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Tuesday, December 10
Updated: December 12, 10:33 AM ET
 
Always nutty Pac-10 sends two to BCS

By Ted Miller
Special to ESPN.com

While the Pac-10 will remains the only BCS conference that hasn't played for a national title since this whole Bowl Alliance/BCS mess began, the 2002 season wasn't a total wash.

For the second time in three years, the Pac-10 will send two teams to BCS bowl games. No. 7 Washington State is headed to the Rose Bowl as the conference champion, while USC, by virtue of its No. 4 BCS ranking, will venture to the Orange Bowl.

Jason Gesser
Jason Gesser needs to be at his best to lead the Cougars past the Sooners.
That means each Pac-10 team will pocket an extra $450-500,000 -- thank you UCLA for folding up like a beach chair against Washington State.

Of course, things are always a bit nutty in the Pac-10. The Trojans face Big Ten co-champ Iowa, in what would have been a heck of a Rose Bowl, while the Cougars square off against Oklahoma in the Grand Daddy, which likely will feel senile when the Sooners of the Big 12 take the field.

The Pac-10 might even snare its first Heisman Trophy since 1981, if East Coast voters get a clue and tap USC quarterback Carson Palmer, who put up monstrous numbers vs. the nation's toughest schedule.

With eight teams guaranteed to finish with winning records -- only seven are headed to bowls because California is ineligible due to NCAA sanctions -- the conference is the nation's deepest.

The Pac-10 went 25-10 in non-conference games against Division I-A opponents, and six of those defeats came on the road against ranked teams.

It certainly was the Year of the Pass. Five teams averaged more than 288 yards passing per game, including three over 300 per game.

There were 36 300-yard passing games in the conference this season, including 13 over 400 and one over 500. Four Pac-10 quarterbacks ranked in the nation's top-20 in total offense.

Palmer became the Pac-10's all-time leading passer, while Washington's Cody Pickett set a conference single-season record with 4,186 yards hurling the stone.

Yet all was not rosy.

Stanford fell from 9-3 a year ago under Tyrone Willingham to 2-9 in Buddy Teevens' first season, while Arizona's players revolted against coach John Mackovic blaming everyone but himself for the Wildcats' woes.

At least Mackovic gets to keep his job (for now). UCLA coach Bob Toledo lost his after being bludgeoned by rival USC and Washington State by a combined 52 points to close the season.

Is there hope the Pac-10 could be in the national title hunt next fall? Washington, which struggled mightily this season until winning its final three, looks like the best bet. The Huskies return tons of talent on both sides of the ball, including Pickett and All-American receiver Reggie Williams.

MVP: QB Jason Gesser, Washington State. Palmer should win the Heisman as the nation's best player, but it's hard to remember a team that relied on one player more than the Cougars do on Gesser. He's put up impressive numbers all season, but his 247 yards passing and two touchdowns in a must-win game against UCLA on a practically broken leg was the guttiest performance of the season.

Coach of the Year: Mike Price, Washington State. The Cougars are 20-4 over the past two seasons, the nation's fourth-best record during that span. Price held his team together despite numerous injuries, a locker room brawl, a disheartening home defeat to Washington and a severe injury to Gesser. He's a nice guy who finished first.

Newcomer of the year: WR Mike Williams, USC. Williams looked a lot like the Reggie Williams this year. A true freshman, the 6-foot-5 Williams hauled in 75 passes and averaged 97.2 yards per game with 13 touchdowns. Of course, he won't have Palmer tossing him gimmes next year.

Biggest surprise: (tie) Arizona State and California. Picked to finish ninth and 10th in the conference, respectively, the Sun Devils finished 8-5 and the Bears ended up at 7-5. ASU is headed to the Holiday Bowl, while Cal would have been bowl bound after a 1-10 season if not for NCAA sanctions.

Biggest disappointment: Oregon. The Ducks, who finished ranked No. 2 last year, were 6-0 and looked like a national title contender at midseason. Then tailback Onterrio Smith got hurt, quarterback Jason Fife lost his confidence and a terrible pass defense was exposed. Oregon lost five of its last six games and must settle for the embarrassment of playing in the Seattle Bowl.

Arizona
A season that began with high hopes spiraled into the abyss amid injuries, lackluster performances and team dissention. The players revolted against coach John Mackovic's harsh coaching methods, and his job figures to be on the line next year, with thin talent surrounding an uncertain quarterback situation. The Wildcats had the worst rushing offense in the nation and the worst rushing defense in the Pac-10.

MVP: WR Bobby Wade. The Wildcats only real offensive weapon, Wade still managed to haul in 93 passes for 1,389 yards despite the best efforts of opposing defenses to stop him. He also caught eight touchdown passes and led the conference with 14 yards per punt return.

