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By Sam Saig, November 9, 2009 5:13 pm

AllPac10.com was excited to accept an invitation to join CBSSports.com’s Blog Poll, which is run by Brian Cook who has a great Michigan blog over at www.mgoblog.com. You can read more about the premise by heading over to the Blog Poll via the link below, but it is essentially like a coaches or media poll except it is made up by top blogs across the country!

Rank	Team	Delta
1	Florida
2	Texas
3	Alabama – Hard fought win over a physical LSU team.
4	TCU – The Horned Frogs may not play a tough schedule, but this is a very good football team that could play with anybody right now.	3
5	Cincinnati	1
6	Boise State – The nightmarish Oregon/Boise State ranking argument appears to have worked itself out.	2
7	LSU – A very game effort against ‘Bama.	2
8	Georgia Tech	3
9	Oregon – Disappointing loss for a team that was a fringe national title contender. Now, the path to the Rose Bowl will not be nearly as easy as many thought it would.	5
10	Southern Cal – Don’t look now, but those same old Trojans are back in the Pac-10 title picture even after a lackluster win over ASU.	2
11	Miami (Florida)	3
12	Pittsburgh – The more I look at Cincinnati and Pitt, the less I can tell them apart. Should be fun when the Bearcats and Panthers meet.	6
13	Iowa – When you play with fire, you get burned.	8
14	Ohio State	1
15	Arizona – ‘Cats didn’t prove much by dismantling Wazzu, but the team still sits atop the Pac-10 with Oregon.	2
16	Penn State	6
17	Utah	2
18	Oklahoma State	1
19	Virginia Tech	3
20	Wisconsin	4
21	Houston	2
22	Oregon State – Beavers are starting to make their annual late season push, and QB Sean Canfield is playing at an all-conference level.
23	Stanford – Tremendous win for Jim Harbaugh’s program. Can they slay another Pac-10 giant this week?
24	Clemson
25	Auburn
Last week’s ballot

Comments (5,474)

By Sam Saig, November 7, 2009 8:41 pm

State of the Program

Only one team in the history of Pac-10 Men’s Basketball has gone winless in conference play: the 2007-08 Oregon State Beavers (6-25, 0-18 in Pac-10). That’s right, just two years ago the folks in Corvallis watched in horror as their team wound up in the wrong section of the record book.

The season was so dreadful, that former head coach Jay John became the first coach in the history of OSU athletics to be fired mid-season (John was let go after 6-12, 0-6 record). Interim head coach Kevin Mouton could fare no better, and athletic director Bob De Carolis knew he needed to hit a home run with his next hire or the program might not recover. A handful of big name coaches immediately tuned the job down, likely due to the enormous rebuilding project that was necessary.

While Oregon State may have missed out on the “name” coaches, De Carolis hit a monstrous home run nonetheless. Forget that Craig Robinson is Barack Obama’s brother-in-law (though recruiting has certainly been affected in a positive way), as more importantly, he is one heck of a basketball coach. Needless to say, what Robinson did last season with OSU was nothing short of remarkable. The Beavers finished the season 18-18 (7-11 in Pac-10) and won the CBI championship.

So the question is, can Robinson’s Beavers take the next step this season? Many prognosticators believe a top-3 conference finish is a realistic possibility, as virtually every major contributor from last season returns (G Ricky Claitt being the exception). If the gifted freshman class is as good as advertised, this OSU team will have a real chance to meet those high expectations.

Continue reading 'Pac-10 Basketball Preview – Oregon State Beavers'»

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By Dave Consolazio and Sam Saig, November 5, 2009 8:57 pm

Oregon State Beavers (5-3) vs. Cal Bears (6-2)
Saturday, November 7, 4:00 PM PST
Las Vegas Favorite: Cal -7.0

Continue reading 'Week 10 Game Matchup: Oregon State Beavers VS. Cal Bears'»

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By Dave Consolazio, November 4, 2009 7:58 am

Oregon State Beavers 5-3 Overall (3-2 Conference)

This Week’s Score: Oregon State 26 – UCLA 19

Next Week’s Opponent: @Cal


Continue reading 'Pac-10 Week 9 Notes and Observations: Oregon State Beavers'»

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By Brian Consolazio, November 3, 2009 2:47 pm

#1 Star: Chase Utley, Philadelphia Phillies
Alma Mater: UCLA
Stats (10/28 – 11/2) : 6 for 18, 6 Runs, 5 HRs, 8 RBIs, 1 SB, .333 avg

With the Philadelphia Phillies playing on the biggest stage in baseball, the World Series, they are getting exactly what they need out of their all-star second basemen Chase Utley. Although down in the series three games to two right now, you certainly can’t fault Utley. His five home runs have tied Reggie Jackson’s 1977 record for most in a World Series.

