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By Dave Consolazio and Sam Saig, November 6, 2009 6:14 pm

USC Trojans (6-2) vs. Arizona State Sun Devils (4-4)
Saturday, November 7, 5:00 PM PST
Las Vegas Favorite: USC -10.0

Continue reading 'Week 10 Game Matchup: USC Trojans VS. Arizona State Sun Devils'»

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By Dave Consolazio, November 4, 2009 7:43 am

USC Trojans 6-2 Overall (3-2 Conference)

This Week’s Score: Oregon 47 – USC 20

Next Week’s Opponent: @Arizona State


Continue reading 'Pac-10 Week 9 Notes and Observations: USC Trojans'»

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By Sam Saig, November 2, 2009 8:06 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 – Does destroying Georgia mean anything this season?
2	Texas – The Longhorns laid a beatdown on a very solid Oklahoma State team, and they are now in firm control of their BCS destiny.
3	Alabama
4	Oregon – Last week I believed USC was the fourth best team in the country, and after watching Oregon hand the Trojans their worst loss of the Carroll-era, I am now convinced the Ducks are worthy of this spot.	5
5	Iowa – Make no mistake about it, this appears to be a flawed team. But 9-0 in the Big Ten still deserves at least some respect, and the Hawkeyes have shown resiliency every step of the way.	1
6	Cincinnati	1
7	TCU
8	Boise State – The Broncos may very well be the fourth best team in the nation, but the complete resume does not compare favorably to teams 4-7.
9	LSU	1
10	Penn State	2
11	Georgia Tech	2
12	Southern Cal – 47-20!!! An utterly shocking result for the Trojans. Fittingly, Pete Carroll looked like he had seen a ghost in the post game press conference.	8
13	Ohio State	1
14	Miami (Florida) – ‘Canes had to rally late, but Miami was able to improve to 6-2.	2
15	Utah	2
16	Notre Dame	3
17	Arizona – The ‘Cats were off last week, and they don’t figure to be challenged much this week (WSU travels to Tucson).	3
18	Pittsburgh	3
19	Oklahoma State – The Cowboys were simply no match for the Longhorns.	8
20	Oklahoma	3
21	California – The Bears played a terribly sloppy game in Tempe but they found a way to win.	4
22	Virginia Tech – Another disappointing loss for the Hokies now puts them at 5-3 and 3-2 in the ACC.	7
23	Houston	1
24	Wisconsin
25	Brigham Young
Last week’s ballot

Comments (5,410)

By Dave Consolazio and Sam Saig, October 28, 2009 1:26 pm

USC Trojans (6-1) vs. Oregon Ducks (6-1)
Saturday, October 31, 5:00 PM PST
Las Vegas Favorite: USC -3.0
*AllPac10 Game of the Week*

Continue reading 'Week 9 Game Matchup: USC Trojans VS. Oregon Ducks'»

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By Dave Consolazio,

USC Trojans 6-1 Overall (3-1 Conference)

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

Next Week’s Opponent: @Oregon


Continue reading 'Pac-10 Week 8 Notes and Observations: USC Trojans'»

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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)

Comments (5,444)

By Sam Saig, October 26, 2009 4:53 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 – Unimpressive win, but a win nonetheless.
2	Texas – A big game with Oklahoma State this week. Could be the last legitimate threat on the schedule for the ‘Horns.
3	Alabama – Unimpressive win, but a win nonetheless.
4	Southern Cal – The Trojans were tested for a second straight week, but found a way. The defense has shown a few chinks in the armor, so it should be interesting to see how the unit performs at Autzen.
5	Cincinnati – Even without Tony Pike the Bearcats didn’t skip a beat.
6	Iowa – The Hawkeyes looked beaten late but found a way to keep their dream season going.	3
7	TCU – Count me in as a believer of the underrated Horned Frogs.	4
8	Boise State	1
9	Oregon – Dominating performance against the rival Huskies. Now we will see if the Ducks can take the biggest step of all towards becoming Pac-10 champions.	1
10	LSU	4
11	Oklahoma State	1
12	Penn State	1
13	Georgia Tech	1
14	Ohio State	1
15	Virginia Tech	1
16	Miami (Florida) – Tough loss for the ‘Canes in an entertaining game.	8
17	Utah	1
18	South Carolina	3
19	Notre Dame	1
20	Arizona – The ‘Cats are quietly in the hunt to win the Pac-10, and if the defense can play up to its capabilities, a Rose Bowl birth is possible.
21	Pittsburgh - Impressive blowout of a solid USF team	4
22	West Virginia	1
23	Oklahoma	1
24	Houston
25	California – Can Jeff Tedofrd’s team win out? The offense is certainly starting to look like itself again.
Last week’s ballot

