DG on PX - Intrigue goes beyond USC-OSU

Don't believe the hype, most compelling Pac-10 games this weekend have nothing to do with USC's trip to Ohio State.

Next week is going to be that week. All eyes are going to be on USC and Ohio State,” USC linebacker Michael Morgan said Saturday.

Well put, Michael, but it is not the most important Pac-10 game this week despite ESPN’s efforts to convince you otherwise. Sure, they’ll run a countdown clock on the ticker and send the College GameDay circus to Columbus and Lou Holtz will attempt to convince you Ohio State can and will win, but we’ve seen this movie before.

USC will start out slow, pull away in the second and third quarters and cruise to victory over another overmatched Big Ten foe, all while Brent Musberger and Kirk Herbstreit ponder aloud a Trojans-Gators (or Longhorns) title game on Jan. 7.

No, the real intrigue comes in Eugene and Knoxville and Winston-Salem, even in the Evergreen state where the Huskies and Cougars each have a chance to win.

The nightcap between Oregon and Purdue comes down to one simple question: How do the Ducks respond after a disastrous Thursday night in which they went from intriguing dark-horse contender to national punch line in three hours?

Oregon has been bludgeoned with non-stop LeGarrette Blount talk, but all that’s done is mask how atrociously it performed in the biggest game the program has seen since Dennis Dixon’s magical 2007 season. The offensive and defensive lines performed worse than expected, even with major personnel losses from last year.

Jeremiah Masoli was nothing like the confident and dominant quarterback that shredded opponents late last year, while the running game was invisible.

The Xs and Os will be addressed, but it really comes down to Oregon’s state of mind. If they want to play and drown out the negativity, a successful season is possible.

Five more questions about this week’s games
How do Andrew Luck and Kevin Prince respond in their second starts?
The touted redshirt freshmen delivered solid performances in their debuts, benefiting from the protection of the running game, but head on the road for much tougher challenges in key non-conference showdowns.

Luck will again be asked to avoid turnovers and keep the chains moving, with Prince under the most pressure to direct a win, given the obvious concerns of how a young offensive line and tailbacks will respond in a hostile environment for the first time.

How soon until Jim Harbaugh is ducking rumors of a new job?
Friday? Thursday? Today?

Harbaugh will be an attractive candidate for several job openings given his success recruiting nationally and instilling a tough nosed attitude at Stanford. He has also been vocal about the inability to fill the new and improved Stanford Stadium and a big money contract extension has been put on hold because of the economy.

Given the horrendous showings by Virginia, Illinois and Colorado, it might be in Stanford’s best interests to lock up Harbaugh soon with a huge buyout penalty.

Were LSU’s struggles a sign of things to come in future Pac-10-SEC showdowns?
Name a Pac-10 team not named USC and they’ve likely been undressed down South. Since 1980, the Pac-10 is only 3-16 on the road, including the Pete Carroll-led pummeling at Auburn and Arkansas. UCLA gets its shot to remedy that equation this Saturday, Arizona State next week against Georgia.

Both teams are leaps and bounds ahead of Washington defensively, with elite talents like Brian Price or Lawrence Guy, but haven’t yet demonstrated they have playmakers on the other side of the ball. It was LSU’s difficulties with the Husky offense, especially the tandem of Locker and Polk, which stood out.

Arizona State is going to have trouble scoring enough points to beat Georgia without turnovers, but if Kevin Craft could beat the Volunteers last year, the Bruins have a great chance to do so again this year.

Even a split would go a long ways in reestablishing the Pac-10’s reputation as more than the Pac-1.

How exciting will the Norm Chow-Monte Kiffin chess match be?
It’s not the first time they have faced off (Oct. 14, 2007 in a 13-10 Tampa Bay win), but the back-and-forth between two of the most innovative minds in football will be a treat.

Both sides should be very familiar with the others work given the connections dating back to Chow, Lane Kiffin and Ed Orgeron’s time together at USC and the Trojans’ use of the Cover Two defense first masterminded by the elder Kiffin.

The adjustments from snap to snap alone should keep Smart Football working overtime for weeks.

Is this the week Washington’s miserable losing streak coming to an end?
A handful of breakdowns cost Washington a chance to upset LSU, but Saturday’s game against Idaho will mark its first win since Nov. 17, 2007. Give credit to Steve Sarkisian for changing the culture around the program and the biggest indication will come when the Huskies stand toe-to-toe with USC next weekend.