Upon Further Review do you know which UCLA team will show up?

UCLA 30, Cal 21

There is no more schizophrenic team in America than the Bruins. Take away losses to Utah and Notre Dame, this is a top five team. However, there's an equal likelihood they blow their undefeated conference record Saturday against pathetic Washington State. 

 

Stanford 21, Arizona 20

Mike Stoops, see ya later. Now 9-21 in Pac-10 play, he is all but assured a pink slip.

Oregon 55, Washington 34

The Ducks put on an offensive clinic, rushing for a school record 465 yards. The big question: can they duplicate fireworks against the Trojans stout front seven?

Full analysis of USC-ND, the biggest game of the Pac-10 season and the Cal Not-Ready-For-Prime-time Players coming later this week. 

Upon Further Review: What the hell is going on out here?

Oregon State 31, Cal 28

Twice in two weeks the Golden Bears seemed all but assured to become the nation's No. 1 team. First USC loses to Stanford and LSU trails Florida going into the game's final moments. Then the Tigers get beat by Kentucky, leaving Jeff Tedford's club needing only to finish off the Beavers to become reach heights unseen since 1951.

Unfortunately, nobody told quarterback Kevin Riley that all he had to do was "throw the fucking ball out of the endzone," to quote a text message I received shortly thereafter.

Now with ASU and USC ahead, Cal seems likely to continue its Rose Bowl drought, let alone play for the national championship.  

USC 20, Arizona 13

If grades were handed out for Football 101, redshirt sophomore Mark Sanchez would have received a solid C. He did a couple things well, but also threw two horrendous interceptions. 

He'll need to grade out much higher against Notre Dame to have any chance of starting in two weeks at Oregon, where the Trojans' dreams of winning the Pac-10 will live or die.  

  

Oregon 53, Washington State 7

Lost in USC's injury woes, the Ducks have lost WR Cameron Colvin and RB Jeremiah Johnson for the season. That helps the Trojans immensely given their weakness at corner, since Oregon's three receiver sets are now also diminished.

   

Arizona State 44, Washington 20

Another impressive second half win for the Sun Devils. However, facing the heart of the Pac-10 over the next month, they could end up anywhere from New Orleans to El Paso for the postseason. We'll know a lot more about Dennis Erickson's team shortly

TCU 38, Stanford 36

No surprise, as the Cardinal experience a let-down. The Trojans better hope that Stanford can beat up on the lower half of the conference and eek out a bowl bid. That would go a long way in keeping slim BCS title hopes alive in Los Angeles.

Upon Further Review was an outright winner

USC 27, Washington 24
The Trojans survived their Pac-10 road opener despite three turnovers and a staggering 16 penalties for 161 yards. The good news is that USC has lost these sort of games in the past (Cal 2003, Oregon State 2006) and managed to win on one of the most shocking college football Saturdays in recent memory. Defensively, they held UW to 190 yards of total offense and managed to contain quarterback Jake Locker well.
However, if the Trojans put forth such an undisciplined effort against Cal, Oregon or Arizona State, they will lose.
Injuries to center Kris O'Dowd, guard Chilo Rachal and corner Shareece Wright must also be monitored.

Cal 31, Oregon 24
For four weeks, Oregon had avoided the self-inflicted mistakes that caused its late season collapse a year ago.
Saturday four fourth quarter turnovers cost the Ducks a chance to control their own destiny in the Pac-10, to make a potential trip to New Orleans first go through raucous Autzen Stadium.
Instead, Cal will find itself in the top five come the release of the new polls. Justin Forsett delivered 101 yards rushing and a pair of touchdowns. DeSean Jackson reignited his Heisman campaign with 161 yards receivers and two scores of his own.
But it was Cal's defense that refused to buckle in the face of Oregon's fireworks (497 yards of total offense). Now they control their destiny, one that will be determined Nov. 10 when USC comes to Berkeley.

Arizona State 41, Stanford 3
Quietly Arizona State has developed into a force out West, as quarterback Rudy Carpenter (259 yards, 1 touchdown) and running back Ryan Torian (16 carries, 103 yards) have led an offense that has scored no less than 33 points this season.
A four week stretch in late October and early November (vs. Cal, at Oregon, at UCLA, vs. USC) could vault Dennis Erickson's team into the BCS.
There are still question marks about the ASU defense, but the win over Colorado now looks quiet impressive.

