With reports that Nebraska may be leaving the Big 12 for the Big 10 (err new Big 12 I guess it would be called), and the potential dismemberment of the current Big 12 college football is in for a shake up. Also with the potential for the new rumored Pac-16 (doesn’t really roll off the tongue the same way) what are the benefits and drawbacks to this ‘new world order’?

A few hot button topics:

What does this do for the regional rivalries that we have always seen in the Big 10?

And will it be officially called the Big 12 Part II?

Speaking of regional integrity should the Pac-16 still have “Pac” in it when some of their schools are thousands of miles away from the Pacific coast?

Should the Pac-16 have two automatic bowl bids?

What will happen to the remaining Big-12 schools? Particularly in basketball where Baylor, Kansas, Kansas State and Missouri are all strong teams?

How will this move affect these all of these schools when it comes to basketball?

Overall I think USC made a great move by bringing in Lane Kiffin as their next head coach (especially since its a package deal with his dad). It just completely shocks me that this move was made under the radar. Of all the names that had been mentioned by USC (or rumored), Kiffin’s name never came up. While I think the Trojans might have had some bigger targets earlier, I think they ended up getting the right man for the job.

Now I know Lane Kiffin can come off a bit arrogant and had some rule violations early on at Tennessee. Which was a bit surprising since he was the recruiting coordinator at USC under Carroll, but that could be chalked up to the brainwashing he received in Oakland by Al Davis. But I think this is the right move since it gives you credibility on offense (Lane’s specialty) and defense (which is his dad’s area of expertise). This should stop the exodus of recruits that had been reopening their recruitment to USC and the current players who were transferring/entering the draft. Another advantage with bringing in Kiffin is his age (34). If he finds success and stays at USC (which could be a big ‘if’) he’s young enough to create a college dynasty there. He could coach there for the next 30 years and give the Trojans the stability they need.

It is a bit surprising that Kiffin is leaving the Volunteers after one season, especially given the state of the SEC right now. Yes the Pac-10 is gaining in prominence (though they had a pretty bad bowl season), the SEC is still the best conference in college football. And right now there is an opening to potentially bring Tennessee back to prominence in the SEC. Florida is in a state of transition right now, and Alabama is losing some of their top defensive players. Ole Miss and Georgia will have brand new starting QB’s and have lost a lot of talent over the past few seasons. LSU could be rebuilding as well. Only Arkansas and Auburn really seemed like teams on the rise in the SEC (though you never fully count anyone out), and Tennessee seemed like one or two years away from being one of the top programs again in their conference. USC on the other hand, is on the way down, as the rest of the Pac-10 rises (which could be why Carroll finally left). Cal and UCLA always can build pretty good teams, and the resurgence of Washington, Oregon State and Stanford makes the Pac-10 a very deep conference. As good as all those teams are, they are all second fiddle to the Oregon Ducks, who are the team to beat out west right now. Kiffin might have the money and prestige of USC to work with, but he will have his work cut out for him in the Pac-10.

The real winner of this deal might not be the football program at USC, but rather the players. Despite Pete Carroll and all his great assistants at USC, the Trojans have done a pretty bad job of developing their recruits into players. Now I know that sounds like sacrilege, since USC is widely considered the “NFL team in Los Angeles” and their record has been so good. But I’m not taking away their accomplishments on the college football field (though I’m quelling the myth that they could compete in the NFL), I’m just commenting on the lack of development of their prospects. Now there are a few notable exceptions, Carson Palmer and Troy Polamalu early on, and Clay Mathews Jr. and Brian Cushing this past season. But all in all, USC players have been major disappointments when it comes to the NFL. Running backs who can’t read blocks, receivers who can’t run routes and defensive players who are just completely lost. I think that will all change with the addition of the Kiffins. Monte Kiffin will bring with him an NFL style defense, and Lane I think will do a better job at developing his recruits into players.