Chase Utley had three multi-hit games (games one, four and five), two multi-home run games (one and five), and three games where he has recorded at least two RBIs (one, four and five). In Game One, in his second at bat against CC Sabathia, Utley homered to right field to give the Phillies a 1 – 0 lead. In his next at bat in the sixth inning, he again blasted one over the right field wall that extended the Phillies lead to 2 – 0 and turned out to be the game winning run.

In game five, with the Phillies down 1 – 0 in the bottom of the first, Utley delivered again, this time a three run shot into right field. The Phillies never looked back, and Utley’s insurance home run in the bottom of the seventh (giving the Phillies a 7 – 2 lead) ended up being the game winning run again.

The Phillies still have a long way to go if they are going to win the World Series, but if anyone is making things difficult on the Yankees, it’s Chase Utley. He is putting together an MVP-like series and would very likely win the award if the Phillies can somehow come back and win it all.

#2 Star: Gilbert Arenas
Alma Mater: Arizona
Stats (10/27 to 10/31): (Per-Game Averages) 28.0 Points, 1.7 Rebounds, 6.7 Assists, 1.0 Steals, 2.3 3-Pointers, 50% FG PCT

The Washington Wizards were a pathetic 19-63 last year (tied for second worst in the NBA) with tons of questions surrounding the team. Will Gilbert Arenas be able to get back to his 2006-07 form after playing a combined 15 games the last two years? Or will the Wizards and Arenas continue to struggle and be one of the worst teams in the league?

Of course the health question cannot be answered in the first week of the season, but so far so good for Gilbert Arenas and the Wizards. The Wizards are 2-1 this season, and Gilbert Arenas has been leading the way. Arenas has led the Wizards in points in all three games this year, and his best game this week came on Halloween Night when he was 9 for 13 shooting, 11 for 12 from the line, 3 for 4 from behind the arc, and had 32 points and 7 assists in a 123 – 104 win over the New Jersey Nets.

The Wizard’s success this season starts and ends with Agent 0. If he can stay healthy for the entire season (knock on wood), the Wizards should be a respectable team throughout the year and be a surprise team in the East after last year’s horrible season.

#3 Star: Steven Jackson
Alma Mater: Oregon State
Stats (11/1): 22 Rushes for 149 Yards, 1 TD, 3 Receptions for 17 Yards

The St Louis Rams were 0-7 going into their week eight match up with the Detroit Lions. Steven Jackson almost single-handedly made sure they didn’t fall to 0-8 with his huge game in the 17 – 10 St Louis Rams victory.

With the game tied at 10 – 10 with 1:38 left in the game, Steven Jackson put an exclamation point on the game when he broke a 25-yard run to the right side to give the Rams a 17 – 10 lead. This was the first Rams rushing touchdown of the season and it provided the game-winning score.

Slowly but surely, Steven Jackson has been putting together one of the most underrated performances of the year. With these 149 yards he is now tied for second in the NFL in rushing (784 yards), and although he only has one touch down, he is still putting up great numbers with a team that everyone knows is going to run the ball as much as possible. The Rams probably wont win many more games this year, but I really respect the effort Steven Jackson has put together all year and am glad that he is at least able to celebrate this one.

Honorable Mentions:

Cal’s Aaron Rodgers (17 for 28, 287 Yards 3 TDs 0 INTs, 5 Rushes 52 Yards, 108.5 Rating)
UCLA’s Maurice Jones-Drew (8 Rushes for 177 Yards, 2 TDs)
USC’s Mark Sanchez (20 for 35, 265 Yards 2 TDs 0 INTs, 4 Rushes 6 Yards 1 TD, 100.3 Rating)
Washington’s Brandon Roy (27.0 Pts, 4.8 REBs, 4.8 ASTs, 2.0 3-Pointers, 39% FG PCT)
Oregon’s Aaron Brooks (21.0 Pts, 3.0 REBs, 8.5 ASTs, 1.0 STLs, 2.3 3-Pointers, 50% FG PCT)

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By Dave Consolazio and Sam Saig, October 29, 2009 5:11 pm

UCLA Bruins (3-4) vs. Oregon State Beavers (4-3)
Saturday, October 31, 1:00 PM PST
Las Vegas Favorite: Oregon State -9.5

Continue reading 'Week 9 Game Matchup: UCLA Bruins VS. Oregon State Beavers'»

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By Dave Consolazio, October 28, 2009 9:41 am

Oregon State Beavers 4-3 Overall (2-2 Conference)

This Week’s Score: USC 42 – Oregon State 36

Next Week’s Opponent: UCLA


Continue reading 'Pac-10 Week 8 Notes and Observations: Oregon State Beavers'»

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By Brian Consolazio, October 27, 2009 9:32 pm

#1 Star: Carson Palmer, Cincinnati Bengals
Alma Mater: USC
Stats (10/25): 20/24, 233 Yards, 5 Touchdowns, 146.7 QB Rating

The Chicago Bears came in at 3-2 after losing a tough game to the Falcons last week, and the Cincinnati Bengals came in at 4-2 after a letdown loss to the Houston Texans. Both teams were looking for a bounceback win, which should have provided a tough, competitive game; but Carson Palmer and the Bengals had other ideas.

