by | October 11, 2013 · 3:20 pm

Ranking The Mascots – Who’s Going To Be Your Friend?

It’s been a few weeks since we’ve talked about mascots.  I’m sorry about that because writing 1,500-2,000 word posts about mascots is worth everyone’s time.

Now that we’ve moved into conference play, it is time to name a category and then rank the Pac-12 mascots in that category.  That brings us to what the opening category of the 2013 football season should be.  Javelin throwing?  Nah.  Carpentry?  I don’t think so.

If you have read my mascot posts before you know that I value intimidation when determining how awesome a mascot is.  But, that shouldn’t be the end all.  Having a mascot that’s endearing has some value, as well.  If you can strike 70/30 intimidation to endearment ratio then you’ve nailed it.  Anyway, today’s mascot rankings are based on how well the mascot would be your friend.  Seems simple enough.  Let’s get this started!

12.  Arizona State Sun Devils – Well, this is about as obvious as can be.  Usually I have to make up fake excuses why the Devil shouldn’t win these contests every week (try to forget I said that by next week) but this week they easily finish last.  It’s hard to think of anything less friendly than the devil.  There probably isn’t anything.  You lose!

11.  Oregon Ducks – What can a duck do for you.  All they do is float around, eat your bread, and make an annoying sound.  Of course, they won’t really hurt you either which is the only reason they finish above the devil.  At least the devil will give you short-term benefits for your soul.  The duck gives no benefit it just doesn’t ruin your life.  Donald Duck is kind of funny.

10. 9.  Washington State Cougars – I do like the Cougar mascot but it doesn’t bode well for them here.  Cougars are hardly ever seen as friendly and wouldn’t make a great pet.  The odds of catching and training a Cougar are pretty low in my opinion.  They would be very helpful hunters if you did though.  Credit where credit is due.

9. 8.  Stanford Cardinal – This is about as far as a tree has ever made it in these rankings.  The truth is, a tree isn’t the worst company.  Sometimes they give us nice snacks.  They give us nice shade on a hot day or a little bit of cover in the rain.  They always provide a place to lean and rest our legs.  That is all pretty nice and I’d rate them higher if they weren’t a tree.  I mean, seriously?  Your mascot is a tree?  Trees can have benefits but in the end they just turn into dead leaves and some wood.

7. 6.  Cal Golden Bears and UCLA Bruins (tie) – I know what you’re thinking.  “You have a cougar back in the rankings because of its ferocity but you have bears 3 places ahead?”  Fair point.  Counter points: Have you seen those Coke commercials with the cute polar bears?  Have you ever seen the movie Brave where the bear is really the mother of the main character and their relationship is much better once she’s turned into a bear?  Have you ever heard the term ‘bear hug’?  What about the bears in Anchorman who let the news team live once they’ve had a thoughtful debate with Baxter (the dog)?  There are many examples of bears overcoming their natural angry instincts and being the cozy, cuddly creature that we’d like them to be.  Because of that they finish 7th.

6.  10.  Arizona Wildcats – Wildcats are essentially house cats that aren’t tamed and live in the wild.  Can you think of anything that’s more annoying than that?  Stop biting my ankles you dumb cat!  I changed my mind, move these dumb things to number 10 and move everything else up a spot.

5.  USC Trojans – Trojans are actual humans so that shot them up the list pretty easily.  But from what we know about Trojans, they killed a lot of people.  I don’t have a lot of trust there.  Of course, conversation is a nice thing to have and that’s why USC is up at number 5 and not lower.

4.  Colorado Buffaloes – I don’t really know why…

3.  Oregon State Beavers – Beavers have given us something that we have really put to use, dams!  That’s important!  Thanks Beavers!  Also, I was walking by a river once and a beaver was just hanging out there.  He let me get pretty close to him and take his picture.  He seemed nice and since I’ve always had a nice relationship with those furry friends.

2.  Utah Utes – I don’t know much about the Utes history even after extensive Wikipedia research.  They finish 3 spots above the other humans because they aren’t known for wars and killing a bunch of people by using a fake wooden horse.  The Utes must have been fine people and are well-respected in Utah.  Conversation is a nice thing to have and the Utes could probably supply some form of that.

