Pac Ten Alley

We are back again with the best of the Pac Ten Blogs after a week off because of some techinical problems. We also have added some new blogs for Stanford, Arizona, and Arizona State because the old one's weren't being updated enough.

I also added blogs from our upcoming out of conference opponents in 2007. They really add some good stuff as we get to know our opponents. Shoud be fun to watch when Spring practice begins.

Around the Pac Ten Blogs

At USC they have had quite the five year run in football. It is hard to believe that they could actually have been champions four times in a row if a few breaks went there way.

Since 2002, USC has finished in the top 4 in every final AP poll. No other school has finished in the top 12 every year. In fact, USC, Ohio St., Oklahoma and Texas are the only schools to end each of the last five seasons in the top 25.

California is going to have major legal problems getting new facilities built in the near future and even has people sitting in the tree's protesting. While Teford just signed a new contract it won't keep him there if the upgrades don't happen.

The non-students living in the trees on the Cal campus have a website…www.saveoaks.com, where they ask that messages be sent to the tree sitters at treesitters@saveoaks.com. Feel free to send your thoughts!

Oregon State is waiting for baseball season as the basketball team stumbles through the last nine games of a dissapointing season.

Nine basketball games left for Oregon State. The good news? It's a new month. The bad news? We're still the same team. You've seen those guys play, so have I. Can it get better from here?

Down in Eugene they are coming off a loss on the road to you know who, but they can rebound with a big win in Pauley on Thursday.

Coupled with Oregon's OT win on Saturday over Wazoo and UCLA's loss yesterday to Stanford, the Ducks moved into a tie for first place in the Pac-10 with UCLA.

UCLA isn't overlooking the Quackers who handed them their first loss of the season a few weeks ago.

The Ducks are 4-0 against ranked teams, having knocked off No.18 Georgetown, No.1 UCLA, No.10 Arizona and No.20 Washington State. Oregon also is deeper than it was when it beat the Bruins at home. Forward Malik Hairston, the Ducks' leading scorer last season, did not play in that game because of a right heel injury. He has played in the past six and is averaging 12.7 points and 6.0 rebounds. Malik as our friends over at Addicted to Quack points out has been playing really well as he has been feeding off the confidence and aggressiveness of Aaron Brooks.

USC stealing 2 star recruits from WSU? I happen to think that Henderson is a player that will blossom and was surprised UW didn't offer. Pete Carroll obviously thinks so too.

Henderson looked like a real sleeper "get", good size and quickness off the edge, the typical 2-star recruit that they bring in, add some weight and suddenly he becomes a top-flight pass rushing d-tackle or something along those lines. But man, it's SC! Could the Cougars be losing him to USC?

Arizona is planning some lineup changes for this weeks Washington series.

I wouldn't be surprised if there is a starting lineup change Thursday for the Arizona men's basketball team. There's no word from the Arizona coaches, but it would not be a surprise. It could breathe new life into the Wildcats.

The Stanford Basketball team had a surprising first half as it looks like their program is back on track to climb the polls.

Stanford: Not in the top-20, not in the top-25, not even in the top-30 … Are you serious? Maybe the coaches missed the victory over No. 3 UCLA. Perhaps they don’t realize that Stanford has beaten three tournament-bound teams in the past three weeks.

Arizona State is not a basketball school. But we did find a blog on the Devils that is actually putting out new stuff every week.

I can't believe ASU basketball is so bad that I'm relegated to rooting for U of A's opponents. Someone should be making fun of me for this one.

Upcoming Opponent Blogs

This is an excellent blog on Hawaii football. When I was in the Islands this fall interest in the team had really fallen, but last years team seems to have ignited it again.

Hawaii's Colt Brennan isn't going to be playing for the Detroit Lions this year, or the Houston Texans, or the Oakland Raiders, or any other NFL team. He's going to be a Heisman front-runner and should assault the record books with his top three wide receivers returning. Davone Bess, Jason Rivers, and Ryan Grice-Mullen might be the nation's best trio and should go ballistic. Seven players are back on the defensive back eight.

The Northwest's only entrant in the BCS is still getting used to that lofty perch. This is an excellent blog on Boise State football. By the way the Bronco's are getting ready to expand their stadium.

I have to admit, it’s been pretty cool to hear how much respect and praise guys like Jim Rome and Colin Cowherd have thrown toward the Broncos. My favorite line was hearing John Madden during the Seahawks-Cowboys playoff game talk about how the Dallas needed to “pull a Boise State,” to have any chance at success.

Syracuse is all about basketball this time of year, but we found a well rounded blog that also gives info on their football program. Cjeck out the cool countdown clock to the Washington game.

I should have known better. No less then three of my friends asked me before this weekend, “Hey do you think Syracuse win on Saturday?” I replied with my usual honesty that yes, I thought we had a good chance of winning. Louisville was looking like they were on a down swing, and I really thought we had the chance to bounce back from St. John’s, all while being motivated by Boeheim’s 1,000th game. I hate being wrong to my friends.

Ohio State's basketball team is on the same level as the football team. That's right they could match Florida in the quest to win titles in both sports one of these days.
Ohio State never takes a day off rom football, but the basketball team has the ability to compete for a national title.

I tried to tell you. Those Spartans are good and not many people are talking about it. The ending was about the kind of game I expected. What I didn't expect was our total domination in the first half. In building the twenty point lead, we meshed an excelling Greg Oden with superb perimeter shooting for perhaps the first time all year. It was easy and the Spartans were reeling.