1.  USC - For Petes' Sake:  Pete Carroll continues to build a dynasty in the PAC-10.  Despite what Les Miles said last week about USC's easy ride in the PAC-10, a considerable advantage in his mind on the road to the BCS championship game, the carnage continues.  The Trojans have a 57-6 Record, with 4-of-the-six losses coming to rival PAC-10 teams.  During this streak they have beaten Notre Dame five times, by a combined score of 208-82.

By the way, Oregon State has beaten Notre Dame by a combined score of 79-30, with their victories coming just a couple a years after a string of 38 consecutive losing seasons, the most dubious streak in NCAA history.

Les Miles must be on crack because last year the Men of Troy beat a slew of BCS Conference 2nd-place teams handily.  The scores are as follows: Big-12 Championship game participant Nebraska (9-5) 28-10, Big-10 runner-up Michigan (11-2) 32-18 (twice in BCS Rose Bowls by a combined score of 60-32), PAC-10 runner-up CAL (10-3) 23-9, CFA orchestrator and BCS special priviledges member and the Grand-poo-ba of colleg football - Notre Dame (10-3) 44-24 and SEC Championship game participant Arkansas (10-4) 50-14.

I still get quite a laugh about Arkansas, claiming in the 2005 game on national television at the LA Colisium, that USC is just another SEC team.  Name another SEC team in the last two years who has beat them by a combined score of 120-28?  By halftime, USC had scored on all six possessions and the average drive was less than 5 plays!  They play great defense in the SEC ya'know.

In the last two years in the SEC,  LSU is the only team who has beaten the Razorbacks in successive fashion, but it's only by a combined 7 points, 50-43 over the two years.  LSU has not only beaten the Hogs the last two seasons, but now has run their consecutive win streak in the annual series to four, and only when combining their four-year run over Hogs does it equal... or better yet, even come close to USC's two year domination (148-81) .  Defending national champion Florida did not play the Razorbacks in 2005, but if you combine their 2004 & 2006 victories it is still only an 83-58 margin.  In fact, you have to go all the way back to LSU's two-year reign over the Hogs in 2003-04 when they won both games by a combined score of 98-38 to get some kind of measure of just how dominant USC has been during this magical period.   Still think they are just another SEC team?

In the 2002 & 2003 season's, USC beat Auburn twice by the combined score of 47-17. Georgia is the only team since 2002 who has beat the Tigers in back-to-back seasons, and oddly enough, it occurred in the same 2002 & 2003 seasons, but the victory margin...50-28?  So much for the bal-ly-hooed strength of the SEC, because over the long haul the numbers just don't add up.

Although the carnage of wins is hyper impressive, the most intriguing aspect of this five year return to glory by the Trojans actually comes from analyzing their losses.  A 57-6 record is impressive by any standard, but 6 losses by a total of 25 points is scarry good.  Four-of-the-six losses have come via PAC-10 rivals and even more impressive, every loss to a PAC-10 rival has been by a field goal or less.  Only Kansas State's 27-20 victory in 2002 has been greater over 3 points.

To this day, I am still amazed at the comment from John Saunders of ABC, "We  knew when USC finally played a good defense they would lose," after the 2005 Rose Bowl game when Vince Young literally placed the "Eyes of Texas" on his back and willed the Longhorns from behind to claim the national championship 41-38.

Umm...John, the Trojans had nearly 500 yards of offense on the night and if Reggie Bush hadn't been on his Heisman high, the attempted lateral in the second quarter still slays me, along with a few questionable, but aggressively greedy play calls through-out the game by head coach Pete Carroll, I don't think the Longhorns would have won.

It was almost as laughable as the ABC Pre-Gameday Crew, John Saunders and Craig James specifically, prior 2004 BCS National Championship Orange Bowl, declaring that the Trojans, and the rest of the PAC-10 were going to find out just how physical the game is played in the Big-12.  Umm...Guys...It was 38-10 at halftime and the Men-of-Troy were heard to be singing loudly in the locker room, while the Sooners might as well have been showering as the final score mushroomed to 55-19.