1.  Washington Huskies – I have to admit as Mascot Rankings Commissioner that I picked a category that the Huskies would win this week.  I apologize but it seemed fitting during ‘Duck Week’.  Dogs are man’s best friend.  They are loyal, happy, and somewhat helpful.  It’s just hard to beat a dog.

A good dawg.

A good dawg.

Andrew

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by | October 10, 2013 · 4:31 pm

Pac-12 Picks – Week 7

Things are heating up for the Good Guys.  We had a round-table post up this morning and Matthew’s weekly power rankings.  Following this post we’ll have a mascot post and our Husky predictions tomorrow.  In other words, catch up on your reading and stay tuned!  The truth is, I have to write some stuff to keep my head off finding a person in green and yellow and yelling at them (self note: remind wife to not wear green or yellow in the next few days).

I’ll keep this pretty short since there is a Pac-12 game in 2 hours.  This is the first week where all of the Pac-12 teams play so that’s exciting.  Mo’ football = No Mo’ problems.  Sorry about that.  There is a few interesting games outside of the marquee match-up of UW-Oregon (Ducks suck).  Arizona-USC, which is tonight, will knock a team completely out of the South division race and will go a long ways in to deciding bowl order.  Stanford-Utah is interesting because no one can decide exactly how good Stanford or Utah is (people seem to forget that Utah lost to Oregon State at home and Stanford beat two ranked teams).  Oregon State-WSU is a nice match-up that should produce a lot of entertainment and points.  So, there are no shortage of interesting picks this week.  Here we go!

Arizona vs. USC – Thursday 7:30 P.M.
The Good Guys:  USC

Stanford vs. Utah – Saturday 3:00 P.M.
The Good Guys:  Stanford

Colorado vs. ASU – 7:00 P.M.
The Good Guys:  ASU

Cal vs. UCLA – 7:30 P.M.
The Good Guys:  UCLA

OSU vs. WSU – 7:30 P.M.
The Good Guys:  OSU

I can’t believe we all picked the same teams.  It seemed like there might be a chance for some separation in the pick ’em standings this week.  No such luck.  Here are the standings:

Andrew 38-7 (.844)
Dan 38-7 (.844)
Joe 37-8 (.822)
Matthew 37-8 (.822)
Tyler (Commenter) 21-6 (.778)

Go Dawgs!

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by | October 10, 2013 · 11:12 am

A Q&A At A Square Table

After last weekend’s heartbreaking affairs, the Good Guys felt it was time to gather together and face the hard questions.  Okay, they aren’t really hard questions but there are some answers to a few questions.  Enjoy everybody!

After Saturday’s game, do you think Stanford is a top-5 team?  Does that mean the Huskies are a top-10 team based on their performance?

Dan:  I’m not sure if Stanford is a top 5 team because the offense and defense both seem good but not great. Top 5 teams have an elite “something” and I don’t see it’d on Stanford. I think both UW and Stanford are in the 7-10 range. Look, if your only loss is by 3 points on the road to the #5 team, and you outplay them in nearly all facets, you belong in the top 10.

Joe:  I agree with Dan that Stanford is a top 10 team, and that UW could be a top 10.  The problem I have is Stanford hasn’t been tested on the road yet, with two home games vs ranked teams, and in both cases, ASU and UW moved the ball just fine on their defense, out gaining Stanford in both games.  But I understand a win is a win, so I’ll let that sleeping dog lie.  I think Stanford is a very good football team, very well-disciplined, they just don’t beat themselves, and that’s why they are undefeated right now.
Matthew: I think Stanford is capable of beating anyone in the country, but I don’t think they’re good enough to go undefeated and win the championship.  I don’t know if that puts them in the top five or not, but I imagine they’ll hang in that range most of the year.  I see them losing to Oregon and maybe one more team. I would have the Huskies in the 10-15 range right now.  If they keep playing like they have been, however, I don’t see them losing many more games.  They could easily be a a top 10 team, and I think they’re playing like it right now.  It’s just a matter of keeping it up.
Andrew:  It appears that I’m in the minority here but I do believe Stanford is a top-5 team.  Outside of Alabama, I’m not sure that anyone has a better resume than Stanford right now.  I think their front 7 is elite and is probably the best in the country.  As for the Huskies, they really do look like a top-10 team to me.  I think they can play with anyone because of the weapons on their team and because of the growth on the coaching staff.  This weekend will go a long ways in showing whether the Huskies are or not.
What was your favorite play from Saturday’s game?

