Pac-10 potpourri, Week 3

Man. What a crushing week for the Pac. USC predictably butchered the Beanie-less Buckeyes. The Trojans are simply in their own league. Meanwhile, in the Marta/Buckle bowl, the overrated Ducks barely squeaked by the wussy Boilermakers in front of a labotomized Purdue crowd. (I've heard more excitement at JV volleyball games.) Washington and UCLA were manhandled by OU and BYU. Cal, Stanford and Wazzu all got spanked on the road by teams that any Pac-10 squad should be able to beat.

Then came the shocker, which I've been monitoring tonight via the Web and text alerts. I'm glad I didn't spring for the Fox Sports West Coast channel, because witnessing this travesty would have been too much for this Sun Devil to bear. ASU, possibly energized by Georgia's half-assed effort against South Carolina earlier in the day, overlooked UNLV and lost in overtime to the Runnin' Rebels. Not having witnessed the game, I can't say exactly what went wrong, although Keegan Herring's absence surely played a huge role by taking the lightning away from ASU's two-pronged rushing attack. Wait a sec -- just saw some higlights on ESPN. UNLV quarterback Omar Clayton channeled fellow Rebel Randall Cunningham by scrambling to avoid a sack with less than 30 seconds left, then flinging a touchdown pass to some wideout who made a ridiculous one-handed grab that sent the game into overtime. ASU's attempt to tie the game in OT with a field goal was blocked, and that was that.

Of course, this inexcusable loss ruins any BCS hopes that ASU might have had. The Devils don't stand a chance against USC in LA, although they may fare better than the Buckeyes did today. I still think ASU might beat Georgia at home, though. The Bulldogs' 3-man defensive line looked absolutely gassed against the Gamecocks in the fourth quarter, and Georgia was saved by a couple of gimme turnovers. Meanwhile, Matt Stafford and the Bulldog offense looked downright feeble against the defense of an unranked South Carolina team. Still, even if ASU does pull an upset against an SEC opponent at home, it's just a nice resume-builder for a possible shot at another Holiday Bowl. Whoopedy friggin' doo.