Given the statistics we have rehashed, you really wonder where Saunders, James, Miles and the rest of SEC Nation has been during this five year run as the Longhorn defense was so good on that fateful night in January of 2005 that Vince Young had to come from 16 points down in the final quarter to win.  None-the-less, it was a hellacious game indeed, and we must give credit where credit is due, because the Horns are only one of two teams to put-up over 40 points on the SC-Speed oriented defense in the last 5 years, and the other team ain't from the SEC...it's Fresno State.  By the way, name an SEC team who has been to 5 straight BCS Games, or even 5 BCS games overall with a 4-1 record?

A word to the wise, if you plan on beating the Trojans, you need to score at least 30 points.  The tender spot in the Trojan armour is that Pete Carroll only has a 4-4 record in LA when the opponent scores 30 points or more, and 1-2 when scoring 20 or less.

Here is the Trojan record of games since 2002.

2006-Southern California (Pac 10)

9/2 @ Arkansas (10-4) W 50 14
9/16 vs. Nebraska (9-5) W 28 10
9/23 @ *Arizona (6-6) W 20 3
9/30 @ *Washington State (6-6) W 28 22
10/7 vs. *Washington (5-7) W 26 20
10/14 vs. *Arizona State (7-6) W 28 21
10/28 @ *Oregon State (10-4) L 31 33
11/4 @ *Stanford (1-11) W 42 0
11/11 vs. *Oregon (7-6) W 35 10
11/18 vs. *California (10-3) W 23 9
11/25 vs. Notre Dame (10-3) W 44 24
12/2 @ *UCLA (7-6) L 9 13
1/1 vs. Michigan (11-2) W 32 18 @ Pasadena, CA Rose Bowl
11-2-0
396 197
2005-Southern California (Pac 10)

9/3 @ Hawaii (5-7) W 63 17
9/17 vs. Arkansas (4-7) W 70 17
9/24 @ *Oregon (10-2) W 45 13
10/1 @ *Arizona State (7-5) W 38 28
10/8 vs. *Arizona (3-8) W 42 21
10/15 @ Notre Dame (9-3) W 34 31
10/22 @ *Washington (2-9) W 51 24
10/29 vs. *Washington State (4-7) W 55 13
11/5 vs. *Stanford (5-6) W 51 21
11/12 @ *California (8-4) W 35 10
11/19 vs. Fresno State (8-5) W 50 42
12/3 vs. *UCLA (10-2) W 66 19
1/4 vs. Texas (13-0) L 38 41 @ Pasadena, CA Rose Bowl
  12-1-0
   638 297
2004-Southern California (Pac 10)

8/28 vs. Virginia Tech (10-3) W 24 13 @ Landover, MD BCA Classic
9/11 vs. Colorado State (4-7) W 49 0
9/18 @ Brigham Young (5-6) W 42 10
9/25 @ *Stanford (4-7) W 31 28
10/9 vs. *California (10-2) W 23 17
10/16 vs. *Arizona State (9-3) W 45 7
10/23 vs. *Washington (1-10) W 38 0
10/30 @ *Washington State (5-6) W 42 12
11/6 @ *Oregon State (7-5) W 28 20
11/13 vs. *Arizona (3-8) W 49 9
11/27 vs. Notre Dame (6-6) W 41 10
12/4 @ *UCLA (6-6) W 29 24
1/4 vs. Oklahoma (12-1) W 55 19 @ Miami, FL Orange Bowl
  13-0-0
   496 169
2003-Southern California (Pac 10)

8/30 @ Auburn (8-5) W 23 0
9/6 vs. Brigham Young (4-8) W 35 18
9/13 vs. Hawaii (9-5) W 61 32
9/27 @ *California (8-6) L 31 34
10/4 @ *Arizona State (5-7) W 37 17
10/11 vs. *Stanford (4-7) W 44 21
10/18 @ Notre Dame (5-7) W 45 14
10/25 @ *Washington (6-6) W 43 23
11/1 vs. *Washington State (10-3) W 43 16
11/15 @ *Arizona (2-10) W 45 0
11/22 vs. *UCLA (6-7) W 47 22
12/6 vs. *Oregon State (8-5) W 52 28
1/1 vs. Michigan (10-3) W 28 14 @ Pasadena, CA Rose Bowl
  12-1-0
   534 239
2002-Southern California (Pac 10)

