ESPN College Football

There he goes. One of God's own prototypes. Some kind of high-powered mutant never even considered for mass production. Too weird to live, and too rare to die.

• For now, all Nick Foles can do is sit and wait. Juron Criner could be the fourth or fifth receiver taken in the draft.
• Vontaze Burfict and Jamaar Jarrett were two of six players who failed drug tests at the NFL combine.
• Previewing the Bay Area players in the draft, including Cal, Stanford and one for the San Jose State fan who accidentally stumbled on to the Pac-12 blog (hang out for a while, you're welcome anytime).
• Lots of teams showing interest in Ryan Miller. A little love for the guy behind the camera at Colorado.
• Oregon players are fired up for the spring game. Is LaMichael James headed to the (cue the music) San Diego, super Chargers?
• James Rodgers has a pretty good fallback in case the NFL doesn't work out.
• More insight on UCLA's great quarterback debate.
• A USC-centric draft preview.
• Kyle Whittingham was happy with Utah's spring.
• More on new Washington commit Jaimie Bryant.
• The Spokesman-Review gives a really good position-by-position breakdown of WSU.

We've seen David Shaw the offensive coordinator; David Shaw the head coach, recruiter and motivator. We've seen the David Shaw who gets perturbed when his strategies are questioned and the David Shaw who is humbled by praise and deflects kudos onto his assistants and players.

But there's one David Shaw we're yet to see: David Shaw the disciplinarian.

While so much of the attention heading into next season's opener against San Jose State was going to focus on who would start at quarterback, now we must also turn our attention to the defensive side of the ball and wonder who will be starting at inside linebacker. And for all the wrong reasons.

If memory serves, there were no players suspended or forced to miss time for violating team rules in the 2011 season. If there were, it wasn't made public and they weren't starters. But Shayne Skov is one of the best linebackers in the country, a poster boy for hard work and probably the most visible player on the 2012 roster. Whatever course of action Shaw takes in dealing with Skov's reported DUI will serve as a precedent for how all other disciplinary actions are taken.

I think it's safe to assume he's not going to dismiss Skov from the team -- as Mike Leach did yesterday with Washington State linebacker C.J. Mizell. Skov has neither the history nor the offense to warrant that severe of a punishment. He's a good teammate, a good student -- and if you work in the media -- a pretty good quote. All in all, he's a good guy who made a beyond-idiotic mistake.

But Shaw can't let this slide with a couple extra laps after practice and a stern talking-to, either. Skov put his life and the lives of others in jeopardy when he decided to knock back x-amount of cocktails and then turn the key.

Shaw hasn't made any comments about the incident other than an official statement issued through the school. But if David Shaw the disciplinarian is anything like the head coach, he'll approach it in the same, cool and even-tempered demeanor in which he approaches most things. But if anyone saw how distressed Shaw was when talking about Skov's injury back in Tucson, or the way he exploded in Pullman following an illegal hit on Chris Owusu, it's clear he loves his players and he's going to have their back. That makes whatever decision to come that much harder.

A suspension is certainly in order. How many games is the question. Clouding the issue is Skov's health. He's still recovering from a knee injury and we won't know if he'll be 100 percent to start the season. If he is fully healthy -- and he's suspended for the San Jose State and Duke games -- that seems fair.

But if he's still a couple of weeks away from being healthy when the season starts -- and he's suspended for both of those games -- is it really a just punishment? Suspending him for games he might have not played in -- or only played a minor role -- seems like doling out discipline with a dust pan rather than an iron fist.

Which brings us to the third game of the season: USC. This is one of the marquee games on Stanford's 2012 schedule and a true measuring stick for the Cardinal in the post-Andrew Luck era. Stanford doesn't need Skov to beat USC. Stanford doesn't need Skov at all -- for that matter. But they are a better team with him.

Whatever punishment Skov is to serve should begin when he's ready to play football. If that's the third game of the season, so be it. Using Skov's injury as a subterfuge for suspension would be letting him off the hook and a disservice to the position Shaw holds.

Shaw is, above all, a Stanford man. Now it's up to him -- David Shaw the disciplinarian -- to back up the ideals he so frequently preaches.

Here's a look at Stanford's schedule in 2012 (all games on a Saturday unless otherwise noted). Let the win-loss debate begin.