Biggest disappointment: Coach John Mackovic. Mackovic has won only three Pac-10 games since replacing the popular Dick Tomey. His tearful press conference after his team mutinied was something to behold.

Did you know: Jason Johnson became the first Arizona quarterback to throw for over 3,000 yards in a season. He finished with 3,327 yards.

Arizona State
After Arizona State dropped its last five games in 2001, little was expected from this season, particularly with a completely retooled offensive line. But ASU suddenly appears to be pushing toward the top half of the conference after going 7-5 in coach Dirk Koetter's second year. The Sun Devils are headed to the Holiday Bowl, and could be a contender for the conference crown next season.

MVP: DE Terrell Suggs. Suggs, a junior, set an NCAA record with 22 sacks and tossed in 29.5 tackles for a loss. A first-team All-American, he figures to enter the NFL draft a year early, when he could be a top-10 pick.

Biggest disappointment: The Sun Devils reverted to their sloppy ways of last year in a 55-38 defeat at home against California in which they surrendered 24 points off turnovers. It was the second loss in what became a three-game conference losing streak and it dropped them out of the Rose Bowl race.

Did you know: Junior quarterback Andrew Walter threw for over 450 yards three times, including 536 yards against Oregon.

California
Coach Jeff Tedford's first year at California was a miraculous turnaround. He inherited a 1-10 team that ranked at the bottom of nearly every statistical category last season, and produced a 7-5 campaign, including a 4-4 conference record (tied for third). It was the first time in five years the Bears didn't finish with a losing record. Cal beat three ranked opponents on the road for the first time in school history.

MVP: QB Kyle Boller. Boller resurrected a career previously considered a bust. He threw for 2,815 yards with 28 touchdowns and 10 interceptions, despite a thin receiving corps.

Biggest disappointment: While the 52-41 defeat to woeful Arizona surely smarts, the Bears were robbed when officials handed USC the game-winning touchdown on a pass that was clearly dropped. Of course, Cal should be just as irritated that it blew an 18-point lead.

Did you know: Last year, Cal ranked last in the Pac-10 in turnovers at minus-17. This year, the Bears were first at plus-18.

Oregon
The bottom simply fell out for Oregon. At midseason, the Ducks were flying high at 6-0, had won 11 consecutive games and were a national title contender. Then they collapsed, dropping five of their last six games, and ended up in the Seattle Bowl. The prime culprit was terrible pass defense, but there were problems on both sides of the ball. Injuries bothered and then sidelined tailback Onterrio Smith, and the offense couldn't recover, particularly quarterback Jason Fife, who threw nine of his 10 interceptions in the final six games.

MVP: TB Onterrio Smith. With Smith, Oregon was potent. Without him, the Ducks averaged fewer than 20 points per game. Though he played in just nine games, he rushed for 1,079 yards and scored 12 touchdowns.

Biggest disappointment: Quarterback Jason Fife. When Oregon was 6-0, Fife had a 12-1 touchdown-to-interception ratio. But Fife faltered badly during the Ducks second-half swoon and he will have to battle to hold onto his starting job next year.

Did you know: Oregon's pass defense ranked 114th in the nation, surrendering 295 yards per game. The Ducks gave up 33 touchdown passes, worst in the nation.

Oregon State
Oregon State had three seasons. It started 4-0 against a weak non-conference schedule and jumped into the national rankings as a potent passing team behind first-year quarterback Derek Anderson. Then, the Beavers lost three consecutive Pac-10 games, and Anderson's confidence went south. That's when coach Dennis Erickson decided to lean on his solid defense and tailback Steven Jackson, and the Beavers won four of their last five and earned a berth in the Insight Bowl.

MVP: TB Steven Jackson. Jackson, a 225-pound sophomore, led the Pac-10 with 1,656 yards rushing -- 138 yards per game. He averaged 5.5 yards per carry and scored 15 touchdowns. A powerback with sneaky speed, he could be a Heisman Trophy candidate next year.

Biggest disappointment: Oregon State might have won its last five games if not for Anderson's five interceptions -- the most by a Pac-10 quarterback this year -- against Washington in a 41-29 defeat. The Beavers outgained the Huskies 420 yards to 299.

Did you know: The Beavers were the Pac-10's most penalized team. Penalties cost them 101 yards per game, 25 yards more than ninth-place Arizona State.

Stanford
While California produced the nation's most impressive turnaround, Stanford produced the worst in coach Buddy Teevens' first season. The Cardinal went 9-3 in 2001 but fell to 2-9 in 2002, their only victories coming against San Jose State and Arizona. Stanford ranked last in the Pac-10 in scoring defense (34.2 ppg) and ninth in scoring offense (20.5 ppg). The defense was inexperienced, but the offense returned seven starters. The biggest problem was at quarterback, where Chris Lewis battled injuries, a suspension and inconsistency, while replacement Kyle Matter appeared overmatched.

