Oregon’s Job Is Not Complete

Oregon dominated the Trojans 47-20. The Ducks got a Freshmen QB in Matt Barkley at home, but so did Ohio State, California and Notre Dame. Oregon did what they were supposed to do and that was beat a USC team that is inexperienced and trying to find their way. This was a very impressive win by the Ducks. Oregon’s Chip Kelly is in his first season as the head coach and he accomplished what Jim Tressel, Charlie Weis and Jeff Tedford who are coaches with much more experience could not do and that is defeat the Trojans when you have them at home. USC was ranked #5 in the BCS and this victory should result in Oregon climbing up the BCS Standings.

The Trojans have lost games the last few seasons. Oregon State beat them 27-21 in 2008. Stanford got by USC 24-23 in 2007 and Oregon State slipped by the Trojans 33-31 in 2006. USC has not been beaten as soundly as the Ducks beat them today since Pete Carroll has been the coach. Oregon had 613 yards in total offense. The Trojans gave up 392 yards on the ground. USC could not find an answer for Oregon QB Jeremiah Masoli. Masoli finished the game with 221 passing yards and 164 yards rushing. RB LaMichael James finished with 184 yards and averaged 7.7 YPC. The Oregon defense held USC to 4/14 on third down conversions.

What Oregon cannot do is assume they have the Pac Ten Conference wrapped up. The Ducks have a chance to be the first team to win the Pac Ten in the last seven years. Oregon must remember that in 2008 Oregon State had the opportunity to go to the Rose Bowl before the Ducks pounded them 65-38. Before the Beavers get to think about getting their revenge and denying their rival a berth to the Rose Bowl the Ducks have some very tough games coming up. They face the third place Stanford Cardinal on the road on November 7th and if Arizona can beat Washington State and Cal that could set up another major Pac Ten showdown when Arizona gets Oregon at home on November 21st. Assuming the Ducks win the next three games in a row they will be under tremendous pressure to beat Oregon State at home in the Civil War on December 3rd.

The Ducks have put themselves in a great position to qualify for their first Rose Bowl since 1994 and their first BCS game since the 2001 Fiesta Bowl. Now the Ducks will prove how well they deal with the media attention they will receive after blasting the Trojans and how they respect and prepare for the teams remaining on their schedule. If they remain focused with Masoli and James leading the way Oregon could be on their way to the Rose Bowl.

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Who Are The Cal Bears?

California defeated Arizona State 23-21 on a FG kick by Giorgio Tavecchio with 21 seconds left in the 4th quarter improving the Bears overall record to 6-2. With four games remaining Cal is currently in third place in the Pac Ten. The Bears still have to face Oregon State, Arizona, Stanford and Washington. The Rose Bowl is a long shot, but the Holiday and Sun Bowl are still a possibility for Cal. There are four solid to above average teams left on the schedule and the Bears have not beaten a ranked team all season.

For the second season in a row Cal has not been consistent on a week-to-week basis. Cal jumped on Minnesota 14-0 and had to struggle to win that game and today the Bears went up 14-0 on ASU and needed a FG in the last 21 seconds to win the game. The Gophers and Sun Devils are average football teams. That would lead me to believe that Cal will have a difficult time with Stanford and Washington. The Bears have not beaten a ranked team since they defeated the Ducks 26-16 on November 1st 2008. Arizona is currently ranked #20 and it is possible that Oregon State could be ranked when they face the Bears next week.

Cal is at their best when the passing game and running game are clicking. Against ASU QB Kevin Riley was 27/44 for 351 yards and 2 TD’s. Jahvid Best was held to 63 yards rushing, but Best was heavily involved in the passing game finishing with 61 yards receiving and 1 TD. If Jeff Tedford can get Riley’s completion percentage above 60% and get Best and Vereen going again Cal would have a great chance of winning the rest of their games.

ASU is a one-dimensional team and they have difficulty moving the ball through the air. QB Danny Sullivan finished the game 16/29, passed for 244 yards, 1 TD and 2 interceptions. When Cal faces OSU next week they will be playing a team that is very balanced on offense. QB Sean Canfield is completing over 67% of his passes. RB Quizz Rodgers has over 800 yards rushing and 15 total TD’s. WR James Rodgers has over 50 receptions. The Bear team that shows up for this contest will have an effect on how this game will play out. Will it be the Cal team that just got by the Gophers 35-21 or the team that showed up against the Trojans and Ducks?

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A Lot On The Line At Autzen Stadium

On Halloween night the #5 USC Trojans travel to #10 Oregon Ducks. Before the season began California and Oregon were expected to challenge USC for first place in the Pac Ten. The Trojans defeated the Bears 30-3 and Oregon beat California 42-3. The Ducks could be the only team remaining on the Trojans schedule that has a shot at beating them. Autzen Stadium is a very difficult place for visiting teams to win. A lot of highly ranked teams have lost at Oregon. In 2006 # 15 Oklahoma lost 34-33. In 2007 #6 Arizona State lost 35-23. The Ducks have beaten USC four out of the last six games at Autzen Stadium.

