HogManInLA’s College Football Top 25: End of 2011 Season Poll

1. Alabama 12-1
2. LSU 13-1
3. Arkansas 11-2
4. Oregon 12-2
5. Oklahoma State 12-1
6. USC 10-2
7. Houston 13-1
8. South Carolina 11-2
9. Boise State 12-1
10. Michigan State 11-3
11. Stanford 11-2
12. West Virginia 10-3
13. Wisconsin 11-3
14. Michigan 11-2
15. Kansas State 10-3
16. Baylor 10-3
17. TCU 11-2
18. Oklahoma 10-3
19. Southern Mississippi 12-2
20. Auburn 8-5
21. Georgia 10-4
22. Florida State 9-4
23. Cincinnati 10-3
24. Virginia Tech 11-3
25. Clemson 10-4

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College Football: AP Voters Not Watching Pac-12 Football Thus No More West Coast Bias?

Somewhere during the 2011 season, traditional sports logic and college football reasoning has been lost between the Associated Press Top 25 and the USA Today’s Coaches’ Poll.

The final 2011 regular season college football polls released Sunday shows that the “experts” fans look to for football guidance might be drawing names out of a hat to pick their college football Top 25.

Week 15, the final week of the regular season in college football, should have been the easiest week of the season for voters to fill out their Top 25 polls. Only 22 college football games were played during the final weekend meaning of the 120 FBS teams 44 were in action. 11 games featured ranked teams. 5 of the 11 games featured ranked teams playing against each other.

16 teams that played were ranked in the week 14 AP Top 25 Poll. Of the 16 ranked teams that played five lost. Per the rankings, three of the five ranked teams that lost were “upset” by lower ranked teams. No ranked team that lost was defeated by an unranked team.

Traditionally this would mean that three ranked teams would drop in the polls and the three previously lower ranked teams would move up in the polls. Teams on a bye would have the opportunity to be jumped in the polls by teams playing one extra conference championship game, especially schools on a bye not playing in the conference championship game, right? Guess again college football fans.

In week 14 Stanford was No. 4, Oregon was No. 8, and USC was No. 9 in the AP. The AP was so impressed with Stanford and USC’s bye that in the final polls they kept Stanford at No. 4, jumped USC to No. 5, and placed Oregon at No. 6.

Voters rendered Oregon’s Pac-12 championship game win over UCLA useless.

Voters may have forgotten that Oregon beat Stanford November 12, just four weeks ago, 53-30 at Stanford Stadium. The following week USC went on the road and upset the Ducks at Autzen Stadium 38-35.

One can see an argument being made for USC being a Top 10 team. They have quality wins over Oregon and - Notre Dame? USC’s two losses have been to unranked 6-6 Arizona State 43-22 and to No. 4 Stanford 56-48. USC’s last regular season game was a victory over UCLA 50-0.

Are the AP voters are telling America that they are more impressed with USC’s 50-point win over UCLA than Oregon’s 49-31 win over UCLA in the Pac-12 championship game? Yes, they are. They are also telling college football fans that two teams in the Pac-12 are better than the team representing the conference in the Rose Bowl.

According to the AP, Stanford with a quality win over USC, Oregon with a quality win over Stanford, and USC with a quality win over Oregon is enough to rank the teams 4-6 in the final regular season poll. None of the teams have quality non-conference victories to help support their positions.

Oregon played four ranked teams during the season and finished with a 2-2 record against those teams. One of the ranked teams the Ducks beat was Arizona State. ASU finished the season unranked with a 6-6 record. Another way to look at it is Oregon went 1-2 against quality opponents during the 2011 season.

Stanford also played four ranked teams during the season. Two of those teams, 7-5 University of Washington and 8-4 Notre Dame are not ranked in the final AP Poll. Stanford went 1-1 against quality opponents during the 2011 season; beat USC, lost to Oregon.

Again, USC played two ranked teams and finished with a 1-1 record; lost to Stanford, beat Oregon.

Don’t look for wisdom with The USA Today Coaches’ Poll because that poll is no better than the AP. Due to the fact that USC cannot participate in post season games because of NCAA sanctions, the Coaches Poll has completely left USC off the ballot.

USC is deserving of place among the top 25 teams in the nation. Where they deserve to be ranked can be debated. But leaving them off the ballot is another way of saying this team does not exists.

Yet when USC beat then No. 4 Oregon on November 19, the coaches dropped Oregon to No. 9 the following week. Strange how Oregon can drop in their poll to a team that does not officially exist to them?

Luckily the AP Poll does not count towards the BCS Rankings. Although one does have to fool themselves to think that the Harris Interactive Poll is not influenced by the AP Poll in some way.

Pac-12 commissioner Larry Scott has to be happy that three of his teams occupy spots within the final regular season AP Top 10. Scott and Duck’s head coach Chip Kelly have to be angry that voters have made a joke out of the Pac-12 inaugural championship game by jumping USC ahead of Oregon.  

Through it all fans have to realize that the so-called college football “experts” do not know as much about college football as we have traditionally given them credit for. 

