Arizona State: Sure , the Devils scored 54 points on Portland State, but they also gave up 9 points and 263 yards. Not the best performance by the Devils D. On the bright side, Vontaze Burfict didn’t kill any Vikings.

California: Crushed UC Davis 52-3. Good for them. Kevin Riley and Andy Ludwig still stink.

Oregon: 72-0 over Los Lobos. Darron Thomas looked solid, Kenjon Barner looked like Reggie Bush, Cliff Harris looked like Devin Hester, Jeff Maehl like Wes Welker and the D like the 86 Bears. About the only definitive thing we learned was that New Mexico should drop their football program…

Oregon State: The little engine that could, once again sputtered off the tracks in a “spotlight game.” Eventually Mike Riley will have to win at least one of these games if he wants to continue being the “best coach in the Pac-10.” Quizz was invisible, Katz looks to have potential and the D couldn’t stop Andy Dalton on the keeper all day long.

Stanford: 52-17 over Sacramento State. Andrew Luck threw for 4 TD’s in the romp. Can we just admit he’s better than Jake Locker already???

UCLA: Tough loss in Manhattan as Daniel Thomas rushed for 235 yards in the Wildcats win. How is it that Ricky Neu and Norm Chow still can’t put together a good offense in Westwood? Better beat Stanford, UCLA, because you got no shot in Austin here in a couple weeks.

USC: Awful defense, awful coach, and who really cares about the men of probation now anyways?

Washington: 17-23 loss to BYU in Provo. Same old, same old for the Doogs. 17th straight loss on the road, inaccurate passes by Jesus Jake, and befuddling calls by coach Sark. Sarky has developed a penchant for making brutal decisions in close games, not a good sign for a team with marginal talent. Remember when Jake Locker was  Heisman contender? That was a fun day…

Washington State: 17-65 loss in Stillwater. The Boogars are bad, Paul Wulff is in over his head, and if they don’t beat Montana State this week, they will join their bros from Seattle as the only 0-12 teams in the history of the Pac-10

PS-Ole Miss got embarrassed by Jacksonville State.

Karma, bitches…

Washington State has won 4 Apple Cups.

The Ducks have rushed for 1600 yards or 267 per game in games against the Huskies over the last 2,500 days. 

USC has won 6 Pac-10 championships and 2 1 Heisman trophies.

Oregon State has won 5 bowl games, although they have lost at least 4 games each year. 

Cal has underachieved every season, but still hasn’t finished lower than the Huskies.

Boise State has won 2 BSC games.

Utah has won 2 BSC games.

The Huskies themselves have finished last in the Pac-10 4 times.  /bow down.

• how good would newly appointed starting QB Darron Thomas look as “the man”?
• how long would the starters play?
• how “speedy” would the defense really play?
• how bullish would the o-line play?

Well, with a 72-0 final result, it’s easy to say the Ducks looked like world beaters on Saturday.  So let’s get the easy stuff out of the way.

The offensive line certainly looked bullish as they man-handled the Lobo defenders all over the field.  The running game was phenomenal.  Barner had huge holes to run through resulting in his 8.6 yards per carry average.  It will look even better once James is back in the mix.  With a future dual threat RB combo of James and Barner, I liked the fact that Thomas did not run much on Saturday.

The defense looked cat-quick all day yesterday afternoon.  The Lobos offense was smothered by gang-tackling Ducks defenders who were all swarming around the ball making plays.  Casey Matthews, and his flowing locks, looked like a Butkus award nominee the way he snatched a pass away from a Lobo receiver.  Let’s hope Casey can run with some of the speedier players the PAC-10 has to offer and snag a few more picks as well.

The starters had an easy day, actually, really just less than a half of action.  I’m sure Coach Kelly would have wanted a bit of a closer game to get more reps for the 1st team.  But when the the scores are coming as easy as they were, what good would have it been to keep them in?  None.  Better reps for Oregon could have been had if the Lobos threw in the towel at half time and Oregon then had 1st-team vs 2nd-team for the 2nd half.  I’m sure the families of 3rd-stringers and walk-ons that were in attendance enjoyed the 4th quarter action of the Lobos dismantling at Autzen.