9/2 vs. Auburn (9-4) W 24 17
9/14 @ Colorado (9-5) W 40 3
9/21 @ Kansas State (11-2) L 20 27
9/28 vs. *Oregon State (8-5) W 22 0
10/5 @ *Washington State (10-3) L 27 30
10/12 vs. *California (7-5) W 30 28
10/19 vs. *Washington (7-6) W 41 21
10/26 @ *Oregon (7-6) W 44 33
11/9 @ *Stanford (2-9) W 49 17
11/16 vs. *Arizona State (8-6) W 34 13
11/23 @ *UCLA (8-5) W 52 21
11/30 vs. Notre Dame (10-3) W 44 13
1/2 vs. Iowa (11-2) W 38 17 @ Miami, FL Orange Bowl
  11-2-0
   465 240

 2.  California:  The Bears are back under Jeff Tedford.  Despite last season's melt down in Knoxville on opening weekend, the bears recovered to record a 10 win season for only the third time since 1990.  How good is Tedford?

In five seasons as Commander in Cheif in Strawberry Canyon, the Bears have amassed a 43-20 record.  In the five previous seasons before Tedford took over, the Panda-Bears were an anemic 16-39, and the year before el-cap-i-tan landed ashore, they were coming off a 1-10 season.

Traveling back to his days in Eugene, his record in four years as the Offensive Coordinator for Mike Bellotti and the Ducks was 38-10 with Bowl victories over Minnesota (Sun), Texas (Holiday) and Colorado (BCS-Fiesta);  it was the grandest of times in Nikeville, the Ducks best four year run in history.  In the four years since he left Eugene, the Ducks are a dysmal 28-21 with four consecutive Bowl losses.

What he has accomplished at CAL is miraculous, what has happened in Eugene speaks volumes to the influence Tedford had with Oregon's "Air of Success."

Since taking over the Cal program in 2002, head coach Jeff Tedford has built the Bears into one of the top programs in the nation, leading California to four straight bowl appearances and top-10 national rankings in each of the last three years. Cal's 36 wins over the last four years are the most in any four-year stretch in over 50 years for the Bears.

Cal returns eight offensive starters, including junior quarterback Nate Longshore and arguably the best wide receiving corps in the nation - junior DeSean Jackson and seniors Lavelle Hawkins and Robert Jordan.  

On the defensive side of the ball, the Bears have five starters returning, including sophomore Syd'Quan Thompson, who started in all 13 games last season.  Barring a rash of injuries or the black death for any team in college football (a barrage of turnovers), the Bears should host USC for another crack at PAC-10 Championship rights in November.

2006-California (Pac 10)

9/2 @ Tennessee (9-4) L 18 35
9/9 vs. Minnesota (6-7) W 42 17
9/16 vs. Portland State (non-IA) W 42 16
9/23 vs. *Arizona State (7-6) W 49 21
9/30 @ *Oregon State (10-4) W 41 13
10/7 vs. *Oregon (7-6) W 45 24
10/14 @ *Washington State (6-6) W 21 3
10/21 vs. *Washington (5-7) W 31 24
11/4 vs. *UCLA (7-6) W 38 24
11/11 @ *Arizona (6-6) L 20 24
11/18 @ *Southern California (11-2) L 9 23
12/2 vs. *Stanford (1-11) W 26 17
12/28 vs. Texas A&M (9-4) W 45 10 @ San Diego, CA Holiday Bowl
  10-3-0
   427 251
2005-California (Pac 10)

9/3 vs. Sacramento State (non-IA) W 41 3
9/10 @ *Washington (2-9) W 56 17
9/17 vs. Illinois (2-9) W 35 20
9/23 @ New Mexico State (0-12) W 41 13
10/1 vs. *Arizona (3-8) W 28 0
10/8 @ *UCLA (10-2) L 40 47
10/15 vs. *Oregon State (5-6) L 20 23
10/22 vs. *Washington State (4-7) W 42 38
11/5 @ *Oregon (10-2) L 20 27
11/12 vs. *Southern California (12-1) L 10 35
11/19 @ *Stanford (5-6) W 27 3
12/22 vs. Brigham Young (6-6) W 35 28 @ Las Vegas, NV Las Vegas Bowl
  8-4-0
   395 254
2004-California (Pac 10)