The Cincinnati Bengals scored early and often, and Carson Palmer went 20 for 24 (83.3%) with 233 yards and five touchdowns (tops in the NFL this week). On the Bengals first drive of the game Palmer connected on a nine yard touchdown to Chris Henry. With one minute and seven seconds left in the first quarter, Chad Ochocinco caught an eight yard strike from Palmer. Palmer led the Bengals to points on all five first half possessions, including four touchdown passes.

If the Bengals weren’t up 31 – 3 (effectively ending the need to pass), there is no telling how many more yards and touchdown passes Carson Palmer could have racked up. If this offense can continue to click like it did last week, you will be seeing a lot more of Palmer on this list.

#2 Star: Chad Ochocinco, Cincinnati Bengals
Alma Mater: Oregon State
Stats (10/25): 10 Receptions for 118 Yards, 2 TDs

Chad Ochocinco also had his say in the Bengals 45 – 10 romping of the Chicago Bears. Ochocinco made it 14 – 0 late in the first quarter with his eight yard touchdown reception. While up 31 – 3, Ochocinco added even more insurance for the Bengals grabbing his second score, a 13 yard reception late in the third quarter making it 38 – 3.

Like Carson Palmer, Ochocinco did most of his work in the first half of this blowout game. He had eight catches for 103 yards, completely making a joke of the Chicago Bears secondary. Once again if this game was close I would have loved to see how many yards and touchdowns Ochocinco could have had, but I guess we will have to wait for another week to see if these guys can keep up their success together.

#3 Star: DeSean Jackson, Philadelphia Eagles
Alma Mater: Cal
Stats (10/26): 2 Receptions for 69 Yards, 1 TD, 1 Rush for 67 Yards, 1 TD

After the Philadelphia Eagles lost a shocking game last week to the Oakland Raiders 13 – 9, many people wondered who would step up for the Eagles and get them back on track against the Washington Redskins.  With no touchdowns last week and really no explosive plays at all, DeSean Jackson made sure that would not happen back-to-back weeks as he electrified Monday Night Football fans accross the country with two huge plays.

Jackson finished the game with only two receptions for 69 yards, and one rush for 67 yards, but in his three touches he managed two touchdowns. On the first drive of the football game DeSean Jackson took a reverse handoff from Donovan McNabb, and ran down the left side of the field nearly untouched to give the Eagles the 7 – 0 lead that they would never lose. If one huge play wasn’t enough, Jackson struck again on the first play after the two minute warning of the first half, on a third and 22 at his own 43 yard line. Jackson burnt the corners and was wide open down the sideline where McNabb hit him in stride for his second touchdown of the game untouched.

Many Eagles fans have been concerned about DeSean Jackson and his ankle problems over the last couple of weeks but if this game wasn’t a sign that he is starting to feel better then I don’t know what is. Look for Jackson and the Eagles to continue to pile up some victories the rest of the way.

Honorable Mentions:

Cal’s Aaron Rodgers (15/20, 246 Yards, 3 TDs, 155.4 QB Rating)
Oregon State’s Steven Jackson (23 Rushes for 134 Yards)
Washington’s Dashon Goldson (6 Tackles, 1 Forced Fumble, 1 Fumble Recovery)
USC’s Terrell Thomas (5 Tackles, 1 Interception, 4 Pass Deflections)
Cal’s Thomas DeCoud (10 Tackles, 1 Sack, 1 Pass Deflection)

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By Dave Consolazio and Sam Saig, October 21, 2009 6:13 pm

Oregon State Beavers (4-2) vs. USC Trojans (5-1)
Saturday, October 24, 5:00 PM PST
Las Vegas Favorite: USC -21.0
*AllPac10 Game of the Week*

Continue reading 'Week 8 Game Matchup: Oregon State Beavers VS. USC Trojans'»

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By Dave Consolazio, October 14, 2009 3:24 am

Oregon State Beavers 4-2 Overall (2-1 Conference)

This Week’s Score: Oregon State 38 – Stanford 28

Next Week’s Opponent: BYE


Continue reading 'Pac-10 Week 6 Notes and Observations: Oregon State Beavers'»

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By Dave Consolazio, October 11, 2009 7:38 pm

The pecking order in the Pac-10 after USC and Oregon continues to get cloudier instead of clearer the deeper into the season we get. Stanford and Arizona were looking like the “best of the rest”, but both picked up losses this week; Stanford, of course, to Oregon State, who appears poised and ready for their late season run with two convincing victories in a row. With games still to come against Cal, USC, and Oregon, they’ve got ime to prove they are once again for real.