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HogManInLA’s College Football Top 25: Week 15

1. LSU 13-0
2. Alabama 11-1
3. Oklahoma State 11-1
4. Arkansas 10-2
5. Wisconsin 11-2
6. Oregon 11-2
7. South Carolina 10-2
8. Stanford 11-1
9. USC 10-2
10. Georgia 10-3
11. Michigan State 10-3
12. Boise State 11-1
13. Virginia Tech 11-2
14. Kansas State 10-2
15. Clemson 10-3
16. Michigan 10-2
17. Oklahoma 9-3
18. Baylor 9-3
19. Southern Mississippi 11-2
20. TCU 10-2
21. Arkansas State 10-2
22. Houston 12-1
23. Nebraska 9-3
24. Penn State 9-3
25. West Virginia 8-3

All the hype on Sunday will be about Oklahoma State. Will they or won’t they… that is will they move to No. 2 in the BCS Rankings or will they remain at No. 3?

Oklahoma State did impress Saturday night in their home win over Oklahoma, but one has to remember that Alabama lost to the No. 1 team in the nation in their lone defeat not to an unranked team; one could argue that Bama won every facet of the game except the score board against LSU. All Oklahoma State did was beat a two-loss team Saturday.

Houston lost out on an undefeated season and a BCS at-large bid Saturday when they lost to Southern Mississippi in the Conference USA Title Game. 

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HogManInLA’s College Football Top 25: Week 14

1. LSU 12-0
2. Alabama 11-1
3. Oklahoma State 10-1
4. Arkansas 10-2
5. Wisconsin 10-2
6. Michigan State 10-2
7. Georgia 10-2
8. Virginia Tech 11-1
9. South Carolina 10-2
10. Houston 12-0
11. Stanford 11-1
12. USC 10-2
13. Oklahoma 9-2
14. Boise State 10-1
15. Oregon 10-2
16. Kansas State 9-2
17. Michigan 10-2
18. Baylor 8-3
19. TCU 9-2
20. Arkansas State 9-2
21. Nebraska 9-3
22. Penn State 9-3
23. West Virginia 8-3
24. Clemson 9-3
25. Southern Mississippi 10-2

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HogManInLA’s College Football Top 25: Week 11

1. LSU 9-0
2. Oklahoma State 9-0
3. Arkansas 8-1
4. Alabama 8-1
5. Stanford 9-0
6. Oregon 8-1
7. Boise State 8-0
8. Oklahoma 8-1
9. Georgia 7-2
10. Houston 9-0
11. Virginia Tech 8-1
12. Clemson 8-1
13. Penn State 8-1
14. Michigan State 7-2
15. Wisconsin 7-2
16. South Carolina 7-2
17. USC 7-2
18. Southern Mississippi 8-1
19. Kansas State 7-2
20. Nebraska 7-2
21. TCU 7-2
22. Florida State 6-3
23. Texas 6-2
24. Michigan 7-2
25. Arkansas State 7-2

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HogManInLA’s College Football Top 25: Week 10

1. LSU
2. Alabama
3. Oklahoma State
4. Stanford
5. Oregon
6. Arkansas
7. Boise State
8. Nebraska
9. Oklahoma
10. South Carolina
11. Houston
12. Georgia
13. Virginia Tech
14. Clemson
15. Kansas State
16. Michigan State
17. Michigan
18. Arizona State
19. West Virginia
20. Penn State
21. USC
22. Wisconsin
23. TCU
24. Southern Mississippi
25. Cincinnati

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PAC-12 Game of the Week: Southern California (3-0) vs. Arizona State (2-1)

Recent history suggests that this game is not a prime time PAC-12 game as USC has won 11 straight times against ASU dating back to 1999. Looking a little deeper, this game suggests otherwise. If last year’s showdown is any indication of how this year’s game will be played out, a 34-33 USC win in the Coliseum, this game has the makings for one of the best PAC-12 games of the season.

The game reads as a tale of two vastly different teams. USC has history and the national respect of football pundits on their side. ASU is full of promise and hope but is struggling to find respectability under Dennis Erickson. Both teams entered the season with high hopes and expecting to challenge each other for the PAC-12 South Title.

Lane Kiffin’s Trojans have not played up to expectations so far this season even though they are 3-0. Each week college football waits to see if USC will finally turn-in a dominating performance. Last week’s performance against Syracuse (38-17) may be as good as it gets for Trojan fans for the near future.

The Trojans racked up 501 total yards of offense from the line of scrimmage led by Matt Barkley’s 324-yards passing and five touchdown passes; a school record to five different receivers. Their defense shut-down the Orangemen’s rushing attack only allowing 73-net yards. USC’s pass defense made Syracuse one dimensional and still only gave up 258 passing yards.

This week will represent a different challenge for the Trojans as they go on the road for the first time in 2011 into a hostile environment. The Sun Devils are a senior laden team charged with the task to get ASU to a bowl game for the first time since 2007 and getting their head coach Dennis Erickson off the hot seat.

ASU’s play has been marred by penalties and costly mistakes. Those mistakes caught up with them last week when they lost on the road to the Fighting Illini 17-14. ASU was intercepted twice, gave up six sacks, and lost a fumble. They were called for eight penalties totaling 91-lost yards. Their turnover margin for the year ranks them the 90th worst team in FBS with a negative 0.67 average per game.

Out of 120 FBS teams, ASU is the 114th worst team in yards given up to penalties per game at 80.33; USC is not much better ranking 101st in the nation giving up 66.33 yards per game in penalties.

Not all hope is lost for ASU. They are a quality team if they can overcome their sloppy play. The Sun Devils are ranked 47th in college football in total defense giving up 328-yards per game; USC is ranked 41st giving up 317-yards per game.

Brock Osweiler has taken over the starting quarterback duties for Steven Threet, who retired last season from college football due to injuries, and he has played well. Osweiler is averaging 290 passing yards per game and has thrown six touchdowns with three interceptions against quality opposition. Matt Barkley is averaging 297-yards passing per game with nine touchdowns and only one interception.