9/4 @ Air Force (5-6) W 56 14
9/11 vs. New Mexico State (5-6) W 41 14
10/2 @ *Oregon State (7-5) W 49 7
10/9 @ *Southern California (13-0) L 17 23
10/16 vs. *UCLA (6-6) W 45 28
10/23 @ *Arizona (3-8) W 38 0
10/30 vs. *Arizona State (9-3) W 27 0
11/6 vs. *Oregon (5-6) W 28 27
11/13 @ *Washington (1-10) W 42 12
11/20 vs. *Stanford (4-7) W 41 6
12/4 @ Southern Mississippi (7-5) W 26 16
12/30 vs. Texas Tech (8-4) L 31 45 @ San Diego, CA Holiday Bowl
  10-2-0
   441 192
2003-California (Pac 10)

8/23 vs. Kansas State (11-4) L 28 42 @ Kansas City, MO BCA Classic
8/30 vs. Southern Mississippi (9-4) W 34 2
9/6 vs. Colorado State (7-6) L 21 23
9/11 @ Utah (10-2) L 24 31
9/20 @ Illinois (1-11) W 31 24
9/27 vs. *Southern California (12-1) W 34 31
10/4 vs. *Oregon State (8-5) L 21 35
10/18 @ *UCLA (6-7) L 20 23
10/25 vs. *Arizona (2-10) W 42 14
11/1 @ *Arizona State (5-7) W 51 23
11/8 @ *Oregon (8-5) L 17 21
11/15 vs. *Washington (6-6) W 54 7
11/22 @ *Stanford (4-7) W 28 16
12/26 vs. Virginia Tech (8-5) W 52 49 @ Phoenix, AZ Insight Bowl
  8-6-0
   457 341
2002-California (Pac 10)

8/31 vs. Baylor (3-9) W 70 22
9/7 vs. New Mexico State (7-5) W 34 13
9/14 @ Michigan State (4-8) W 46 22
9/21 vs. Air Force (8-5) L 21 23
9/28 vs. *Washington State (10-3) L 38 48
10/5 @ *Washington (7-6) W 34 27
10/12 @ *Southern California (11-2) L 28 30
10/19 vs. *UCLA (8-5) W 17 12
10/26 @ *Oregon State (8-5) L 13 24
11/9 @ *Arizona State (8-6) W 55 38
11/16 vs. *Arizona (4-8) L 41 52
11/23 vs. *Stanford (2-9) W 30 7
  7-5-0
   427 318

3.  Arizona State:  There is a new Sheriff in town in the desert, but he is the infamous, but well traveled - orchestrator of the quick turnaround - Master of the instant exit as he can leave faster than an NCAA probation being handed down -  Dennis Erickson.  In his words, "Tempe is a Goldmine," and coupled with the fact that the Sun Devils have notoriously under-achieved under Dirk Koetter, be careful when entering the land of the sun.  An Affrican-honey-bee, speed oriented, chip-on-the-Shoulder attitude will prevail under the tutelage of Erickson and staff.  Better bring your ear-plugs, as Erickson's teams at WSU, Miami and Oregon State have brought a thundering rash of trash talking to their arsenol.  By the way, the quick strike offense and pin-your-ears back defense should be pretty good as well, and although many people may think I'm off my rocker, they may compete for the conference championship if they can beat the Bears before heading to Troy.

2006-Arizona State (Pac 10)

8/31 vs. Northern Arizona (non-IA) W 35 14
9/9 vs. Nevada (8-5) W 52 21
9/16 @ Colorado (2-10) W 21 3
9/23 @ *California (10-3) L 21 49
9/30 vs. *Oregon (7-6) L 13 48
10/14 @ *Southern California (11-2) L 21 28
10/21 vs. *Stanford (1-11) W 38 3
10/28 @ *Washington (5-7) W 26 23
11/4 @ *Oregon State (10-4) L 10 44
11/11 vs. *Washington State (6-6) W 47 14
11/18 vs. *UCLA (7-6) L 12 24
11/25 @ *Arizona (6-6) W 28 14
12/24 vs. Hawaii (11-3) L 24 41 @ Honolulu, HI Hawaii Bowl
  7-6-0
   348 326
2005-Arizona State (Pac 10)

