THIS WEEK IN THE pac-10 conference • BY BRIAN J. PEDERSEN / ARIZONA DAILY STAR
In the state of California four major college football programs comprise 40 percent of the Pac-10 Conference. USC is so far ahead of the others it is hardly worth wasting time lauding that school's accomplishments on the football field.
And on the bottom end, Stanford might be beyond ever returning to prominence and is destined to being the league's equivalent of Duke football in the Atlantic Coast Conference. So that makes Saturday's game at the Rose Bowl between 10th-ranked California and No. 20 UCLA the battle for second place in the Golden State, right? Actually, both would probably rather it be looked at as a barometer game, to see if either can hang with USC later on - their schedules are set up so this weekend's winner could be unbeaten when it plays the Trojans in November (Cal) or December (UCLA). "This is the biggest game of our careers," UCLA quarterback Drew Olson told reporters this week. Oh, kids and their cute way of over-reacting to things. More than anything, this one is a chance for both clubs to see if they are for real. Cal's first five opponents have a combined record of 5-19, with two of those wins coming against Division I-AA opponents. Their "toughest" foe was a 2-3 Illinois team that jumped on the Golden Bears early but faltered in the second half, the start of Cal's string of 10 straight quarters without allowing an offensive touchdown. UCLA's "watershed" victory came three weeks ago against an Oklahoma team that is several notches below the ones that have played for national titles lately. Any good will from that win was almost eradicated last weekend when, after a bye week, the Bruins needed a late rally to top Washington 21-17.
"We did not play well last week," UCLA coach Karl Dorrell said. "I think with this week, given all of the ramifications, I believe our focus will be better."
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