• Sept. 1 San Jose State at Stanford
• Sept. 8 Duke at Stanford
• Sept. 15 USC at Stanford
• Sept. 22 Bye
• (Thursday) Sept. 27 Stanford at Washington
• Oct. 6 Arizona at Stanford
• Oct. 13 Stanford at Notre Dame
• Oct. 20 Stanford at Cal
• Oct. 27 Washington State at Stanford
• Nov. 3 Stanford at Colorado
• Nov. 10 Oregon State at Stanford
• Nov. 17 Stanford at Oregon
• Nov. 24 Stanford at UCLA
• Nov. 30: Pac-12 Football Championship Game (just for those of you with extra high hopes).

First thoughts:

• Nice to open up with three straight at home, but a big challenge early against USC. The bye week right afterward helps getting whoever is at quarterback ready for his first trip as a starter to Washington.
• Traveling to Notre Dame is always tough -- no matter who is playing quarterback. Takes away the sting of back-to-back road games when you don't have to leave the region to play Cal.
• About the Big Game being played so early, Stanford athletic director Bob Bowlsby said this through a release from the school: “The October 20 date for Big Game is 2012 is certainly not our first choice but the conference is governed by the will of the majority and we have a duty to respect the outcome of the vote. We will work with California and the Pac-12 office to advocate for the Big Game and all rivalry games to be scheduled toward the end of the season in future years.”
• By my count, Stanford should have bowl eligibility by, at the very least, the end of the Colorado game -- though the Notre Dame-Cal stretch will be critical. Winning both would be outstanding, splitting would be passable, but dropping both could be a momentum killer because the Cardinal have three very winnable games (home to WSU, at Colorado, home to OSU) heading into Oregon.
• Would rather face UCLA with new coach Jim Mora early in the season while things are still getting sorted out. By the final week, the Bruins will know what they are doing (for better or worse). Plus, depending on how things play out, it's not out of the realm of possibility that UCLA might need that final game to clinch bowl eligibility.
• The extra time to study in between Washington and Arizona will be helpful for prepping against the new-look, Rich Rodriguez-led Wildcats.
• Having five of the final seven games on the road is going to be rough. But better to have it that way than five of the first seven on the road with a new quarterback.

As previously mentioned in the mailbag, I see eight wins -- though I wouldn't be shocked at seven. Anything over eight would be a bonus and anything under seven would be a disappointment. I think the schedule works out nicely for a team with a new quarterback and one that will certainly be under the spotlight once again next season, albeit for different reasons than this year.

Rick Neuheisel is on the hot seat. Rick Neuheisel has botched UCLA's quarterback situation. Rick Neuheisel questioned whether his team cared at a practice last week. Rick Neuheisel is no longer doing his post-game speech after home games at the Rose Bowl. Rick Neuheisel's team yawned its way through a win over San Jose State in front of a half-full stadium.

There's lots of Rick Neuheisel chatter these days, most of it negative. While such chatter doesn't block and tackle -- or miss blocks and miss tackles -- it certainly doesn't help the rebuilding process in Westwood. And it certainly doesn't make Neuheisel's job easier. Or help him keep it, for that matter.

Neuheisel said he knew it was coming.

"I told our team at the outset of the season that this was going to be one of those years where people were going to make stories that don't have anything to do with us," he said. "That's exactly what's taking place."

Neuheisel, known for his relentless optimism and boundless self-confidence, has flashed moments of frustration this year. Reporters have questioned whether he's lost faith in his team, a position Neuheisel is quick to discount.

"I'm not concerned at all with the passion and energy the football team is bringing to work," he said.

Here's the thing: Momentum in the media and among fans can reverse course in a matter of a weekend or two. If UCLA manages to beat Texas on Saturday and then open the Pac-12 schedule with a road win at Oregon State -- a perfectly reasonable scenario -- the Bruins would be 3-1 and back on track.

A loss at Houston and a lethargic performance against San Jose State doesn't automatically augur a lost season. But something positive has got to happen on the field to reignite belief, both among the fans and inside the locker room.

Recall that no one gave the Bruins a shot at then-No. 7 Texas last year, but the Bruins went to Austin and delivered a physically dominant 34-12 rear-end kicking. Sure, Texas was sloppy. But the Bruins were decisively winning the battle at the point of attack on both sides of the ball. Heck, they outrushed the Longhorns 264 yards to 85.