The Ducks need to play this game at a fast pace and make this game a shootout. Oregon has a better chance of winning this game 42-35. A low scoring game would favor the Trojans. The Trojans defense in a two-week span held Washington State to 6 points and California to 3 points. The last couple of defensive performances by USC might have Oregon believing that it’s possible for them to put a lot of points on the board this Saturday. USC gave up 27 points to Notre Dame and 36 points to Oregon State. The Ducks are second in the conference in scoring at 34 PPG and USC is ranked #1 in the Pac-Ten in scoring defense allowing only 15.1 PPG

This game will come down to how well Oregon QB Jeremiah Masoli can throw the football. Freshmen RB LaMichael James is averaging 105 yards per game on the ground for the Ducks. USC is only giving up 79 yards per game on the ground. The Ducks must find a way to move the ball through the air. In six games Masoli is only passing for 150.8 YPG. Expect USC to sell out on defense to stop the run and force Masoli to prove that he can win the game through the air.

USC is still hoping that Iowa and Texas drop a game so they can move up to #2 in the BCS standings. It is possible for the Trojans to move up, but getting past Oregon would be their most impressive win of the season. Matt Barkley has led his team to victories at Ohio Sate and Notre Dame, but the atmosphere at Autzen Stadium will be more intimidating than what he faced at those two venues. It will be important for the Trojans to keep the game close during the first quarter when the Ducks are feeding off their emotions and the fans excitement. This game might come down to experience and USC is use to playing on a big stage with a lot on the line. The Ducks must prove that they can handle the hype and what this game means to the BCS Standings and the Pac Ten race.

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Week Two: The Pac Ten’s Race To The BCS

After the second BCS Standings were released there was some movement at the top of the BCS. Boise State (.775) and Cincinnati (.774) are no longer ranked ahead of USC (.794). Most people would agree that the Trojans are a better team than the Broncos and the Bearcats. USC is now looking to pass Iowa. For USC to qualify for the BCS Championship game Texas and Iowa will have to lose. Now that the Oregon Ducks (.646) have moved from the eleventh spot to the tenth spot a must see match-up of the BCS #5 team vs. #10 in the BCS will take place this Saturday when the Trojans travel to Autzen Stadium to battle the Ducks.

The winner of the USC/ Oregon game will qualify for the Rose Bowl if they run the table. There are a few ways to look at the BCS when analyzing the USC/ Oregon game. If USC wins they control their own destiny as far as qualifying for the Rose Bowl and have an outside shot at the BCS Championship if teams ahead of them lose. USC could lose to Oregon and still qualify for a BCS at large bid if they can defeat Arizona St., Stanford, UCLA and Arizona. The Oregon Ducks are currently ranked #10 in the BCS and even with a win over USC this weekend the Rose Bowl would probably be the only option as far as the BCS is concerned.

The Arizona Wildcats (.224) are #20 in the BCS and tied for second in the Pac Ten with USC. The Wildcats have a bye this week, but if Oregon loses to USC the Wildcats will be in a tie for first place. The Wildcats are ranked too low in the BCS to qualify for the BCS Championship Game, but if the win out they would qualify for their first Rose Bowl appearance. After their bye week the Pac Ten picture will be crystal clear for the Wildcats.

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5-2 Arizona Wildcats Still Under The Radar

With the USC Trojans visiting the Oregon Ducks on October 31st for first place in the conference and Arizona on their bye week the Wildcats will continue to go unnoticed. Arizona defeated the UCLA Bruins 27-13 in a great defensive effort. The Bruins were held to 2/15 on third down conversions and 1/3 on fourth down. Three UCLA QB’s combined for a total of 146 passing yards and UCLA was held to 65 yards on the ground averaging only 2.8 YPC. Arizona held the Bruins scoreless in the 1st and 4th quarter of the game.

The whole country is familiar with the USC Trojans. The Oregon Ducks receive a lot of attention for their interesting uniform combinations, but the Ducks did qualify for the Fiesta Bowl in 2001. The Ducks have beaten high profile programs such as Michigan and Oklahoma over the last three seasons. The last time Arizona made a BCS game was in 1993 when they defeated the Miami Hurricanes 29-0 when the BCS was called the Bowl Coalition. Last season the Wildcats defeated BYU 31-21 in the Las Vegas Bowl. Before last years Bowl victory the Wildcats had not qualified for a Bowl game since the 1998 Holiday Bowl against Nebraska.

The rest of the Pac Ten and the entire country should pay close attention to what Mike Stoops is doing in Tucson, Arizona. The Wildcats at 30.5 PPG are the 4th best scoring offense in the Pac Ten. Arizona has the best passing offense in the conference with 259 passing yards per game. The Wildcats should have a very competitive team for the next three seasons, because QB Nick Foles is only a sophomore. Foles currently leads the Pac Ten in passing efficiency with a QB rating of 151.9 .

After the bye week the Wildcats have Washington State and California before they get the Oregon Ducks at home. When the Ducks come to Arizona Stadium on November 21st the Wildcats have a very good chance of being 7-2. The USC/Oregon game will have a lot at stake as far as what team can control their own destiny in the Pac 10, but before the conclusion of this season Arizona will be involved heavily in the race to become the Pac Ten Champion.

