Sports

1. Oregon (6-0, 3-0)

Oregon fell to third in the BCS Standings on their idle weekend. Critics of the Ducks have crept out of the woodshed this week, claiming Oregon hasn’t played a quality opponent.
Tell that to a Washington squad who took down Stanford, or an Arizona team that put up 48 points against the Cardinal.
Regardless, a Thursday night showdown at surging Arizona State should lend some additional credibility to the Ducks’ resume if they can manage to take down the Sun Devils in convincing fashion. Freshman quarterback Marcus Mariota will be facing its first tough road test of his young career, and Oregon will need major contributions from the youngster to take down a tough ASU defense.

—  Michael Rosen

2. Oregon State (5-0, 3-0)

So much for that whole notion of the Beavers falling off without starting quarterback Sean Mannion.
Coach Mike Riley said that junior Cody Vaz almost beat out Mannion for the starting job back before the season even started, and based on Saturday, that wasn’t just coach speak. Leading his team to a 42-24 win over BYU, Vaz threw for 332 yards and 3 touchdowns against a defense that was supposed to be stout. Repeating that performance this week against Utah shouldn’t be too tall of a task.

— Connor Byrne

3. USC (5-1, 3-1)

The Trojans continued their mystifying pattern of inconsistent passing performances against the Huskies on Saturday, winning a close game despite quarterback and major NFL prospect Matt Barkley only completing 10 passes.
Many expected the Trojans passing attack to be far and away the best in the country, considering it featured a once-considered top-five pick at QB and two likely first round picks at receiver in Robert Woods and Marqise Lee. Barkley has completed 62.7 percent of his passes this year, down from 69.1 percent the year before.

If USC still desires that outside shot at the national championship, Barkley must return to form.

— Michael Rosen

4. Arizona State (5-1, 3-0)

The Sun Devils proved little in their 51-17 shellacking of Colorado last Thursday. A three-point game at the break, Arizona State broke open the game in the second half, beginning with kickoff, which Rashad Ross returned 100 yards for a score.
The Sun Devils shut out the Buffs in the half and piled up 31 points their own. But that was all just a warmup for this Thursday, when Arizona State plays host to No. 2 Oregon. The Sun Devils rank ninth in the county in scoring defense, allowing just over 14 points a game.
But they haven’t faced a team like the high-flying Ducks, who rank second in the nation in scoring, putting up more than 52 points a game. If all goes according to plan for the two first-place teams, Thursday could be a prequel to a rematch in the Pac-12 Championship game.

— Jonathan Kuperberg

5. Stanford (4-2, 2-1)

The Cardinal were shafted Saturday at Notre Dame, as Stepfan Taylor’s 4th and goal dive in overtime was erroneously ruled short of the goal line.
Stanford’s defense is clearly elite, but it’s hard to see the Cardinal doing much more damage in the Pac-12 if Josh Nunes keeps playing like you would expect a six-year old girl to perform if thrust into a starting quarterback position. Stanford takes on Cal this Saturday in The Big Game. A loss here would effectively end the Tree’s chances of making a BCS bowl.

— Michael Rosen

6. Washington (3-3, 1-2)

The Huskies’ win over Stanford on September 24 couldn’t feel more distant. Washington followed up last week’s beatdown by Oregon by hosting USC and essentially saw similar results.
The squad only lost 24-14, but the game never felt close. The Huskies turned the ball over 4 times and let an average Trojan run game rack up more than 200 yards on the ground. The fact that the defense kept USC scoreless in the second half is encouraging, but it’ll have to play a full 60 minutes that way if they expect to have a shot at taking down Arizona in Tucson this weekend.

— Connor Byrne

7. UCLA (5-2, 2-2)

After a disastrous performance in Berkeley, the Bruins returned home to defeat Utah, 21-14, on Saturday. UCLA turned the ball over just once — compared to its six miscues at Cal — but it was crucial, as Steven Manfro muffed a punt return in the end zone for an easy recovery and touchdown for the Utes.
The Bruins responded with a 64-yard touchdown pass from Brett Hundley to Shaq Evans. The squad’s defense contained Utah until a 90-yard touchdown drive late in the game. UCLA has a bye week before traveling to Tempe to take on Arizona State, currently in first place in the south division.
If the Sun Devils lose to Oregon this week, the Bruins would control their own destiny — winning out would ensure them a spot in the Pac-12 Championship game. They’d have to get through consecutive games against USC and Stanford to close out the regular season.

— Jonathan Kuperberg

8. Cal (3-4, 2-2)

The Bears followed up their season’s signature win — and first FBS and Pac-12 win — with another victory, easily dispatching Washington State, 31-17, in Pullman. Cal’s confidence is surely at a season-high with the two-game winning streak, which will be put to the test Saturday in the Big Game.
Stanford is coming off a tough road loss to Notre Dame, which would give the Bears the advantage in terms of momentum — though being that it is a rivalry game, that might not matter much.
With games against No. 2 Oregon and at No. 8 Oregon State to close out the season, Cal might need to win the other three to reach the six-win threshold for postseason.

— Jonathan Kuperberg

9. Arizona (3-3, 0-3)

It’s bizarre to think that Arizona, a team that is posting 37 points on more than 550 yards a game is still winless in conference play.
Coming off their bye this week, the Wildcats have a prime opportunity to change that as they host a Washington team that’s coming off back to back losses. Both games saw the Huskies revert back to their 2011 type defense that couldn’t stop a decent varsity high school team. Rich Rodriguez is already salivating at that prospect.

— Connor Byrne

10. Utah (2-4, 0-3)

Utah was a borderline top-25 team to start the season; now the squad is still looking for its first conference win.
Despite future NFL first-rounder Star Lotulelei anchoring the line, the Utes’ defense is only ranked in the middle of the pack. The team’s offense, however, has been virtually nonexistent. Utah averages just a little over 300 yards a game, worst in the Pac-12.
After rushing for 1,519 yards last season, John White has yet to break 350. Things are unlikely to get better Saturday when the club heads to Corvallis to challenge No. 8 Oregon State.
The back third of the Utes’ schedule is significantly easier. It includes visits from two squads winless in Pac-12 play and a trip to Colorado.

— Jonathan Kuperberg

11. Washington State (2-5, 0-4)

The Cougars lost by two touchdowns to Cal this past Saturday, and the game wasn’t particularly close. WSU was hapless in stopping the Bears’ three-pronged running attack, and were the first team to not sack Zach Maynard, the most sacked quarterback in the country.
The Cougars take on Stanford two weeks from now, in what should serve as a semi-bye week for the Cardinal. WSU’s best shot at a win this season will be against Utah on the third of November. Mark your calendars, it’s going to be a wild one.

— Michael Rosen

12. Colorado (1-5, 1-2)

Well, at least it was close at halftime. Colorado doesn’t have any legitimate shot at real victories for the rest of this season, so moral victories will have to suffice. The Buffaloes’ defense held tough against Arizona State last Thursday for the first 30 minutes, resulting in a 20-17 Sun Devil lead at halftime.
Then both teams remembered who they were, and ASU scored 31 straight points to finish the game. Sure, they might have let quarterback Taylor Kelly throw for five touchdowns and run for 67 yards, but the Buffaloes still get an E for effort.

— Connor Byrne

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