And, if you recall, quarterback Kevin Prince tweaked his knee late in that game. After masterfully leading the pistol rushing attack, particularly in the second half, he wasn't the same thereafter and he was shelved for the year with a knee injury after a rotten day at California.

Which leads into the next obvious topic: quarterback questions, which is the case for both teams.

Prince didn't play last week against San Jose State, though he was reportedly healthy enough after a concussion and shoulder injury from the opener, and Richard Brehaut was mediocre. Neuheisel has long seemed to prefer Prince, and he probably hasn't forgotten what Prince did at Texas last year. While Brehaut often seems like a more polished passer, the one thing he hasn't done that Prince has is win a few games.

So who starts? Neuheisel won't say.

"If Kevin is healthy, then Kevin will be back in the mix and we'll see how it goes as to how we divide those reps and play the game," he said.

Texas, by the way, also is uncertain at the position. Garrett Gilbert, a 14-game starter, has been benched, and either sophomore Case McCoy or freshman David Ash will get the call. Both played in the comeback win over BYU and it's likely the Bruins will see both on Saturday.

But whatever Texas does or whatever fans say, Neuheisel and the Bruins are looking inward. This game -- and the rest of the season, really -- are about what Neuheisel can get out of his Bruins.

The nabobs of negativity can natter, but it will come down to wins and losses for Neuheisel and the Bruins.

Said Neuheisel, "It's about us. It always has been about us. If we can keep our focus on that, then we're going to be fine."

He was smiling. That's right! You know, that, that Luke smile of his. He had it on his face right to the very end. Hell, if they didn't know it 'fore, they could tell right then that they weren't a-gonna beat him. That old Luke smile. Oh, Luke. He was some boy. Cool Hand Luke. Hell, he's a natural-born world-shaker.

• Arizona wide receiver Juron Criner didn't practice again Tuesday, so who's next if he can't go? More here on that.
• Arizona State's depth on both lines just got better.
• There's plenty of crossover from California and Colorado's coaching staffs. Notes from Berkeley.
• Coach Jon Embree doesn't believe Colorado fought hard at California last year. Seats are still available in Boulder for the Cal-Colorado showdown.
• Oregon running back LaMichael James looked tentative against LSU because he wasn't being himself. Neat story about Oregon assistant Scott Frost making a difference as a mentor. Some X's and O's from the LSU-Oregon game.
• Oregon State's quarterback situation is a bit of a muddle, which is pretty surprising. The lone good news out of the Sacramento State defense -- running back Malcolm Agnew -- is now doubtful for the visit to Wisconsin.
• Offensive guard David DeCastro doesn't mince words about Stanford's run blocking against San Jose State, but the new center played well.
• Defensive tackle Brandon Willis talks about his second go-around at UCLA. Some practice notes.
• Running back Marc Tyler's return means it's crowded in USC's backfield.
• Utah quarterback Jordan Wynn's plan is to let loose and throw the ball at USC. The secret for Wynn is more confidence.
• Washington has plenty of Hawaiian presence. Tough talk from Steve Sarkisian is a message to his players.
• Washington State coach Paul Wulff and UNLV coach Bobby Hauck both came from the Big Sky Conference. Wulff talks life after Jeff Tuel and UNLV.

The week that wasn't. The week that might be.

Welcome to "Measuring Stick Week" for the Pac-12, which comes right on the heels of "Mostly Laid an Egg Week" in the Pac-12.

To recap:

• The conference went 8-4 when 12-0 seemed perfectly reasonable to expect.
• Oregon lost its marquee showdown with LSU. The nation is saying it was because the Tigers bullied the Ducks with their super-superior angry robot players. Seems completely reasonable, of course, to ignore four Ducks turnovers and 12 Ducks penalties. Sure that had nothing to do with it.
• Oregon State lost at home to Sacramento State, which is not only an FCS team, it's a mediocre FCS team.
• UCLA lost at Houston, a team it pushed around a year ago.
• Colorado lost the battle on the line of scrimmage at Hawaii.
• Even the teams that did win didn't do so with distinction: Washington needed a late interception to beat Eastern Washington. Utah most certainly did NOT just barely beat Montana State -- that's for you angry Twitter sorts -- but it looked terrible on offense against Montana State. USC went scoreless in the second half and also needed a late interception to beat Minnesota.
• And in, "Other than that, how was the play Mrs. Lincoln?" news, Washington State's price for manhandling Idaho State was quarterback Jeff Tuel's clavicle.

