Posted by ESPN.com's Ted Miller
Factoids and notes from around the conference, some courtesy of the Pac-10 Web site:
Curious Stat of the Week...
Washington State is pretty lousy at everything but apparently not at defending the pass. The Cougars rank fourth in the Pac-10 in pass defense (183.6 yards per game). While that could be written off because the Cougars are 117th in the nation against the run -- who needs to pass? -- the Cougars also rank sixth in pass efficiency defense. Moreover, opponents are completing only 53.5 percent of their passes against the Cougars, third best in the conference.
No. 25 CALIFORNIA (4-1, 2-0) at ARIZONA (4-2, 2-1)
- California has won four of the last five in the series but its last defeat was at Arizona in 2006, 24-20, and the loss ended up costing the Bears their first Rose Bowl berth since 1958.
- In last year's 45-27 Cal victory, Arizona quarterback Willie Tuitama established school single-game records for pass attempts and completions as he aired it out 61 times, completing 42 (68.9 percent) for 309 yards and one touchdown.
- Arizona leads the conference in scoring at 40.2 points per game, the only team averaging better than 40 per game.
- The Wildcats lead the league in pass defense at 124.3 yards per game and have allowed only four TD passes in six games.
- Arizona has not turned the ball over the last two games and is Pac-10 co-leader with only seven turnovers lost all season.
- Cal's defense has picked off 10 passes through five games, which equals their total for all of last year.
- Cal is the only team undefeated in Pac-10 play.
- Nate Longshore will make his second consecutive start for Cal. He threw three interceptions the last time he played in Arizona Stadium, the Bears heartbreaking 24-20 defeat.
STANFORD (4-3, 3-1) at UCLA (2-4, 1-2)
- UCLA has won four in a row in the series with Stanford and the last five matchups in the Rose Bowl. Stanford's last victory was at home in 2003, and the Cardinal last defeated the Bruins in Pasadena in 1996.
- UCLA blew out Stanford 45-17 to open the 2007 season, Jim Harbaugh's debut as the Cardinal coach. UCLA quarterback Ben Olson threw five touchdown passes and RB Kahlil Bell ran for a career-high 195 yards as the Bruins rolled up 624 yards total offense.
- Both head coaches, Harbaugh and UCLA's Rick Neuheisel, played quarterback for Rose Bowl teams. Neuheisel led UCLA to a 45-9 upset of Illinois in 1984, while Harbaugh lost to Arizona State 22-15 at Michigan's quarterback in 1987.
- A win would give Stanford its best eight-game start since 2001, which also is the last year it appeared in a bowl game.
- UCLA has limited its last two opponents -- Washington State and Oregon -- to just 4-of-27 (14.8 percent) on third-down conversions.
- UCLA has lost just one turnover in last two games after coughing up 10 in first four contests.
No. 6 USC (4-1, 2-1) at WASHINGTON STATE (1-6, 0-4)
- USC leads the series 55-8-4 and has won five straight, 16 of the last 19 and 32 of the last 36.
- In their current five-game winning streak against WSU, the Trojans have been ranked No. 1 three times and No. 3 the other two games. They are ranked No. 6 this week.
- In USC's 47-14 victory over WSU last year, the Trojans outgained the Cougars 509-247 and did not have a punt.
- USC running back Joe McKnight rushed for a career-best 143 yards on just 11 carries in win vs. Arizona State but he isn't making the trip to Pullman due to a toe injury.
- The Cougars are expected to be without five offensive starters due to injury: running back Dwight Tardy, tight end Devin Frischknecht, left tackle Vaughn Lesuma, receiver Daniel Blackledge and offensive guard Brian Danaher. That means the Cougars will use their sixth different offensive line combination in eight games.
- WSU has scored in 280 consecutive games, second-longest active streak in the nation (Michigan 294) and fourth-longest of all time. The Cougs have not been held scoreless in a game since 1984 (Ohio State). WSU also has scored in 258 consecutive conference games, the longest current such streak.
OREGON STATE (3-3, 2-1) at WASHINGTON (0-5, 2-1)
- Oregon State has won four in a row against Washington, the Huskies last win coming at Corvallis in 2003. The Beavers have won three in a row at Husky Stadium, snapping a seven-game UW home winning streak in the series.
- Mike Riley recorded his 50th win as Oregon State's coach last weekend against Washington State, and he is one win shy of tying Dee Andros for the third-most wins in program history.
- The Beavers rank second in the Pac-10 and 12th in the nation in pass defense (161.7 yards per game).
- Washington defensive lineman Daniel Te'o-Nesheim got three quarterback sacks last weekend at Arizona, the first sacks of the season for the Huskies defense.
- The Huskies defense has yielded 17 touchdown passes -- five more than any other Pac-10 team -- and allows opponents to complete 71 percent of their passes. Only one other team, Stanford at 66 percent, allows a completion percentage greater than 59 percent.
Arizona State (2-4) -- open date -- next game Oct. 25 vs. Oregon
Oregon (5-2) -- open date -- next game Oct. 25 at Arizona State
Ted Miller has been covering college football since 1997, starting with Auburn and then heading West to Washington and the Pac-10. His columns for the Seattle Post-Intelligencer won first place in 2007 APSE Best Writing contest. The Atlanta native and University of Richmond graduate presently lives with his wife in Scottsdale, Ariz.
