LRT Pac-10 Power Rankings Week 11

We came this close to seeing some major upsets this weekend, but in the end, the underdogs just couldn’t pull it off. Still, what started out the season as a very stratified Pac-10 (a couple of teams clearly at the top, a couple clearly at the bottom, and the other 6 mixed in the middle) is starting to be a lot tighter. Oregon is still number one, with Stanford right behind, but both teams nearly lost to conference foes, and season-long bottom-dweller Washington State pulled an impressive upset on the road against Oregon State. In honor of that performance, the Cougars no longer rule the 10 spot, instead the Beavers get it for the week.

1. Oregon
10-0 (7-0 Pac 10)
LW: 1
Safe to say no one saw this coming. Oregon usually scores more in a quarter than they did in this entire game. Their previous season low came against ASU in week four, they only scored 42 points then. Are the Ducks running hitting the wall after such a fast paced season? Lucky for them, they have a week off, before a post-Thanksgiving Friday game against Arizona in Autzen.

2. Stanford
9-1 (6-1)
LW: 2
Another low scoring game between a top-ranked Pac-10 team and a less-than-stellar opponent where the favorite managed to pull it out in the end. Unlike the Ducks, the Cardinal get no time off, and have to travel to Cal next weekend for the Big Game. The Bears nearly pulled one out against Oregon, so you have to imagine they think Stanford is beatable too.

3. USC
7-3 (4-3)
LW: 3
This game was a little less surprising than the first two. Arizona was ranked with just two losses coming in to the game, while USC had a tight game against the Sun Devils the week before. Things looked good for the Trojans, who took an early lead, but the Wildcats stayed in the game till the end. The surprise of the game was the running of Mark Tyler, who ran for 160 yards on 31 carries after sitting out most of practice during the week with an ankle injury. Next week, the Trojans face Oregon State in Corvallis.

4. Arizona
7-3 (4-3)
LW: 4
QB Nick Foles had a fantastic night, throwing for over 353 yard on 32/48 passing with three TD’s, but the anemic Wildcat running game, just 51 yards total doomed Arizona. After a promising 7-1 start to the season, the Wildcats have lost two in a row, and face Oregon next week, not an easy task, even if the Ducks did take a step back in Berkeley this week. Still, as one of the conference’s only three bowl-eligible teams at this point, the Wildcats postseason is going to be promising no matter how these last games turn out.

5. Cal
5-5 (4-3)
LW: 8
The Bears were a missed field goal away from upsetting the #1 team in the country and becoming bowl eligible. As incredibly frustrating as the loss was, it’s still pretty impressive that the Bears were able to contain Oregon’s explosive offense so well. The Bears continue to perplex, as they are solid at home and horrible on the road. Luckily for them, Cal finishes out the season with a home game against Stanford next weekend, and Washington the week after.

6. ASU
4-6 (2-5)
LW: 5
With the loss to Stanford, Arizona State officially can’t become bowl eligible at this point, with two of their 4 wins coming against 1-AA schools to start the season. There is some small hope for the Sun Devils if they can win their last two games, as the NCAA, needing to fill all of the 70 bowl slots, might relax the rules a bit to allow a 6-6 ASU team into a bowl, rather than a 5-7 school.

7. UCLA
4-5 (2-4)
LW: 6
Bye week for the Bruins who play in Seattle next Thursday.

8. Washington
3-6 (2-4)
LW: 9
Bye week for the Huskies who face UCLA at home next Thursday. Jake Locker practiced for the first time since breaking a rib in the Huskies previous game against Oregon, but is still not cleared to play on Thursday. Still, it will be his last home game, so I imagine if he gets medical clearance, he’ll play.

9. Washington State
2-9 (1-7)
LW: 10
For the first time since the Bad Apple Cup of 2008, when the 0-11 Cougars beat the 0-11 Huskies to finish not last, Wazzu has a conference win. This wasn’t even a close one, the Cougs opened up a 21-0 lead and the Beavers only managed to pull within 10 midway through the fourth quarter. A huge win for the Cougars, especially in Corvallis. Now the question is, can they maintain that positive motion during a long two-week bye before facing the Huskies in the Apple Cup on December 4th? The time off certainly will help the Cougars get healthy, but many a bowl team has been undone after a great season by a long layoff.

10. Oregon State
4-4 (3-2)
LW: 7
The Beavers have certainly had a tough schedule this season, but who would have guessed that they would have stumbled so hard against two teams picked to finish so low in the Pac-10 at the beginning of the year? The 4-3 Beavers needed only wins against UCLA and WSU to clinch a bowl birth before heading into a brutal final stretch against USC, Stanford and Oregon. Now they stand at 4-5, having lost both those games and needing two of those last three to make it to postseason play. The loss of James Rodgers appears to have seriously affected the team, who look headed to end the season on a five-game losing streak. Still, the conference has tightened, so upsets of those top teams are still within reach.