Dan:  I thought the 3rd and 1 stop with 2 mins left was amazing. Peters was off-balance and Hogan appeared to have an easy path to getting a yard or 2 outside, but Marcus recovered and made a phenomenal play that only elite D’s pull off.

Joe:  Any play that involved Bishop Sankey doing something awesome, and then seeing Grandpa Sankey go nuts.
Matthew: I’ll second both of those.  Grandpa Sankey was great, but that third down stop by Peters was incredible.  I’ve been raving about it ever since.  It came out of the same formation as Stanford scored (I think) their last touchdown: 8 lineman, shotgun, two backs beside the quarterback.  It’s very symmetrical and looks like a goal line offense.  Because of that, UW got sucked into the middle on the touchdown, and Tyler Gaffney was untouched going off-tackle to the right.  There are so many different plays that can be run out of that alignment. They can hand off either direction, go right up the gut, slip the tight end or a back out for a pass.  This time Hogan kept it, Peters mostly stayed home and then closed and made a difficult tackle.  Given the circumstances and level of difficulty, that was one of the better defensive plays we’ll see all year.
Andrew:  I can’t disagree with the Peters play.  It would have been my favorite UW play, maybe ever, if the Dawgs had pulled the game out.

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by | October 9, 2013 · 5:45 pm

Running with the Pac: Week 6

These are rankings of who had the best week last week.  They are not overall power rankings.  Teams who didn’t play are generally left out.

1. Stanford Cardinal beat UW 31-28

Stanford didn’t always look like the best team on the field, but they never trailed against a ranked opponent.  Stanford looked like they will be the physically dominant team on the field all year, but their offense again looked questionable.  It could be Washington’s defense is just that good, though.

2. Oregon Ducks beat Colorado 57-16

These rankings are hard this week.  Oregon again beat an outmanned opponent, but I’m going to give them credit, because every opponent they play is outmanned.  It will be fun to see them against a quality team this week.  I’m just hoping it’s not too fun for Duck fans.

3. WSU Cougars beat Cal 44-22

Cal is really bad right now, but WSU dominated them on the road and threw for over 500 yards.  This win might not say a lot, but it does say that the Cougars have gone from the team everyone beats easily to the team that can beat the team everyone beats easily. Progress!

4. UW Huskies lost to Stanford 31-28

I might be a bit biased on this, but UW showed they belong. They hung with, and largely outplayed, a top five team on the road, despitely completing failing in one whole area of the game.  The Huskies have areas to work on, but they are at the point where they have excellent talent consistently playing at a high level.  That’s more than most teams can say.

5. UCLA Bruins beat Utah 34-27

UCLA got the road win over a solid Utah squad, but they didn’t look great doing it.  A road win’s always tough to get, so we’ll give them a break, but I’m less scared of UCLA now than I was before this game.

6. Utah Utes lost to UCLA 34-27

Utah is much improved this season thanks to their offense, but they’re still not better than middle of the Pac.  They need to start winning some of these close conference games before I can take them too seriously.

7. Colorado Buffaloes lost to Oregon 57-16

This is about what everyone expected.  Colorado is still bad.  At least they managed a few points early.

8. ASU Sun Devils lost to Notre Dame 37-34

ASU let a chance at a big win slip through their fingers, just like they almost did against Wisconsin.  ASU has a lot of talent, but consistency and spotty defense are holding them back.

9. California Golden Bears lost to WSU 44-22

Cal’s season is spiraling swiftly downward.  Their defense is terrible, they’re swamped in injuries and there’s no running game.  No matter how bad you are, you don’t want WSU to blow you out at home.  Cal isn’t going to win many (any?) more games this season, but they need to at least show a few signs of life to give them something to build on.

-Matthew

 

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by | October 5, 2013 · 10:41 am

UW vs. Stanford Predictions

I don’t have much time, so I’ll be short on the intro here.  I just want to point out that today it is absolutely perfect in the Seattle area.  It’s supposed to be sunny and in the 60s, with a sky as blue as UCLA’s jerseys.  Anyone remember last Saturday?  That time when the the Huskies played Arizona, with a bunch of high level recruits in the stands and rain seemingly defying the laws of gravity to blow up under people’s ponchoes and raincoats.  What a difference a week makes.  Come on nature!  Figure it out!  One rain game a year is enough.  I like football in the cold, but here’s to a night next week, with Oregon in town, that’s as clear and as crisp as this morning has been.  Here’s the picks.