The quarterback play will garner the headlines but ASU’s motivation and desire to win could be the difference in the game. Should ASU lose for a second straight week any national title hopes they have could be lost.

Key Matchups

USC’s inexperienced offensive line against ASU’s talented defense. Can USC pick up the blitz packages and keep Barkley upright?

Osweiler’s arm versus the USC secondary. USC faced Jordan Wynn and Norm Chows offense in week two holding Wynn to 238-yards passing with one touchdown. Osweiler has a better arm when given time.

Outcome

The Trojans raw talent will win out in Sun Devil Stadium.

Final Score

USC wins 24-18.

Notes to the game:

ASU’s injury report reads like a possible All PAC-12 lineup.

ASU has been without starting CB Omar Bolden (ACL), CB Devan Spann (shoulder) and LB Brandon Magee (Achilles) all season. Add another key contributor to their defense that will miss another game, DE Junior Onyeali (knee). Onyeali was PAC-10 Freshman of the Year in 2010.

Starting safety Eddie Elder is a game-time decision due to a concussion suffered last week against Illinois.

ASU running back Cameron Marshall may not get many snaps against USC. In preparation for Marshall’s absence during the game, Erickson expects wide receiver Jamal Miles to get more touches in the game, especially out of the running back position.

ASU will be without T Aderious Simmons and OG Adam Tello.

USC will start true freshman Marcus Martin (Los Angeles) at guard for the second straight game.

Junior offensive guard Abe Markowitz practiced this week and may see some game time. He has not played in the first three games due to a foot injury. 

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HogManInLA's College Football Top 25: Week Four

1. LSU
2. Oklahoma
3. Boise State
4. Alabama
5. Wisconsin
6. Oklahoma State
7. Texas A&M
8. Nebraska
9. South Carolina
10. Florida State
11. Virginia Tech
12. Arkansas
13. Oregon
14. Stanford
15. Florida
16. Baylor
17. South Florida
18. USC
19. Michigan
20. Texas
21. West Virginia
22. Clemson
23. TCU
24. Illinois
25. Missouri

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College Football Recap: PAC-12 Week Two

The PAC-12 split the weekend with the Big 12 when Oklahoma State beat University of Arizona 37-14 and Arizona State beat Missouri 37-30 in overtime.

Former PAC-10 members Cal and USC forgot to roll out the welcome mat to their new PAC-12 members Utah and Colorado.

Arizona (1-0) vs. Oklahoma State (1-0)

OSU quarterback Brandon Weeden torched the Wildcats defense for 397 yards passing with two touchdowns. Not to be outdone by Weeden, Arizona quarterback Nick Foles threw for 398 yards with one touchdown.

The game was in the Cowboys’ hands by halftime leading 21-0. The Wildcats scored first in the second half cutting the lead to 21-7 then OSU responded just before the end of the third quarter with Justin Blackmon’s second touchdown of the game; an eight yard fade pass. Blackmon finished the game with 12 catches gaining 128 receiving yards.

Arizona head coach Mike Stoops made some questionable calls early in the game going for fourth down conversions instead of kicking field goals. The Wildcats finished the game with one successful fourth down conversion on three attempts.

The difference in the game was OSU’s defense stopping the Wildcats when needed and OSU’s rushing attack piling up 197 net yards. Arizona was a one dimension team as they were held to 41 yards rushing.

Joseph Randle led OSU in rushing with 118 yards on 15 carries with two touchdowns.

Life doesn’t get any better for Mike Stoops this week when Andrew Luck and the Stanford Cardinal travels to Tucson.

Nick Foles and Brandon Weeden are the top ranked quarterbacks in NCAA Division 1 terms of yards per game, averaging 405 yards per game and 392.5 yards per game respectively.

Next Game:

OSU (2-0) plays at Tulsa (1-1).

Stanford (2-0) travels to Arizona (1-1).

Missouri versus Arizona State

ASU outlasted the Tigers after blowing a 14-point fourth quarter lead winning in overtime 37-30.

Missed opportunities and penalties marred the game for both teams. Missouri field goal kicker Grant Ressel missed two field goals including a 47-yard attempt late in the fourth quarter that could have been the difference for the Missouri Tigers. Both teams combined for 23 penalties (ASU 12, Missouri 11) totaling in 110 yards lost for ASU and 114 for the Tigers that kept stalling moment gaining drives.

James Franklin showed marked improvement against ASU after having a poor game against Miami of Ohio in week one. Franklin threw for 319 yards completing 26 passes on 42 attempts with two scores and no interceptions. Franklin picked up tough rushing yards throughout the night finishing the game with 59 yards on 27 attempts. Henry Joesy led the Tigers with 94 yards on nine rushing attempts.

Brock Osweiler made play after play with his arm and legs for the Sun Devils. Osweiler ended the game with 353 yards passing, three touchdowns, and no interceptions. Osweiler added a 12 yard rushing touchdown on a bruising run up the middle to start the fourth quarter.

Both quarterbacks spread the ball out evenly, each finding eight different receivers during the game. Aaron Pflugrad led all receivers with eight catches for 180 and two touchdowns.

Missouri’s tough defensive line was only able to sack the big 6’8” Osweiler once. ASU’s feared defense was able to sack Franklin twice.

Neither defense played particularly well. Missouri gave up 492 yards of offense and ASU gave up 501 yards.

Missouri played without their two top running backs.

