1. USC 99 (Last:
1)
The prophylactics' schedule the last month parallels
the guy who keeps a weekend roadster in the garage, only breaking it out
for sunny days and hot dates. Slaughter Virginia, take a week off. Dominate the annual
Big Ten Pretender, take another week off; life is good in Compton. Their Thursday night affair
with the River Rats begins a ten-game stretch in which they
will no doubt be double-digit favorites as they try to stay perfect in 2008.
2. Arizona 85
(Last: 3)
This week's
benefactor in the slip n' slide that has become the
Pac-9 is Arizona, as their impressive performance at The Rose Bowl was
enough to rise to second. Their run defense is still
a WIP, as they allowed punchless El Lay to ground out 100 yards
for the first time this year, but getting a "C" game from Willie T and still
winning by 21 on the road has to feel good.
3. Oregon 78
(Last: 2)
Already seven deep on their QB
depth chart with eight games remaining, "Magnum P.I." Bellotti has to be searching for an early-admittance
exemption for his 2009 recruits. Even though last Saturday's starter, Masoli, went out with
a concussion, the number of knee-related injuries sustained by Duck signal callers makes one wonder
if part of the old Maples Pavilion floor wasn't buried under the Autzen turf. If there
ever was a more forgiving place for a true freshman to
make his first conference start, it would be at UO's next stop in Pullman.
4. kal 75 (Last:
5)
It isn't quite known if the Bears went
straight into hibernation after they returned from College Park and frankly, no one gives a damn.
Hosting Fort Collins U. this weekend, kal will try and do
what no conference team has done against a Rocky Mountain school so far; win.
*In an effort to get the blood flowing
prior to The Big Game, I will provide, as an addendum, an anti-kal slur every week.
If you have a one-liner worthy of submission, feel free to
send it to my inbox. Here is an example of what I'm looking for:
"Screw the weenies and their flea-bitten, urine-soaked, last-second reject Halloween costume mascot!"
5. Stanford 74
(Last: 6)
The knee not taken 'round the world (or at least the South Bay) has dominated discussion amongst
Cardinalmaniacs and SpartanHeads alike since the final gun sounded at Foster Field late Saturday
night. Lost amongst all the hoopla was that Stanford moved back to even for the
season and is in relatively good health compared to their conference brethren. Against all odds, The Sheriff
still stalks the sidelines at Montlake, setting the stage for the
last remaining ill-will to manifest itself in the form of a tail-whoopin' this weekend.
6. Oregon State 73 (Last: 7)
After having just picked up their
first non-loss of the year, the last thing Da' Beavs needed was a bye.
Besides, two weeks isn't enough time to scheme your way to a win against the
indomitable wooden horse, who will be just as eager to "hit someone else" after intrasquad scrimmages.
On the other hand, Pete's only road conference losses the last four
seasons have both happened in the state of Oregon. Adjust your BootPool picks accordingly.
7. Arizona State 72 (Last: 4)
Erickson's Evil have
somehow gone from potential $C threat to marginal bowl team in just two weeks. The loss to
Ugga wasn't as bad as the UNLV debacle, but the fact that they were
manhandled at home doesn't bode well going forward. With go-to tailback Keegan Herring still out,
ASU has abandoned any token attempts at rushing the ball and have become as one-dimensional as
a quantum wire. Couple this flaw with the propensity for allowing
sacks and Elway Jr. might take comfort from his vantage point behind the clipboard.
8. UCLA 62
(Last: 8)
It's now been two whole
games since the baby blues have scored an offensive touchdown, and the upcoming schedule doesn't offer
up any more middling SEC teams with which to pad the stats. This futility
has far-reaching affects on the entire team, the least of which is the punishment taken
by senior punter Aaron Perez, whose leg has already endured a career's worth of action in
just three weeks. No time to pout as the rabid Bulldogs
of Fresno State come rolling into Westwood, with their Cinderella baseball story in tow.
9.
Washington 37 (Last: 9)
To outsiders, it would appear that UW is just a bad
series of plays away from a complete meltdown, but you would never know it listening to
the musings of cornerback Mesphin Forrester, the most optimistic person on the planet. "So
we still have a shot at our goal, to be number one in the Pac-10.
We are still reaching for it," Forrester pleads. Maybe 'Rone can convince him and his colleagues
that the low-hanging fruit tastes just as good as the stuff
on top. Or, maybe this is the Washington team that is destined for 0-12.
10. Washington State 32 (Last:
10)
It's been a season of firsts for new head man Paul "Lone"
Wulff, but the most bizarre first can be seen in the passing stats column in
last week's win. I've heard of three 100-yard rushers in one game, but when was the
last time a team ended a game with three 100-yard passers? It wasn't all
in good fun though, as gritty senior Gary Rogers, who was already in a relief
appearance for injured starter Kevin Lopina, fractured his spine and has played in his last football
game. At least this means Wazzu won't make history by going
0-12, and perhaps they were secretly auditioning for acceptance into the Big Sky Conference.
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