One word: Yuck.

But if you lay an egg, you can always pick it up and make an omelet. (Preferably with real butter. And some cheese.)

Measuring Stick Week offers plenty of opportunities for redemption. Or, if you want to be a negative-Nelly, for a precipitous slide in national esteem. (Here's a quick preview of the games).

• Instead of FCS foes, games include matchups with three ranked teams from other AQ conferences -- two on the road -- and two games against foes from non-AQ conferences that had double-digit wins in 2010 (Nevada and Hawaii).
• There are two conference games, though only one counts as a conferences game. Utah's visit to USC not only counts in the standings, it will be widely viewed as an early measure of the Utes' place in the conference pecking order. California's visit to Colorado stands as a nonconference game -- it was scheduled before expansion -- and is all about the Buffs hoping to redeem themselves for the disaster in Berkeley last year.
• Stanford and UCLA are heavy favorites against Duke and San Jose State, respectively, but Stanford is traveling 2,800 miles to Durham, while it's never certain what the Bruins will do.
• Can Washington State improve to 2-0 for the first time since 2005 at home against UNLV without its starting QB?

Pac-12 teams are underdogs in only two of these nonconference games: Arizona and Oregon State (by two and three TDs, respectively). That means the conference needs to go at least 6-2 to hold serve. That means Arizona State -- a 7.5-point favorite even though Missouri is ranked -- and Washington need to beat good teams at home. And Oregon, Stanford, Washington State and UCLA need to take care of business against double-digit underdogs.

And it wouldn't hurt if the Wildcats and Beavers at least distinguished themselves with competitive performances on the road.

The reaction to the Pac-12's first weekend of games was bad from the national media. You can see some here. And here.

You might find it unfair that few took note of the SEC suffering a few embarrassing performances, too, with Georgia getting outclassed by Boise State in a glorified home game and Ole Miss going down at home to BYU and Auburn just escaping Utah State. But that conference, as its adherents are known to point out, has won five consecutive national titles.

The Pac-12 needs more teams in the Top 25 to burnish its image. If Arizona State and Washington win this week, the Sun Devils will be in and the Huskies will be close. The Utah-USC winner will be ranked, while the Wildcats would be too if they pull the upset.

College football is often more of a beauty contest than a game contested on the field of play. The Pac-12 made big news this offseason by getting rich. That's why it has so many suitors now who want a piece of the action.

Being rich makes you attractive in our society.

But the Pac-12 would rather be George Clooney -- rich, good looking -- rather than T. Boone Pickens -- rich and wrinkled.

It figures to become one or the other when the smoke clears after Measuring Stick Week.

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

• While some have said that LSU losing QB Jordan Jefferson to suspension isn't a huge deal, that's not completely true. For one, there's mobility. Jefferson ran for 32 first downs last season, 14 of which came after he improvised from the original play. LSU will not have this element to its offense against Oregon, as Jarrett Lee’s career-high in rushing is one yard.
• Lee also has struggled to throw the ball downfield over the past two seasons, completing just 5 of 26 throws of 15+ yards.
• Oregon ran for only 75 yards in the BCS Championship Game. It was only the second time in the past two seasons the Ducks were held under 100 yards rushing. The other was in the Ducks' season opening loss to Boise State in 2009.
• Since 2009, Ducks running back LaMichael James has 36 runs of 20-plus yards, tops in the FBS.
• LSU's defense is talented, but it hasn't been infallible stopping a spread rushing attack. Auburn racked up 440 rushing yards on LSU last year.
• Oregon led FBS in 2010 with 45 touchdown drives that lasted two minutes or less. The Ducks also led FBS with 23 touchdown drives of three plays or fewer.
• Oregon scored 27 offensive touchdowns from 25 yards or longer last season, which tied Auburn for the most in the nation. The Ducks scored at least two or more of these touchdowns in nine games last season, also tied for the most in FBS.
• Washington and Eastern Washington and Washington State and Idaho State are meeting for the first time.
• USC is 72-27-3 (.721) all-time versus the Big Ten. It has won 11 in a row against the conference and 32 out of 40.
• 70 players on USC's 112-man roster have never taken a snap for the Trojans.
• UCLA has won five of six season openers. It's 3-2 all-time against Houston, including last year's 31-13 victory.
• This is Oregon State and Sacramento State's second meeting. The Beavers won 40-7 in 2003.
• Stanford is 49-14-1 against San Jose State, including a 42-17 win in 2009.
• Fresno State leads its series with California 2-0, including a 17-3 victory in 2000.
• Washington hasn't won a season opener since 2007 -- Jake Locker's debut at Syracuse. Eastern Washington is the defending FCS champion and is preseason No. 1 in FCS.
• Washington State hasn't been 1-0 since 2005.