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Week One: The Pac Ten’s Race To The BCS

The first BCS Standings have been released and there are a few things that caught my attention. Boise State (.8083), Cincinnati (.7870) and Iowa (7869) are all ranked ahead of USC (.7695). The bottom line is the Trojans are a much better football team than Boise State, Cincinnati and Iowa. If the Trojans continue to win they will eventually pass those teams. Boise State will be hurt by their remaining schedule. It is highly unlikely that any team that Boise State faces for the rest of the season will be ranked. On the other hand, USC still has to face Oregon (AP #12) and there is a chance that Arizona State and Arizona will be ranked by the time they face the Trojans. The Iowa Hawkeyes still have to play at Michigan State and at Ohio State. The Bearcats have West Virginia, Illinois and Pittsburgh on their schedule. There is a lot of football left and upsets will happen.

The Pac Ten currently has three teams ranked in the first BCS Standings. USC is #7 (.7695) followed by Oregon #11 (.5849) and Arizona is #22 (.1138). USC still has a shot at the National Championship. Oregon is a long shot for the Title game and the Ducks would need a lot of help to move up that far. Arizona’s only option of making the BCS could be the Rose Bowl Game. The Trojans have the best chance of any Pac Ten team to qualify for a BCS game with two losses.

Arizona faces UCLA, Washington State and California over the next four weeks. If the Wildcats can win all those games they might find themselves in the top fifteen of the BCS standings. Over the next three weeks the Oregon Ducks are at Washington, USC (at home) and at Stanford. This week’s game at Washington is huge. The Huskies are 3-4 and 2-2 in the Pac Ten. Washington has already upset USC, they should have beaten Notre Dame and they loss on a blown assignment to Arizona State when the game should have went into OT. The Huskies need at least three more victories to become bowl eligible and it would not be a shock if the Huskies beat the Ducks. It is very important that the Ducks are not looking past Washington with USC coming up the following week. An Oregon win at Washington this Saturday would set-up a gigantic game against the Trojans on October 31st.

The Trojans, Ducks and Wildcats need to follow the old cliché and take them one game at a time. The way the college football season has gone so far it is very likely that a number of top twenty-five teams will lose this week. If these three teams are the class of the Pac Ten and continue to win games it will create some great games for the conference for the remainder of the season.

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Notre Dame’s Future Success Is Tied To Clausen

The Irish had an opportunity to send the game into overtime, but once again the Trojans found a way to get past Notre Dame 34-27. The Fighting Irish can only state with confidence that they are superior at the QB position and WR position. Matt Barkley is not better than Jimmy Clausen and it can be argued that Golden Tate is better than Damian Williams. At every other position on the field USC is just flat out better than the Irish. Notre Dame did a very good job of containing Joe McKnight holding him to 79 yards on 19 carries and 1 TD, but all three Notre Dame’s RB’s only combined for 70 yards on 20 carries and 1 TD. USC DE Everson Griffen was in the Irish backfield for the majority of the game. It was hard for Notre Dame to create pressure without blitzing. WR Damian Williams hit the Irish defense for a 41-yard TD on a WR screen when Notre Dame was caught blitzing at the wrong time. Even with the departure of players like Mark Sanchez, Rey Maualuga, Brian Cushing, Clay Matthews, Kyle Moore and Fili Moala Notre Dame still lacked the talent level to compete with USC.

If Notre Dame wanted to win this game their key players Jimmy Clausen and Golden Tate had to have big games and they did. Clausen finished the game 24/43, threw for 260 yards and had 3 TD’s. Golden Tate finished with 8 receptions, 117 yards, 2 TD’s and 62 yards on kickoff returns. Notre Dame only has two playmakers and the Trojans have six or seven players that can change the outcome of a game. One major concern that needs to be addressed is how did ND allow Matt Barkley to throw for 380 yards. This was the first time this season that Barkley passed for more than 283 yards. Before this game Trojan TE Anthony McCoy’s best game was 3 catches for 64 yards against San Jose State. McCoy finished with 5 catches for 153 yards. Notre Dame can’t allow players who are seldom heard from to have the best performances of their career in a game of this magnitude.

If Notre Dame expects to have a chance against USC in the L.A. Memorial Coliseum in 2010 they will need Clausen and Tate to return for their senior seasons. If Clausen and Tate enter the 2010 NFL Draft the Irish do not have equal talent at QB or WR to replace those two players. With this season being used as a chance to get Matt Barkley some playing experience by next season Barkley will not only be considered one of the best QB’s in the Pac Ten, but he will be one of the best returning QB’s in the country. If USC faces Notre Dame next season without Clausen on the field the Trojans will have a major advantage at the QB position. When Notre Dame faces the Trojans in December of 2010 that game could have National Championship implications on the line for USC and the only way a BCS berth will be on the line for Notre Dame is if Clausen and Tate can be convinced to stay in South Bend for one more year.

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