9/1 vs. Temple (0-11) W 63 16
9/10 vs. Louisiana State (11-2) L 31 35
9/17 vs. Northwestern (7-5) W 52 21
9/24 @ *Oregon State (5-6) W 42 24
10/1 vs. *Southern California (12-1) L 28 38
10/8 vs. *Oregon (10-2) L 17 31
10/22 @ *Stanford (5-6) L 35 45
10/29 vs. *Washington (2-9) W 44 20
11/5 @ *Washington State (4-7) W 27 24
11/12 @ *UCLA (10-2) L 35 45
11/25 vs. *Arizona (3-8) W 23 20
12/27 vs. Rutgers (7-5) W 45 40 @ Phoenix, AZ Insight Bowl
  7-5-0
   442 359
2004-Arizona State (Pac 10)

9/2 vs. Texas-El Paso (8-4) W 41 9
9/11 @ Northwestern (6-6) W 30 21
9/18 vs. Iowa (10-2) W 44 7
9/25 vs. *Oregon State (7-5) W 27 14
10/2 @ *Oregon (5-6) W 28 13
10/16 @ *Southern California (13-0) L 7 45
10/23 vs. *UCLA (6-6) W 48 42
10/30 @ *California (10-2) L 0 27
11/6 vs. *Stanford (4-7) W 34 31
11/13 vs. *Washington State (5-6) W 45 28
11/26 @ *Arizona (3-8) L 27 34
12/31 vs. Purdue (7-5) W 27 23 @ El Paso, TX Sun Bowl
  9-3-0
   358 294
2003-Arizona State (Pac 10)

9/6 vs. Northern Arizona (non-IA) W 34 14
9/13 vs. Utah State (3-9) W 26 16
9/20 @ Iowa (10-3) L 2 21
9/27 @ *Oregon State (8-5) L 17 45
10/4 vs. *Southern California (12-1) L 17 37
10/11 vs. *Oregon (8-5) W 59 14
10/18 @ North Carolina (2-10) W 33 31
10/25 @ *UCLA (6-7) L 13 20
11/1 vs. *California (8-6) L 23 51
11/8 @ *Stanford (4-7) L 27 38
11/15 @ *Washington State (10-3) L 19 34
11/28 vs. *Arizona (2-10) W 28 7
  5-7-0
   298 328
2002-Arizona State (Pac 10)

8/24 vs. Nebraska (7-7) L 10 48 @ Lincoln, NE BCA Classic
8/31 vs. Eastern Washington (non-IA) W 38 2
9/7 vs. Central Florida (7-5) W 46 13
9/14 @ San Diego State (4-9) W 39 28
9/28 vs. *Stanford (2-9) W 65 24
10/5 vs. North Carolina (3-9) L 35 38
10/12 vs. *Oregon State (8-5) W 13 9
10/19 @ *Oregon (7-6) W 45 42
10/26 vs. *Washington (7-6) W 27 16
11/2 @ *Washington State (10-3) L 22 44
11/9 vs. *California (7-5) L 38 55
11/16 @ *Southern California (11-2) L 13 34
11/29 @ *Arizona (4-8) W 34 20
12/27 vs. Kansas State (11-2) L 27 34 @ San Diego, CA Holiday Bowl
  8-6-0
   452 407

4.  Arizona:  The must be something about the water in the land of the sun near Tucson, because the Wildcats have historically had one of the better defenses through the years and when you add the name Stoops to the mix, it just gets better.  But as good as the defense has been, the offense has been an ineffective opposite.

I thought last year would be coach Stoops breakout year with the Cats, but they couldn't keep QB Willie Tuitama healthy.  Since 2000 and the firing of Dick Tomey, who I greatly admired as one of the best coaches in the PAC-10, the Cats have been dead last in offense.

According to Stoops, "When you look at the entirety of last season, to win six games shows constant growth in our program. To win some of the games we won, after what our kids went through and then to win our last three road games was good for us. But we didn't finish the way we had liked too. The loss against Arizona State cost us a lot, including a bowl game. Hopefully that will have an impact. Our expectations are much different going into this season. The way we persevered last season, winning against top teams, I think that gives us some legitimate confidence and our work habits really match those expectations. Our attitude matches our expectations. We are healthy, we have great experience coming back, it is by far and away our most experienced and talented football team."

