Pac-12 Week 2 Roundup

Boy, did the Pac-12 make me look foolish last week with my predictions. I went a piss poor 7-5 last week. The Pac-12 featured some absolute stunners of games, and despite some complete face plants by teams, the conference as a whole walked out looking far more competitive on the national level. When last year's Big-12 and Big-10 champions lose to teams expected to have competed for no better than the middle of their divisions, you know your conference comes off looking good.

Oregon State 10, Wisconsin 7
Lowdown: Holy freaking crap Beavers, really? Really? The Beavers pull the shocker and stun Wisconsin, a team projected to be the leader in their "Leaders" division. The Beavers looked like a completely different team than the hapless Oregon State squad from years past. They were more physical, more aggressive and more sound than Wisconsin. Quarterback Sean Mannion looked poised and accurate, despite Oregon State's game plan of dinking and dunking down the field. But the Beavers' run defense was the real star, holding Wisconsin's Montee ball to just 7 net yards through 3 quarters. That is super impressive against a Heisman candidate. I'm still getting used to the idea of Oregon State coming strong out of the gates for once. This is too surreal.
Up Next: You'd think the Beavers might actually be bummed about having a bye this week, as they're red hot and would like to ride their momentum into conference play. Still, they're off a week before a now very interesting conference game with UCLA. This could be a team to watch.

LSU 41, Washington 3 Lowdown: Man, you have to feel terrible for the Huskies. I mean, after all that preseason talk about taking their program to the next level and playing with the big boys, they were bullied around by the bad, bad, meanie poop head LSU team. They didn't even get to play in LSU's endzone even once! And they even brought a live tiger to practice! It's just not fair. Why does everyone have to be so mean to Steve Sarkesian, Tosh Lupoi and the Huskies? Who'd they hurt?

Up Next: The Huskies get some breathing room in facing Portland State next weekend. They better then buckle up as they then enter into the brutal conference stretch of their schedule with Stanford, Oregon, USC, and now you can throw Arizona into that mix. We all knew the Huskies' schedule was going to be tough, but Washington fans were likely hoping for some sign the Huskies were at least moving in the right direction towards competing on a national level.

Arizona 59, Oklahoma St. 38 Lowdown: Wow, I expected both teams to roll up 30+ points with the winner winning by 2+ scores, but I didn't think the Wildcats had the firepower to put up nearly 60 points. Then again, I didn't think Oklahoma State's defense was going to be this bad. But make no mistake about it, Rich Rod has got this Wildcat offense clicking. I am no longer pissed that we don't play Arizona this year. Despite all the questions on offense, this Arizona squad is ranked. Nationally. Seriously, WTF is going on here?

Up Next: The Wildcats should breeze past South Carolina State, before heading into Autzen to face #4 ranked Oregon. Though they've got their work cut out for them, I don't think any fan in Tucson is griping about the prospect of a nationally ranked contest against the Ducks. And man, those teams are going to put up some points.

UCLA 36, Nebraska 30
Lowdown: I'd be lying if I said I saw this coming too. I knew full well both teams could put up points, and it seemed like both squads were allergic to playing defense in the first half. But I must say that I was impressed with UCLA's adjustments in the second half, holding the Nebraska offense to just 106 yards in the second half. I don't know which is more impressive, that stat or the fact that UCLA's offense has topped 640 yards in back to back weeks. Rice was one thing, but doing it against Nebraska is another.

Up Next: Assuming the Bruins don't faceplant, they're going to completely roll a very bad Houston squad, and only watch their shiny new 22nd place ranking rise. If the Bruins can hold off Oregon State, this could be a Top 15 team by the time they roll into Memorial Stadium next month. Just a horrifying thought.

Sacramento St. 30, Colorado 28
Lowdown: Oh my gawd Colorado, oh my...just...man I don't even know what to say anymore. That's about as embarrassing as you can get. It's like watching a distant cousin piss their pass in front of everyone one week to watching them crap their pants the next. The Buffalos have now posted losses to Colorado State and FCS Sacramento State. And they didn't just lose a fluky game against Sac. State, they were owned in nearly every phase of the game. This is definitely a team I'm unhappy we're not playing against.

Up Next: Fresno State. But who cares? Is there anyone in Boulder who honestly thinks the Buffalos post a win this season? Seriously, where do you see a win on that schedule? Maybe, just maybe they nip Utah to end the season again? No? Yeh, me neither.