Dan

How big would a Huskies win at Stanford be? Consider this. If UW pulls off the upset, they will likely jump to about 10th in the nation, and would host college gameday next week for a matchup vs. #2 Oregon. That would be monumental. If UW could do the unthinkable and win their next 3, at Stanford, vs Oregon, at ASU, the Dawgs would likely be ranked 1 or 2 in the country. Now, the odds are slim, but how many teams in America can think about winning 3 games to jump into the top 3 in the nation? This really is a cool opportunity awaiting the Huskies.

As for tomorrow’s game, I think Washington goes down and knocks off Stanford…once or twice if they played 10 times. Stanford is really good on both sides of the ball, and they will want to avenge the loss they suffered last year in Seattle. The Huskies are good too, maybe even great, but this feels like UW is walking into a buzzsaw. The Cardinal are ranked #5 in the country, and the Huskies last road win at a top 5 team came at Wazzu in 2002. There is reason to think UW’s speed and up tempo offense might give Stanford trouble, but it will take a near flawless game to do the unthinkable. A win would put the Huskies among college football’s elite, but I just don’t see it happening.

Cardinal  35 – Huskies 17

Matthew

I would love to pick the Huskies in this one, but I just can’t quite do it.  I think they are quite capable of pulling out a victory.  If it were in Seattle, I might even call for the upset.  In Palo Alto, against a surging Stanford team, I just can’t quite do it.  Stanford is big, physical and disciplined.  Although they’re creative in their schemes, they don’t feel like they’re trying to pull anything over on you.  They just play like they’re better and smarter than every other team.  Their emerging passing attack is the missing link for them, although I’m still not convinced it’s as good as it’s looked the last couple of weeks.  This is as tough as winnable games get.  The fact that it’s eminently winnable is a testament to how much the Huskies have improved.  I see three keys here (I’ve learned that these always come in threes): 1. The UW defense has to make the Stanford offense relatively one-dimensional. 2. The offensive line has to give Keith Price enough time to react and not feel nervous and constantly overwhelmed.  3. Price has to have a phenomenal day and the receivers have to get open and make at least one guy miss each play.  They can do those things, but it will be a tall order.  I see a close game, but I think the Huskies trail and ultimately lose for the first time this season.

Stanford 27 – UW 20

Andrew

Leading up to each Husky game, my brain goes through several stages in analyzing the game.  First, I assess how the Dawgs did the previous week.  Then, I move on to the opponent, what they did the previous week, and their whole season.  Next, I move on to the keys for the Huskies to win and their chances of winning.  After that, I do the same for the opponent.  These stages flip-flop until I come up with who I think will win.  Then, it ends in me being incredibly nervous and excited come game time.  These stages take different amount of time each week.  Let me take you through this weeks stages in abbreviated form.

1.  The Huskies played a great game last week.  Danny Shelton may have had his best game as a Husky and the defense carried the Dawgs until the conditions allowed for the offense to get rolling (yes, the conditions were that bad).
2.  Stanford had their most dominating win of the season, pulverizing WSU.  They have come on strong in the last two weeks and they look to be worthy of the lofty ranking they have.  Personally, I’d have them at number two in the country right now.  I think their front 7 on defense is the best in the nation and their offense is getting stronger every week.
3.  The Huskies could win this game.  They have superior statistics to Stanford in almost every facet of the game and have probably played a tougher schedule so far.  The key for the Huskies to win while on defense is making sure their corners (Peters and Ducre) don’t allow any big plays in pass.  They need to be left out on an island in order for the safeties to help with the run and can’t be beat while being out there.  Stopping the run is obviously huge and the front 7 need to be as stout as ever.
On offense it’s a little trickier, I think the Huskies need to stay true to who they are.  Run the ball even when it’s not working, use your speed in the passing game and take a shot or two to keep the defense honest.  Speed is where the Huskies have the edge on this side of the ball and they need to find ways to take advantage of that.
4.  Stanford, frankly, has a great chance of winning this game.  They just have more experience in this type of game and are incredibly physical.