Oregon Outlasts Oregon State: The Ducks won the Civil War game and the Pac-10 championship with last night’s win over Oregon State. The game was a bit more of a shootout than the Ducks wanted, but they still made it to the promise land with their relentless ground game. A ground game that got a boost from a surprising face, RB LeGarrette Blount. Blount was suspended for most of the season after his infamous punch after Oregon’s loss to Boise State in week 1, and last night was his first action since that game. Oregon capped off a great regular season that now leads them to a tough Rose Bowl matchup with Ohio State.

Pens Cruise Again: The Pittsburgh Penguins won their third straight game, and six of their last seven to remain atop the Eastern Conference tied with the Washington Capitals with 40 points. The Penguins have outscored their opponents 17-6 during their three game stretch, and now have the league’s best record with 20 wins. Star Center Sidney Crosby has paced the Pens with 7 goals during the three games. Which now places him second in the league in goals scored and third in Points.

Celtics Win 6th Straight: The Boston Celtics took down the Spurs last night in a 90-83 battle for their sixth straight win. Boston is now tied for the best record in the Eastern Conference with the Orlando Magic. The Celtics are winning with one of the most balanced attacks in all of basketball with five players averaging double figures, and Rasheed Wallace chipping in 9+ off the bench. Boston is on a hot streak right now and they will look to keep it up tonight against the Thunder in Oklahoma City.

Jets Win, Sanchez Hurts Another Knee: The Jets outlasted the Buffalo Bills last night to improve to 6-6, keeping them somewhat in the playoff picture. Their defense was dominate, especially Darrelle Revi, who shutdown Terrell Owens all night. The Jets offense had no trouble running the football, and Mark Sanchez managed the game extremely well. While he was only 7-15 and threw for just over 100 yards, he didn’t throw an interception, which has been his biggest problem so far. Sanchez did make one mistake in the third quarter when, fighting for extra yards he dove head first instead of sliding. Sanchez came up hurt on the play and left the game. While he get the first down, Sanchez made a risky mistake, one week after hurting his other knee by not sliding. If it was a different situation I might have given Sanchez a break, but the coaching staff obviously wants you to slide (I mean they didn’t bring in Joe Girardi for a photo op) so you got to do it. The Jets were up by 6 at the time and the defense had been pretty stingy. Punt the ball away and live to play another series. The Jets and Sanchez need to hope this injury doesn’t linger. Sanchez is still a raw product, he needs as much work in practice and games (though part of me thinks he’s too raw to be starting on a team with playoff aspirations) as possible. He can’t develop if he’s injured and on the sidelines. Maybe this week the Jets will bring in a Slip ‘n Slide for Sanchez to practice on, because they need to teach him how to protect himself.

This year’s Civil War game has more on the line than just the pride of the state of Oregon, as the winner will take the PAC-10 championship and their ticket to the Rose Bowl. This rivarly always gets heated, and the Beavers will want redemption after losing 65-38 last year (and their ticket to Pasadena). The stakes are higher this year, as the Rose Bowl is on the line for both teams. So who has the edge tonight?

The easy answer is the Oregon Ducks, they are the higher ranked team and are at home. But Oregon knows full well not to take the Beavers for granted, so this game will be settled by the players on the field. As loud and as passionate as the Duck fans can get, I don’t see them getting into Beavers quarterback, Sean Canfield’s head. What will get into his head is the Oregon defensive front seven, particularly DE’s Kenny Rowe and Will Tukuafu. They should be able to get good penetration against Oregon State’s offensive line. The Ducks will need to rely on pressure to help out their young secondary against Canfield. The Ducks defense will have their hands full against the Beavers running game and Jacquizz Rodgers. Rodgers is as good as any back the Ducks have faced all season (which is saying something in the PAC-10). Stopping the run has been a mixed bag for the defense, as some running backs they’ve shut down completely and others have had a field day against the Ducks. If Oregon can at least slow down Rodgers, then they should be able to come away with a victory.

