This one won't be as in depth as two weeks ago, but with the impending #1 Oregon/UCLA matchup, I can't help but laying a few things out on the table. First, my rankings:
1. Oregon- Until they lose, I dare you to argue with me.
2. Stanford- They showed kinks in their armor against Oregon and USC, but I still believe that they are an extremely physical, well coached, Harbaugh team. I would put money down saying they will play in the Rose Bowl this year if Oregon goes undefeated despite the Pac-10 spot going to an at-large bid. This is just a good football team.
3. USC- As much as it pains me to say it, Lane Kiffin got his kids going. I don't think anyone can stop talking about true freshman WR Robert Woods (for good reason) and I just wanted to point out the fact that I mentioned him in the previous heat check- no big. Woods beside, 'SC has done an excellent job on the offensive side of the ball and if they get their defense organized (i.e. move Chris Galippo to OLB officially), they could be in contention for a solid bowl appearance this year. Oh wait...
4. Arizona- The loss of Nick Foles might be to much to handle, hence me dropping them in the rankings. The defense is still doing a superb job, holding a respectable Wazzu offense to only seven points. But the big question will be whether they can keep making beautiful music as a team without their conductor. The upcoming Washington and UCLA games will not be easy and the circled Stanford game will be the defining moment in their season. I still think they can win eight games, but my confidence is definitely shaken without the presence of Foles.
5. Oregon State- I swear this is a good team. They have the players on both sides of the ball and the coaching staff to bring out their best, but they just can't seem to come out and be the team they should be. QB Ryan Katz has done an excellent job this season running the offense and while the loss of James Rodgers hurts, there is still enough ammo between Katz, Jaquizz and that solid Beaver offensive line to remain in the top half of the Pac-10.
6. Arizona State- I'm as surprised as anyone else in the nation, but the Sun Devils are a completely respectable team. Dennis Erickson has taken this team from the cellar of the Pac-10 to being one of the biggest surprises of the year. Despite having just a 3-3 record, their three loses came in close games against Wisconsin (who just knocked off former #1 Ohio State), current #1 Oregon and Oregon State while also taking out Washington in Seattle.
7. California- If I could give any sort of insight on Cal, I would give it to you, but I just have no idea what is going on with this team. Shane Vareen is the only consistently good player on this team and although Defensive Coordinator Clancy Pendergast has this team going in the right direction defensively, the Bears straight up got their pants pulled down by Matt Barkley and the USC offense. As of now, I guess I would call them a fringe bowl team, but if they get their act together, they could easily be in the top half of the Pac-10, but at the same time, if they play like they did against 'SC, they will be one of the worst three teams in the conference.
8. UCLA- As I said last time, the Texas game was not a fluke, BUUUUT, there is no way they are going to play that well again. For some reason, the Bruins have a slight sense of entitlement that has led to an apathetic performance on the field which, in combination with some questionably bland defensive play-calling (especially on the defensive side of the ball) led to the complete beating that was the Cal game. If UCLA doesn't come out every week respecting their opponents, they will be destined for a VERY subpar season and a possible shake-up in the coaching staff.
9. Washington- First, they beat USC at 'SC, then they lost pretty handily at home to ASU. That's no knock on either USC or ASU but UW just hasn't shown that they are consistently very good team, especially on defense (I'm starting to get a feel that consistency is a problem in the Pac-10...). They gave up 387 yards to a mediocre Sun Devil offense including 288 through the air. The only reason why I rate UW below UCLA is because I personally believe that UCLA has a better defense than UW and when UCLA goes to Seattle, I will put my money on the Bruins.
10. Washington State- I root for the cougs on a pretty consistent basis. There's something about Paul Wulff that I just feel bad for. I think he's a good coach with just not enough talent on his team and not enough interest in living in Pullman to get elite recruits. I do believe that Jeff Tuel will be one of the top Pac-10 QB's by the end of his career and Washington State will be a respectable team in the conference, but once again, this is not the year.
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