So, all in all, I think I will go with Stanford.  To win, the Huskies need to play their best road game in… a decade? Two decades?  They are more than capable of that but I don’t know if they will.  Intensity and readiness shouldn’t be a problem.  I just think Stanford has too much going for them this week.  I hope I’m wrong and the Huskies get their biggest win since 2000.  Go Dawgs!

Stanford 28 – UW 24

Joe

Washington comes into this week starting the “October Gauntlet” of Stanford, Oregon and ASU three weeks in a row.  Thankfully, UW is 4-0, so their margin of error is not razor thin, but it’s close.  Many fans would take a 1-2 record with a win over Oregon.  I say 2-1 is acceptable.  The one loss?  Unfortunately, it will come Saturday night on The Farm.  I think Stanford is a legit national title contender, and I think they show it vs UW.  I don’t think this game is as much about how good or bad UW plays, but a show case for how good Stanford is.  The Cardinal don’t ever beat themselves, play tight, tough defense, and with Hogan at QB are able to throw the ball down field.  In order for UW to win, the Huskies will need to play flawless and hope Stanford is sloppy.  Any scenario with UW turning the ball over or committing penalties will result in a blow out.  I do think UW will play well, I think Sankey will get his yards, but I don’t see UW overcoming Stanford’s discipline and skill.  The game will be close and well played, but the Cardinal win.

Stanford 30 – UW 20

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by | October 4, 2013 · 12:49 pm

Pac-12 Picks – Week 6

Hey there, Good Guys readers!  I’m late on these picks but I promise that we all submitted our picks before UCLA won last night.  I had planned to put up more posts this week but it turned into a really weird week and I didn’t get around to it.  I may still put up a thing or two before the Husky game tomorrow night but for now I’m going with the picks.  Just the picks!

There are a few interesting games in the conference this week, namely UW-Stanford.  The byes have set up a little bit weird this year.  There hasn’t been a week where every single conference team plays on the same day.  I believe that changes next week but I’m not positive.  Maybe that is normal but it has made the schedule feel a little bit disjointed to me.

I’m fairly sure that last paragraph made next to no sense so here are the picks.

UCLA vs. Utah – This game already happened and UCLA won.  Barely.
The Good Guys:  UCLA (I promise we all made this pick before the game)

WSU vs. Cal – 1 P.M.
Andrew, Joe: Cal
Dan, Matthew: WSU

Oregon vs. Colorado – 3 P.M.
The Good Guys:  Oregon

Arizona State vs. Notre Dame – 4:30 P.M.
Andrew, Dan, Matthew:  ASU
Joe:  Notre Dame

Current standings:

Andrew 35-5  (.875)
Dan 34-6  (.850)
Joe 33-7  (.825)
Matthew 33-7  (.825)
Tyler (Commenter)  18-4  (.818)

FOOOOOOTBAAAALLLLLL!!

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by | October 3, 2013 · 7:42 pm

Pac-12 Power Rankings

Most of the Pac-12 is a third of the way through their season, so this seems like a good time to do an overall power ranking for the conference.  These are based largely on results thus far, both in record and how the teams have played.  In at least one case, off-field issues will factor in as well (guess who!).  And I’ll admit that I forgot UCLA and Utah are playing tonight, so I might be somewhat influenced by UCLA’s mediocre defensive showing thus far.  Alright, here we go.

1. Oregon Ducks

I don’t know if the Ducks are as good as last season, or if they’re better than Stanford.  I could certainly see them losing this year.  But to my mind, they’ve earned the benefit of the doubt.  They play with such precision and relentlessness that it’s hard to see them ever falling off.  My dislike for the Ducks is as strong as ever, but they deserve a great deal of respect for their execution on the field.

2. Stanford Cardinal

As I wrote yesterday, I was a bit skeptical of Stanford to start the year, and that remains to some degree.  They’ve looked dominant the last couple of weeks though.  The defense is just as good as last year, and the offense is more balanced and explosive.  They don’t scare me as much as Oregon does, but they’re still a talented and intimidating team.

3. Washington Huskies

UW and UCLA are pretty interchangeable, but I think UW’s resume is slightly better, and they seem like the more well-rounded team.  I could be swayed to flip the two, though.

