When the preseason ranking by the Sporting News came out in early August, the Ducks were projected to be the odds-on favorite for the Pacific-10 Conference title. Washington was No. 4, UCLA was picked to finish fifth, Stanford at seven, and finally Washington State was No. 9 in the conference.
Look at them now.
A logjam is the only way to describe the top of the Pac-10, with four teams at 4-1 in conference play and UCLA right behind at 3-1.
But this week will take care of that, with many marquee conference games lined up. No one can predict this week, although many will try. The Fiesta Bowl may be on the line, but who it will go to, nobody knows.
No. 9 UCLA (6-1 overall,
3-1 Pac-10) at No. 16
Washington State (7-1, 4-1)
Welcome to Pullman, Wash., UCLA. Hope you like it.
After last week’s humbling loss to Stanford, the Bruins must get back on track this week to stay in the hunt. And although the Bruins came back late against the Cardinal to make something out of it, they are going to need a whole lot more effort against the surprising Cougars. But you can bet head coach Bob Toledo will make sure his squad gets up for the game.
“It’s hard to go undefeated in this day and age,” he said. “There are five teams tied for first place in the Pac-10. We’re about three-quarters of the way done, and there are five teams tied for first place. None of them are undefeated. So we have a lot to accomplish. There is a lot of football to be played, and that is how we are going to approach it. You certainly find out who is on your side during these tough times.”
As for Washington State, no one could have predicted that this game would mean so much to the Cougs. A loss to the Ducks last week has taken some of the sizzle out of their steak, but they are still eyeing the Fiesta Bowl.
A key for both teams will revolve around UCLA running back DeShaun Foster. After gaining 301 yards two weeks ago against Washington, Foster gained 77 yards for one touchdown against Stanford last week. On the flip side, Wazzu gave up 446 rushing yards to Oregon last week. If Foster can get even a fourth of that, watch out Washington State.
Oregon State (3-4, 2-3)
at USC (3-5, 2-3)
How the mighty have fallen.
Perennial cellar dweller Oregon State, two years out of the hole, looks to stay out of it. Had it not been for California and Arizona, they may have been there. Instead, they have a chance to renew their season against USC.
Meanwhile, once national champion contender and powerhouse USC must come back and win their second game in a row for the first time this season. They will have help with one of the Pac-10’s best signal callers in Carson Palmer. So far, he has thrown for 248.2 yards per game, second best in the conference. His 10 interceptions, however, are the second most in the Pac-10, behind only Arizona’s Jason Johnson.
“Carson is a good football player,” USC head coach Pete Carroll said. “He is going to make some plays when you put the ball in his hands. He made some terrific throws in the game, and the two picks he threw were both deflected balls. He did a nice job for us. He throws the ball so well.”
Arizona (3-5, 0-5)
at California (0-7, 0-5)
Those who go to this game may have to pinch their noses, for the stink that comes from it will be immense. Two teams who belong in Division II — based on this year’s results — face off at Memorial Coliseum to see who can get out of the conference’s doghouse.
California, coming off their best week of the season in a 19-10 loss to Oregon State, feature running back Joe Igber and quarterback Kyle Boller. Boller, however, has been feeling the effects of a hit from the Oregon defense and may not get a chunk of playing time. Reggie Robertson, a complete unknown to the rest of the conference, will get some, if not most of the snaps.
“We anticipate that Reggie will get a lot of reps, and if Kyle can take reps and get as many as he can,” Cal head coach Tom Holmoe said. “We’ll see how Kyle responds. He threw a little bit on the side when we were on the trip, and we think he’s back, but I don’t think it’s a great idea just to rush him back into it right away.”
Arizona features the seventh-ranked offense in the Pac-10, while California is last. Enough said.
The Cal faithful might as well say good-bye to Holmoe as well. His 15 overall wins in six seasons at the Golden Bears’ helm will not be enough for him to keep his job at the end of this year.