Each Pac-12 plays this week, though for some just barely -- plenty of FCS foes.

The slate is, obviously, led by Oregon-LSU. Next week, things ramp up considerably.

Here's a quick look (all times ET).

Thursday, Sept. 1

Montana State at Utah, 8 p.m. (KJZZ): Utah should record a blowout in its first game as Pac-12 team. Will be interesting to see how well quarterback Jordan Wynn throws after shoulder surgery, but here's a guess he doesn't play four quarters. Up next: USC.

UC Davis at Arizona State, 10 p.m. (FS Arizona): The Sun Devils get a warmup before a marquee nonconference foe comes to town. Up next: Missouri (Friday).

Saturday

Minnesota at USC, 3:30 p.m. (ABC): Minnesota arrives with new coach Jerry Kill. Trojans should do exactly that against perennially rebuilding Big Ten foe. Up next: Utah.

UCLA at Houston, 3:30 p.m. (FSN): Bruins figure to get a full dose of Cougars quarterback Case Keenum, who had a season-ending knee injury in last season's game at the Rose Bowl. Bruins need to get out of gate fast. Up next: San Jose State.

Sacramento State at Oregon state, 4 p.m. (OSUBeavers.com): Oregon State gets a warmup game before a big nonconference trip. Needs to get healthy. Up next: at Wisconsin.

San Jose State at Stanford, 5 p.m. (CSNBA): The debut of new coach David Shaw. And the first date of Sir Andrew Luck's royal tour. Up next: at Duke.

Idaho State at Washington State, 5 p.m.: Cougars will be 1-0 for first time since 2005. Up next: UNLV.

E. Washington at Washington, 7 p.m. (Root NW): Huskies might want to take the defending FCS champs -- and preseason FCS No. 1 team -- seriously. Up next: Hawaii.

Fresno State versus California, (CSNCA): Cal and new quarterback Zach Maynard tries to get off to a fast start at Candlestick Park. Up next: at Colorado.

Oregon versus LSU, 8 p.m. (ABC): Winner might rise to No. 1. Which team overcomes offseason distractions and starts season with huge bang? Up next: Nevada.

Northern Arizona at Arizona, 10 p.m. (FS Arizona): Wildcats get warmup before big nonconference test, which is a good thing with five new starters on the offensive line. Up next: at Oklahoma State (Thursday)

Colorado at Hawaii, 10:15 p.m. (ESPN2): Buffaloes try to end 17-game road losing streak in new coach Jon Embree's debut. Up next: California.

We're reviewing each Pac-12 team's schedule, and now we move on to the South Division.

Up next: UCLA

Breakdown: six home (four conference games), six road (five conference games)

Nonconference opponents (with 2010 records)

Sept. 3 at Houston (5-7)
Sept. 10 San Jose State (1-12)
Sept. 17 Texas (5-7)

South Division games

Oct. 20 at Arizona
Nov. 5 Arizona State
Nov. 12 at Utah
Nov. 19 Colorado
Nov. 26 at USC

Crossover games

Sept. 24 at Oregon State
Oct. 1 at Stanford
Oct. 8 Washington State
Oct. 29 California

Conference misses

Oregon
Washington

Key stretch: UCLA plays four consecutive South Division foes over the final four weekends of the season, including the season-finale at rival USC. Last year, the Bruins started 3-2 but finished 1-6. Coach Rick Neuheisel can't afford another second-half slide. He needs a strong finish to ensure he's back in 2012.

Trap game: The Bruins open at Houston, a team it handled fairly easily last year, though Cougars quarterback Case Keenum was knocked out in the second quarter with a knee injury. Keenum will be back, and Houston is a different team with him. It won't be an easy opener, particularly on the road, but the Bruins could use some positive early momentum after a tumultuous offseason. They most assuredly shouldn't take the Cougars lightly based on what happened in 2010.

