PAC-10 FOOTBALL STANDINGS Â
CONFER. OVERALL Oregon 4-0 6-1
Washington 3-1 6-1 Oregon State 3-1 6-1 Arizona 3-1 5-2 Arizona
State 2-2 5-2 Stanford 2-2 3-4 UCLA 1-3 4-3 Washington State 1-3
3-4 California 1-3 2-5 USC 0-4 3-4
Bowl-o-rama
If the season ended today, Oregon would be in the Rose Bowl,
Washington would go to the Holiday Bowl in San Diego, Oregon State
would head to El Paso for the Sun Bowl, and Arizona and Arizona
State would each go to one of the Hawaii bowls.
Teams must have at least six wins and better than a .500 winning
percentage. UCLA is in seventh place, but has a 4-3 overall
record.
The Ducks would play Purdue in what might be the last Pac-10-Big
10 matchup in the Rose Bowl. The 2002 Rose Bowl will be the site of
the national championship game.
Washington State, Cal and Southern Cal, meanwhile, bring up the
rear in the Pac-10.
The Trojans are all alone in last place, with an 0-4 conference
record. No matter what happens this week they will still be in last
place. A win against Cal would tie them with the Golden Bears for
last.
Cal, however, has won three of the last four meetings with
Southern Cal. Last year, the Bears, 17-7 winners, sacked Trojan
quarterbacks nine times.
BCS standings
In this season’s first edition of the Bowl Championship
Series poll, Nebraska and Oklahoma stood 1-2, and the Pac-10
weighed in at the eighth and ninth spot with Oregon and Washington.
No other Pac-10 team is in the top 15, but Oregon State is ranked
17th and Arizona 23rd in the ESPN poll.
If Oregon runs the table, they will be very close to a shot at
the national title game in the Sugar Bowl. Oregon’s toughest
test appears to be their final conference game at Oregon State. The
Ducks should have a better idea of their chances in the next few
weeks, as every team ahead of them plays at least one other school
in the BCS top seven.
One through seven, the BCS goes as follows: Nebraska, Oklahoma,
Virginia Tech, Miami, Florida State, Florida, Clemson.
Working overtime
Sixty minutes is enough. Every Pac-10 team that has played an
overtime game has gone on to lose the next week, including Cal and
UCLA this week.
UCLA head coach Toledo took this as a sign of Pac-10 parity.
“Look at all the close games,” he said, pointing out
that Stanford had just beaten Southern Cal on the last second.
“I’ve said it before, and I’ll say it again. Any
team can beat any other team on any given day.”
Arizona head coach Dick Tomey agreed, saying, “Almost
every (conference) game has been close. There’s no doormat
this year. It’s like that more this year than in the
past.”
No place like home
UCLA is not the only team struggling to win a conference game on
the road. The longest road winning streak in the conference this
season is only one game.
Pac-10 Game of the Week
What: No. 7 Oregon State (6-1 overall, 4-0 Pac-10) vs. Arizona
State (5-2, 2-2) 12:30 pm, ABC
At Glance: First place Oregon has only played one conference
game away from noisy Autsen Stadium, but the Sun Devils do not
figure to be physical enough to stop the Ducks. Running back
Maurice Morris is a load to bring down, and ASU is eighth in the
conference in rush defense.
Duck quarterback Joey Harrington has been decent all season,
cutting back on mistakes as each game passes. The Devils have
started three different quarterbacks this year, but have still
managed big passing numbers. Last year, Harrington brought Oregon
back from a 17-13 deficit with 1:04 on the clock, hitting Marshaun
Tucker from 29 yards out with nine seconds left.
Compiled by Greg Lewis, Daily Bruin Senior Staff