Comments (5,342)

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 Brian Consolazio, October 20, 2009 3:47 pm

#1 Star: Maurice Jones-Drew, Jacksonville Jaguars
Alma Mater: UCLA
Stats (10/19): 33 Carries for 133 Yards, 3 TDs, 5 Receptions for 45 Yards

With the Jacksonville Jaguars still struggling, and Maurice Jones-Drew publicly stating his frustration about not getting the ball enough this season, Jones-Drew showed exactly what he can do when given the opportunity this week against the St Louis Rams. His 33 rushes (most in the NFL) for 133 yards (fourth this week) and three TDs (most in the NFL) led the Jaguars to a 23 – 20 win over the Rams.

Maurice Jones-Drew scored all three touchdowns for the Jaguars this week, but the fourth quarter was really where he took over the game. Jones-Drew ran for 74 yards in the fourth quarter with two TDs. His one yard TD run with 8:05 left in the game gave the Jags a 13 – 10 lead, and his three yard shot up the middle also gave them the lead at 20 – 17.

With this big win the Jacksonville Jaguars moved back to .500, and it looks like they are starting to understand that their best chance of winning is to give opponents a healthy dose of Maurice Jones-Drew.

#2 Star: Brian Cushing, Houston Texans
Alma Mater: USC
Stats (10/19): 9 Tackles, 1 INT, 2 Forced Fumbles, 2 Pass Deflections

With the Houston Texans going into Cincinnati to play one of the hottest teams in the league, not many people were picking Houston to win. The Texans did pull off the upset though, thanks to Brian Cushing’s huge performance and allowing zero points in the second half of the game for the 28 – 17 victory.

The Houston Texans took a 21 – 17 lead in just under four minutes into the third quarter, and this is when the defense really stepped up. Cushing’s first forced fumble came on the next possession, stopping the Bengals at midfield with a hit on Daniel Coats. With 5:38 left in the game and the Bengals down 28 – 17, Cushing once again forced a fumble, this time on J.P. Foschi to all but seal the victory for the Texans. The Texans couldn’t run the clock out though, and Cushing did seal the game with 1:48 left when he intercepted a Carson Palmer pass at the Houston 26 yard line.

The Texans moved to 3-3 after their impressive win against the Cincinnati Bengals, and with the offense clicking as well as it is, if Brian Cushing and the Texans defense continue to play at a high level, they should be a tough team to beat down the stretch.

#3 Star: Zach Miller, Oakland Raiders
Alma Mater: Arizona State
Stats (10/19): 6 Receptions for 139 Yards, 1 TD

After an embarrassing 44 – 7 loss to the New York Giants last week and the Philadelphia Eagles coming into Oakland this week, it looked like it was going to be another disaster for the Oakland Raiders. Shockingly, the Raiders were able to pull off the huge upset, thanks in large part to Zach Miller. His six receptions for 139 yards and one touchdown led all Raiders receivers in all categories, and his yardage was tops among NFL tight ends.

Zach Miller’s biggest play of the game came in the first quarter when Jamarcus Russell dumped a 16 yard pass to him down the middle and let Miller do the rest of the work. Miller got a few key blocks from Louis Murphy and was able to finish the play with an 86 yard touchdown reception, the longest pass play for the Oakland Raiders in 25 years. This touchdown also proved to be the only touchdown of the game, and the Oakland Raiders were able to fight off the Eagles 13 – 9.

13 points isn’t an offensive explosion, but it was enough to get the Raiders a much needed win.