Sure thing: If UCLA loses to San Jose State, Neuheisel might not last until the following Sunday. But that won't happen.

Analysis: This is a tough schedule with two nonconference games UCLA could easily lose. Houston is a Conference USA favorite, and Texas can't possibly be as bad as it was in 2010. Further, the Longhorns figure to be be highly motivated to take revenge for an embarrassing 34-12 home loss last fall. Still, the schedule could be worse. Five conference games on the road isn't good, but missing Oregon and Washington -- two teams that whipped UCLA in 2010 -- works in the Bruins favor. Oct. 15 -- midseason -- is a good time for a bye. The elements figure to be an issue in only one road game -- at Utah on Nov. 12 -- and the home schedule could yield some fruit. It's hard to believe the finale at USC won't be meaningful for the Bruins bowl hopes and, perhaps, for Neuheisel's future.

We'll be reviewing each Pac-12 team's schedule, starting with the North Division.

Up next: Stanford

Breakdown: seven home (five conference games), five road (four conference games)

Nonconference opponents (with 2010 records)

Sept. 3 San Jose State (1-12)
Sept. 10 at Duke (3-9)
Nov. 26 Notre Dame (8-5)

North Division games

Oct. 15 at Washington State
Oct. 22 Washington
Nov. 5 at Oregon State
Nov. 12 Oregon
Nov. 19 California

Crossover games

Sept. 17 at Arizona
Oct. 1 UCLA
Oct. 8 Colorado
Oct. 29 at USC

Conference misses

Arizona State
Utah

Key stretch: Though a trip to Arizona on Sept. 17 could be tricky, Stanford should be 6-0 when it plays host to Washington, a team it's pushed around of late. The next five weeks will determine the North Division champion, with road trips to USC and Oregon State preceding the potential conference game of the year: Oregon's visit to the Farm on Nov. 12. And don't forget about the Big Game the following week, which could ruin everything if the Cardinal does.

Trap game: As previously noted, Stanford visits Oregon State the week before it plays host to Oregon, a game between potential top-10 teams that will be hyped the entire season. Yes, this could become a vintage "look ahead" upset special. Big seasons have died in Corvallis before. Just ask USC.

Sure thing: Putative Bay Area rival San Jose State used to be a pain in Stanford's rear. The Spartans beat the Cardinal three consecutive times from 1998-2000, including the 1999 Rose Bowl season. But since then, Stanford has dominated the series, with seven wins in eight games since 2001 (they didn't play last year). The Spartans bottomed out in 2010 while the Cardinal surged. The courses won't reverse this fall.

Analysis: Not to cause Stanford fans to get unhinged, but this schedule whispers something that hasn't been heard around Palo Alto for, well, a really, really long time: national title contender. At this point, the Cardinal might be favored in every game, even the sure-to-be-ballyhooed visit from the Ducks. The conference misses are favorable: Arizona State and Utah are two of the South Division's top teams. The nonconference games are manageable, with the visit from Notre Dame giving the Cardinal a national stage for the final weekend of the regular season. In addition to Oregon and the Fighting Irish, games with Washington and rival California are in Stanford Stadium, where the Cardinal have won 12 of 13. This is a good schedule for Andrew Luck & Co., one that sets up for them to improve on their 2010 season in the only way possible: Undefeated.

Oregon State is on the board for the recruiting class of 2012 after receiving a pledge from defensive back/receiver Cleveland Wallace of Oak Grove High School (San Jose, Calif.)

Wallace, 5-foot-11, 165-pounds, is expected to play cornerback for the Beavers. He also drew interest from Boise State, San Jose State, Washington, UCLA and Oregon.

As a junior, Wallace caught 29 passes for 512 yards and nine touchdowns and rushed for 532 yards and six scores.

He recorded a 4.65 time in the 40-yard dash, 4.35 in the 20-yard shuttle and a 31-inch vertical at the Los Angeles Under Armour Combine during this offseason, according to ESPN Recruiting.

Oregon State has hired two new assistant coaches, but the bigger news is Greg Newhouse is out as linebackers coach.

Newhouse, who's been at Oregon State for 14 seasons, "was offered another position within the program, but elected to pursue other opportunities," according to a news release from the school.