Darron Thomas looked good, but not great.  Of course, expecting a guy to walk-on-water for game 1 is asking way too much.  Thomas showed some early game jitters by tossing the ball where receivers couldn’t really catch it.  But once Thomas settled in, he looked solid.  I liked his ball-handling, I liked his touch on the ball, I liked his zip on the ball.  Ohhhhh, that gift he dropped right into the Lobo linebacker’s mits was far from good though.  A very simple quick screen turned INT was not in the vicinity of poised-decision making.  Could poise be the question mark for Thomas?

Before kickoff, I wanted Coach Kelly to let Thomas toss as many balls as he could.  Thomas needed as many passing opps against a live team (not his own) to work on timing with receivers and gain more confidence in his game.  Darron’s numbers are solid, 13-23 220 yds 1td (and that 1 pick).  But, more importantly, how confident did he feel running the offense?  It’s easy for a QB with a potent running game to sit back and shred an over-matched defense the likes of New Mexico.  But, next week, when the passing windows are smaller and the time in the pocket is shortened by speed-rushing SEC linebackers, will Thomas be as confident with his throws and reads?

Oregon’s next opponent,Tennessee, did some ass-kicking of their own on Saturday.  The Vols bull-dozed Tennessee-Martin 50-0.  A raucous stadium of 100,000+ orange clad Vols fans will be in Thomas’s ear all game long and Darron will need his confidence tank to be full, like spilling over the sides full.  If the dicey Ducks receivers aren’t getting open enough for Darron’s comfort level, then he has to play poised and tuck it in and run or simply just throw it away.  There is no doubt that the Vols coaching staff will watch the Lobos@Ducks game film and decide to load up the box to attempt to smother the Oregon run game (good luck!).  If they are somehow successful in at least slowing down James & Barner, Thomas is gonna need to stay cool and take advantage of the one-on-one coverage the Ducks receivers should be getting.

Oregon should be the favorite and a turnover free game from Thomas should result in a victory.  But if the Vols can get to Thomas early and possibly rattle him in the pocket, the game could be a nail-biter in the 2nd half.

Ryan Katz is going to be really good: I can see why everyone in Corvallis is giddy about Katz, the kid definitely has NFL talent.  His arm is outstanding and he showed good touch on his deep balls.  He also moves well and has a natural feel for the pocket already.  His poise was great for a kid making his first start on the road against a very good defense.  He still has some polishing work needed as he looks down the field too much.  He needs to check down his receivers quicker and needs more accuracy on the intermediate throws.  The numbers could have been worse as TCU missed a couple of easy picks and didn’t pounce on that fumble on the second play of the game.  However his debut should be considered a big success and it wouldn’t surprise me if the talk of Pac-10 quarterbacks shifts from Jake the Fake to Katz and Andrew Luck by mid-season.

The game plan was mediocre: I loved that Riley aired it out on the first play and I really loved the fake punt (which if they can execute it that well on a consistent basis I would run that play on every down).  That’s where my loving of that game plan ends.  While going deep on the first play was a nice message sender, both that you are going to attack their defense and that  you have trust in your new quarterback, not giving Quizz a touch on the first series also was a message sender.  Quizz needs touches and to not get him one on the first series was a precursor for a non-productive day.  And how does a guy who caught 78 balls out of the backfield not get a swing pass or a screen thrown his way?  TCU did a great job of plugging up between the tackles and Riley failed to find another way to get Quizz involved.  The defensive “bend and then break” game plan was bad as well.  Rarely (if at all) did the Beavers stack the line to stop the run nor did they bring pressure to rattle the easily rattled Dalton.  Dalton was erratic without having much pressure, imagine if the Beavers tried rattling him after either of those two brutal picks he threw?  After his meltdown in last years Fiesta Bowl the Beavers should have at least given it a shot.

Final Take: The Beavers can’t walk away from this thinking, “we beat the spread!”.  That was a game they could have won and they came up empty.  It’s only the first game, and a non Pac-10 game at that.  If the Beavers are going win in Boise in two weeks they need to find a way to get Quizz going and to get pressure on Kellen Moore.  And if they have any aspirations of winning the Pac-10 they need to figure out how to stop the run or Arizona, USC, Washington and especially Oregon will walk run all over them.