Honorable Mentions:

Cal’s Aaron Rodgers (29-37 358 yards 2 TDs 1 INT, 3 Rushes for 9 Yards, 113.7 QB Rating)
Any other week Rodgers would have made the top three with this line, but in a big week for other players I would have liked to see a few more TDs and 0 INTs against the Lions to crack the list.

Oregon State’s Sammie Stroughter (3 Receptions for 65 yards, 142 Return Yards, 1 TD)
Stroughter also had a game worth talking about where his biggest play was a 97 yard kickoff return for a touchdown to narrow the Panthers lead to 21 – 14.

Stanford’s Oshiomogho Atogwe (10 Tackles)
Oregon State’s Nick Barnett (8 Tackles, .5 Sacks)
Oregon State’s Steven Jackson (16 Rushes for 50 Yards, 6 Receptions for 78 Yards)
Oregon’s Jonathan Stewart (17 Rushes for 110 Yards, 1 TD, 1 Fumble)

Comments (5,422)

By Sam Saig, October 19, 2009 4:22 pm

AllPac10.com was excited to accept an invitation to join CBSSports.com’s Blog Poll, which is run by Brian Cook who runs 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 just like a coaches or media poll except it is made up by top blogs across the country!

Rank	Team	Delta
1	Florida – Arkansas probably should have won at “The Swamp” but Tim Tebow always finds a way to drive his team down the field at the end.
2	Texas – Unfortunate circumstances surrounding the win over OU, but the Texas defense was sensational throughout the game.
3	Alabama
4	Southern Cal – The Trojans were tested to the final second, but in the end, ‘SC won its eighth straight against the Irish.
5	Cincinnati – Impressive win over a very good USF team. Will Pike be effective after the injury?	5
6	LSU
7	Boise State
8	Miami (Florida) – The win over Georgia Tech is looking excellent right now.	1
9	Iowa	2
10	Oregon – The Ducks were off this week, and now they must avoid being upset in Seattle by Jake Locker and the Huskies.	2
11	TCU	2
12	Oklahoma State	5
13	Penn State	3
14	Georgia Tech – Impressive win over the Hokies, and the BCS is still very much in sight	6
15	Ohio State – Buckeyes are really struggling on offense.	7
16	Virginia Tech – Hokies’ national title hopes ended in Atlanta.	11
17	Brigham Young	4
18	Utah
19	Texas Tech – Big win over Nebraska.
20	Notre Dame – A game effort by the Irish vs. ‘SC.	2
21	South Carolina – The Gamecocks put together a respectable performance against ‘Bama.	1
22	Oklahoma – Still a team that could beat many in the Top-25, with or without Bradford.	8
23	West Virginia
24	Kansas	5
25	Pittsburgh
Last week’s ballot

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By Sam Saig,

USC Trojans 5-1 Overall (2-1 Conference)

This Week’s Score: USC 34 – Notre Dame 27

Next Week’s Opponent: Oregon State


Continue reading 'Pac-10 Week 7 Notes and Observations: USC Trojans'»

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By Dave Consolazio and Sam Saig, October 14, 2009 5:39 pm

USC Trojans (4-1) vs. Notre Dame Fighting Irish (4-1)
Saturday, October 17, 12:30 PM PST
Las Vegas Favorite: USC -10.0
*AllPac10 Game of the Week*

Continue reading 'Week 7 Game Matchup: USC Trojans VS. Notre Dame Fighting Irish'»

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By Sam Saig, October 12, 2009 11:53 am

AllPac10.com was excited to accept an invitation to join CBSSports.com’s Blog Poll, which is run by Brian Cook who runs 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 just like a coaches or media poll except it is made up by top blogs across the country!

