The LRT Power Rankings are back after a two week hiatus due to um, forgetfulness. To recap here are what the rankings would have been had I posted them the last two weeks:
Week 8:
1. Oregon
2. Arizona
3. Stanford
4. USC
5. OSU
6. Cal
7. Washington
8. ASU
9. UCLA
10. WSU
Week 9
1. Oregon
2. Stanford
3. Arizona
4. USC
5. OSU
6. ASU
7. UCLA
8. Cal
9. Washington
10. WSU
Now, on to the main event!
1. Oregon
9-0 (6-0 Pac 10)
LW: 1
It was a shaky start for the Ducks, the Huskies defense managed to slow them down and pretty much negate LaMichael James on the ground but Oregons talent and depth was enough to overcome the early mistakes and run away with it late in the game. Ducks travel to Cal next week.
2. Stanford
8-1 (5-1)
LW: 2
This is the best 1 loss team in the country. Stanford never even had to worry against Arizona it just wasn’t even close. Andrew Luck may be playing his way into the top spot in the NFL draft. Up next a trip to ASU.
3. USC
6-3 (3-3)
LW: 4
The Trojans finally managed to avoid a last minute loss, helped en route by a blocked field goal returned for 2 points in a crazy game in the Coliseum. Trojans head to Tucson to take on the Wildcats who come of a thumping by Stanford.
4. Arizona
7-2 (4-2)
LW: 3
Did I mention that Arizona get thumped? Why yes, yes I did. This game was ugly for the Wildcats. Question is do they take out their frustrations on the Trojans, or does the beat down by the drunken trees shake them up and lead to the third loss of the season?
5. ASU
4-5 (2-4)
LW: 6
Arizona’s bowl hopes are on life support after the loss to USC. The Sun Devils need to run the table, or win two and hope the NCAA lets them compete with two wins over 1-AA schools. Chances are good they might need to with 35 bowl slots to fill. Unfortunately for the Sun Devils, Stanford is coming to town, and they only present they are bringing is pain.
6. UCLA
4-5 (2-4)
LW: 7
Rick Neuheisal and the Bruins pulled out a nail biter for the home crowd. A challenge gave UCLA 1 second on the clock to go for the field goal and after missing two earlier in the game, Kai Forbath nailed a 51 yarder for the win. Bruins have a bye next weekend to prepare for a thursday night game in Seattle the following week.
7. Oregon State
4-4 (3-2)
LW: 5
OSU blew it allowing the Bruins to drive into field goal range from deep within their own territory in the final 48 seconds. Beavers need to win 2 of the last 4 games to go bowling, and WSU next week is likely to give them one, but the final three games are against USC, Stanford and Oregon, not an easy task.
8. Cal
5-4 (3-3)
LW: 8
The Bears finally got a road win, but it was against WSU and by only a touchdown. If the Huskies had kept the game closer against Oregon Cal would be sitting in spot number 9 this week. Of course with a visit from #1 Oregon next week, the Bruins home win streak is likely going to end.
9. Washington
3-6 (2-4)
LW: 9
A Jake Locker-less Husky team was surprisingly competitive for 2 and a half quarters in Autzen, but too many missed opportunities early and a lack of depth doomed the Dawgs as Oregon ran away with it late in the game. Tough loss but a decent start for Husky QB Keith Price who will battle Nick Montana for the Husky starting job next year.
10. Washington State
1-9 (0-7)
LW: 10
It looked for awhile like the Cougars might get their first conference win of the year, but bad offense doomed the Cougs to yet another loss. WSU is the only team in the Pac with no chance of Bowl eligibility and while improved could be looking at a new coach next season.
I’m pretty sure I pegged U-Dub to be a cellar dweller earlier this year and took some heat from this guest poster. Turns out my expectations were fairly accurate.
Anyhoo, I don’t understand why you have the ‘ruins ahead of the Beavers. Yes, H2H results matter, but when you look at the circumstances of how the game ended and the fact that it was a home game for the ‘ruins (good for +3.5 points according to Vegas oddsmakers, though I doubt the Rose Bowl is that intimidating of a place to play for visitors), I think you have to give the edge to the Beavers — who I think would definitely win a rematch on a neutral field.
I think Oregon State With James Rodgers is #4 on this list, while Oregon State Without James Rodgers is properly ranked right about #7. Such a shame. Killing Boise & TCU, too.
Andrew, were you born full of yourself of was it something you learned how to do over time?
The Huskies are a play away at BYU and a healthy Jake Locker against ASU from being 5-4 with only 1 win needed against three mediocre to bad Pac-10 teams to go bowling. And don’t forget the Huskies beat both OSU and USC this year. 5-9 in my rankings, can and have been all over the place this year, changing from week to week as the teams play. And being currently last of that group isn’t proof you were right about them being a cellar dweller as the only true cellar dweller in this conference is WSU at this point.
Plus I doubt you would have bothered to comment if the Huskies were 5-4/6-3 at this point about how wrong you were.
As for UCLA over OSU, again, 5-9 in this poll changes from week to week, the middle of the Pac-10 is eating itself up. The victory over the Beavers, plus the fact that they allowed them to pretty much just drive down the field for the game winning field goal gave them a slight edge. It’s entirely likely that next week the middle of this group will shift again, the teams are just that close. And Arizona and USC can slip right back in as well.
David, practice makes perfect!
So the Huskies were a few plays away from almost beating a very mediocre BYU team. And they hang on against OSU because Mike Riley made the bizarre decision to line up in a 5-wide set on the 2-point conversion, vs. at least having Jacquizz in there (reminds me of the 2006 Rose Bowl, and Reggie Bush not being on the field for 4th-and-2) — and even then, it took the third-string TE dropping the perfect pass from the Beavers’ freshman QB. And yes, the Trojans this year decided to experiment with defenders dipping their hands in melted butter before each snap, thereby turning Jake Locker into a genius just a week after Nebraska proved him to be the ultimate fraud (I should also mention the gratuitous missed FG by USC). So I am supposed to be impressed by the Huskies? I will admit to being impressed by Chris Polk, and it’s a bummer he spurned USC for U-Dub, but then again a shortage of 5-star RBs hasn’t been our problem. The bottom line is, Washington is awful, and Washington State is uber-awful. And without Jake Locker able to play, the Cougs might actually have a shot this year in the Apple Cup.
If the Huskies were 5-4 or 6-3, that would have required me to be wrong about Jake Locker being a fraud as well, so the plausibility of that scenario is even further decreased. But yes, if U-Dub was good and Locker was half of what he was hyped to be, I would’ve very much been on the Sark bandwagon and touting the success of “USC North”.
Apparently you completely missed my point about fUCLA being rescued by the extra second on the clock, and OSU beating the standard 3.5 points oddsmakers factor into the home team’s spread. I’m not saying the ‘ruins are eons worse than the Beavers, only that, for H2H results to matter, the records can’t be more than one game apart in the W/L columns and there has to have been clear domination. All fUCLA proved was that they can win a home game against OSU, but everything points to OSU being better on a neutral site, and since they have the better record, it doesn’t make sense to elevate the ‘ruins over them based on a fluky home victory.
So you practice being an arrogant asshole? Not surprising but good to know. As for the rest of your post I didn’t even bother reading it, having any sort of meaningful discussion with you is pointless. Feel free to continue gloating or whatever entertains you, I won’t be reading it.
Project much?