: Ted you need to read and post this story in your lunch links. It is extremely well done. It detail Josh Huff and some life obstacles.

Ted Miller: An excellent story. Heartwarming. Kudos to Huff for his resilience.

And, by the way, Oregon fans, you guys often squawk about the coverage in The Oregonian. Why not write a nice note to Jason Quick, who obviously put a lot of effort into telling you guys Huff's story?