Rebounding like Dwight Howard...

USC again started off slow this week at home against Oregon, but the game changed after Mark Sanchez found Damian Willaims on 4th-and-2 for a 34 yard touchdown pass to tie the game as the Trojans rebounded from being upset by Oregon State, 44-10. The USC defense had trouble getting the Duck offense off the field while having their first offensive drive stall at the 4 yard line and Sanchez fumbling a snap, which led to an Matt Evensen field goal. Penalties, penalties, penalties. I don't know if it's a lack of focus or what, but 13 penalties is waaaay too much for any team, especially and elite team like the Trojans.

But after flipping a switch, USC scored the game's final 41 points, including the final 24 of the first half to kill the will of Oregon. A fumble by Oregon late in the first half led to a Sanchez 11 yard TD pass to Patrick Turner which essentally put the game out of reach. Nice to see Mitch Mustain get an extensive look in the second half, as he threw for 111 yards and a 59 yard pass to David Ausberry, who also got some nice playing time in. The defense followed suit of the offense, as they forced 7 punts and 2 turnovers on Oregon's final 11 drives (the other drives ended at the half and on downs). Special teams play was led by David Buehler, who nailed 3 field goals, 5 point after attempts, and booted 6 touchbacks on kickoffs. On to the Pac-10 rankings:

1. USC (3-1 overall, 1-1 Pac-10) - Please, please, please no more Oregon State games. Please. No more games to look ahead to until maybe the Notre Dame matchup. Arizona State may have lost three straight games, but SC needs to stay the course, as going up against Dennis Erickson is always dangerous, and Rudy Carpenter has the skill to lead the Sun Devils to the upset. But the only way the Trojans lose is if they are looking ahead to.... Washington State.
2. California (4-1, 2-0) - That Maryland loss didn't look that bad after the Terps upset Clemson last week... until they got shut out by Virginia. Ouch. Second place in the Pac-10 should be decided by the matchup between the Golden Bears and Arizona. Cal got lucky this week by finding that Nate Longshore provided the hot hand, but they really need Jahvid Best to be healthy for the game against Arizona. The Bears have a bye to get healthy and find out if Longshore or Kevin Riley will provide Cal's best chance to keep the ball moving towards a Pac-10 championship.
3. Arizona (4-1, 2-0) - The other undefeated team in conference play. They took care of business against Washington, and now head to Palo Alto to see if they can continue their hot start. The Wildcats need to get their wins in now, as after their game against the Cardinal, they host Cal and USC in back-to-back weeks. Not saying they need to win both games, but if they are embarrassed in both, watch out for a collapse down the stretch. But right now, things are looking up for Mike Stoops and co.
4. Oregon (4-2, 2-1) - The Ducks can thank Oregon State for this ass-kicking. No way the Trojans were going to lose two games in a row, and Pete Carroll and co. made sure of that. Oregon got off to a fast start, but collapsed at the end of the first half as USC scored 10 points in the final minute of the second quarter. The Ducks should be able to rebound next week against UCLA at home before their bye week, which will hopefully help them get back one of their quarterbacks.
5. Oregon State (2-3, 1-1) - Called the Utah game, kinda/sorta, though the Utes received a gift on their two-point conversion. But the Beavers also had terrible clock/game management on their final drive, which left waaaaay too much time on the clock for Utah to drive into field goal range for the win. I have a feeling with the weaker bottom half of the conference, the Beavers win over the Trojans will keep them in the 4-6 range for the rest of the year. The Utah game was not a bad loss, as the Utes should remain undefeated until their game against BYU. The Beavers host Washington State next week, which will get them back to .500 on the year, before travelling to Washington to get over .500 on the season (please, please, please Mike Riley...)
6. Stanford (3-3, 2-1) - Tavita Prichard is not the answer at QB, but then again, the Cardinal may not have their answer at QB on their roster this season. Terrible performance against Notre Dame overshadowed by the fact that Stanford only lost by a touchdown. All of these crappy teams giving the Irish hope; please stop now. Thanks. Big test against Arizona next week before a game at UCLA to determine which of those two teams enters the bottom part of the rankings.
7. Arizona State (2-3, 1-1) - The Sun Devils are limping into their game at USC next week. Hard to see Arizona State beating the Trojans in the Coliseum, but also, um, nevermind (Stanford ugh). Four game losing streaks are great ways to free fall on any rankings. All started from the UNLV game, which took a lot of the confidence from the Sun Devils.
8. UCLA (2-3, 1-1) - Closed their 3 game homestand strong, but should fall flat next week in Eugene, where the Ducks won't be happy after being destroyed by the Trojans. A win's a win, but Tennessee has not looked good since their loss on Labor Day, and Washington State is, well, Washington State.
9. Aw screw it....
10. Washington (0-5, 0-3), and Washington State (1-5, 0-3). Both teams are waiting for the Apple Cup for their next win. Until one of these teams shows signs of life, they will both be #10 in the rankings (tied for last, not tied for 9th, get it right....) Washington was terrible against Arizona, and will continue to struggle with Jake Locker out. And Wazzu is, well, Wazzu. Ugh.

And for the top 25:

1. Oklahoma (5-0)
2. Louisiana State (4-0)
3. Texas (5-0)
4. Alabama (6-0)
5. Missouri (5-0)
6. Penn State (6-0)
7. Brigham Young (5-0)
8. Texas Tech (5-0)
9. USC (3-1)
10. Georgia (4-1)
11. Florida (4-1)
12. Vanderbilt (5-0)
13. Ohio State (5-1)
14. Utah (6-0)
15. Kansas (4-1)
16. Boise State (4-0)
17. South Florida (5-1)
18. Auburn (4-2)
19. Tulsa (5-0)
20. Ball State (6-0)
21. Northwestern (5-0)
22. Oklahoma State (5-0)
23. Virginia Tech (5-1)
24. Michigan State (5-1)
25. Wake Forest (3-1)