Pac-10 week 4: Oregon and Stanford poised for epic battle

Sep 30, 2010

Last week, the pac-10 had some really exciting games. For one, UCLA pulled off a huge upset on the road against Texas. Not only was it a tremendous upset; however, UCLA absolutely spanked the Longhorns. The Bruins embarrassed the Longhorns in Austin! Stanford also went on the road to Indiana and dismantled Notre Dame. That was a big test for the Cardinal, and they proved that they are worthy to be considered in the pac-10 title race picture. Oregon, who I thought was going to run away with the pac-10 title based on the first three weeks of play, had a reality check against Arizona State. The Ducks were able to overcome the Sun Devils, but they had some trouble. Oregon had trouble running the ball, but they were able to pass the ball effectively enough to win. The Sun Devils have surprised everyone with their play the past couple weeks, when they almost upset the Wisconsin Badgers and hung around with the Ducks. Arizona escaped with a win against the Bears. They scored a touchdown with roughly one minute left. Otherwise, they could have suffered a huge letdown. They needed to win that game to continue to be in the title hunt. It is a good thing for them that they didn’t let an easy one get away. Oregon State finally showed some of their potential by playing a tough game against Boise State. Nobody gave them a shot to win that game; they weren’t even expected to be close. However, they battled and showed that they can cause some problems for the contenders for the pac-10 title. USC finally played up to their ability. They crushed Washington State like they were supposed to.

This week, there are only intra-conference games for the pac-10 teams. Both Cal and Arizona have byes this week. UCLA is playing Washington State and it should be expected that they should continue the win streak by beating Washington State. The Bruins defense has looked great the past two weeks and now the team as a whole has the confidence necessary to win quite a few games this year. It will be interesting to see how their season unfolds. If they continue on this track, the Bruins might have the ability to compete for the pac-10 title, or at the minimum, upset a couple of the contenders. Arizona State and Oregon State are playing in an inconsequential game because both of these teams proved they can be tough and maybe upset a team, but they can’t win the conference title. Expect Oregon State to win at home as they get their conference schedule started. USC is playing the Huskies. USC always seems to have problems with the Huskies. The Huskies have the athleticism to compete with the Trojans. This game will be a big barometer of what to expect of the Trojans for the rest of season. They should be able to stomp the Huskies. However, the inconsistency and lack of toughness and discipline that the Trojans have played with, it wouldn’t be surprising if they lose this game. The Trojans could come out and make a statement that they are for real and will compete for the conference title if they beat the Huskies soundly on the road this week.

Then comes the marquee matchup. Stanford is travelling up to Oregon to play the Ducks. Both teams are ranked in the top 10 in the nation and are considered the two teams competing for conference title. Stanford, led by quarterback Andrew Luck, has looked superb this season. They have completely destroyed every opponent in their path. Oregon has never looked troubled this season. They have breezed through every game, putting up lots of points in the process. This is a very important game in deciding who will win the conference title. This will be an amazing, high-scoring, exciting game. Expect it to be close, but the Ducks should still win. Stanford will be within a possession or two all game, but don’t expect them to get close enough to seriously challenge the Ducks. The Ducks are national title contenders, while Stanford, best case scenario, is winning the conference title.