On the new spread offense: "We are going to implement the whole system. Our biggest challenge will be in utilizing the personnel we have on our team. Whether we go four wides, three wides, we'll have to see. I think the system gives us a unique protection of our quarterback. If we keep Willie [Tuitama] healthy our chance of winning goes up dramatically. All of those things are important to our success.  This is the best team we've had and it is time for us to make our move."

It's a shaky pick for me but I think a fourth place pick is in order and if they can keep their defense energized by scoring more than 20 points a game, they could climb all the way to the two slot.  We will see if Sonny Dykes, who is coming over from  Texas Tech with his "Air Raid" attack can slow the succession of offensive coordinators who have headed out of the desert for better waters.

2006-Arizona (Pac 10)

9/2 vs. Brigham Young (11-2) W 16 13
9/9 @ Louisiana State (11-2) L 3 45
9/16 vs. Stephen F. Austin (non-IA) W 28 10
9/23 vs. *Southern California (11-2) L 3 20
9/30 vs. *Washington (5-7) L 10 21
10/7 @ *UCLA (7-6) L 7 27
10/14 @ *Stanford (1-11) W 20 7
10/21 vs. *Oregon State (10-4) L 10 17
11/4 @ *Washington State (6-6) W 27 17
11/11 vs. *California (10-3) W 24 20
11/18 @ *Oregon (7-6) W 37 10
11/25 vs. *Arizona State (7-6) L 14 28
  6-6-0
   199 235

2005-Arizona (Pac 10)

9/2 @ Utah (7-5) L 24 27
9/10 vs. Northern Arizona (non-IA) W 31 12
9/17 vs. Purdue (5-6) L 24 31
10/1 @ *California (8-4) L 0 28
10/8 @ *Southern California (12-1) L 21 42
10/15 vs. *Stanford (5-6) L 16 20
10/22 vs. *Oregon (10-2) L 21 28
10/29 @ *Oregon State (5-6) W 29 27
11/5 vs. *UCLA (10-2) W 52 14
11/12 vs. *Washington (2-9) L 14 38
11/25 @ *Arizona State (7-5) L 20 23
  3-8-0
   252 290

2004-Arizona (Pac 10)

9/4 vs. Northern Arizona (non-IA) W 21 3
9/11 vs. Utah (12-0) L 6 23
9/18 vs. Wisconsin (9-3) L 7 9
9/25 vs. *Washington State (5-6) L 19 20
10/9 @ *UCLA (6-6) L 17 37
10/16 @ *Oregon (5-6) L 14 28
10/23 vs. *California (10-2) L 0 38
10/30 vs. *Oregon State (7-5) L 14 28
11/6 @ *Washington (1-10) W 23 13
11/13 @ *Southern California (13-0) L 9 49
11/26 vs. *Arizona State (9-3) W 34 27
  3-8-0
   164 275

2003-Arizona (Pac 10)

8/30 vs. Texas-El Paso (2-11) W 42 7
9/6 vs. Louisiana State (13-1) L 13 59
9/13 vs. *Oregon (8-5) L 10 48
9/20 @ Purdue (9-4) L 7 59
9/27 vs. Texas Christian (11-2) L 10 13
10/4 @ *Washington State (10-3) L 7 30
10/11 vs. *UCLA (6-7) L 21 24
10/25 @ *California (8-6) L 14 42
11/1 @ *Oregon State (8-5) L 23 52
11/8 vs. *Washington (6-6) W 27 22
11/15 vs. *Southern California (12-1) L 0 45
11/28 @ *Arizona State (5-7) L 7 28
  2-10-0
   181 429

2002-Arizona (Pac 10)

8/31 vs. Northern Arizona (non-IA) W 37 3
9/14 vs. Utah (5-6) W 23 17
9/21 @ Wisconsin (8-6) L 10 31
9/28 vs. North Texas (8-5) W 14 9
10/5 vs. *Oregon (7-6) L 14 31
10/12 @ *Washington (7-6) L 28 32
10/19 @ *Stanford (2-9) L 6 16
10/26 vs. *Washington State (10-3) L 13 21
11/2 @ *Oregon State (8-5) L 3 38
11/9 vs. *UCLA (8-5) L 7 37
11/16 @ *California (7-5) W 52 41
11/29 vs. *Arizona State (8-6) L 20 34
  4-8-0
   227 310

