It was supposed to be simple. It was supposed to be easy.
One week after edging out the then-No. 8 Ohio State Buckeyes 18-15, the University of Southern California Trojans were expected to roll over their Pac-10 rival and continue their dominance as a squad that has won the past three Rose Bowls and is widely heralded as the best program in the country.
But rarely in sports do things happen as they're planned. The previously unranked Washington Huskies upset USC on Saturday 16-13, and the result
USC freshman quarterback Matt Barkley, who engineered an 86-yard drive in the fourth quarter against the Buckeyes, could only watch from the sidelines as Washington kicker Erik Folk drilled home the winning field goal with three seconds left. Barkley was out with a sore shoulder, forcing sophomore Aaron Corp to make his first career start under center. Corp promptly fell victim to the swarming Huskies defense, managing only 110 yards through the air and throwing an interception.
Losing in the Pac-10 is nothing new for the historically strong Trojans, who have fallen in at least one conference road game in six of the last eight seasons. Of course, if USC can't get healthy in the upcoming weeks, it could be the first season since 2001 in which it doesn't make a BCS bowl. Aside from Barkley, USC was without All-American safety Taylor Mays, who missed his first career game due to a sprained ligament in his right knee.
With USC's loss, the Pac-10 door remains wide open for other teams to emerge, the most prominent of which is the Golden Bears. Cal, 3-0 this season, has put up an average of 48.7 points thus far while giving up just 13.7.
A large part of the Bears' success is running back and Heisman candidate Jahvid Best. Best, a junior, exploded for a school-record five touchdowns on Saturday against the Minnesota Golden Gophers and is currently third in the country with 412 yards on the ground.
But should Best be stifled by an opposing defense, Cal can easily rely on its air assault. Quarterback Kevin Riley is sixth in the nation in QB rating at 170.6, better than household names such as Florida's Tim Tebow and Texas' Colt McCoy.
Cal also has a balanced conference schedule in its favor. After next weekend's contest at Oregon, the Golden Bears return home to take on USC in a game which could very well decide the Pac-10's BCS representative. Should it beat the Trojans, Cal figures to coast through the rest of its schedule until a season-ending game at Washington.
Across the state, the UCLA Bruins are one of three undefeated Pac-10 teams and boast a formidable defense that ranks second in the nation with eight interceptions. They also have key conference matchups with California on Oct. 17 and Washington on Nov. 7 at home, which could prove to be the edge they need to be this year's dark horse.
While the Arizona State Sun Devils are 2-0, their wins have come against the Idaho State Bengals and the Louisiana-Monroe Warhawks, two teams with an aggregate 1-5 record. ASU will be truly tested this Saturday when it visits the No. 21 Georgia Bulldogs and should be given a healthy dose of reality.
And finally, though it stands at 2-1, Washington should not be counted out. The Huskies surged up to No. 24 in the latest AP poll, entering the rankings for the first time in six years. This represents a vast improvement from last year's squad, which became the first Pac-10 team to go 0-12.
The way quarterback Jake Locker has been playing, the Huskies just might go from a painful winless season to a BCS appearance, the ultimate 180-degree turn in college football. Locker, who threw for 237 yards against USC and directed the game-winning, 68-yard drive, is 11th in the country in passing yards and boasts a 138.7 QB rating with just one interception.
But even with the cluster of prominent squads atop the Pac-10 standings, the Trojans can never be counted out. Though the upset remains one of the season's biggest, USC still has nine games left