Next Games:

Western Illinois (1-1) versus Missouri (1-1).

Arizona State (2-0) at Illinois (2-0).

Oregon State (0-1) versus Wisconsin (1-0)

Wisconsin quarterback Russell Wilson continued his seemingly effortless transition back into college football helping the Badgers beat the Beavers 35-0. Wilson, a 2010 draft pick of the Colorado Rockies, put his baseball career on hold to finish out his collegiate football career when he transferred to Wisconsin. The move from North Carolina State to Wisconsin has been an early success for both Wilson and the Badgers.

Wilson completed 17 of 21 passes for 189 yards with three touchdowns allowing the rushing attack time to wear down the smaller Oregon State defensive unit. Montee Ball ran for 115 yards on 15 attempts with two second half touchdowns.

OSU starting quarterback Ryan Katz was benched for the second straight game in favor of backup quarterback Sean Mannion. Mannion ended the game completing 25 passes on 38 attempts for 244 yards with no touchdowns and no interceptions.

OSU was playing without their week one freshman running back stud, Malcom Agnew. Agnew is expected to return to game action for OSU’s October 1, game at Arizona State. Even with Agnew playing OSU would have had a tough time overcoming their poor special teams play. Shanked punts, penalties on special teams, and poor kick return decisions kept the Beavers pinned in their own territory for much of the game. Without Agnew, OSU was held to 23 net rushing yards.

Junior Beaver receivers Jordan Bishop and Markus Wheaton had five catches for 98 yards and eight catches for 83 yards respectively.

Next Games:

UCLA (1-1) at Oregon State (1-1).

Wisconsin (2-0) at Northern Illinois (1-1) in Chicago.

California (1-0) versus Colorado (0-1)

California welcomed Colorado to PAC-12 play in an exciting fashion as the Golden Bears rolled past the Buffaloes 36-33 in overtime.

Colorado field goal kicker Will Oliver kicked a 32-yard field goal with 34 seconds left to send the game into overtime. In overtime Oliver connected on another field goal, his fourth of the day (including a 52-yard bomb in the second quarter), to break the 30-30 tie.

Cal answered with Zach Maynard’s fourth touchdown pass of the game; a 5-yard pass to Keenan Allen for the winning score.

Maynard only completed 51 percent of his passes but of the 18 completions he threw, four of those passes were for touchdowns. Maynard ended up with 243 yards passing and one interception.

Maynard’s Colorado counterpart, Tyler Hansen, had a record setting day for the Buffaloes throwing for 474 yards and three touchdowns. Keenan Allen ended up with 97 yards receiving and tight end Anthony Miller had two catches for 27-yards with a pair of scores.

Both defenses were committed to stopping the run. Colorado’s 2010 1,000 yard rusher, Rodney Stewart, was held to 68-yards rushing on 24 attempts. Stewart could never break past the second tier of Cal’s defense. Stewart’s longest rush was for 13-yards. Colorado finished with 108 net yards rushing while Cal finished with 100 net yards rushing.

Cal’s victory tied Jeff Tedford for the most all-time wins as Cal’s head football coach.

Next Games:

Colorado (0-2) versus Colorado State in Denver.

Presbyterian, a FCS school, (1-1) at California (2-0).

Stanford (1-0) versus Duke (0-1)

Andrew Luck tied a career high with four touchdown passes leading the Cardinal easily past the Blue Devils 44-14.

Duke kept the score close pulling within 3 points with 2:08 left before halftime. Luck immediately led the Cardinal downfield, scoring with 48 second before halftime to pushing their lead to 17-7.

The Cardinal offense was able to take advantage of the outmatched Blue Devils on offense. Luck was efficient completing 20 passes on 28 attempts for the game. The Cardinal finished the game with 205 net rushing yards led by Stepfan Taylor’s game leading 75 total yards.

The Cardinal defense shut down the Blue Devils rushing attack holding Duke to 30 net yards rushing. The Blue Devils tried every different pass play in their book having four different players attempt at least one pass including a fake punt.

Stanford only punted twice during the game.

Next Games:

Stanford at Arizona.

Duke at Boston College.

Nevada (bye) versus Oregon (0-1)

Oregon shrugged off their offensive woes from week one beating the Wolf Pack 69-20. Nevada was down 34-0 in the second quarter before responding with a five yard touchdown pass from Tyler Lantrip to running back Mike Ball.

Nevada, a 13-1 team in 2010, looked like a FCS program against Oregon’s spread option attack. Oregon compiled 603 net yards of offense (331 passing, 272 rushing) on Darron Thomas’ way to throwing six touchdown passes; tying a school record.

Neither team played much defense as Oregon gave up 516 yards of total offense but made plays to stop Wolf Pack drives. Oregon intercepted three passes; Lantrip twice, Cody Fajardo once.

True freshman running back De’Anthony Thomas (Los Angeles), a former USC commitment before changing to Oregon, led the Ducks in rushing with 81-yards on eight carries including a 62 yard run. Thomas also had two receptions for 93 yards and two receiving scores. La’Michael James was held to 65 yards rushing on 12 attempts with one touchdown.

Next Games:

Missouri State (0-2) at Oregon (1-1).

Nevada (0-1) at San Jose State (0-2).

University of Hawaii (1-0) versus Washington (1-0)

Washington’s quick start foils the Hawaii Warriors second PAC-12 victim of 2011 as the Huskies won 40-32.