Wow, seriously NCAA, figure it out.There is no way to look at this situation and think that Masoli and Ole Miss aren’t circumventing the system. I swear the NCAA declared him ineligible like 2 days ago? What changed their mind so quickly? I guess there is something to all that “SEC speed…”

Though, Houston Nutt is such a man of compassion, of course he wants to rectify the life of Jeremiah Masoli…

“There is no question in my mind Jeremiah is in the right place,” Mississippi coach Houston Nutt said when the appeal was filed. “We’re in the people-helping business. I want to plead with that subcommittee. He’s done nothing but what he’s supposed to do.”

I’ve been one of the biggest Masoli-apologists out there, but this just feels wrong. And more so I think because it’s the ultimate snake oil salesmen in Houston Nutt pulling the strings. The guy just gives me the creeps, and this whole deal makes me want to take a long shower to get all the grime off.

Last Year: Oregon finished 8-1, 2 games ahead of a trio of teams, including Oregon State that were tied for 2nd at 6-3.

The Good:

Oregon State: There is a lot to like about this Beaver team, starting with the Rogers brothers.  James and Jaquizz have carried this program over the last couple of years and both look to cement their legacies as two of the best players to come through Corvallis.  But it’s not just the Rogers brothers that can make plays for this offense.  Tight end Joe Halahuni and wide receiver Marcus Wheaton are both threats to score any time they touch the ball. Four offensive lineman return to open holes for Jaquizz and provide stability to the offense.  On the defensive side tackle Stephen Paea is a force to be reckoned with.  His constant demand of double teams should help the ends get one-on-one match-ups which should lead to more sacks than last years total of 17.

Oregon: Oregon returns 18 starters from last years Pac-10 championship team.  Most importantly all five starting offensive lineman are back which is critical in Chip Kelly’s spread. (OK it’s critical to all offensive schemes.)  Running backs LaMichael James and Kenjon Barner will make plenty of big plays as both will be featured in the offense and Barner is one of the best return-men in the nation.  Wide receiver Jeff Maehl is solid and should quickly become a favorite target of quarterback Darron Thomas.  For possibly the first time the Oregon defense is going to be their strength.  Defensive end Kenny “Death” Rowe will be in the opponents backfield trying to top his 11.5 sacks from last year.  The Ducks are so deep at linebacker they decided to move Eddie Pleasant to Rover.  With his size and speed look for Pleasant to put a hurting on anyone who crosses his path.  Spencer Paysinger, Brandon Bair, John Boyett, Josh Kaddu and Talmadge Jackson III round out what should be an incredible defense.

The Bad:

Oregon State & Oregon: Sophomore quarterbacks Ryan Katz and Darron Thomas will be starting for their respective teams.  Neither has any game experience to speak of.  Sorry Duck fans, but 1 quarter of mop-up duty two years ago doesn’t count.  Both quarterbacks seem exceptionally talented, but how many first year starting quarterbacks, sophomores no less, have ever lead their teams to Pac-10 titles? /too lazy to look it up.  It will be very important for both of these guys to get comfortable in their offense quickly.

The Skinny:

Both the Ducks and the Beavers are poised to make a run at the Pac-10 championship.  I think the Ducks are a slightly better team because of their defense.  However, I really like the Beavers schedule.  They play two very tough games to start the year, which should help accelerate the learning curve for Ryan Katz.  They also have 5 conference home games including both USC and Oregon.  Oregon’s weak non-league schedule would be perfect if they still had Jeremiah Masoli and were looking to make a run at the national title.  But Darron Thomas won’t be seriously tested until Pac-10 play which could lead to an early slip up against a lesser team.  Plus Oregon has not fared well lately at USC or at Cal, both places they have to visit this year.  Duck fans need to hope that Thomas is a quick learner and that the rest of the team can make up for any mistakes he’s surely to make.  Chip Kelly has already proved himself as a big game coach that can manage a great team and win big games.  For all the love Coach Mike Riley gets he has yet to lose less than 4 games in a season.  There is no question he is great at taking a bunch of blue collar players and getting them to play good tough football.  But can he make a good team great?  It has yet to be seen and this year will go a long way in answering that question.  If they can’t make a Rose Bowl this year, when are they ever going to? Both Rogers brothers will be gone after this year and guys that special don’t come around to Corvallis all that often.  They knocked on the door each of the last two years only to have it slammed shut by their bitter rivals and if that were to happen a third time it would be devastating.

