It’s rivalry week in the Pacific-10 Conference, which means anything can happen.
The Big Game? They’ve got The Play. The Victory Bell? We’ve seen what happens when Southern California plays UCLA. The Civil War? They’ve got that 0-0 Toilet Bowl.
And the Territorial Cup? Who would have thought the relatively unremarkable matchup between Arizona and Arizona State is played for what the NCAA calls the oldest intercollegiate rivalry trophy in the country?
Given all that, confusion reigns. Because of an unpredictable season, there is a multitude of scenarios for league standing and bowl prospects.
No. 8 USC against UCLA at Memorial Coliseum has the greatest implications.
If the Trojans (9-2, 6-2) win, they’re headed back to the Rose Bowl. But incredibly, the Bruins (6-5, 5-3) would capture the Pac-10 title and a Rose Bowl berth if they win too – and get some help.
That’s where the Territorial Cup figures in.
A loss by No. 13 Arizona State (9-2, 6-2) would keep the Bruins in Pasadena for the bowl season. But the Sun Devils have just as good of a chance at winning their third Pac-10 title and a slot in the Rose Bowl, if they beat Arizona and the Trojans lose to UCLA.
Got all that?
Then get ready for more. If USC heads to the Rose Bowl, Arizona State could still receive an at-large bid to a BCS bowl game, depending on whether Missouri or Oklahoma wins the Big 12 title game. The Sun Devils’ likely destination: the Fiesta Bowl just down the road from campus.
The Pac-10 has agreements with six bowl games: The Rose Bowl, the Holiday Bowl in San Diego, the Sun Bowl in El Paso, Texas, the Emerald Bowl in San Francisco, the Las Vegas Bowl and the Armed Forces Bowl in Fort Worth, Texas.
The Civil War between Oregon (8-3, 5-3) and Oregon State (7-4, 5-3) will help decide the Pac-10 pecking order. Expect there to be more scoring than the Toilet Bowl in 1983, when the two played to a futile, scoreless draw.
Cal (6-5, 3-5) will be trying to help its bowl resume against Stanford (3-8, 2-6) in The Game, on the 25th anniversary of the Golden Bears’ famous five-lateral kickoff return through the Stanford marching band.
Washington State already has won its big rivalry game, beating Washington 42-35 in the Apple Cup. Despite the victory, Cougars coach Bill Doba agreed to step down after compiling a 30-29 record in five seasons.
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HONORS: Washington State quarterback Alex Brink, USC defensive end Lawrence Jackson and UCLA kicker Kai Forbath were the conference players of the week.
Brink completed 27 of 40 passes for 399 yards and five touchdowns in a 42-35 comeback victory over Washington in the Apple Cup. He threw scoring passes of 41, 19, 28, 40 and the game-winning 35-yard pass with 31 seconds left.
Brink finished his career with 10,913 yards, third on the Pac-10’s passing list.
Jackson had eight tackles, including a school-record 5 1/2 tackles for loss and four sacks, in USC’s 44-24 victory over Arizona State. He was also named the national defensive player of the week by the Walter Camp Football Foundation.
Forbath made all three of his field goal attempts and his lone PAT attempt, accounting for 10 of UCLA’s points in a 16-0 victory over Oregon. He has made 22 field goals this season, a new Pac-10 season record for freshmen.
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PRICE IS RIGHT: Could the Washington State coaching vacancy mean the return of Mike Price?
That’s what some Cougar boosters hope.
The school and coach Bill Doba mutually agreed for Doba to resign on Monday after Washington State finished 5-7 overall and 3-6 in the Pac-10. Athletic director Jim Sterk said there would be a nationwide search for a replacement, but there’s no timetable for finding one.
The 61-year-old Price was 83-78 at Washington State from 1989-2002. He took the Cougars to their first Rose Bowl in 67 years, four other bowls, and was national coach of the year in 1997.
Price left to take the head job at Alabama, but never coached there after he was ousted following an embarrassing scandal stemming from his alleged actions in a topless bar in Pensacola, Fla.
Price landed at UTEP, where he has posted a record of 25-23 in four seasons. However, the Miners slumped to 5-7 in 2006 and 4-8 this season.
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DESEAN’S DECISION: California receiver and punt returner DeSean Jackson, who could declare himself eligible for the NFL draft after this season, is still nursing a badly bruised leg.
He said he’s unsure if he’ll be able to play in the 110th Big Game.
Jackson, who has 60 catches for 681 yards and five touchdowns this season, bruised his quadriceps during a second-quarter punt return in Cal’s loss at Washington. The junior missed the rest of the game, and a week of rehabilitation hasn’t healed it completely.
“I’m feeling pretty good, but still not back to where I want to be,” Jackson said. “Closer to game time, I’ll see how I feel.
“Every year I’ve played in the Big Game, it’s been one of those great years. It would be good to keep that tradition going on. Right now, I just want to protect my knee.”
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