Sophomore Keith Price responded well to Washington head coach Steve Sarkisian’s criticism of the Huskies’ play versus Eastern Washington in week one action. Price threw for a career high four touchdowns and 315 yards. All-PAC-12 candidate Chris Polk ran for 105 yards and one touchdown to help balance out the Huskies’ offensive attack.

Washington’s defense did a great job containing Hawaii’s double threat quarterback Brian Moniz. Moniz was held to -15 net yards rushing after accounting for two Huskies sacks. Moniz did threaten with his arm late in the game bringing the Warriors within five points at the start of the fourth quarter (26-31). Moniz threw his only touchdown pass of the game with 1:46 to play in the fourth quarter. The Warriors could not get the ball back ending their comeback hopes. Moniz ended the game with 333 yards passing.

Notes to the Game:

Washington wide receiver Devin Aguilar caught five passes for 131 yards and a touchdown.

Washington outgained the Warriors 466 yards to 388.

Hawaii fumbled the ball three times losing possession once.

Hawaii’s field goal kicker missed two extra point attempts.

Next Game:

Washington (2-0) at Nebraska (2-0).

Hawaii (1-1) at UNLV (0-2)

UNLV (0-1) versus Washington State (1-0)

Washington States offense overpowered UNLV defense winning 59-7. The Cougars racked up 610 yards of offense with backup quarterback Marshall Lobbestael. Lobbestael had career highs with 361 yards passing and five touchdowns.

Washington State’s defense responded to the call of their offensive leader Jeff Tuel being out with a broken collar bone as well. The Cougars only gave up 158 yards of offense to the Rebels; 98 yards rushing, 60 yards passing.

Washington State seemingly scored at will only having to punt once.

With this win the Cougars have matched their win total from 2010 and 2008.

Next Games:

Washington State (2-0) at San Diego State (2-0).

Hawaii (1-1) at UNLV (0-2).

Utah (1-0) at USC (1-0)

17-14 or 23-14, either way USC hands Utah their first loss as in PAC-12 play. Controversy over the last play of the game became the headlines over a well played college football game.

On the last play of the game USC blocked Coleman Petersen’s 41 yard field goal attempt and ran it back for a touchdown making the score 23-14 as time expired. An excessive celebration penalty against USC for running out on the field temporarily took the touchdown off the scoreboard. No small irony that the most controversial rule change in college football should cause the biggest controversy amongst college football sports bettors.

Final score aside, Utah showed they could play with the “big boys”. Jordan Wynn drove the Utes to their final score with 6:30 to play in the fourth quarter. Then Wynn took the Utes within field goal range before USC blocked their attempt.

USC did make Utah into a one dimensional team. The Utes riding the arm of quarterback Jordan Wynn proved to be their main source of offense against USC’s defensive front. Wynn threw for 238 yards and one touchdown. Utah’s rushing attack was held to 81 total yards.

USC’s Matt Barkley and wide receiver Robert Woods picked up from their week one performance where they left off. Barkley completed 20 passes for 264 yards with one touchdown and one interception. Woods hauled in eight passes for 102 yards.

Marc Tyler got his first action of the season running for 109 yards on 24 attempts with one touchdown. Tyler was suspended for USC’s first game.

Next Games:

Utah (1-1) at BYU (1-1)

Syracuse (2-0) at USC (2-0).

San Jose State (0-1) versus UCLA (0-1)

UCLA overcomes to lost fumbles and uses a fourth quarter rally to come from behind to beat the Spartans 27-17.

Derrick Coleman and Johnathan Franklin provided the offensive punch needed for the Bruins to survive an upset loss at home. Coleman ran for a game high 135 yards on 14 rushing attempts, all in the second half, while Franklin added 80 yards on 16 attempts. Both Bruin running backs contributed a touchdown rushing. UCLA tight end Joseph Fauria added a receiving touchdown in the second quarter.

UCLA outgained San Jose State 417 yards to 317. The Bruins’ 272 rushing yards as opposed to San Jose State’s 202 made a big difference in the game.

Next Games:

Texas (2-0) at UCLA.

Nevada (0-1) at San Jose State (0-2).

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Week One College Football Recap: The PAC-12

Arizona State vs. UC Davis

Arizona State took care of UC Davis 48-14 to start their 2011 football campaign. ASU was in command throughout the game and only allowed 14 fourth quarter points after the game was decided. The Aggies had trouble with ASU’s offense and defense in the 104 degree heat. Look for Missouri to have trouble doing the same in week two against the Sun Devils.

Junior running back Cameron Marshall got the short yardage and goal lines carries; 7 rushes for 23 yards with two touchdown runs of 2-yards each. Brock Osweiler threw for 262 yards 2 scores and one interception.

Notes to the game

ASU racked up 517 yards of total offense; 300 passing, 217 rushing. ASU turned the ball over twice while only getting one takeaway on defense.

ASU’s defense only allowed 243 yards of offense; 155 passing, 88 rushing.

Jamal Miles carried the ball once for 36 yards but showed his speed on a 98-yard kickoff return to start the second half.

Aaron Pflugrad had three catches for 50-yards with 2 touchdowns.

Redshirt freshman Alex Garoutte was perfect on six extra points and two field goal attempts including a 49-yarder before halftime.

ASU is still waiting for the return of LB Brandon Magee (Achilles’ Tendon), RB Deantre Lewis (shot in leg), and CB Omar Bolden (torn ACL). If ASU can get completely healthy again, watch out!

