Arizona and Stanford opened their Pac-12 play.
The Oregon State football team was off this weekend, so it was a good time for me to catch up with others in the Pac-12 Conference to see how they are doing.
Big-time nonconference matchup didn’t do so well, but teams showed well in nonconference rivalry games.
And the one conference game was a slobberknocker. Here’s my look at the Pac-12 in Week 3.
1. Stanford (3-0, 1-0): That was a rough game at Arizona with several injuries, but the Cardinal prevailed behind QB Andrew Luck.
2. Oregon (2-1, 0-0): The Ducks crushed Missouri State. Not much could be learned in that game. They just kept going forward.
3. USC: (3-0, 1-0): The Trojans appear to be picking up steam with a dominating win over Syracuse. They’ll be the spoiler, yet.
4. California (3-0, 0-0): Crushing some team called Presbyterian kept the Bears undefeated. A win is a win, and helps build confidence.
5. Utah(2-1, 0-1): Blasting rival BYU was a great way to bounce back from a near win against USC. The Utes will be formidable with some talent.
6. Arizona State (2-1, 0-0): Momentum couldn’t be sustained after breaking into the top-25. Road test at Illinois was too much in close loss.
7. Washington (2-1, 0-0): Huskies hung in there for a while against Nebraska. Offense was great, but defense not so good.
Ducks keep on moving forward.
8. Arizona (1-2, 0-1): Rough start for the Wildcats, but you have to figure there’s enough ability on that roster to move up soon.
9. Washington State (2-1, 0-0): After looking great for two games the Cougars ran into an impressive San Diego State team and the defense faltered.
10. Colorado (1-2, 0-0): After struggling for two games the Buffaloes got on track against their injury-depleted rival Colorado State. QB Tyler Hansen looks impressive.
11. UCLA (1-2, 0-0): Bruins didn’t fare well against Texas, but at least they put up 20 points. They’ll be a tough challenge for the Beavers on Saturday.
12. Oregon State (0-2, 0-0): It was a bye week so the Beavers couldn’t improve or drop. Hopefully, they are healthy with UCLA looming. That’s the make-or-break game of the season.
10 comments
OSU4Life says:
Sep 18, 2011
Cliff, did you have to included that most disgusting example of a picture of the team from down the road? I’m Kidding (ok, not really) It isn’t like we don’t see enough of that crap everywhere we look. They are offically under investigation by the NCAA anyhow. Go Beavs, nowhere to go but up from here!
OSU4Life says:
Sep 18, 2011
Ugh!!! Spelling sucks trying to type by phone! I promise, I didn’t get my degree from down the road.
orb says:
Sep 18, 2011
Weber State 49 Sac. State 17 The Horror!! The Horror!!
dili says:
Sep 18, 2011
orb, whoever you are, good point. It just goes to show how poorly we were coached in this game and how far our program has dropped. Keep supplying your wise views for many fans to consider and learn from
73GradMike says:
Sep 18, 2011
I really hope the coaches watched the UCLA game (and Utah-BYU). They could really learn from watching other programs succeed against future opponents.
When I have suggested specific improvements in the past, I was answered that OSU “doesn’t do it that way”. Well … IT’S TIME TO DO SOME OF THOSE THINGS THAT (the successful) WAY!
Successful programs make adjustments to put their players in the best position to succeed. Coaches need to keep learning too!
kersting13 says:
Sep 19, 2011
Sure 73Grad, our coaches don’t make adjustments.
It was “magic” in those other seasons when we started 2-3 and ended 9-4.
73GradMike says:
Sep 19, 2011
Or maybe ended up 5-6. Perhaps they could make adjustments DURING the game to help win more than they lose.
mike says:
Sep 19, 2011
Totally disagree that this is the “make or break” game of the season-no matter the record, the make or break game is the one against the university of zero.
The game against UCLA could turn the season around but our coaches and players have been VERY disappointing this year. We’ll see if there is half way decent play calling, we’ll see if our db’s and linebackers continue to play too inconsistently, and we’ll see if Riley decides maybe the third game of the season might be time to get going.
I like giving Mannion the keys to the team– I loved Katz’s arm but you have to complete a higher percentage than he ever did, and our offense has to keep the defense off the field. And Mr. Hekker if you do one more of those rugby style kicks our special teams coach should be fired immediately. Practice your kicks and just get them off instead of being a cheeseball.
Come on beavs, let’s go.
Tagup says:
Sep 19, 2011
I beg to differ on your analysis regarding Katz passing percentage…..Last year his completion percent was 60% which isn’t that bad….compare that with Canfields first year at 57%. Canfield went on to become one of the Beavers most efficient QB’s in history but he didn’t do it in his first year. While I think Mannion has tremendous upside and I will support MR’s decision, I don’t think Katz got much of a shake this year to compare…..
I also think you need to remember that OSU has been playing freshmen and been racked with injuries before you get too disappointed in the players and coaches. We are just now getting a few starters healthy.
OSU 24 UCLA 17…..
mike says:
Sep 19, 2011
from your lips to the scoreboard on saturday. go beavs.