And speaking of Cal, which Cal team shows up fresh off the bye next week in UCLA; Pre-Oregon Cal or Post-Oregon Cal?

Saturday

Oregon 24 – UCLA 10 (Game Matchup)
Sam: Oregon 30 – UCLA 24 (W)
Dave: Oregon 27 – UCLA 23 (W)

Arizona State 27 – Washington State 14 (Game Matchup)
Sam: Arizona State 38 – Washington State 13 (W)
Dave: Arizona State 38 – Washington State 10 (W)

Oregon State 38 – Stanford 28 (Game Matchup)
Sam: Stanford 28 – Oregon State 24 (L)
Dave: Stanford 27 – Oregon State 21 (L)

Washington 36 – Arizona 33 (Game Matchup)
Sam: Washington 30 – Arizona 27 (W)
Dave: Arizona 38 – Washington 27 (L)

Oregon State made both of us pay for picking against them for the second straight week. With Arizona up two scores late in the 4th quarter, it was looking like Sam was going to be on the losing end of our split decision once again, but he and Washington received a twist-of-fate bounce on the pick-6 to get the Huskies the win at home.

Not a single easy one on the schedule next week; should be a fun one.

Sam’s Record: 28 – 13
Dave’s Record: 31 – 10

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By Dave Consolazio and Sam Saig, October 8, 2009 2:44 pm

Stanford Cardinal (4-1) vs. Oregon State Beavers (3-2)
Saturday, October 10, 4:00 PM PST
Las Vegas Favorite: Oregon State -1.0

Continue reading 'Week 6 Game Matchup: Stanford Cardinal VS. Oregon State Beavers'»

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By Sam Saig, October 6, 2009 1:07 pm

Oregon State Beavers 3-2 Overall (1-1 Conference)

This Week’s Score:  Oregon State 28 – Arizona State 17

Next Week’s Opponent: Stanford


Continue reading 'Pac-10 Week 5 Notes and Observations: Oregon State Beavers'»

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By Dave Consolazio, October 5, 2009 11:29 am

There weren’t too many surprises this week, relatively speaking of course. All the teams that were favored to win won, with the exception of Oregon State, who performed their stuck with their annual practice of waiting until everyone counted them out to pick things up and earn the win.

To Sam’s credit, he did get the score prediction exactly right on that one; unfortunately it doesn’t count when the teams are swapped.

Saturday

Stanford 24 – UCLA 16 (Game Matchup)
Sam: Stanford 28 – UCLA 23 (W)
Dave: Stanford 24 – UCLA 13 (W)

Notre Dame 37 – Washington 30 (OT) (Game Matchup)
Sam: Notre Dame 35 – Washington 28 (W)
Dave: Notre Dame 34 – Washington 20 (W)

Oregon State 28 – Arizona State 17 (Game Matchup)
Sam: Arizona State 28 – Oregon State 17 (L)
Dave: Arizona State 27 – Oregon State 14 (L)

USC 30 – California 3 (Game Matchup)
Sam: California 27 – USC 24 (L)
Dave: USC 27 – California 17 (W)

Oregon 52 – Washington State 6 (Game Matchup)
Sam: Oregon 42 – Washington State 14 (W)
Dave: Oregon 49 – Washington State 9 (W)

Oregon, USC, and Stanford roll right along and leave little doubt that they are the class of the conference. But what on earth is going on with Cal? It’s hard to blame JUST the coaching or the players when it is clearly a joint effort to perform this poorly. It’s been painfully bad for the Bears who are really doing the conference no favors in silencing its critics.

Next week marks the first week of exclusively in-conference play with everyone but USC and Cal in action. Should be fun.

Sam’s Record: 25 – 12
Dave’s Record: 29 – 8

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By Dave Consolazio and Sam Saig, October 1, 2009 5:55 pm

Oregon State Beavers (2-2) vs. Arizona State Sun Devils (2-1)
Saturday, October 3, 4:00 PM PST
Las Vegas Favorite: Arizona State -5.0

Continue reading 'Week 5 Game Matchup: Oregon State Beavers VS. Arizona State Sun Devils'»