Below are our exclusive
BootPowerRatings of the Pac-10 Conference. Each week during the football season,
we will release our secret formula rating all the Pac-10 teams. The
BootPowerRating (BPR) is calculated by utilizing a range of factors rumored to
include: past results, statistics, common-opponent comparative results,
strength-of-schedule, home-stadium environment, cheerleader attitude and an
unrevealed school spirit multiplier. The resulting rating score falls within a
1-100 scale, where 100 approximates a Rose Bowl-bound team and a score of 1 is
somewhere south of D-1.
1. USC 93 (Last:
92)
The Southern Gals dispatch the Washington schools
and watch their BCS stock rise as other title contenders beat each
other up in games people actually want to watch. Their defense pitched another shutout (making
half of their Pac X opponents swallow a goose egg so far) and their offense woke
up from the 'Zona slumber to score at will-ingham. Still, a
lot of work and many pitfalls remain as Petey marches his boys towards Glendale.
2. kal 83 (Last:
79)
This week the weenies take their shot at number two in
the BPR's, which every previous occupant subsequently surrendered after arriving
there.
kal is guaranteed to be somewhere else next week
as they square off with those plucky Trojans in a game that might decide who
dons the conference crown. The revolving door that is the QB situation in Berzerkeley took a
day off when Kevin Riley went down early with a concussion,
but playing time is still up for grabs, much like a Kevin Craft pass.
3. Oregon State 82 (Last: 81)
Since their shocker
over $C, the River Rats have been feasting
on the dregs of the
Pac X, culminating this Saturday
with a trip to Pasadena for a date with El Lay. Up
until Lyle Moevau jammed his shoulder in the first half against ASU, the Beavs had
been the beneficiaries of reliable, injury-free QB play; a concept foreign to every other conference team
to date. No worries as Sean Canfield, the projected starter coming
into the year, took the wheel and steered the ship clear of the upset iceberg.
4. Oregon 81
(Last: 86)
The curse of the top 25 continued for Team Nike as they
slipped and
fell out of the
polls for the third time this year. Maybe they need to stick
with one version of their self-reported 68 different uniform combinations, if for nothing else than
the sake of my eyes. When you force five turnovers you can usually expect more than
six points in return, but equally sloppy play on the offensive
side of the ball held them well below their season average of 41.5 points.
5. Stanford 80
(Last: 76)
What kinds of things can you do when a team of Wazzu's
caliber is your opponent? Have a running back score four TD's in one half,
shutout a Pac-10
opponent
for the first time in 34 years, get playing time for
anyone eligible
and not in street clothes...you get the idea. This was a welcome
sight for Cardinalmaniacs, who have been on the other end of these drubbings too many
times during the post-Willingham, pre-Harbaugh dark ages. Too bad the torrential downpour kept too many casual
viewers from witnessing a near-flawless performance, as they would have left
with the impression that Stanford was one of the best teams in the country.
6. Arizona 79
(Last: 80)
The Mild kitties currently bring up the rear in the
Packed-10 race for bowl games. They are one of six teams that can
honestly say that they were or are
one game away from being
in the drivers seat for the Rose Bowl, but just as easily
might end up in the Poinsettia Bowl. The week off provided an opportunity to pour
over the stat sheets, which show wideout Mike Thomas needing about 400 yards and four touchdowns to become
the school's all-time leader in those categories. It's no coincidence that
his arrival in Tucson, like Willie Tuitama's, came when the spread offense was implemented.
7. Arizona State 58 (Last: 60)
Things sure do get ugly when teams are losing. ASU
seemed to be in a perfect position to end their five-game
schnide as they came out with
some inspired play
in Corvallis, but five trips
into the red zone yielded only one touchdown, and the Chump Devils
finished three points shy of the upset. After the game, Rudy Carpenter fielded questions about
the team's inability to hit paydirt and responded with, "I'm not Coach Erickson so I don't
know--I just run the offense." Perhaps young Rudy isn't happy with
the play calling, or maybe the nagging leg injuries are just making him cranky.
8. UCLA 55
(Last: 55)
Don't give up
just yet Bruin fans, as this week's visit from OSU has
upset alert flashing all over it. The coaches know they have to
push all of their chips into the pile if they want to keep postseason hopes
alive, and they have had two weeks to prepare. In addition to that motivation, fUcla has
played their best ball in The Rose Bowl, and the precarious
nature of the Beavers QB situation makes this a dangerous minefield to navigate through.
9. Washington State 14 (Last:
17)
The
Cougs have officially crossed the line from historically bad to comically
bad. Here are some figures to cause you to shake your head in disbelief:
- The average final
score of their Pac-10 games has been
59-5
- They have been outscored 172-0
since their last touchdown
- Kevin Lopina, the QB who has logged the most minutes, had zero TD's, eight INT's, and
his longest pass is 23 yards
- Portland State is demanding a rematch.
10.
Washington 12 (Last: 16)
Good thing the BCS took the margin
of victory computation out of their formula, eh Tyrone? Down 42-0
at half, the Huskies benefited from the mercy rule and avoided a
loss of epic proportions. U Dubb will have plenty of opportunities to pick up their
first "dubb" of the season, with ASU, UCLA and WSU on the horizon. We already know
that the team has stopped playing for their coach, but the
next three weeks will show us if they have any pride left as well.
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