MVP: OT Kwame Harris. The only Stanford player to earn first- or second-team All-Pac-10 honors, Harris is an outstanding lineman on a really bad team.

Biggest disappointment: During the preseason, the Cardinal offense appeared dangerous, with players like receiver Teyo Johnson and tailback Kerry Carter, as well as four returning starters on the line. But Stanford never appeared comfortable with Teevens' new system, and averaged a conference-worst 311 yards per game.

Did you know: No individual Stanford player ranked in the top-5 in any of the 23 statistical categories tracked by the Pac-10.

UCLA
UCLA was blown out in its last two games, and coach Bob Toledo won't be back next year. The Bruins, one of the youngest teams in the Pac-10, were picked to finish sixth in the conference in the preseason but ended up tied for third and are headed to the Las Vegas Bowl. That happened despite the loss of starting quarterback Cory Paus during the seventh game against California, which forced true freshmen Drew Olson into the starting spot.

MVP: TB Tyler Ebell. Ebell, a 175-pound true freshman, became the Bruins' offense after Paus went down. He produced six consecutive games with over 100 yards rushing and finished the year with 914 yards and nine touchdowns.

Biggest disappointment: In a year when other Pac-10 senior quarterbacks redeemed inconsistent careers -- see Kyle Boller and Carson Palmer -- it's too bad a leg injury prevented the same for Cory Paus. Paus suffered through a terrible junior year on and off the field -- his two DUIs became public -- but he was playing well before he went down.

Did you know: Since Toledo's 20-game win streak ended in 1998, UCLA is 24-24.

USC
USC, winners of seven straight games, may be playing as well as any team in the country right now in coach Pete Carroll's second year. The Trojans lead the conference in total defense and total offense, and have compiled those numbers against the nation's toughest schedule. Quarterback Carson Palmer has turned in a Heisman Trophy worthy season. Word is USC's recruiting has been very strong. Apparently, the Trojans are finally back.

MVP: QB Carson Palmer. Palmer has been brilliant all season and even better down the stretch. He ranks sixth in the nation in pass efficiency, completing 63 percent of his passes for 3,639 yards with 32 touchdowns and just 10 interceptions. He became the Pac-10's all-time leading passer with 11,515 career passing yards.

Biggest disappointment: USC lost to Washington State 30-27 in overtime, a defeat that kept the Trojans out of the Rose Bowl. The game wouldn't have gone into overtime if not for a missed extra point by the Trojans.

Did you know: USC, winners of eight national titles, hasn't been ranked in the nation's top-5 at the end of the regular season since 1988.

Washington
The Northwest Championship saved Washington's season. After losing 34-24 to UCLA on Nov. 2, the Huskies were 4-5 and apparently headed for the program's first losing season since 1976. But Washington, in a shocking turnaround, beat Oregon State, Oregon and Washington State and earned a berth in the Sun Bowl. The two biggest reasons for the turnaround were vastly improved defense and turnovers. The Huskies, who were minus-8 in turnovers in their first nine games, were plus-10 during their final three games.

MVP: WR Reggie Williams. Tough call between Williams and quarterback Cody Pickett, but Williams was dominant during the late-season surge. He ranks sixth in the nation with 115.83 yards receiving per game, but he averaged 153.7 yards per game with four touchdowns during the Huskies three-game winning streak.

Biggest disappointment: The boneheaded 12-men-on-the-field penalty that cost the Huskies their season opener at Michigan appeared to effect the first three-fourths of the season. Who knows what might have happened if Washington hadn't lost that game?

Did you know: The Huskies have beaten at least one ranked team 14 consecutive seasons. They are 10-11 against top-10 teams since 1990.

Text
Washington State is the Pac-10's winningest program over the past two seasons after being its losingest over the previous three. The Cougars overcame a crushing early-season loss at Ohio State, numerous injuries, a locker room fight between two players over a girl, a bitter triple-overtime defeat to rival Washington on a controversial call and a horrible leg injury to quarterback Jason Gesser. Yet, here they are, preparing for their second Rose Bowl in five years.

MVP: DT Rien Long. With Gesser already noted as the Pac-10 MVP, Long deserves mention. A first-team All-American, Long produced 13 sacks and 19 tackles for a loss from an interior line position. A junior, he could opt to enter the NFL draft a year early.

Biggest disappointment: As great as Washington State's season was, the 29-26 Apple Cup defeat to Washington crushed the Cougars. It also was disappointing that a substantial number of WSU fans bombarded the field with bottles after the game -- hitting a number of Huskies and members of the media in the process.

Did you know: The Cougars have allowed just 152 yards rushing over the past five games.

Ted Miller covers college football for the Seattle Post-Intelligencer.







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