Utah vs. Montana State

Utah beat Montana State 27-10 to earn their first victory as a PAC-12 member. Utah was in control early and never let up jumping out to a 24-0 lead before Montana State scored a touchdown with a minute to go before halftime.

Utah quarterback Jordan Wynn was efficient completing 15 of 23 passes for 101 yards and two scores. True freshman John White (Torrance, CA) was the story of the game for the Utes. He led all rushers with 150 yards on 19 attempts with a running and a receiving touchdown.

Utah looked like they were going through the motions against Montana State. Perhaps they were looking ahead to their week two game on the road at USC? Since neither the Utes nor the Trojans looked in top form in week one, this should be an interesting matchup for both schools. USC is familiar with Norm Chow’s (USC and UCLA) offense but not the Utah players. USC struggled with their run game against the Golden Gophers. How will the two teams off-set each other at the Coliseum?

Notes to the Game

Utah’s starting left tackle senior John Cullen was held out of the game due to a concussion. He is expected to play against USC in week two.

Linebacker Brian Blechen intercepted two passes against Montana State.

All eyes were on Wynn and his shoulder. Wynn did not open it up too much but expect to see him air it out against USC next week.

USC vs. University of Minnesota

USC fought off the Golden Gophers to hang on for a 19-17 opening season victory. USC quarterback Matt Barkley and wide receiver Robert Woods received the headlines with their impressive and record setting performances; Barkley set a USC record completing 34 passes while Woods set a USC record for receptions in a game with 17, but the real story of the game is the decision making of the USC coaching staff.

Twice USC went for two after their initial scores and failed on both attempts. USC pulled the same stunt in last year’s opener against Hawaii. Why? Lane Kiffin will learn at some point that he has to play the game the correct way or his brash attitude will catch up with him. USC lost two games last year on last minute field goals adding an extra emphasis to the phrase “every point counts”. For USC to be successful, Kiffin will have to learn that each point does count even if he feels his team is better than their opposition.

Minnesota played tough in the second half and kept the game close with a third quarter nine yard touchdown by Duane Bennett (10-19). In the fourth quarter Max Shortell threw a 12-yard touchdown pass to Brandon Green to draw the Gophers within two of USC.

Notes of the Game

USC was without starting tailback Marc Tyler. Tyler was suspended for his comments about USC players being paid to play on “TMZ”.

Matt Barkley finished the game 34 of 45 for 304 yards passing with three touchdowns.

Robert Woods had 177 yards receiving on 17 catches with three touchdowns.

USC only had 67 yards rushing for the game.

UCLA vs. University of Houston

Casey Keenum got revenge against UCLA shredding UCLA’s defense for 310 yards passing enroot to a 38-34 win. Keenum injured his ACL against the Bruins at the Rose Bowl during UCLA’s third game of the 2010 season; a 31-13 win for UCLA. Keenum was granted a sixth year of eligibility and delivered his payback.

The game was a shootout with Houston leading the entire way. Both team put up gaudy offensive numbers as little defense was played. UCLA had 554 yards of total offense to the Cougars 469. The two teams combined for 10 total touchdowns.

UCLA quarterback Kevin Prince left the game in the second due to a concussion allowing backup quarterback Richard Brehaut, last year’s starter, to finish the game (17 of 26 for 264 yards passing, 2 TD, 0 interceptions).

The hot seat just got hotter for UCLA head coach Rick Neuheisel. UCLA has a game to get things back on track before facing the University of Texas at the Rose Bowl on September 17. Texas will be looking to revenge last year’s home loss to UCLA (34-12).

Notes to the Game

UCLA running back Johnathan Franklin started off 2011 where he left off in 2010 rushing for 126 yards on 16 attempts with one score.

Richard Brehaut ran 13 times for 78 yards. That’s putting the Pistol Offense to work!

UCLA’s wide receivers and tight ends had a great day against Houston’s weak defense. Junior Joseph Fauria exploited Houston’s defense for 110 yards on six catches with a score.

Oregon State vs. Sacramento State

Mike Riley is in for a long year. Oregon State fought back from a 21-6 deficit to tie the game and send it into overtime. Oregon State got the ball first in OT scoring a touchdown on an 18-yard run by true freshman Malcom Agnew (St. Louis, MO). Sacramento State hung tough in OT. Hornet’s quarterback Jeff Fleming threw a 6-yard touchdown pass in OT then followed with a 2-yard pass to convert the two-point conversion to win the game 29-28.

OSU plays on the road at Wisconsin in week two action. Wisconsin routed UNLV 51-17 in their season opener.

Notes of the Game

Malcom Agnew finished the game with 223 yards rushing on 33 attempts with 3 scores.

This was OSU’s first season opening loss since 2001.

OSU played seven true freshmen.

OSU quarterback Ryan Katz was benched in the second half after going 11 for 22 for 87 yards with an interception.

Stanford vs. San Jose State

The score was not indicative of the game as the Cardinal rolled to an easy 57-3 romp of the Spartans. Stanford was in control throughout and gave up the Spartans only points on an 18-yard field goal with 52 seconds before halftime.

For his standards, Andrew Luck had a mild game, throwing for 171 yards on 17 for 26 attempts with two touchdowns and no interceptions. Luck also added a one yard rushing touchdown.

Stanford should have another easy opponent in week two as they travel to North Carolina to take on the Duke Blue Devils.

Notes of the Game

The Cardinal defense was in full force only allowing 237 yards of total offense; 210 passing and 27 yards rushing.

San Jose State’s quarterback Matt Faulkner was sacked twice for a loss of 48-yards.

