Thank you to our friend TwistNHook over at California Golden Blogs for hosting this weeks roundtable. This is a big week for us Beaver fans, and an even bigger week for Stanford, UW, and WSU.
1. The Pac-10 has 7 bowl contracts to fill and currently only 5 spots filled. Stanford, UCLA, and Arizona State all sit in the middle of the Pac with 6 losses. Out of those three teams, which, if any, will make it to post-season play?
Of all the teams, I think ASU has the best shot. They mauled Stanford, and they would have to have beaten UCLA to get to 6. I think a Hawai'i Bowl is in order for the Sun Devils. That being said, I don't think they get to 6 wins. As of right now, I think Stanford has the best shot of getting to 6, albeit against Cal @Strawberry Canyon. I think that's going to be a closer game than most think, and I know Harbaugh is a great motivator and will have his guys ready to go to try and get that 6th W.
2. Is there anybody NOT rooting for OSU to win out and go to the Rose Bowl? Anybody? I think even Pete Carroll has to have a spot in his heart for this story. And if OSU does win the Pac10, pushing USC to 2nd, do you think USC will make a BCS game or find itself in the Holiday Bowl?
I can think of one tiny little school that wears wings on their sleeves that is rooting against OSU. They say they are our friends. They claim to root for us unless playing us. But let's face it, UO fans would be pulling their hair out if OSU made it to the Rose Bowl. I also think that every BCS and Rose Bowl executive is pulling their hair out at the thought of a rematch between a 31 point game earlier in the year. And I know that Penn State fans would love to see OSU in the Rose Bowl every other year, but they have to be hating the thought of a rematch. That does nothing for them in terms of respect. They are hoping for a game with USC. Now, that being said, I'm sure Petey C doesn't care what we do because he knows he's getting a BCS berth no matter what. Whether it be Fiesta or Sugar or Orange, he knows he's going somewhere. I also know that our Jewish homeboy Twist is a real minch (spelling?) and is rooting for the Beavs now too. Remember Twist, repeate after me "I hate the Ducks. Fuck those Ducks!"
3. Let's take a stroll down b-ball lane. What are your Pac10 rankings for B-Ball?
1. UCLA
2. ASU
3.USC
4. Washington State
5. Cal
6. Stanford
7. Arizona
8. Washington
9. Oregon
10. Oregon State
4. Now that we've seen your B-Ball Top 10 (with assuredly UCLA at the top and OSU at the bottom), who is your surprise team this year? And why is it Cal?
I actually would have to say Cal is my surprise team. I don't know why, it's just a hunch. Call it a Monty hunch. But also, I think Oregon is going to do much worse than people give them credit for. They are over rated yet again. They only win when Ernie Kent's job is on the line. They lost much more this year than they did the year before, and they underachieved INCREDIBLY last year. Also, expect OSU to win 2 Pac10 games this year. Both will be at home, and probably against the lesser competition (see: Feb 19th against Stanford, Jan 31st against Oregon). But I imagine Coach Rob will have this team confident some point this year.
5. With the legendary Lute Olsen out at Arizona, what are their chances of making the tournament this year?
Slim to none. They are talented, they always have been, but it's going to be hard. We saw what a drop off they had last year without him, and they not only lost him but a wealth of talent as well. It's sad, but I think this is going to be the beginning of the end for UA. It hasn't been the premiere program for a couple of years, and with Herb Sendek appearing to make a run at owning the desert up at ASU, look for a serious drop off. I think one of the main reasons is no one wants to follow in Lute's footsteps. The measuring stick will be long and hard (that's what she said). Only Lute could have a drop off season and get away with it at UA. The next coach that comes in won't. He will be measured by Sweet 16s and nothing less. Not exactly an inviting scenario for a team that just lost it's biggest recruits for next year...