Utah St. 27, Utah 20
Lowdown: Though this can't quite be labeled a shocker, it's definitely an upset. The big news is quarterback Jordan Wynn going down with yet another shoulder injury, and it's now learned that Wynn has decided to retire from the sport. The fourth shoulder surgery seems to be the proverbial straw that breaks the camel's back. The Utes weren't exactly blazing with him though, down 14-0 against the Aggies until backup Jon Hayes entered the game. Hayes did decently, but the bigger story will be the development of Utah's offensive line that seems to relish allowing the opposing defense to play backfield pinata with their QB.

Up Next: An absolutely critical rivalry game against BYU. Utah fans seem to think that their season is over if they lose that one. I'm not so sure, but with ASU, USC and UCLA up after that, it's not out of the realm of possibility that the Utes could start the season 1-5. Definitely not what one expected out of team that had supposedly been the Pac-12 South's only shot at knocking off USC.

Arizona St. 45, Illinois 14 Lowdown: What a radically different perception of Arizona State after two weeks of play. Seriously, this team was expected to scrape the bottom of Pac-12 barrel, and suddenly this team looks transformed under new coach Todd Graham (aka fat George Dubya Bush). After two weeks, the Sun Devils have outplayed their opponents 108-20. Of course, you could look at their competition (an FCS team and a middling Big-10 team without their starting QB), but it doesn't take away from the fact that this team does by and large look better in all phases.

Up Next: Before the season started, I wouldn't have been at all surprised had the Sun Devils started 1-3. Now, at this point, I'm scared this team might actually be 4-0 and ranked when they head into Memorial Stadium at the end of this month. We'll see how they fare against Missouri, the now SEC team with dangerous QB James Franklin. My thought is that it will be another offensive explosion, but if they can win on the road in Missouri, you can officially color me scared.

Washington St. 24, Eastern Washington 20
Lowdown: The Cougars ushered in their first win under the Mike Leach era, in a closer than comfortable contest against FCS powerhouse Eastern Washington. The solace for Washington State fans is their ability to get critical stops against Eastern Washington on defense. Though WSU's offense seemed to finally find some rhythm, they're still a ways away from being where Leach and Cougar company would like them to be. It's still a long season, and I'm not even close to feeling safe about what this team might become by the end of the season.

Up Next: The Cougars enter into a soft portion of their schedule, with UNLV and Colorado up next before they face Oregon. It's the perfect recipe for this team to continue to get reps, build confidence, and become the ass-kicking, name-taking pirate crew that Mike Leach knows this team can be. 3-1 record, anyone?

USC 42, Syracuse 29
Lowdown: I was so close to getting this score correct (42-20). After watching the game, I must say that while the outcome of the game was never in question, USC's defense did show some vulnerabilities after surrendering 322 passing yards. But I must say this, how ridiculous is this Matt Barkley/Robert Woods/Marquise Lee trio? Despite the low yardage total, Barkley hooked up with Woods and Lee for a ridiculous 5 passing TDs.

Up Next: Here comes the big matchup with Stanford. It'll be USC's biggest test so far, but I still doubt the Trojans get tested as much as the pundits had hoped before the season started. The Cardinal aren't looking as formidable as previous years, but it should reveal a bit more about what this team is really capable of.

Stanford 50, Duke 13
Lowdown: The Cardinal finally showed off a bit more of the dominance that fans had become accustomed to over the past few years. It was the type of bounceback performance fans had hoped for after a too-close-for-comfort win against San Jose State the week prior. QB Josh Nunes had a solid performance with 275 yards, 3 TDs and an interception. Duke keyed in on the run, holding Stepfan Taylor to just 69 yards on 14 carries, a formula other teams are likely to replicate moving forward.

Up Next: See above. Oh, and Stanford sucks.

Oregon 42, Fresno St. 25
Lowdown: The Ducks looked like they were going to run away with this early on taking a 35-6 lead at the half. But the offense sputtered a bit in the second half, and the FSU bulldogs shot themselves in the foot by needing to settle for field goals instead of touchdowns. It took a late score from Kenjon Barner to put the game out of reach once and for all. Speaking of Barner, I'd predict he'd bounce back after a quiet week 1, and he did just that, ripping off 201 yards against the Bulldog D. Redshirt frosh QB Marcus Mario-TA, continues to impress.

Up Next: Blah. The Ducks went all SEC scheduling on us, with Tennessee Tech up next. It's not good when your non conference slate features teams with school names all ending in Tech or State. Barner and the Black Mamba combine for a million yards. You heard it here first.