5.  Oregon State:  My how things have changed in Corvallis.  While sitting in stands at Goss Stadium this summer as a scout for the Kansas City Royals Organization, I couldn't help wonder in amazement, not just at how things had changed here, but the swiftness at which the Beavers had entered the arms race in collegiate athletics.  With the Beavers back-to-back-to-back trips to Omaha, which have resulted in back-to-back national championships the Beavs are looking to upgrade their ballpark, and with the recent Raising Reser Project now in its final phases as the south endzone has been connected to create a bowled appearance, the facilities in Corvallis can match anyone in the country.  It may not hold a 100,000 like many of the elite venues across the country, but bigger isn't always best.  

Since I graduated from Oregon State in 1990, the Beavs have added an elite indoor facility for all sports, a 1500 seat softball complex, the Goss Stadium improvements last year, which will be upgraded again this year, the Raising Reser Project, and now Gill Colisium will be improved with additional office space, a weight room and practice facilities for womens basketball, volleyball and gymnastics.

A script from their football website includes the following information for the upcoming season.

The Beavers are coming off a 10-4 season, the second most successful season in the program's 109-year history including a thrilling 39-38 victory over Missouri in the Brut Sun Bowl. OSU, which returns 17 starters from the 2006 squad will be led by a growing list of preseason awards candidates including senior tailback Yvenson Bernard (Maxwell Award), senior center Kyle DeVan (Rimington Trophy), senior linebacker Derrick Doggett (Bronko Nagurski Award), senior defensive end Jeff Van Orsow (Lott Trophy), and junior offensive guard Jeremy Perry (Outland and Lombardi Awards).  

Back when I attended school on baseball scholarship, you could literally sit in the student section with your feet extended out in front of you, having several rows of sprawl space all to yourself, and watch SC, UCLA and Washington roll over the Black Bandits with relative ease.  Although my heart says they may finish as high as third, the PAC is a conference where you need an experienced quarterback as you have to score in this conference.  In the last 10 seasons, the programs that have an experienced play caller behind center tend to finish in the upper echelon of the PAC, but I wouldn't count out Mike Riley, the defense will again be solid.  He has done a superb job of improving upon the success of Dennis Erickson, and cleaning up his mess as well.  Riley is truly one of the good guys in the coaching profession and doesn't get enough credit for setting the table for Erickson's masterful run in 2000 where the Beavers capped of an 11-1 campaign with the throttling of Notre Dame (41-9) in the Fiesta Bowl.   Since the 2000 season, the Men-In-Black are 55-32, and after a string of 38 consecutive losing seasons, an NCAA record of futility, the Beavers have now arrived in not only college football, but the rest of bigtime sports as well.

2006-Oregon State (Pac 10)

8/31 vs. Eastern Washington (non-IA) W 56 17
9/7 @ Boise State (13-0) L 14 42
9/23 vs. Idaho (4-8) W 38 0
9/30 vs. *California (10-3) L 13 41
10/7 vs. *Washington State (6-6) L 6 13
10/14 @ *Washington (5-7) W 27 17
10/21 @ *Arizona (6-6) W 17 10
10/28 vs. *Southern California (11-2) W 33 31
11/4 vs. *Arizona State (7-6) W 44 10
11/11 @ *UCLA (7-6) L 7 25
11/18 @ *Stanford (1-11) W 30 7
11/24 vs. *Oregon (7-6) W 30 28
12/2 @ Hawaii (11-3) W 35 32
12/29 vs. Missouri (8-5) W 39 38 @ El Paso, TX Sun Bowl
  10-4-0
   389 311
  2005-Oregon State (Pac 10)

9/3 vs. Portland State (non-IA) W 41 14
9/10 vs. Boise State (9-4) W 30 27
9/17 @ Louisville (9-3) L 27 63
9/24 vs. *Arizona State (7-5) L 24 42
10/1 vs. *Washington State (4-7) W 44 33
10/15 @ *California (8-4) W 23 20
10/22 @ *UCLA (10-2) L 28 51
10/29 vs. *Arizona (3-8) L 27 29
11/5 @ *Washington (2-9) W 18 10
11/12 vs. *Stanford (5-6) L 17 20
11/19 @ *Oregon (10-2) L 14 56
  5-6-0
   293 365
  2004-Oregon State (Pac 10)