Rank	Team	Delta
1	Florida – With Tim Tebow’s health garnering most of the attention, it’s easy to forget just how dominant that Gator D is. They put on a show against LSU.
2	Texas
3	Alabama
4	Southern Cal – The Trojans have a chance to gain some real momentum if they can win in South Bend.	1
5	Virginia Tech	1
6	LSU – Great defense, work-in-progress on offense (especially at QB).	2
7	Boise State
8	Ohio State
9	Miami (Florida)	2
10	Cincinnati	1
11	Iowa – Very solid win against Michigan	1
12	Oregon – The Ducks showcased excellent defense and special teams play in Pasadena.	1
13	TCU – The Horned Frogs looked vulnerable against Air Force.	3
14	Oklahoma – With Bradford back, they have a chance against ANYONE.	7
15	Nebraska – Quality road win over Missouri in tough conditions.	2
16	Penn State	3
17	Oklahoma State	3
18	Notre Dame
19	Kansas	3
20	Georgia Tech – Offense looked unstoppable against FSU (Bobby Bowden is still cringing at the site of that triple option).
21	Brigham Young	1
22	South Carolina	1
23	Missouri – Mizzou battled in tough loss against a very good Nebraska team.
24	Wisconsin – The Badgers actually hung tough with Ohio State but a few errors cost them.
25	Auburn – Tigers had a poor showing in Fayetteville against the Razorbacks.	10
Last week’s ballot

Comments (5,388)

By Brian Consolazio, October 6, 2009 12:13 pm

#1 Star: Steve Smith, New York Giants
Alma Mater: USC
Stats (10/4): 11 Receptions for 134 Yds, 2 Touchdowns

Over the last few years, it hasn’t been uncommon to see a wide receiver by the name of Steve Smith near the top of the league in productivity.

But this year it hasn’t been the Carolina Panthers veteran; it’s been Steve Smith of the New York Giants, who once again led the Giants to victory with his league-high 11 catches for 134 yards (12.2 yd avg) and two touchdowns.

Smith leads the league in receptions (34), yards (411), and touchdowns (4) on the year as well, and if Eli Manning can continue to hook up with him on a regular basis the Giants (4 – 0) will be extremely hard to beat this year.

#2 Star: Brandon Morrow, Seattle Mariners
Alma Mater: Cal
Stats (9/30): 8 IP, 1 Win, 1 Hit, 2 Walks, 0.00 ERA, 0.38 WHIP, 9 Ks

In a what has been a frustrating year for Brandon Morrow (injuries and switching to a starter), Brandon Morrow showed signs of how dominating he can be when healthy.

Against the Oakland A’s, Morrow started off by retiring the first 10 batters he faced, five by strikeout.  After giving up his lone hit of the night, he went on to retire another 13 straight with four more strikeouts before walking two straight batters. He got out of the eighth inning untouched, finishing up an outstanding effort.

Hopefully Friday’s start was just a sign of things to come for Brandon Morrow and the Mariners.

#3 Star: Aaron Rodgers, Green Bay Packers
Alma Mater: Cal
Stats (10/5): 26/37, 384 Yds, 2 TDs, 1 INT, 2 Rushes for 16 Yds

In the highly anticipated showdown between the Green Bay Packers and Minnesota Vikings, both quarterbacks lived up to expectations.

Under constant pressure the entire game (8 sacks), Rodgers was still able to have an amazing game through the air, throwing for more yards than any other QB in Week 4 with 384 on 26 – 37 passing. Rodgers also threw for two touchdowns and had one interception.

Although the Packers ended up losing the game, I believe that Aaron Rodgers gained a lot of respect from his teammates for his resilient performance, and that the Packers will be a tough team to play the remainder of the year.

Honorable Mentions:

UCLA’s Eric Byrnes (2 Runs, 2 HRs, 5 RBIs, 1 SB, .400 BA)
UCLA’s Brandon Chillar (10 Tackles)
Oregon State’s TJ Houshmandzadeh (8 Receptions for 103 Yards)
USC’s Clay Matthews (3 Tackles, 1 Forced Fumble, 1 Fumble Recovery for 42 yds and a TD)
Arizona’s Antonio Pierce (7 Tackles, 1 Forced Fumble)
Arizona State’s Terrell Suggs (6 Tackles, 1 Sack, 1 Forced Fumble, 1 Pass Deflection)

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By Sam Saig, October 5, 2009 11:57 am

USC Trojans 4-1 Overall (2-1 Conference)

This Week’s Score: USC 30 – Cal 3

Next Week’s Opponent: BYE


Continue reading 'Pac-10 Week 5 Notes and Observations: USC Trojans'»