4. UCLA Bruins

UCLA has won their games handily and overcome the tragic death of one of their players to notch a win at Nebraska.  The Bruins look like a huge favorite to win the south at this point.  Their pass defense might be their undoing, relatively speaking.

5. Arizona State Sun Devils

ASU has one loss, to Stanford.  Their defense has struggled this season, but the offense is explosive, if slightly inconsistent.  I think they’re a clear step down from UCLA, but they have plenty of firepower to beat anyone on their schedule.

6. Oregon State Beavers

The Beavers have rallied from the conference’s worst loss (EWU) to win four straight.  Their defense is a major weak spot, but the offense, especially the passing game, is rolling at a ridiculous rate.  Sean Mannion is making Mike Riley look crazy for considering starting Cody Vaz instead, and Brandin Cooks is having the best season for any WR in the conference, and maybe the country.  I think they’ll struggle against better teams, but for now, they’ve done everything they can to get back into the race.

7. Arizona Wildcats

If Arizona could magically find a passing game, they could make some noise.  As it is, they’re going to have to rely on a decent defense and a very solid rushing attack.  That’ll be enough against the bottom of the conference, but they’ll struggle with the six teams above them.

8. Utah Utes

Utah’s offense has been a huge surprise thus far.  Credit the improved play of QB Travis Wilson and the addition of Dennis Erickson.  Watching them, it’s clear they still lack the athleticism, especially on defense, to consistently be competitive with the top of the conference.  Unfortunately for them, they don’t have any special strengths to make up for those deficiencies.

9. WSU Cougars

These bottom four are vastly different but somewhat interchangeable. The Cougars are improved on defense, but not enough to cover for an offense that is surprisingly ineffective.  WSU is making progress, but the path back from the pit they were in is a long and bumpy one.  Trust me, Husky fans know this all too well.

10. California Golden Bears

Cal has faced one of the country’s toughest schedules, with expected results.  At least they can blame it on youth and coaching change.  The passing attack has been mostly excellent, but the defense has been porous at best.  They have some talent there, so maybe they’ll make a bit of a turn-around.  I doubt it.

11. USC Trojans

All things considered, USC has had the worst season by far, but I don’t think they’re actually the worst team.  I’m sure everyone has heard plenty about the Trojans, so I’ll spare you the recap.  I’m curious to see where their season goes from here.  I could see them rallying and making a bowl game, or they might fall apart even further.

12. Colorado Buffaloes

The Buffs are much better than last season, but that’s not saying a lot.  They could very well lose the rest of their games, but I bet they’ll pull out a win or two.  The bottom of the conference is much improved, but it’s still a long way from the top.

-Matthew

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by | October 2, 2013 · 11:59 am

Running with the Pac: Week 5

And we’re back with our rankings of who had the best week in the Pac-12. Remember, these aren’t overall power rankings for the season (those will come in a day or two).  They are just rankings of which teams had the best games and weeks.  Teams on a bye are left off unless something happens to warrant inclusion.

1. Stanford Cardinal beat WSU 55-17

I had doubts about the Cardinal before the season, and their first few weeks didn’t do a lot to quell them.  An offense already short on playmakers lost two excellent tight ends and a star running back.  A defense supposed to be among the best in the country looked a bit lackluster for the first couple of games as well.  Stanford has changed course in a hurry.  The defense pounded WSU, knocking Connor Halliday out of the game, and the offense has added a vertical passing dimension it hasn’t had in a while.  I’m still not a complete believer in Stanford, but they look like a completely different offense from the one the Huskies beat last year.

2. Arizona State Sun Devils beat USC 62-41

ASU badly needed a win to maintain any shot at challenging UCLA in the south, and they got it in unexpected fashion.  Everyone knows about USC’s offensive woes, but their defense had been excellent.  ASU showed all of their offensive weapons in an explosion that cost Lane Kiffin his job.  Giving up 41 is concerning, but the win is still big.

