With Another week in the books, we finally are starting to get a glimpse of who are the contenders and who are the pretenders. All ten Pac 10 teams were in action and we saw some teams rise to the challenge, and others play dead. We also saw a continuation of the disturbing trend of Pac 10 teams futility against teams from other conferences, as we once again went 0-2 in non-conference game solidifying the Pac 10 as a solid #6 ranking among BCS conferences this season. Get ready for a shake up.. here we go...


1. California (4-1)

Last week #1. Finally, a team didn't get crushed when playing in the #1 slot. Cal played a very solid game against an underrated ASU team, but more importantly, their defense is for real, all but shutting down the PAC 10's top ranked passer, Rudy Carpenter. All in all, I thought their effort deserves another week at #1. Next up? BYE.

2. Southern Cal (3-1)

Last week #3. USC certainly bounced back nicely after that shocking loss to Oregon State. Taking down a very good Oregon team, but more importantly, shutting down a very solid Oregon offense in the process. Next up? At home against Arizona State.

3. Arizona (4-1)

Last week #5. Ok, ok, UA is making a believer out of me. This team has a solid defense and a phenomenal offense, led by Tuitama. These guys could have put up eighty points on UW if they chose to, but decided to coast to a nice, workmanlike 48-14 pasting. UA, USC, and Cal have clearly separated themselves as #1 through 3, and could stay in this order for a while... especially if UA knocks of cal next week. Next up? At Stanford.

4. Oregon (4-2)

Last week #2. Despite the pasting at the hands of Southern Cal, Oregon seems clearly better than the rest of the Pac 10. Add to that, their loss was in the Coliseum, I decided to give Oregon a break and drop them just two slots. Look for Oregon to roll big next week. Next up? At home against UCLA.

5. Oregon State (2-3)

Last week #4. I had a tough choice between OSU, Stanford and ASU at #5 for this week. had i gone with Stanford or ASU, they would have moved UP in the standings despite their poor performance this week, so I went with OSU. It was probably a smart move too, since they lost by just three points on the road at a top 25 team (Utah). This OSU team could be dangerous if they could learn to play on the road, because they are deadly at home. Next up? At home against Washington State.

6. Arizona State (2-3)

Last week #6. Keeping ASU at #6 seemed an easy choice considering the fact that their played a very good Cal team on the road, and were at least competitive. Add to that, they should get the benefit of the doubt because of the scheduled they've played.

7. Stanford (3-3)

Last week #7. Stanford solidified their position in the lower half of the Power rankings with their very marginal loss to an average, at best, Notre Dame team. Stanford is clearly better than UCLA, WSU, and UW, and clearly not as good as the others... at least as of today. Next up? At home against Arizona.

8. UCLA (2-3)

Last week #8. Not much to say here. UCLA is clearly better than Washington State (as can be referenced by their 28-3 route of Wazzu yesterday), and are obviously better than UW as well, but i can't see them beating anyone else, at least from where things stand today. Next week is an opportunity for UCLA to make some heady way as they travel to Autzen, but I wouldn't count on it.

9. Washington State (1-5)

Last week #10. I had to put Wazzu ahead of UW because of the fact that at least Wazzu showed some fight against UCLA. Wazzu actually got out to a small lead, and although they trailed 14-3 at half time, they only allowed 7 points in each quarter of the second half to give the appearance of a respectable final score. I suspect that UW and Wazzu will be swapping places the rest of the way.

10. Washington (0-5)

last week #9. What can I say? UW is the ONLY team in any BCS conference without a win, they have the worst overall defense in the Nation and one of the worst offenses. What's more disturbing is that this team has quit on their coach, their fans, and most importantly, themselves. At this point, I can't see myself even putting them up to #9 until they play Wazzu IF they win that game, simply because at least Wazzu is playing for their coach... UW players are mailing it in every week now. Next up? BYE, thank Goodness.