The Headlines: Week 13...One Step Away

It comes down to the Civil War.

Oregon State survived against Arizona and is now one game away from that coveted Rose Bowl berth.

Not much to say but this is the clearest the picture has been all year in the race for the Roses.

If the Beavers lose next weekend to Oregon, then it's USC to the Rose Bowl. If Oregon State takes the Civil War, then off to Pasadena they go for the first time since 1965.

But what about the other bowl games the Pac-10 has tie-ins to? Let's take a look.

If Oregon State beats Oregon next week, then:

1) USC receives another BCS bid if it beats UCLA
2) California goes to the Holiday Bowl if it beats Washington
3) Oregon goes to the Sun Bowl
4) Arizona goes to either the Las Vegas Bowl or the Emerald Bowl if it beats Arizona State
5) If the Sun Devils win their last two games, then they can go to the Las Vegas Bowl or Emerald Bowl and the Wildcats go to the other game.
6) UCLA gets a bowl bid if it beats ASU and USC, but that's not going to happen.

If the Ducks beat the Beavers, then:
1) USC goes to the Rose Bowl
2) Oregon goes to the Holiday Bowl, via tiebreaker.
3) Oregon State goes to the Sun Bowl
4) Cal goes to the Emerald Bowl
5) Arizona goes to the Las Vegas Bowl, if it beats ASU
6) If the Sun Devils win their last two games, then they go to the Las Vegas Bowl and the Wildcats go to the Hawaii Bowl.
7) UCLA still won't receive a bowl bid.

The Pac-10 does have seven bowl tie-ins, but it looks like only six teams will get bids. The bowl that gets left out is the Pointsetta Bowl. If the Pac-10 sends two teams to the BCS, then the Hawai'i Bowl and the Poinsetta Bowl are left out of the Pac-10 equation.

Next week will clear this all up.

To the headlines:

• Arizona: Cats Skinned by Field Goal
  
• California: The Axe Comes Back to Berkeley
  
• Oregon State: Smelling the Roses
  
• Stanford: Bowl Bid Axed
  
• Washington: Winless Season Cometh
  
• Wazzu: Someone Had to Win
  

The Headlines: Week 12...Coming Into Focus

My buddy who writes for The Daily Californian and went to yesterday's game between California and Oregon State called me while he was at a tailgate. Apparently he was impressed by the Beavers faithful. While there's nothing to do in Corvallis, Ore., the people sure did come out to Resar Stadium.

I would if I bled orange and black.

Oregon State is on the cusp of a Rose Bowl bid, their first since 1965. And with that, of course I expected the entire city of Corvallis to head out and support what was once a bumbling football program.

ABC showed shots of the Resar Stadium crowd holding up signs that said "We can smell the Roses" and something about going to The Rose Bowl for the first time since '65.

But that reminded of a thing the University of California did back in 2004. With the Bears ranked No. 4 in the country and coming off a win in The Big Game, the Cal book store started to sell Rose Bowl commemorative t-shirts.

Oops.

Needless to say, two weeks later, those shirts were selling for more than half off the regular price.

Oregon State fans should be excited. Their team's time has come. Two more wins and it's off to Pasadena.

If I were a Cal fan, I'd want that to happen. Because if the Beavers get to go to the Pac-10's promised land, then USC--still ranked in the top 10 in the BCS--will get a bid to another major bowl, leaving the Bears the (payout for) the Holiday Bowl.

And for me, San Diego is way better than El Paso.

But I wouldn't count on Oregon State winning out. Next week the Beavers play in Tuscon, Ariz., against the Wildcats.

And if you asked Cal, Tuscon is the place where Rose Bowl dreams go to die.

The Headlines:

• Arizona: Whatever Happened to That Defense?
  
• Arizona State: Snore
  
• Cal: Revenge Will Have to Wait
  
• Oregon: Masoli's Pretty Good
  
• Oregon State: Smells Like Roses
  
• Stanford: We Don't Believe in Stanford Football
  
• UCLA: Someone Had to Win
  
• USC: That's What I Call Revenge
  
• Washington: Is it Over Yet?
• Wazzu: Is it Over Yet? Part II
  

The Headlines: Week 10...The Picture Clears Up

Last week we saw the picture for the Pac-10 title and its BCS bid be muddied. But the calendar has turned and November means that the picture gets sharper with each passing week.

And it has to, by definition of the schedule that we have in the Pac-10 in November.

And no one controls its destiny as much as California. Heading into this week, the Bears had games against the other one-less conference teams in consecutive weeks. A rematch of last year's epic battle at Autzen Stadium, a trip down to the Los Angeles Coliseum and then up to Corvallis with a meeting with Oregon State.

Well, Cal has one down, two more to go after dismissing Oregon after a sloppy affair in Berkeley.

