With 16 conference matches played so far this season, the Pacific-10 Conference is playing close games, regardless of the teams’ rankings and records. Eleven of those 16 games have been decided by 10 points or fewer.
This week features two winless teams playing two teams in the top half of the conference. A first-place team and a last-place team are both coming off bye weeks, and two teams who are 1-2 in conference face off to see who can win this week’s showdown at the Rose Bowl.

California (5-3, 2-2 Pac-10) at Oregon State (4-3, 0-3),

1 p.m.
Oregon State got the short end of the stick this year. The Pac-10 stick, not the Oregon stick. After starting the season at 4-0 before conference play started, Oregon State has gone 0-3 with losses to USC, UCLA and Arizona State.
California, on the other hand, has already won five games, matching its win total from 1998. With another win, Cal would tie its win total from 1996. After that, the Golden Bears would have to go back to 1993 for another six-win season; they were 9-4 that year.

Jeff Tedford, former Oregon offensive coordinator, has made his presence known as California’s new head coach. The Golden Bears have had an resurgence on offense — scoring an average of 36.0 points per game, good enough for third in the Pac-10.
Combine this with a defense that’s holding opposing teams to an average of 24.6 points per game, and California has a chance to finish in the top half of the Pac-10 this year for the first time since 1996, when they finished tied for fifth.
California leads the series with the Beavers 31-23. Oregon State has won the last three games, and hopes that streak will help them with their 0-3 Pac-10 record. Last year, the teams met in Corvallis. In the wet weather that greeted the Golden Bears that day, the Beavers prevailed 19-10. This year, the Beaver Believers will again be cheering on their team at home, but California could go home with a win.

Stanford (2-4, 1-2)

at UCLA (4-3, 1-2),

3:30 p.m., Fox Sports
In Saturday’s most even matchup, the Bruins host the Cardinals and both teams will look to even up their Pac-10 record. With a new coach and a 2-4 record this season, Saturday’s game is the only chance Stanford has this season to play in the Rose Bowl.
UCLA has losses to Colorado, Oregon and California this season, while Stanford’s only wins came against San Jose State and last-place Arizona.
The Bruins are looking for revenge after last year’s loss to Stanford dropped them from their fourth-place ranking and 6-0 record. Stanford spoiled Oregon’s top-five ranking the previous week, and its win over UCLA vaulted Stanford into the top 10.
In UCLA’s game against California last week, senior quarterback Cory Paus broke his ankle to end his season. Backup Drew Olson is out with a separated shoulder, so it will be up to two freshmen to battle for the starting job and be successful against Stanford. The Bruins’ kicker has struggled the past few weeks, and head coach Bob Toledo plans on giving his punter a shot at Saturday’s field goals.
Stanford has the better chance for the win, due to UCLA’s uncertainty at quarterback and kicker. The Bruins’ do have a chance, but their new kicker and quarterback will have to prove themselves quickly to win against Stanford.

Washington State

(6-1, 3-0) at Arizona

(3-4, 0-3), 7:15 p.m.,

Fox Sports
The lopsided-game-of-the-week award goes to Arizona’s game with Washington State. The undefeated Cougars are tied with Arizona State for the Pac-10 lead, while winless Arizona is tied with Oregon State for last place.
Last year’s meeting saw Washington State starting the conference season with a 48-21 victory in Tucson. In the first eight minutes of game play, the Cougars took a 28-0 lead. The Wildcats scored 21 points before half-time, but were held scoreless in the second half.
Arizona’s wins this season were against Northern Arizona, Utah and North Texas, with the latter two wins coming by only six and five points, respectively. Arizona has the Pac-10’s worst scoring offense, averaging only 18.9 points per game.
Washington State, averaging 35.1 points per game, is led by senior quarterback Jason Gesser, who is still a Heisman candidate to Washington State fans. The Cougars’ one loss came in their visit to Ohio State, while they have overpowered all their other opponents with the exception of USC. The win over the Trojans came in overtime and by only three points.
Arizona just wants the game to be close. If it’s close, the Wildcats might have a chance. Meanwhile, the Cougars should be on their way to another win, and can plan on staying atop the Pac-10 with an undefeated conference record.