Stanford head coach David Shaw started preparing for 2012 by getting snaps for redshirt freshman quarterback Brett Nottingham and sophomore quarterback Robbie Picazo.

Washington State vs. Idaho State

The Cougars blasted the Bengals 64-21 leaving them one victory shy of their 2010 season total. The game for WSU went from great to bad after learning that starting quarterback Jeff Tuel, perhaps the best quarterback in college football that no one knows about, broke his left clavicle during the game. Backup quarterback Marshall Lobbestael filled in nicely going 14 of 19 for 230 yards with 2 touchdowns.

Washington State gets another game they could win this week in a matchup against UNLV at home.

Notes of the Game

True freshman running back Marcus Mason (Etiwanda, CA) made his debut against the Bengals rushing for 88 yards and a touchdown on six carries.

Sophomore wide receiver Marquess Wilson had four catches for 91 yards and a touchdown.

Andrew Furney missed an extra point kick for WSU.

California vs. Fresno State

Fresno jumped on Cal early for a 7-0 lead in the first but the Cal Bears scored three straight touchdowns, missing 2-PATs, to take a 19-14 lead before the end of the first quarter on their way to a 36-21 win. Cal’s junior scat back Isi Sofele carved up the Bulldogs defense for three scores and 69 yards rushing. Senior receiver Marvin Jones had five catches for 118 yards and two touchdowns while sophomore Keenan Allen had eight catches for 112 yards.

The Bears offense accounted for 413 yards from the line of scrimmage.

Notes of the Game

Cal is playing their home games at AT&T Park this year. Will they be able to retain the home field advantage they normally get in Berkley? Fresno State drew a larger crowd to AT&T Park for Cal’s “home opener”.

Cal’s defense, as always, looked sharp against the Bulldogs only surrendering 68 yards rushing and 142 yards passing.

Cal opens conference play next week at Colorado.

Washington vs. Eastern Washington

Washington survived a 30-27 scare against the Eagles. The Eagles lived and died by their quarterback play against the Huskies all night. Bo Mitchell threw for 473 yards against the Huskies and drove the Eagles from their 5-yard line to the Huskies’ 25-yard line with 40 seconds to play. Washington’s preseason All-PAC-12 cornerback Desmond Trufant intercepted Mitchell’s pass in the end zone to stop the Eagle’s drive and secure the Huskies’ season opening victory.

Huskies’ quarterback play was average at best. Keith Price threw for three touchdowns but only compiled 102 yards passing. Running back Chris Polk was dominating in the season opener running for 122 yards.

Notes of the Game

The Huskies’ defense had four Eagles’ receivers go for 70-yards or more on their secondary.

The Eagles attempted 69 passes but only ran the ball 17 times.

Washington plays University of Hawaii at home. This will be Hawaii’s second game against a PAC-12 team in 2011.

Oregon vs. LSU

Before a crowd of 87,711 Tiger and Ducks’ fans in Arlington, Texas, LSU capitalized on four Oregon turnovers and 12 penalties to win going away 40-27. LSU was in control most of the game leading 16-13 at halftime and 30-13 at the end of the third quarter. Oregon true freshman running back De’Anthony Thomas (Los Angeles, CA) fumbled on back-to-back possessions leading to two LSU scores in the third quarter.

Darron Thomas tried to get revenge in his home state against Les Miles, who recruited him to play at LSU but would not promise him the opportunity to stay at quarterback. Thomas played well completing 31 passes for 240 yards, one passing touchdown and one rushing touchdown, but could not help overcome the mistakes made by the Ducks and the lack of a running game against LSU’s stout defense. Oregon was held to 95 rushing yards. More notably preseason Heisman candidate LaMichael James was held to 51-yards rushing on 18 carries.

LSU starting quarterback Jarrett Lee played the role of quarterback but did not impress pundits with his play; 10-22 for 98-yards with one touchdown. Spencer Ware and Michael Ford got tough rushing yards all game for the Tigers. Ware finished with 97-yards and Ford finished with 94.

If defense wins championships, LSU has a defensive unit capable of getting them to the BCS Championship Game.

Notes of the Game

This is Oregon’s first time with consecutive losses since 2007.

Oregon outgained LSU offensively 335 total yards to 273.

LSU has won 34 consecutive non-conference games.

Colorado vs. University of Hawaii

Adding to the PAC-12 woes in week one was the Buffaloes 34-17 loss to the Warriors in Hawaii. Colorado’s new head coach Jon Embree had no answers for Hawaii quarterback Bryant Moniz. Moniz was the story of the game as he threw for 178-yards with a touchdown and ran for 121 yards with three scores (120 rushing yards in the first half; Moniz was sacked five times for a loss of 30 yards). The good news for Colorado is they held Moniz to 182-yards below his passing average during the 2010 season when he threw for 360-yards per game.

The Warriors forced Colorado to punt on their first five possessions of the game. Rodney Steward, a 1,318 yard rusher in 2010, was held to 41-yards on 18 attempts but caught 4 passes for 98-yards.

Notes of the Game

Colorado has lost 19 consecutive road games.

Colorado sacked Bryant Moniz five times but gave up seven sacks offensively to the Warriors for a total loss of 44-yards.

Colorado opens conference play at home against California this week.

Arizona vs. Northern Arizona

Arizona quarterback Nick Foles started the 2011 season on a winning note leading the Wildcats to a 41-10 win over Northern Arizona. Foles ability as a passer has never been questioned. He finished the game with 412 yards passing, completing 34 on 42 attempts with five touchdowns. The question centered on Foles is his offensive line. All five linemen are new starters and the responded well, protecting their senior quarterback by only giving up one sack. The run blocking is another issue. The Wildcats were held to 75-yards rushing.