Defensive coordinator Mark Banker will coach linebackers next fall. He supervised the safeties last season. Cornerbacks coach Keith Heyward will now be in charge of the entire secondary.

Meanwhile, Chris Brasfield was hired as running backs coach and Brent Brennan has been hired to coach receivers.

Brasfield, a defensive graduate assistant for Oregon last season, takes over for Reggie Davis, who left for the San Francisco 49ers. Brennan coached receivers at San Jose State last season. Beavers assistant head coach Jay Locey coached receivers last fall but will be in charge of the tight ends this season. Graduate assistant Robin Ross, who was hired for a full-time post at UNLV, coached tight ends in 2010.

Brennen had been at San Jose State since 2005. Before that, he spent four seasons as the wide receivers coach at Cal Poly San Luis Obispo. A former UCLA receiver -- he played on the 1994 Rose Bowl team -- he previously was a GA at both Washington (1999) and Arizona (2000).

As for Brasfield, prior to arriving at Oregon in March of 2010, he spent three years as the running backs coach at Samford University in Birmingham, Ala. He was a receiver and return specialist at TCU in 1994 and ’95 after transferring from UTEP, where he played from 1991-93.

Here's the Beavers updated coaching roster under Riley: Jay Locey, assistant head coach/tight ends; Mark Banker, defensive coordinator/linebackers; Bruce Read, coordinator of special teams; Danny Langsdorf, offensive coordinator/quarterbacks; Chris Brasfield, running backs; Brent Brennan, wide receivers; Mike Cavanaugh, offensive line; Keith Heyward, secondary; Joe Seumalo, defensive line; Alan Darlin, graduate assistant/asst. linebackers; Mitch Meeuwsen, graduate assistant/asst. secondary.

California's offense will feature a lot of chefs in the kitchen this fall as the Bears attempt to rediscover their mojo following the first losing season under coach Jeff Tedford.

As expected, Jim Michalczik has been announced as the offensive coordinator and line coach. Marcus Arroyo, an offensive coordinator or co-offensive coordinator at Wyoming the past four years, has been hired as quarterbacks coach. Associate head coach and running backs coach Ron Gould has been promoted to the team’s run game coordinator. Receivers coach Eric Kiesau will serve as passing game coordinator.

It is not yet clear who will have final word on play calls. That might be Tedford, who has said he will be more involved with the quarterbacks -- the competition starting this spring is wide open -- and he also said Wednesday that it's "possible" he will call plays.

Michalczik and Kiesau previously coached with Tedford when the Bears' offense was rolling up big numbers, on the ground and through the air. Michalczik spent seven seasons coaching the Bears’ line from 2002-08. He has been the offensive line coach for the Oakland Raiders the past two seasons after 19 previous campaigns in the collegiate coaching ranks.

“We had a tremendous amount of success in our offensive line play during Jim’s previous tenure at Cal and we plan to resume and surpass that level of success in the future," Tedford said in a statement.

Cal was 59-30 (.663) record during Michalczik's tenure and ranked in the nation’s top 30 in scoring offense in six of his first seven seasons in Berkeley. Cal’s rushing attack produced 1,000-yard rushers in each of Michalczik’s first seven seasons and also did well in pass protection. Over the 2006 and 2007 seasons, the Bears allowed only a combined 24 sacks in 26 games -- the fewest in the Pac-10 and third best in the nation during that period.

Arroyo, a former San Jose State quarterback, has spent the past eight seasons coaching at the collegiate level.

During his two seasons at Wyoming, Arroyo developed 2009 true freshman quarterback Austyn Carta-Samuels into the Mountain West Conference Freshman of the Year and the offensive MVP of the 2009 New Mexico Bowl. In 2009 he installed a new spread offense that helped the Cowboys score 30 or more points five times, winning all five of those games. Arroyo's offense displayed an ability to come from behind in his first season, recording five fourth-quarter comebacks. His offensive unit did an outstanding job of protecting the ball as well. Wyoming ranked No. 7 in the nation in fewest turnovers lost (14) and was No. 15 in the NCAA in both fewest fumbles lost (7) and fewest interceptions thrown (7).

Arroyo coached San Jose State's quarterbacks from 2005-2008, where he turned Adam Tafralis into one of the nation's most prolific and efficient passers. Tafralis set school records for career passing yards (7,548) and career total offense (8,111) and went on to sign a free-agent contract with the Indianapolis Colts in the spring of 2008.