UCLA 40, Oregon State 14
Did quarterback Ben Olson turn the corner Saturday in Corvallis? It sure looked that way, especially after the game-breaking 69 yard catch-and-run by Brandon Breazell.
Conversely, Oregon State quarterback Sean Canfield continues to struggle and negated a strong effort by Yvenson Bernard (125 yards, 4.6 yards per carry).

Arizona 48, Washington State 20
The Wildcats have found a running back and his name is Nicholas Grigsby. The true freshman Grigsby rushed for 186 yards and caught 9 balls for 76 yards and a touchdown in what might be a possible return to the power run game that defined Stoops' early tenure in Tuscon.

Pac Ten Picks
Straight up (3-2 last week, 14-5 overall)
Against the spread (2-3 last week, 8-11 overall)
Best bets (2-1 last week, 4-5 overall)

First Impressions - gut reaction picks of next week's games
USC 47, Stanford 0
UCLA 24, Notre Dame 10
Arizona State 38, Washington State 17
Arizona 20, Oregon State 14

Upon Further Review Mike Stoops can start updating his resume

USC 47, Washington State 14
It was as if Norm Chow had returned to the Trojans coaching staff.
USC opened with a series of easy throws, most of them swing passes to wide receivers allowing to physically manhandle the smaller WSU corners. Then quarterback John David Booty hit tight end Fred Davis for a 6 yard touchdown, finishing the drive with 79 passing yards on 10 of 11 attempts.
Mismatches were exploited expertly by offensive coordinator Steve Sarkisian, as the Trojans accounted for 302 yards through the air and another 207 rushing.
A viable argument can be made that the play calling of Sarkisian's predecessor, current Oakland Raiders coach Lane Kiffin, cost USC the last two national championships.
With Sark running the offense, that shouldn't be an excuse this season.

Cal 45, Arizona 27
Golden Bears quarterback Nate Longshore will again be the difference between a BCS bowl and the Holiday Bowl for Cal.
Longshore struggled again against the Wildcats, completing just 16 of 30 passes for 235 yards with 1 touchdown and 1 interception in his third straight weak effort.
Obviously wide receiver DeSean Jackson's sprained thumb is affecting the passing game (3 receptions for 39 yards), but Longshore must improve to meet this season's lofty goals.
The margin for error will be tested this Saturday with a trip to Autzen Stadium.

Oregon 55, Stanford 31
Oregon's biggest fear became a reality Saturday in Palo Alto. The Ducks lost three fumbles, allowing the Cardinal to take a 31-21 lead late in the second quarter.
Unlike last season's turnover-fueled late season collapse however, Oregon rallied to score the final 24 points of the game. Quarterback Dennis Dixon continued his strong play with 382 total yards and 5 scores.
With a win over Cal this Saturday, this team can be considered the legitimate challenger to USC - whom they host Oct. 27 - for the Pac-10 title.

UCLA 44, Washington 31
The good news? The Bruins rallied one week after the Utah debacle for the win.
The bad? Quarterback Pat Cowan suffered a knee injury against the Huskies that may cost him the remainder of this season.
Unless Ben Olson - named the starter against the Beavers - can respond, UCLA might have just delayed the inevitable for a week.

Arizona State 44, Oregon State 32
Another gut check game as the Sun Devils rallied from a 19-0 deficit. The defense had five interceptions and quarterback Rudy Carpenter threw for four touchdowns, allowing ASU to return to the top 25.

Pac Ten Picks
Straight up (5-0 last week, 11-3 overall)
Against the spread (3-2 last week, 6-8 overall)
Best bets (1-2 last week, 2-4 overall)

Storylines - what to watch for next week
USC is now dangerously thin at corner after Cary Harris dislocated his shoulder; The Trojans already started moving around defensive backs in response. ... Cardinal offensive tackle Allen Smith suffered a leg injury and his status is as yet unknown. ... WSU punter Reid Forrest replaced Darryl Blunt after a mishandled snap and could start against Arizona. ... PJ Irvin started, but Micah Reed also played in place of injured UCLA guard Shannon Tevaga. ... Oregon State is last in the Pac-10 in turnover margin.

