By Art Thompson III
November 12, 2009
This week in the Pac-10…
For the third and final time this year, all 10 teams in the conference will be involved in games against Pac-10 foes. With the conference championship still very much up for grabs, there are a few crucial games on the slate.
MAKE OR BREAK TIME
Either USC (7-2, 4-2) or Stanford (6-3, 5-2) will be eliminated from the Pac-10 championship race Saturday afternoon, when the Cardinal visits the Coliseum. Stanford is coming off a signature victory over Oregon while USC struggled last week to defeat Arizona State. USC’s offense has been in a funk the last few weeks and the probable injury absence this week of standout wide receiver Damian Williams won’t help matters. The Trojans had boasted one of the nation’s best defensive units, but that was before Notre Dame, Oregon State and Oregon carved it up in a three-week span. Fortunately, USC was able to win two of those three games. Stanford ran roughshod over Oregon, as senior running back Toby Gerhart rushed for a school-record 223 yards and three touchdowns, on 38 carries. This game pits the conference’s top two freshman quarterbacks against each other. Stanford’s Andrew Luck, leads the Pac-10 in passing efficiency. USC’s Matt Barkley has not played exceptionally well lately but the Trojans’ offense has been hampered by the injury to versatile tight end Anthony McCoy.
TOUGH TASK FOR THE HUSKIES
Washington (3-6, 2-4) has fallen on hard times in recent weeks but very easily could have won two of its past three games. Oregon State’s conference championship hopes still are flickering and the Beavers (6-3, 4-2) cannot afford to look past Washington or Washington State next week in anticipation of the annual Civil War against Oregon. Oregon State’s defense delivered a suffocating performance last week against Cal and a repeat of that play would be hard for Washington to overcome.
BOUNCE BACK TIME
Oregon (7-2, 5-1) must get over the fact that its BCS title hopes went poof, after last week’s loss at Stanford. The Ducks must keep in mind that they control their own destiny in winning the Pac-10 title and representing the conference in the New Year’s Day Rose Bowl. But Oregon should not expect Arizona State (4-5, 2-4) to be an easy touch. The Wildcats stymied USC’s offense last week and the Trojans were lucky to win, courtesy of a pick-six by cornerback Will Harris.
OPPORTUNITY BECKONS COUGARS
It has been another lost season for Washington State (1-8, 0-5) and the Cougars have three more chances to avoid going winless in Pac-10 play. Dating back to the 2007 season, Washington State has lost 15 of its past 19 conference games. But the Cougars should be very competitive against a UCLA team, which snapped a five-game losing streak and won its first Pac-10 game last week when it squeaked past Washington 24-23.
TOP GAME OF THE WEEK
Arizona (6-2, 4-1) has put itself in position to win the conference title outright and play in its first New Year’s Day Rose Bowl ever. That said, the Wildcats cannot afford to stub their paws Saturday at Cal, which will be without injured tailback Jahvid Best. See my Versus preview.
THIS WEEK’S OUTLOOK
Arizona 31, Cal 20
Oregon 34, Arizona State 21
USC 35, Stanford 24
Oregon State 41, Washington 31
Washington State 17, UCLA 16
Art Thompson III is an award-winning sports writer who has covered the NBA, the NFL and Major League Baseball, in addition to college sports. He was The