9/4 @ Louisiana State (9-3) L 21 22
9/10 @ Boise State (11-1) L 34 53
9/18 vs. New Mexico (7-5) W 17 7
9/25 @ *Arizona State (9-3) L 14 27
10/2 vs. *California (10-2) L 7 49
10/16 @ *Washington (1-10) W 29 14
10/23 vs. *Washington State (5-6) W 38 19
10/30 @ *Arizona (3-8) W 28 14
11/6 vs. *Southern California (13-0) L 20 28
11/13 @ *Stanford (4-7) W 24 19
11/20 vs. *Oregon (5-6) W 50 21
12/28 vs. Notre Dame (6-6) W 38 21 @ Phoenix, AZ Insight Bowl
  7-5-0
   320 294
  2003-Oregon State (Pac 10)

8/28 vs. Sacramento State (non-IA) W 40 7
9/5 @ Fresno State (9-5) L 14 16
9/13 vs. New Mexico State (3-9) W 28 16
9/20 vs. Boise State (13-1) W 26 24
9/27 vs. *Arizona State (5-7) W 45 17
10/4 @ *California (8-6) W 35 21
10/18 vs. *Washington (6-6) L 17 38
10/25 @ *Washington State (10-3) L 30 36
11/1 vs. *Arizona (2-10) W 52 23
11/15 vs. *Stanford (4-7) W 43 3
11/22 @ *Oregon (8-5) L 20 34
12/6 @ *Southern California (12-1) L 28 52
12/24 vs. New Mexico (8-5) W 55 14 @ Las Vegas, NV Las Vegas Bowl
  8-5-0
   433 301
  2002-Oregon State (Pac 10)

8/29 vs. Eastern Kentucky (non-IA) W 49 10
9/5 vs. Temple (4-8) W 35 3 @ Philadelphia, PA
9/14 vs. Nevada-Las Vegas (5-7) W 47 17
9/21 vs. Fresno State (9-5) W 59 19
9/28 @ *Southern California (11-2) L 0 22
10/5 vs. *UCLA (8-5) L 35 43
10/12 @ *Arizona State (8-6) L 9 13
10/26 vs. *California (7-5) W 24 13
11/2 vs. *Arizona (4-8) W 38 3
11/9 @ *Washington (7-6) L 29 41
11/16 @ *Stanford (2-9) W 31 21
11/23 vs. *Oregon (7-6) W 45 24
12/26 vs. Pittsburgh (9-4) L 13 38 @ Phoenix, AZ Insight Bowl
  8-5-0
   414 267
  2001-Oregon State (Pac 10)

9/2 @ Fresno State (11-3) L 24 44
9/8 @ New Mexico State (5-7) W 27 22
9/29 vs. *UCLA (7-4) L 7 38
10/6 @ *Washington State (10-2) L 27 34
10/13 vs. *Arizona (5-6) W 38 3
10/20 @ *Arizona State (4-7) L 24 41
10/27 vs. *California (1-10) W 19 10
11/3 @ *Southern California (6-6) L 13 16
11/10 vs. *Washington (8-4) W 49 24
11/17 vs. Northern Arizona (non-IA) W 45 10
12/1 @ *Oregon (11-1) L 14 17
  5-6-0
   287 259
  2000-Oregon State (Pac 10)

9/2 vs. Eastern Washington (non-IA) W 21 19
9/9 @ New Mexico (5-7) W 28 20
9/23 vs. San Diego State (3-8) W 35 3
9/30 vs. *Southern California (5-7) W 31 21
10/7 @ *Washington (11-1) L 30 33
10/14 vs. *Stanford (5-6) W 38 6
10/21 @ *UCLA (6-6) W 44 38
10/28 vs. *Washington State (4-7) W 38 9
11/4 @ *California (3-8) W 38 32
11/11 @ *Arizona (5-6) W 33 9
11/18 vs. *Oregon (10-2) W 23 13
1/1 vs. Notre Dame (9-3) W 41 9 @ Tempe, AZ Fiesta Bowl
  11-1-0
   400 212

The Bottom Half Report Coming on Monday, July 30th - 2007.

6. Washington State
7.  Oregon
8.  UCLA
9.  Washington
10.  Stanford