I watched some of the Giants-Seahawks game. I saw on one play they had Kevin Boss lined up at R. Tackle and Adam Koets (back-up center) lined up at L. Tight End. This formation was clearly a running play, but the Seahawks still couldn't defend that.

Teams know what Oregon is going to run, but they can't stop it. Eventually, you get worn down and it's why UO is so dominant in the second half. The opposite is the case for OSU - come out fast and then level off. The opposition makes adjustments at half and limits the Beavers offense.

Has OSU thought about having a back-up QB as a holder for place kicks? I heard someone mention that Hekker was doing this and is new (Cavanaugh did it in the past). UO uses Costa which is a weapon because of the possibility for a fake.

Why is Hekker working on a rugby style punt? Is this for block avoidance or is it a wrinkle that could set-up some fakes in the future?

I still put Arizona ahead of OSU in the conference standings. It's good the Beavers own that tie-breaker if they need it.

Pac 10 is like other seasons...Pac 9 + Oregon (having replaced USC at the top). Cal, UCLA, and UW have all been disappointments after getting pre-season hype.

Arizona might have a lot to play for when they come to Autzen in a few weeks. Remember what they did a couple years ago - UO got up big in the first half and then barely won that game.

You have a point ean. I guess my feelings about Arizona was based on them losing to OSU and barely beating Cal. I assume that Cliff puts OSU ahead of Arizona because of head-to-head results, in which case UW could be ahead of OSU. Overall records gives 'Zona the advantage over OSU 6 wins vs. 3.

I'd put OSU at #4 or #5 - flipping with USC.

I agree with Hasso. Thongs will bring to mind something entirely different. Do web search on the word and see what you find...be careful though. Go with flip-flops, or if another word is needed sandal should be fine.

This conference is strange.
UA barely beats Cal at home, then loses to OSU. OSU gets beat by UW. UW loses at UA. Cal wins big against UCLA and ASU, but gets crushed by USC.

Oregon and Stanford are the top two teams. WSU, ASU, and UCLA are the bottom three. The other five are pretty even and fairly inconsistent.

6-3 is respectable. But it seems to be a plateau for the Beavers. Only Cal has a longer streak of not playing in the Rose Bowl than OSU, although UA has never played there either.

I think we are seeing some restlessness among the fans. Why? First, USC is vulnerable and there is no longer a lock on them owning the conference. Now is a perfect time to be a contender. Second, one of our rivals has ascended to powerhouse in the Pac 10 (UO). Third, recent struggles of team. OSU is 3-5 in the last 8 games and giving up well over 30 pts. and a lot of yards per game.

In their last 8 games, OSU is 3-5. With the exception of Louisville, none have been weak opponents (though UW is far from being a powerhouse). Defense gives up a lot of yards. This season is 30.8 pts per game. The offense just can't keep up.

Riley rarely recruits punters and kickers. They typically walk-on and then earn a scholarship. This is what you get.