The Pac-10 conference received national attention on Saturday, and the country witnessed a shakeup at the top, with the Oregon Ducks and its high-octane offense making history against Pete Carroll’s Men of Troy. Saturday’s contest made me wonder which programs are at least in the top half of the Conference of Champions.
Here is my Top 5, with some reasoning for each ranking.
1. Oregon Ducks: Many people would assume that this is a reactionary move, based on the 47-20 decisive victory over the Trojans. But anyone who believes that must have stopped watching after the ugly loss the Ducks suffered in the opening week at Boise State. 
Since that time, Oregon has averaged nearly 40 points in their last seven games and Chip Kelly’s leadership and unique style of coaching has led to a resurgence that experts largely did not see coming. The turnaround after Week 1 has resulted in the first 5-0 start to a Pac-10 slate since 1946 for the Ducks.
2. USC Trojans: If I were to have ranked schools prior to Saturday, Matt Barkley and company would have occupied the top spot. There were reasons for their first loss at Husky Stadium. Barkley’s absence, the fact that USC drops an easy conference contest every season, and the emotional letdown after playing and beating Ohio State the week before were all contributing factors. 
But make no mistake that the outcome on Saturday doesn’t signify the beginning of the end in Los Angeles. A road crowd finally affected the USC squad enough to make a difference, and the Trojan defense gave up the most points in Carroll’s USC coaching career. It’s quite likely that the team will be headed further south to play in the Holiday Bowl instead of the Pasadena’s Rose Bowl at season’s end.
3. Oregon State Beavers: The argument for putting the team in Corvallis this high involves the game they played in the Coliseum on October 24. Mike Riley’s team has provided stiff competition for the Trojans in their previous two meetings, each of which was decided by six points. Two of Oregon State’s losses have come to Top 20 teams (#17 Cincinatti and #7 USC), and while the secondary is suspect, the majority of the remaining schedule is soft. Exempting Oregon, the combined records of the other three opponents is 10-14 and only one is bowl eligible. The running game, led by Jacquizz Rodgers, should continue to help the Beavers rack up wins until the Civil War game against the Ducks in Eugene.
4. Arizona Wildcats: I struggled with this selection for one main reason: the team hasn’t faced either Oregon or USC. But reviewing the schedule, the Wildcats are deserving of the number four spot. 
But they are in grave danger of being knocked out in a couple of weeks when they visit Memorial Stadium – a place where the Bears have only lost twice in two years. The defeat against the Hawkeyes in Iowa doesn’t sting as badly now, given that Kirk Ferentz kept his team undefeated and at #6 in the polls. The three-point loss to a much-improved Washington team definitely hurts. But Arizona was on the road and the Huskies needed 15 fourth quarter points to win.
5. Stanford Cardinal: This is where the first (and only) Bay Area team gets slotted. What Jim Harbaugh has done in Palo Alto with a freshman quarterback is impressive. 
But Andrew Luck also has a cohort of quality players around him to help carry the load, not the least of whom is running back Toby Gerhart. The tailback, who also roams center field for the Cardinal baseball team in the spring, averages 5.1 yards per carry and has rushed for 13 total touchdowns this season. Much like the Wildcats, Stanford has yet to meet the Ducks or Trojans – not to mention Notre Dame in the season finale, which will largely determine the true quality of this team.
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