First Impressions - gut reaction picks of next week's games
Cal 28, Oregon 24
USC 42, Washington 24
Arizona State 31, Stanford 14
Washington State 34, Arizona 28
Oregon State 27, UCLA 20

Upon Further Review Hates Wednesday

USC looked very good. UCLA looked incredibly bad. Beyond that, the Pac-10 remains a work in progress.

Quarterback play, usually the key factor in determining the conference race, has been shaky so far.

USC's John David Booty hasn't been asked to do much, while Cal seems to be winning in spite of Nate Longshore. Ben Olson was horrendous for UCLA and now will be benched for what has been nebulously labeled 'headaches.'

Based on the first three weeks of 2007, previously erratic Dennis Dixon has been the top performer. However, can he maintain his turnover-free play against tougher defenses?

In short - much like the NFL - the way things look this week might not be how they are the next.

The Ten - a weekly power poll (previous ranking)

1. USC (1)

2. Cal (2)

3. Oregon (4)

4. Arizona State (6)

5. Washington State (7)

6. Washington (5)

7. UCLA (3)

8. Oregon State (8)

9. Stanford (10)

10. Arizona (9)

Upon Further Review: Sept. 8, 2007

After two weeks, the best team in the Pac-10 is … Washington?

In a conference where everyone keeps showing weakness, the Huskies have rolled up two impressive wins by running the football and stopping the run.

Redshirt freshman quarterback Jake Locker (61 percent completions, 6.64 yards per carry) has shown incredible poise, especially in dealing with the tremendous expectations placed upon him.

Louis Rankin is helping him out (84 yards, 2 touchdowns against Boise State) along with a defense that has shown more presence than more touted units like Arizona and UCLA.

And, oh by the way, it turns out that Ty Willingham can coach and recruit a little (66 points in two games against 13 for the Irish).

Add it all up and this could be the surprise team in all of college football.

UCLA 27, BYU 17

The Bruins surrendered 391 passing yards this week, after giving up 331 to Stanford last Saturday.

So, what’s the problem?

They did so against teams that absolutely, positively could not mount an effective rushing attack.

What happens when UCLA faces Cal or Oregon or Arizona State, all capable of spreading them out with multiple receivers and still present a credible tailback?

Karl Dorrell has two weeks to get ready for UW, then another month until hosting the Golden Bears at the Rose Bowl.

If it’s still a problem by Oct. 20, any hopes of a dream season and BCS bid will be for naught.

Cal 34, Colorado State 28

DeSean Jackson continues to impress. Ditto for true freshman Jahvid Best.

However, like last season when QB Nate Longshore struggled in key games (5.44 yards per attempt in losses to Tennessee, Arizona and USC), the Rams limited the Bears to a long pass play of only 25 yards.

Take away the deep ball and this is a completely different offense, one that can’t protect a defense still trying to develop its identity.

Arizona State 33, Colorado 14

Did Dirk Koetter install the game plan this week?

The Sun Devils committed 12 penalties for 136 yards, had three turnovers and looked lethargic and out of shape.

Fortunately, the Buffs slowed down and Rudy Carpenter showed great touch in the second half.

If ASU can harness a four quarter effort, they are still more than capable of vaulting into the upper echelon of the conference.

Oregon 39, Michigan 7

Who are you and what have you done with the real Dennis Dixon?

Remember, the guy who threw killer interceptions and lost his composure late last season.

Well it looks like hitting the Mendoza line in minor league ball sent him away.

Dixon has not thrown a pick or lost a fumble in consecutive starts, the only two times in his Ducks career he has done so.

If he can continue to do so, Oregon will determine the conference champion (host Cal and USC at Autzen Stadium).

Maybe even for themselves.

Washington State 45, San Diego State 17

Ho.

Arizona 45, Northern Arizona 23

Hum.

Cincinnati 34, Oregon State 3

Yeesh.

The Ten – a weekly power poll

1. USC

2. Cal

3. UCLA

4. Oregon

5. Washington

6. Arizona State

7. Washington State

8. Oregon State

9. Arizona

10. Stanford