Now what can these guys do to rebuild an offense that has fallen on mostly trended down since Aaron Rodgers departed in 2004? Tedford thinks the collective wisdom and familiarity among the coaches will lead to beautiful music.

"There's so much familiarity between coach Gould, Keisau and Michalczik, it's like reassembling the band," Tedford said after he signed a highly ranked recruiting class on Wednesday. "We are all back together. There are no hidden agendas. Everybody understands what's going on."

Former Arizona and NFL standout Joe Salave'a has been hired to coach the Wildcats' defensive line, replacing Mike Tuiasosopo, who took a job at Colorado.

Salave'a, 35, who played nine years in the NFL, lettered at Arizona as a defensive tackle from 1994-97, serving as team captain in 1996. He earned honorable mention All-Pac-10 honors in 1995, second-team honors in 1996 and was a first-team selection in 1997.

Salave'a has been out of coaching and football for the past year, living in Las Vegas, but was San Jose State's defensive line coach in 2008 and 2009.

"I'm really excited to have him join the staff," coach Mike Stoops said in a statement. "He fits what we're doing very well. He has a solid history and comes highly recommended. Joe built a legacy here and in the NFL that will have an immediate impact on our players and in recruiting."

A couple of things to like about the hire: 1. Salave'a's recent NFL pedigree will get players' attention, both in recruiting and as a coach; 2. Salave'a, a native of Leone, American Samoa, will keep the Wildcats Polynesian pipeline open in recruiting, just as Tuiasosopo did.

Stoops said his 2011 staff won't be complete until sometime in January. He also needs to replace Greg Brown, the Wildcats' co-defensive coordinator and secondary coach, who also left for Colorado.

Salave'a will start Monday and help prepare the Wildcats for their Dec. 29 appearance in the Valero Alamo Bowl. Stoops will take over for Brown in the secondary.

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You can't ever take the PAT for granted. If you don't believe that, check in with an Arizona fan.

Kicker Alex Zendejas' extra-point attempt, which would have given the Wildcats the lead with 30 seconds left in the Territorial Cup against Arizona State, was blocked. Then another PAT was blocked that would have tied the game in the second overtime.

The end result is Arizona State upset No. 23 Arizona 30-29 in a thriller on Thursday.

It appeared James Brooks blocked both kicks, which were low.

The entire game took place after halftime. In the first half, both offenses were completely ineffective, and the Sun Devils led 6-0 at the break. But from then on, things went back and forth, with big plays and big mistakes changing momentum multiple times.

The statistics were almost identical: Both teams had 19 first downs. Arizona had 391 total yards; Arizona State had 389.

But the kickers were a mismatch. Sun Devils kicker Thomas Weber, a former Lou Groza Award winner who has struggled this year, was 5-for-5 on field goals with a long of 52 yards and made his one extra point. Zendejas made a 19-yard field goal and missed the aforementioned PATs.

Both quarterbacks turned in strong performances -- at least after bad first halves. Wildcats QB Nick Foles completed 22-of-36 for 262 yards with three TDs and no interceptions. It appeared he had led his third game-winning drive of the season before the missed PAT late in the fourth quarter.

Arizona State's Brock Osweiler, who got the start because of a concussion suffered by starter Steven Threet against UCLA last weekend, began just 3-for-15, but he settled down and ended up completing 22-of-49 for 267 yards with a TD. He also rushed for 56 yards and frequently eluded tough pressure from the Wildcats.

It is worth noting that, particularly early in the game, the Wildcats dropped at least three fairly easy interceptions, which probably allowed Osweiler to get his feet under him in his first start this season.

What does the result mean?

It means that Arizona (7-5) will ride a four-game losing streak into the postseason. That likely will cost them a berth in the Valero Alamo Bowl if Washington beats Washington State on Saturday, which means they figure to make a return trip to the Bridgepoint Education Holiday Bowl.

Arizona State improves to 6-6. It has applied to the NCAA for a bowl waiver, despite needing seven wins, per NCAA rules, because it played two FCS teams. The reasoning is the Sun Devils only played a second FCS team because San Jose State dropped out of a scheduled game late in the offseason, leaving the Sun Devils stranded and without options.

A further justification: The Sun Devils are probably the best 6-6 team in the nation.

With just two senior starters, you will hear from them in 2011.