Senior wide receiver Juron Criner continued his great colligate career by catching six passes for 151 yards with a touchdown. Wildcats receiver David Roberts had seven catches for 58-yards.

Arizona gets an opportunity for a shootout and to display their offense on the national stage this week against Oklahoma State in Stillwater.

Notes of the Game

Arizona’s defense held the Lumberjacks to 259-yards of total offense.

Arizona committed 10 penalties costing them 74-yards during the game.

College Football Stat of the Week

Florida State quarterback Clint Trickett: 1 for 1 passing with a touchdown for a quarterback rating of 665.2. Trickett is the son of FSU’s offensive line coach, Rick Trickett. 

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PAC-12 Notes for Week One

PAC-12 North

California Bears

Brock Mansion started the final four games of 2010 but finds himself third on the depth chart starting 2011.

Sophomore walk-on linebacker Dan Camporeale won a starting spot over senior Ryan Davis and freshman Chris McCain.

True freshman cornerback Stefan McClure of Vista, California will get time as a backup to junior Marc Anthony.

Oregon

Cornerback Cliff Harris and linebacker Kiko Alonso are out against LSU. Redshirt freshman Terrance Mitchell replaces Harris and senior Dewitt Stuckey fills in for Alonso.

Red shirt freshman Hroniss Grasu and senior Ramsen Golpashin have earned the open starting offensive lineman spots for the Ducks.

Oregon State

Injuries have marred the starting and two-deep roster for the Beavers vs. Sacramento State. Look for Mike Riley to play as many people as he can to evaluate his team in game time situations.

True freshman running back Malcom Agnew will be the Beavers’ starter. Agnew should provide the breakaway pop they will miss now that Jacquizz Rodgers is gone.

Senior cornerback Brandon Hardin is injured, Rashad Reynolds will start in his place.

True freshman wide receiver Brandin Cooks will start against Sacramento.

Stanford

The three new starters on the offensive line for the Cardinal will be junior Sam Schwartzstein at center, redshirt freshman David Yankey at guard, and redshirt Cameron Fleming at right tackle. The Cardinal has two warm-up games before entering conference play against Arizona. This should give the line time to gel.

Three true freshmen will see a lot of playing time against San Jose State: highly recruited linebacker James Vaughters from Stone Mountain, GA, cornerback Wayne Lyons from Ft. Lauderdale, FL, and free safety Jordan Richards from Folsom, CA.

Washington

Two freshmen will see the significant snaps at tight end against Eastern Washington, true freshman Austin Seferian-Jenkins from Fox Island, WA, and redshirt freshman Michael Hartvigson.

Freshmen and sophomores line the two-deep chart: DT Danny Shelton, DE Josh Shirley, LB John Timu, and LB Princeton Fuimaono to name a few.

Washington has two warm-up games before traveling to Nebraska for their 2010 tie-breaker.

Washington State

Only two freshmen made the two-deep chart for the Cougars: LB Chester Su’a from Pearl City, HI, and cornerback Spence Waseem from Apopka, FL.

No surprise that C.J. Mizell is the starter at MLB.

Washington State plays Idaho State this week and gets another tune-up game against UNLV before facing a possible tough test against San Diego State on the road.

PAC-12 South

Arizona

Three true freshmen made the two-deep chart on defense for the Wildcats: linebacker Rob Hankins (starter) from Dallas, TX, linebacker Hank Hobson from Bakersfield, CA, and cornerback Cortez Johnson from New Orleans, LA.

University of Texas transfer, wide receiver Dan Buckner (6’4”, 220 lbs), made the four deep receiver rotation. Look for his size and speed to be a difficult matchup for opposing defenses all season.

Arizona plays Northern Arizona before traveling to Oklahoma State next week.

Arizona State

Arizona State easily won their game against UC Davis Thursday night 48-14. UC Davis started playing in the final quarter but not before ASU was well on their way to amassing 517 total yards of offense.

ASU is still waiting on Omar Bolden, Brandon Magee, and Deantre Lewis to return from their injuries. If the Sun Devils can get to full strength before conference play in week four at home versus USC. The rest of the PAC-12 better watch out.

Colorado

True freshman cornerback Greg Henderson from Corona, CA, will start for the Buffaloes against Hawaii. True freshman Kyle Washington from Pasadena, CA will see time as the backup strong safety.

Jon Embree will alternate Daniel Munyer and Gus Handler at center.

UCLA

No big surprises for UCLA. Wide receiver Taylor Embree has a calf injury and may see limited action against Houston.

USC

Lane Kiffin is still looking for his starting running back, Marc Tyler is suspended for the game against Minnesota. Dillion Baxter, Curtis McNeal, D.J. Morgan and true freshman Amir Carlisle should all see time against the Gophers.

Walk-on redshirt freshman quarterback John Manoogian is listed as Matt Barkley’s backup.

Look for USC to try several players out on offense and defense before entering conference play next week against Utah. Kiffin will look for several players to separate themselves from the back against University of Minnesota.

Utah

Utah had an easy win over Montana State but did not look impressive. Utah jumped out to an early 17 point lead in the first quarter going tying 10-10 from the second quarter to the end of the game. Norm Chow did not open up the playbook but one still has to wonder how Utah will fair next week on the road at USC. 

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