At the start of the season, the biggest game on the Pac-10 schedule was the USC-Cal matchup at Berkeley. Remember, Cal was the team that beat USC in triple overtime in 2003 and brought USC to within an inch of its life in 2004. The difference on this Cal team, though, was the quarterback. Cal’s Aaron Rodgers was a pro-style quarterback who was able to shred the Trojans, opening up the midfield for JJ Arrington and Marshawn Lynch. In 2005, USC was able to stack eight in the box against a scared Joe Ayoob; Freshman Cal Bear found the Trojans four times and catapulted USC to a 35-10 victory. Of course, 35 points is a meager result for the Trojans, who averaged almost 50 per game.

UCLA rebounded from its first loss of the season well with a 45-35 win over Arizona State. The Bruins and Sun Devils scored 56 points in the first half of the game as both teams took the “Ole!” Defense Approach: Hold a red cloth and pray that the bull doesn’t reach you. In the second half, both defenses tightened up and the Bruins prevailed. There’s no argument here that the Bruins have a strong offense; UCLA’s concern is whether they can detain someone. Right now, it seems like the only way the Bruins are going to stop someone is if they recruit a CHP officer for their secondary.

Oregon won, but didn’t cover, against Washington State. While the Cougars remain winless in the conference, they are a team that has improved remarkably in recent weeks. For the Ducks, their secondary was still showing its warts; the final play of the first half resulted in a Hail Mary touchdown run for the Cougars. For Oregon, quarterback Brady Leaf had a chance to show what he could do in the same ballpark that brother Ryan once dominated. Of course, Leaf isn’t the only quarterback for the Ducks, as they’ve also gone with a change of pace in speedy rookie quarterback Dennis Dixon. For WSU RB Jerome Harrison, it was the #13 consecutive triple-digit running game in a row. Good thing he’s not triskadekaphobic, since that one set a Pac-10 record.

Stanford was the laughing stock of college football a little over a month ago when the Cardinal dropped a heavy blow on perennial veterinary medicine powerhouse UC Davis. The Cardinals have quickly learned the new schemes of coach Walt Harris and are now back in the middle of the Pac-10. Stanford’s concern is that quarterback Trent Edwards has come under fire in recent weeks and was forced to vacate the win over Oregon State. After the tough Edwards is gone, the closet is somewhat empty. This one wasn’t too pretty for the Beavers, either, as quarterback Matt Moore was injured in the game and will miss the Civil War against Oregon.

And in this year’s “Who Cares” bowl, Washington pummeled Arizona, 38-14. Strange game, this football; Arizona looked like the better team in the Pac-10 in the dismantling of UCLA, and the Wildcats fell back to the bottom with the loss. While true quarterback Willie Tuitama looked decent for U of A, it looks like Isaiah Stanback has improved by leaps and bounds for the Huskies. Ty Willingham has a job to do, and it certainly looks like he’s going to do it.