Some questions were answered this past weekend, but nothing definitive. USC, Arizona and ASU came out as the hot teams, but you’d be lying to yourself if you thought any of them were decisively better than their opponent. Let’s see where everyone stands this week:
1. USC (5-1, 2-1 Pac-10)
Last week: No. 1
The Trojans dominated Notre Dame for most of the game, and despite being outplayed in the fourth quarter they still came out on top in South Bend. Matt Barkley is getting better, and it certainly doesn’t hurt that his receiving corps is getting back to full strength.
2. Oregon (5-1, 3-0 Pac-10)
Last Week: No. 2
Can’t move the Ducks down for not playing. Two things to watch this weekend: 1) Will having a bye last Saturday cool down one of the hottest teams in the country? 2) Will quarterback Jeremiah Masoli be ready to go for this weekend’s trip to Washington? If he is, that is going to be an exciting football game.
3. Arizona (4-2, 2-1 Pac-10)
Last Week: No. 4
It was an extremely frustrating game for the Wildcats, but coming out with a win erases all negative feelings. Is anyone else wondering what happened to this defense? Once thought to be elite, the “”D”” has given up 27, 32, 36 and 38 points in its last four games. They have some extra time to fix things with Nick Foles churning out points with ease, though.
4. Stanford (4-3, 3-2 Pac-10)
Last Week: No. 3
That’s a tough loss for the Cardinal. Jim Harbaugh was basically speechless after the game, and who could blame him? Despite the loss, though, Stanford has a lot of good to take out of the game against Arizona, especially Andrew Luck. The freshman quarterback is going to be a superstar.
5. California (3-2, 1-2 Pac-10)
Last Week: No. 7
Is Cal back, or is the bottom half of the Pac-10 just a mess? Probably the latter, but it’s possible that the Bears are crawling back to the top. The bottom line is that with Jahvid Best in that backfield, Cal can beat any team on any day.
6. Oregon State (4-2, 2-1 Pac-10)
Last Week: No. 6
It must’ve been some kind of statewide holiday in Oregon since both schools had byes. The Beavers have been playing well and have playmakers on offense, but they have too many holes to be able to realistically beat USC this weekend.
7. Arizona State (4-2, 2-1 Pac-10) Last Week: No. 8
What luck, huh? The Sun Devils benefited from one of the worst blown coverages of the season to beat Washington, but the way they handled Jake Locker can’t be overlooked. The ASU defense is for real.
8. Washington (3-4, 2-2 Pac-10)
Last Week: No. 5
From national darling to a team that might not even make a bowl. The issue, to me at least, isn’t the loss but rather the behavior and performance of defensive coordinator Nick Holt. First, how can you have BOTH of your safeties let two players run downfield by themselves with seconds left in a tie game? And then after ripping into them on the sideline, you scream at the cameraman to get out of your face. Get over yourself, coach.
9. UCLA (3-3, 0-3 Pac-10)
Last Week: No. 9
As of right now, UCLA’s only claim to fame is that it’s the team that could potentially be the doormat that allowed Cal to roll and eventually get back to greatness. A date with Arizona comes up this week, and I think UCLA will become the team that first allowed Arizona to play a complete, dominating 60 minutes.
10. Washington State (1-5, 0-3 Pac-10) Last Week: No. 10
No game, no comment.