The Prediction:

The Beavers will be 7-1 and the Ducks will be 6-2 heading into the Civil War.  Winner goes to the Rose Bowl.  Sound familiar?

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League #14959

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Last Year: 5-4 T5

The Good - Out of all the sophomore starting quarterbacks in the Pac-10 (and there is 8 of them) I believe Matt Barkley is the most talented.  Barkley had a 60% completion rate as a freshman last year, which is very good.  However he also completed a few too many passes to the other team with 14 interceptions.  If he’s able to cut back on that number of interceptions and make a few more plays down field all while keeping his same completion percentage then this offense will be very good.  New defensive coordinator (and coaches daddy) Monty Kiffin is one of the best defensive minds in football and should help shore up a defense that took a step backwards last year.  As always, USC will anchor their defense with a strong front seven, led by stud defensive tackles Jurrell Casey and Christian Tupou.  All 3 starting linebackers return to fill out what should be a formidable defense.

The Bad - USC is very inexperienced, particularly at wide receiver, offensive line and the defensive backfield.  Also, Head Coach Lane Kiffin is a bit of a question mark.  While his Tennessee team showed some promise last year, he still carries the stink of being with the Raiders on him.  It has yet to been seen whether Kiffin has what it takes to be a big time college football coach.

The Skinny - There’s not much seperation between the top 3 teams in the Pac-10 (USC, Oregon, Oregon State) and I wouldn’t be surprised if any of those three finish in first place.  All three are very talented, but have at least one major question mark.  USC is an exceptionally hard team to judge.  During most of the off season I had them on top of my Pac-10 powerpoll.  However I’ve had some second thoughts on them as Oregon & Oregon State both have something that the Trojans do not, a trip to the Rose Bowl on the line.  It’s no question USC has the most overall football talent than anyone else in the Pac-10.  But between having no bowl game, and having the unproven Kiffin as head coach I can’t pick them as Pac-10 champs. I wonder if Snoop will still be making an appearance now that Rose Bowls and National Championships are out of the question.

The Prediction: 6-3

Ducks strike back:

So, who ya got?

Last Year: 6-3 T2

The Good - Yet another sophomore returns as a starting quarterback in the Pac-10.  Nick Foles will lead Arizona’s potent offensive attack.  Returning with him are a pair of good running backs in Nic Grigsby and Keola Antolin. Foles favorite target, Juran Carton will be back as well.  But the best thing to like about this offense is the offensive line, which is anchored by two returning All Pac-10 selections.  Center Colin Baxter and tackle Adam Grant. Arizona also returns two very good defensive ends in Ricky Elmore and Brooks Reed.  Elmore, who had 10.5 sacks last year will lead a formable pass rush that should put a lot of pressure on opposing quarterbacks. 

The Bad – While Carton does return as the top wide-out, the rest of the wide-outs are unproven.  Someone else will have to emerge as a reliable target for this offense to compete at a top level.  The defense will be starting all new linebackers this year and will need to find an adequate replacement for stud cornerback Devin Ross.  Head Coach Mike Stoops has yet to show he’s a big game coach.  Last year he lost his two biggest games, the heartbreaking comeback by Oregon and a thrashing by Nebraska in the Holiday Bowl.  In 2008, after getting off to a nice 4-2 start he dumped back-to-back games against the Oregon schools.  Against Oregon they came into Autzen at 4-2 and proceeded to fall behind 45-17 at the half, obviously they weren’t ready to play.  The next week was even worse as they lost to Oregon State at home when Oregon State was without starting quarterback Lyle Moevao and Pac-10 player of the year Jaquizz Rodgers (who left the game on OSU’s second possession.)  Arizona let OSU march 76 yards in four plays to kick a game winning field goal as time expired. 

The Skinny – Arizona, Washington and Stanford are all the same caliber to me.  I rank Arizona slightly higher than the other 2 due to their better defense.  However, it would not surprise me to see Arizona tumble down to the 6-8 range as I don’t think Mike Stoops is a good in game coach.  The schedule shakes out nice for them as they get OSU at home early in the year, Washington at home, USC at home and they have a bye week before going to Oregon for what should be a revenge game after last year’s heartbreaking loss.  Oh and to you Arizona students at the game last year, TAS (Take A Seat!)

Prediction: 6-3