Arizona, California Remain Unbeaten in Pac-10

It’s odd to see USC in fifth place in the Pac-10 but a 1-1 league slate puts the Trojans squarely in the middle of the pack. USC was able to get its first conference win but hammering Oregon, 44-10. Arizona and California are tied at the top with 2-0 conference marks. Washington State and Washington share the bottom at 0-3.

USC (3-1 overall, 1-1 Pac-10) 44, Oregon 10 (4-2, 2-1) Not too surprising. The Trojans were awake for this one, although they still arrived to the L.A. Coliseum 20 minutes late. The Ducks led, 10-3, early in the second quarter before USC scored the game’s final 31 points. The Trojans’ display of defensive power and offensive versatility–coupled with OSU’s loss at Utah–makes the USC loss in Corvallis even more incomprehensible.

Utah 31 (6-0), Oregon State 28 (2-3, 1-1) The Beavers couldn’t stand prosperity. Seven days after beating USC, OSU fell to Utah by allowing 11 points in the last 89 seconds.

Notre Dame 28 (4-1), Stanford 21(3-3, 2-1) Not too surprising. Weaker Fighting Irish teams had managed to beat the Cardinal regularly in South Bend and in Palo Alto. Allowing Stanford to have a chance late after nearly letting a 28-7 fourth-quarter advantage disappear is surprising. The Cardinal is improving and will be able to defeat some Pac-10 opponents

California 24 (4-1, 2-0), Arizona State 14 (2-3, 1-1) The Sun Devils were beaten and beaten up. Quarterback Rudy Carpenter injured his knee and will likely miss the upcoming game against USC. California kept its place near the top of the conference

Arizona 48 (4-1, 2-0), Washington 14 (0-5, 0-3) I’m not sure who would be better to coach Washington than would Tyrone WIllingham but the realization that the Huskies need someone different to lead them is becoming apparent. The Wildcats did well to subdue an inferior opponent and not give Washington any hope of springing a big upset in Tucson.

UCLA 28 (2-3, 1-1), Washington State 3 (1-5, 0-3) The Cougars are bad. The Bruins are not strong but they managed to throttle WSU. UCLA was wise to let its defense dictate the action and not put quarterback Kevin Craft into too many obvious passing situations. There doesn’t seem to be much hope for the Cougars but they’ll always be tricky for conference foes when playing in Pullman.