Now, the road to the Rose Bowl goes through Southern California and it's a storyline that's been repeated for the last five years for Cal. Beat SC and (get closer to) smell(ing) the Roses.

And of course, it's the game everyone has been waiting for...even if Jeff Tedford won't admit it.

The Headlines:

• Arizona State: Oh So Close
  
• California: Bring on the Trojans
  
• Oregon: When It Rain...It Pours
  
• Oregon State: Double the Rodgers, Double the Fun
  
• USC: Sometimes, It is That Easy
• Stanford: Against Wazzu, Everyone is the Best Team Ever
  
• Washington: Poor Tyrone, Part II
  
• Washington State: Rest of Season Canceled
  

The Headlines: Week 6, Trojans Say 'No Way'

It was funny watching John Saunders, Doug Flutie and Craig James after watching California top Arizona State yesterday.

They were talking about the Pac-10 and they seemed flustered. I don't remember which one of them said this, but I know one of them did. Out of the mouths of one of those three, probably Flutie or James, came "USC needed Cal to win to help legitimate them and the Pac-10." Not those exact words, but something like that.

Just think about that. Instead of talking about how the Devils' Rose Bowl hopes were done or how the Bears could be contenders in the Pac-10, the ABC postgame crew talked about legitimating the Pac-10.

So maybe Cal's win does help Southern California, but that postgame show reminded me at least of the perception of the Pac-10--it's the Trojans and everyone else.

The Headlines:

• Arizona: It's Easy When Locker's Not Around
  
• Arizona State: Totally Overrated
  
• California: Rudy Carpen-Nothin'
  
• Oregon: How Did the Beavers Do It?!
  
• Oregon State: Playing At Home Is So Much Easier
  
• Stanford: We're Still Douchey-er
  
• UCLA: Better Win That One
  
• USC: This Is Our Conference
  
• Washington: Kicked When Down
  
• Wazzu: Kicked When Down, Part II
  

The Headlines: Week 4 The Pac Suc, Part 2

It's official. In one short month the Pac-10 went from one of the best conferences in college football to one of the not-so-good BCS conferences.

And wtf? the Mountain West owned them last week. It's been an awful two weeks for the conference of champions, and with Southern California taking the week off, Wazzu and Stanford (?!) were the Pac-10's only saving grace.

And with Boise State upsetting Oregon at the Autzen Zoo, this year, it really is the Trojans and everyone else.

To the headlines:

• Arizona: Cats Win at the Rose Bowl, But it Wasn't The Rose Bowl
• Arizona State: Rudy Can't Do it All
  
• Oregon: Lame Ducks
  
• Stanford: This is Really a Rivalry Game?
  
• UCLA: The Football Dynasty in Los Angeles...Is Not Over
  
• Wazzu: FINALLY!
  

The Headlines: Week 3, The Pac Suck

What a banner day for the Pac-10, if you're Southern California and Oregon State.

We all saw Oregon squeak by Purdue (?!), California lost to Maryland (?!), Arizona State lost to UNLV (?!), Washington lost to Oklahoma, UCLA got thumped by BYU and supposed surprise team Arizona lost to New Mexico (?!).

What awesome week for the "Conference of Champions." To the headlines:

• Arizona: So...Goodbye Stoops?
• Arizona State: Uhhhhhhh...
  
• California: Back to Reality
• Oregon: Let's Leave on Thursdays For These Long Road Trips
• Oregon State: Things Aren't That Bad...When You Play Hawaii
• Stanford: Back to Reality, Part 2
• UCLA: Back to Reality, Part 3
  
• USC: Punching Our Tickets to Miami Already
  
• Washington: Why Us?
• Washington State: Officially the Worst Team...Probably Ever
  

The Headlines: Week 2

The Los Angeles schools took the week off and they're going to need it for next week. Of course, newly minted with a top 25 ranking, UCLA has to go to Provo, Utah to play BYU and there is this game in the Coliseum between the Trojans and Ohio State.

But the rest of the Pac-10 was in action. The biggest story? The screw-job Washington got against BYU. Excessive celebration? Really? That was an excessive celebration? Okay, maybe, but, I think, in a game that heated, with the game that close, a little celebration would have been appropriate. It's an emotional game. The Huskies are playing for their coach's job and they get screwed because of excessive celebration.

Gimme a break.

In other news, Wazzu might be the worst team in the Pac-10 or California is really good and Jahivd Best might be the breakout player for the conference this year. Or maybe he is already. Stanford also gets knocked off as the "Best Team in the Pac-10" pedestal. It was good while it lasted.

