It was nice taking off the weekend from watching the Huskies. Usually I hate bye weeks, but this year I have enjoyed them. First of all I got to watch a better brand of college football. I also don't have to sit there and try to write something positive about a team that isn't very competitive.
The first game I watched this weekend was Oklahoma vs Texas. I wanted to watch Muschamp match wits with Bob Stoops. It was a great game and Mushamp was able to slow down Oklahoma enough to let the Texas offense stick around long enough to win the game. I like upsets and it was fun to watch another undefeated team fall.
I watched as much of WSU/Oregon State as I could stomach. Is WSU that bad? Is Paul Wulff a terrible coach? Is UW potentially as bad as WSU? Will Oregon State put 50 on the Huskies at home next week?
My friends Kim Grinolds and Chris Fetters from Dawgman were at the Swamp this weekend watching Florida upset LSU. I am sure it was a treat for them to see an excited crowd and watch some excellent football, Another undefeated team bites the dust and the race for the BCS chanpionship is getting very interesting.
Notre Dame and Michigan lost this weekend. The Irish are actually getting better. They aren't top 25 better, but they are making some strides. How does Michigan lose to Toledo after beating Wisconsin? It is going to take Rich Rodriguez another year or two to turn things around. The players he has simply are not a good fit for his offense.
Gary Pinkel lost a tough one to Oklahoma State and another undefeated team bites the dust.
Arizona which looked pretty good only a week before fell to Stanford. When I watched the Wildcats wipe out the Dawgs I came away unimpressed. It was surreal watching a very average team with plenty of flaws score at will against Washington. Those impressions bore fruit this week when UA was defeated by an equally mediocre Stanford squad.
The final game of the day was Oregon vs UCLA and I was actually rooting for the Bruins even though a friend that is a Duck was in town. UCLA hung with them and came close to pulling an upset. The Ducks aren't a very good team at this point, but a "W" is a "W".
The sad impression i came away with this weekend is Washington has the talent to play with most of the teams in this league. The reality of it all is they are just going through the motions under Willingham. Perhaps a big loss to OSU this coming weekend will force Woodward's hand. The healing won't start until he leaves the sideline.
Pac Ten Lack of Power Ratings
1. USC...the Trojans shut out the Sun Devils and knocked Carpenter out of the game. The Trojan defense is rounding into mid season form.
2. California...A well deserved bye for the Bears this week.
3. Oregon State...They scored over 60 points and their QB escaped injury. that is reason enough to move up this week.
4. Oregon...Struggling to beat UCLA isn't a very good sign. The Ducks seems to be regressing every week.
5. Stanford...The Cardinal would probably rate ninth in the league in overall talent. Harbaugh is doing a great job on the farm. It is amazing what a team can do when they believe in themselves.
6. Arizona State...Giving 28 points to USC is nothing to be ashamed of. Getting shut out is.
7. Arizona...In typical Mike Stoops fashon they follow up a big win with a disapointing loss.
8. UCLA...They may have lost to Oregon but Neuheisel has this team competing each week.
9. Washington...Up next is Oregon State and the very real potential of another team hanging upwards of 50 points on the Dawgs.
10. WSU...I have seen some bad WSU teams over the years but this one is the absolute worst I van remember.