3. UW Huskies beat Arizona 31-13

It’s unclear how good the Huskies opponents have been, which makes it tough to know how the Huskies are.  Or maybe it’s the other way around.  Either way, the Huskies handled what looked like a solid but limited Arizona squad.  It wasn’t pretty, and it wasn’t the blowout Dawg fans were hoping for, but I think that had as much to do with the first half monsoon as with anything the Huskies did.  There was a point where both teams seemed to give up on doing anything more than handing off, and that was a bigger detriment to UW than Arizona.  The defense was stingy all day, and the offense exerted its will most of the game.  It’s a big win for the Huskies, but it didn’t provide as much clarity on the Huskies ability as I’d hoped.  That’ll come soon.

4. OSU Beavers beat Colorado 44-17

After their well-documented slow start, the Beavers are rallying.  They haven’t beat anyone of consequence, but they’ve done what’s necessary to get their season back on track.  I still think their defense will keep them out of the top half of the division, but the offense is as dangerous as any.  Sean Mannion to Brandin Cooks is maybe the top duo in the country.

5. Oregon Ducks beat Cal 55-16

Oregon demolished another poor opponent.  The main reason they’re at the bottom of the winning teams is De’Anthony Thomas’s injury.  It doesn’t sound serious, but he’s likely out this weekend, and hopefully (for the Huskies) the one after.

6. Arizona Wildcats lost to UW 31-13

No one had a “good loss” this week, but Arizona’s wasn’t terrible: on the road, to a ranked opponent, competitive.  As I said, the weather made it hard to glean a lot from that game, but Arizona has a solid defense and an excellent running back.  Quarterback is what’s going to hold them down.  BJ Denker gave no indication he can be any passing threat whatsoever.  The Cats can beat the bad teams, but they’re going to struggle greatly against good defenses until they find a semblance of a passing game.

7. Colorado Buffaloes lost to OSU 44-17

The next three are all pretty interchangeable, but we’ll give the Buffs the top spot because we had low expectations of them and they didn’t suffer any notable injuries or embarrassments that I’m aware of.  The loss did show how far Colorado still has to go before they’ll be competitive.

8. California Golden Bears lost to Oregon 55-16

No one expected Cal to keep this close, but I thought they’d put up a few more points, or at least yards.  They now have a bit of a quarterback controversy as well, for reasons unclear to me.  They switched mid-game from starter Jared Goff to give Zach Kline some snaps.  Maybe it was just to protect the less mobile Goff, but if they were expecting more from a true freshman against Oregon, they’re crazy.  Goff was good enough before Saturday to justify the surprising decision to go with him to start the season, and to change now seems strange to me.  I’d expect to see Goff back in there throwing like crazy.  It might not get Cal many wins, but a dynamic passing game is all they have going for them.

9. WSU Cougars lost to Stanford 55-17

The Cougars go below the previous two because they actually had hopes of a win, hopes that Stanford tore apart and sent down the storm drains with the rain.  WSU’s supposedly improved defense was overmatched, and the offense did next to nothing.  I do think WSU’s better than last year, but their improvement has been overstated.  A big problem is the quarterback.  Halliday can do some things, but he balances his plusses with terrible mistakes.  Austin Apodaca looked decent when he came on for the injured Halliday, but he’s not going to be a magical cure should the Cougars go to him more in the future.  The Cougars might be on the right track, but Stanford showed it’s going to be a slower journey than Cougar fans had hoped.

10. USC Trojans lost to ASU 62-41

Let’s recap USC’s Saturday/early Sunday. They were demolished by ASU, giving up more points in one game than they had all season up to that point.  They lost multiple defenders to injury, depleting a roster already demolished due to scholarship sanctions.  All-world WR Marquise Lee, suffering a poor season due to inconsistent quarterback play, had a knee injury that looked bad, although it’s unknown how long he’ll be out.  And, to top it off, Lane Kiffin was fired as soon as the plane landed back in LA.  It’s been about as bad a week as USC could have imagined.  A few positives: USC still has plenty of talent, and it might respond to new coach Ed Orgeron.  The running game with Tre Madden and Justin Davis has been a solid plus for an offensive that’s struggled.  And whatever else one wants to say about Kiffin, his playcalling this season has been strange at best.  A new mind running the offense might get better results.  Or it might not.  It’s hard to know what the rest of the season will bring, but this was an inevitable move.  Let’s just say that as a fan of another Pac-12 team, I’d much rather have Lane Kiffin as USC’s coach than whomever they hire to replace him.

-Matthew

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