To the headlines:

• Arizona: Keep Those Non-BCS Teams Comin'
  
• Arizona State: The Devil Heating Up
  
• California: Runnin' Wild
  
• Oregon: Still Looking Fine, Despite the Ugly Uniforms
• Oregon State: But We Thought it Was Called Beaver Stadium
• Stanford: Back to Reality
  
• Washington: Give Us A Fucking Break
• Washington State: At Least Wazzu Scored
  

Darrell Catchings Meet Cameron Colvin

What is it with football players from the Oregon universities not being able to hang on to the football near the goal line at the end of the game?

I distinctly remember when Cameron Colvin's fumble gave Cal its first win at Autzen Stadium in 20 years (I was there, covering the game for the Daily Cal).

And then watching Darrell Catchings fuck up last night, fumbling the football into the end zone a la Colvin, giving Stanford a win just reminded me of that glorious day last September. (Note: I've tried to find video of Catchings fumbling the ball, but I have failed to no avail. I guess no one in the YouTube world cares about an Oregon State/Stanford football matchup).

But this is what the Card's win over the Beavers says about both teams: they both still suck. What about Oregon State being the dark horse in the Pac-10? Forget about. After next weekend, might as well be over.

And how about this for Stanford? For at least one week, the Card will be atop the Pac-10 standings for the first time in, I don't know, seven years?

Who would of thought?

The Headlines: College Football Preview

I know I'm really late with this. The college football season begins in hours (if it hasn't started yet).

So here's my quasi college football preview. Now let me explain this. One of the best (or worst) things I've ever had to do while working at the Daily Cal was come up with headlines for stories. Most were very cliche. Some were good. A lot were bad.

And some of the good ones that I thought of, well, they weren't PG enough to run in the paper.

So, I come at you uncensored. Every week, I'll give you "headlines" for all the Pac-10 schools and some of the bigger news in college football.

But today, I give you headlines for a promising season for all Pac-10 schools and then give you my predicted headline for those post-season write-ups of what actually happened. Enjoy.

Season Previewed:

• Arizona: Can Stoop's Squad Finally Make it to the Promise Land?
• Arizona State: Be-Deviling the Rose Bowl Hopes
• California: Longshore Out, Riley In, Forget About Last Season
• Oregon: Costa Out, Panic Ensues
• Oregon State: Beavers Are Never Over-Hyped
• Stanford: Harbaugh Putting His Money Where His Mouth Is
• UCLA: Please Rick, Don't Fuck This Up
• USC: Ain't No One Gonna Stop Us Now
• Washington: Jake Locker For Heisman
• Wazzu: How Did We Get to the Rose Bowl in the Late '90s?

• Bonus Headline for Georgia: Lovable Losers Are Finally No. 1

Season-Ending Headlines:

• Arizona: Wildcats Finally Beardown on Stoops, Give Him the Axe
• Arizona State: BCS Dreams Wilted in Desert Heat
• California: Longshore Really Was the Right Choice in Holiday Bowl Victory
• Oregon: Costa Still Out for Next Year, Panic Ensues
• Oregon State: No Quarterbacks = No Bowl
• Stanford: Harbaugh Jumps Sinking Ship, Gets Job With Big Ten Lightweight
• UCLA: The Los Angeles Football Dynasty IS Over, But Look What Happened After 2006
  
• USC: Boring...Another Rose Bowl Blowout Win
• Washington: Bye Bye Ty
• Wazzu: And We Couldn't Even Beat Stanford
  

• Georgia: So Tim Tebow IS That Good
  

Hey, We Have Olympians* Too

It's so nice to see college campuses write releases about the number of Olympians that each school has ties to. Most of these Olympic athletes are, of course, former student-athletes. It's very self-indulgent of them.

Of course, the West Coast universities have a plethora of current, former and future students who are heading to Beijing for the 29th Olympiad. There are also a number of coaches with ties to schools like California (disclaimer: I went to Cal), UCLA and Stanfurd all going to coach various Olympic teams.

Stanfurd (47), Cal (45), UCLA (37) and UofA (30) are sending a bunch of athletes and coaches to Beijing. These are schools that have a heavy focus on Olympic sports, with some of these schools that have an Athletic Director specifically for Olympic sports.

But of course, some smaller schools will be sending people to the Olympics, just not to compete in any athletic competition.

UC Davis has been touting the fact that a couple of its veterinarians will go to Beijing to look after some horses. OK, maybe they'll be there to look at all the horses. Actually, Jack Snyder and Sharon Spier have been going to the Olympics and representing the Aggies ever since 1988, just out of the reach of Dara Torres' range.

Not to be outdone, the band director at Washington will be one of the directors of the 2,000-piece Beijing Olympic Orchestra. Brad McDavid will also be bringing 62 of his UW Husky Band members to Beijing.

*So technically, they're Olympians too, because we wouldn't have an Olympics without horse vets and pregame entertainment. They just don't get the opportunity to get one of those fancy medals.