BN Week 9 2011 Pac-12 Power Poll

So...how was your week?  Did you get to watch some football on Saturday?  You probably saw some good teams with players doing things like catching the ball, making a tackle.  It's a sight to behold!  I don't know what it was that we watched last Thursday, but it wasn't Football.  Maybe it was an audition for X Factor, but most likely it was just another show from our favorite clowns on vespas going through a car wash.  I know it wasn't football because one dude was running around naked.  He was definitely more fun than anything else on that night.

Player of the Week:  Stanford Rush Attack - the Cardinal running backs were able to rack up 446 rushing yards against Nick Holt's defense in Washington.   Andrew Luck threw two touchdowns from a rocking chair on the sideline.

Stat of the Week:  6 - That's the number of 3-and-outs that Stanford has had...all season!  Less than one per game...in fact, they've only punted 16 times in 7 games.

Game of the Week:  4 Stanford at 20 U$C, Saturday October 29, 5PM PDT - I thought UW would be Stanford's first tough game of the season...so maybe this will be Stanford's first tough game of the season.  U$C should be able to take advantage of some mismatches in the secondary, but I'm not sure they'll be able to score much.  And I expect Stanford will pound the ball and get that thin Trogan defense tired.  But given how I'm doing in our pick'em contest, don't believe a word I say.

With that, here is this week's Pac-12 Power Poll, after the jump.

NORTH

1. Stanford (8), 5-0:  Stanford put the pain on the Huskies.  446 yards rushing?  That's absurd.  Chalk that one up to a great offensive line.  Teams now better account for both the pass and the rush, this team looks like it's not just about Andrew Luck, a testament to the program Harbaugh built in just a few years.  No one has really posed much of a challenge to the Cardinal. Wanna hear something crazy?  Guess which team lost by the fewest points...give up...it's our own Bruins, who "only" lost by 26 pts.  That's Stanford's lowest margin of victory this season.  Go Bruins!  There are still some tough games left for Furd, first of which is a trip to the crapiseum this Saturday.

2. Oregon (3), 4-0:  Without LaMichael James, Oregon was just fine.  Without Darron Thomas, Oregon was just fine.  OK so they were playing Colorado.  The Ducks got up 29-0...in the first quarter.  Hey that sounds familiar!  Another yawner coming up for Oregon as Washington State rolls into town.

3. Washington, 3-1:  the Huskies were treated like bad puppies by Stanford.  Any time a team can roll up 446 yards rushing on you, you've been bullied, chewed up and spit out.  Cheatey's disciple Nick Holt hasn't done much for their defense...and now Mighty Arizona is coming to visit!  This should be a doozey.  I think the over under will be something close to 90.

4. Cal, 1-3:  The Bears offense actually woke up against a decent Utah defense.  Cal put up 20 in the second quarter, and that was the end of that.  The Utes were once again doomed by 4 turnovers, with the Cal defense putting the clamps on them and allowing 13, yes, 13 rushing yards.  QB Zach Maynard had a good efficient game, with Tedford designing more rollouts to suit his mobility.  In short, UCLA is screwed on Saturday.

5. Oregon State, 2-2:  the Beavers have found their QB of the future in freshman Sean Mannion who threw for 376 yards and 4 TDs.  As I have said before, UCLA was lucky to play this team early on.  They have improved steadily, with a roster that is far from imposing.  The rest of the schedule is still tough and it is doubtful that they'll go bowling, but at least they are fighting and don't look like a bunch of clowns on vespas.  The Beavers visit Utah to try and notch up their third victory, in what would give them a 3-2 conference record which would be impressive, IMO.

6. Washington State, 1-3:  looks like the Wazzu of old is rearing its ugly head, getting routed by Oregon State at home.  That is just brutal, when a freshman QB can own you.  Meanwhile, Cougar QB Jeff Tuel was injured again, after starting 11 of 13.  Wazzu's bowl hopes seem to be slipping away, with a pretty brutal schedule coming up.  And UCLA's victory is looking...well, like what it was, a close win against a crappy team.  Wazzu travels to Eugene to surprise the Ducks by being tied to start the game.

SOUTH

1. Arizona State (8), 3-1:  the Sun Devils get their second bye week in a row as Colorado comes to town.

2. U$C (3), 3-1:  the Trogans played Notre Dame. Notre Dame screwed up and the Trogans beat them.  The end.  All right so it was a semi-impressive win since it was an away game.  But I still can't stand this.  Now Stanford comes down for the "What's Your Deal" Bowl, which is hopefully just an annual beatdown of the Trogans.

3. Arizona, 1-4:  here come the Wildcats!  Nothing like playing against lowly UCLA to pad your stats and look like a national championship contender.  Arizona finally got a win against a FBS school after 10 losses, and as we all surmised the losses are bookended by victories against UCLA.  If it weren't for that loss against Oregon State, I wouldn't be so surprised, the Mildcats can definitely score.  They have to visit UW to see if their revival is for real or if it's just a mirage, like our defense.

4. Utah, 0-4:  back on the west coast to visit Cal in another Pac-12 game, the Utes once again self-destructed with 4 turnovers and just 13 rushing yards.  If they hadn't joined the conference, they really would have thought about joining the Big East.  Next up, a resurging Oregon State team pays a visit...but I still don't see the Utes getting their first conference win.

5. Colorado, 0-4:  the Buffs are probably sitting in a corner crying to themselves, longing for the days of the Big-12...then they watch Oklahoma State beat up another team and get happy again...then they play the Ducks and start crying again.  Hey at least they got a safety!  Final score:  45-2.  Ya gotta feel for Colorado...they play at Arizona State this week, then have to go play U$C.  Ouch!

6. UCLA, 2-3:  Mr. Sandman, bring me a team,
bung bung bung bung,
make it the toughest that I've ever seen,
bung bung bung bung
give it a coach and some good players,
bung bung bung bung
then tell it that its losing days are over

Well, we had one week at #3!  How's that hard hat sticker workin' out for ya?  Just, please, don't get embarrassed on homecoming, can you do that for us?