On offense the Ducks have their own young running back LaMichael James who has been running all over opponents this season. James, along with quarterback Jeremiah Masoli lead an impressive Ducks spread attack. James and Masoli are as good as any other 1-2 running attack in this country. Masoli can also beat teams through the air when necessary, making smart decisions when he does put the ball in the air. In addition to being a great runner and a good passer, Masoli brings one other tool to the spread attack, deception. Masoli sells the option fake as good as any quarterback in the country. Half the time the camera man (to say nothing of the opposing defense) is following the running back, while Masoli is ripping off a big gain on the other side of the field. Given their run focus, the Ducks don’t have the impact talent at receiver that other teams have (though they do possess good depth), but they do have one pass catcher that has given opposing defense’s headaches all season, tight end Ed Dickson. If it is 3rd down or the Ducks are in the Red Zone, look for Dickson to be the target. And don’t be surprised if he ends up making a big play. Dickson has been sure-handed all season for Masoli and the Ducks, and always finds a way to get open. He should be a big challenge for the Beavers defense that lacks the athleticism needed to cover him.

With Canfield, Jacquizz Rodges, and WR James Rodgers (Jacquizz’s older brother), the Beavers have the weapons to score every time they have the ball. Unfortunately, they lack the supporting cast and offensive line that will allow them to score at will. While I expect Oregon State to put up their fair share of points tonight, I think they will be stopped or turn the ball over on a few crucial drives. All in all though, offense isn’t the Beavers biggest concern, except when it comes to how their defense will stop the Ducks offense. Oregon State has struggled against the outside rush this year (an Oregon specialty), and doesn’t have the secondary to man up against the Ducks wide receivers or Dickson. I think Oregon State will keep it close early, but I’d look for the Ducks to pull away with a 42-31 victory.

USC saw their BCS Title hopes vanish last night in Oregon with a 47-20 beating by the Ducks. Now the Trojans have two Pac-10 losses on their resume and will likely not be making a return trip to a BCS bowl. The Trojans just got flat out beat by the 10th ranked Ducks. Now to be fair it shouldn’t come as a complete shock that the Ducks won, they are a top-10 team and they were at home. But we have become so accustomed to USC, dominating and winning regardless of the situation that it is a bit of a surprise to see them lose like this. Even those who did predict Oregon would win last night, couldn’t have thought they would have made the Trojans look so helpless.

On paper it looked as if the Ducks would be susceptible to the pass, and might struggle running the ball. For starters they were without their best defensive player CB Walter Thurmond III, who is out the rest of the season with an injury. The Ducks defensive backs were young and inexperienced to begin with and were facing a Trojans team with a number of quality receivers. That matchup looked to distinctly favor USC, but when the dust settled the Trojans had just 187 yards passing, and averaged just 4.9 yards per attempt. To put that number in comparison the Trojans running backs averaged 4.8 yards per carry, and the Ducks passing attack (which isn’t their strength) averaged 7.2 yards per attempt. The Ducks defense did a great job of taking away anything deep, and holding the Trojans top four receivers to under 10 yards per catch.

The Ducks offense faced a similar challenge since it looked like they didn’t matchup with the Trojans defense. USC’s defense hasn’t been as dominate as it has been in the past, but the majority of their failures have come against the pass. Their rush defense is much better than their pass defense. Their front seven is extremely quick and strong, and both of their safeties excel against the run. Oregon’s offense lives and dies by the run, while their quarterback Jeremiah Masoli is a very good dual threat QB, the Ducks lack the big play receivers to really challenge teams vertically. Though Oregon hasn’t had any problems running the ball this year, they are still without their big back LeGarrette Blount, who was suspended after getting into a fight after Oregon’s week 1 loss at Boise State. Blount would have given the Ducks a big weapon against the size and strength of that USC line. In the end though it didn’t matter, because the Ducks rushed their way to 391 yards on the ground, and put up a total of 613 total yards. Both the yardage and points allowed were the most allowed by a USC defense while Pete Carroll has been the head coach.

Oregon’s rout of USC should be a wake-up call for the rest of the college football nation, the Ducks are not to be taken lightly this year. They have beaten USC 47-20 and Cal 42-3, the two teams who were originally considered the best in the Pac-10. The Ducks have outscored their Pac-10 opponents 208-58 so far this season. As long as the Ducks don’t get too overconfident they should easily win out the rest of the season, and will be in the mix to play for a BCS Championship.

By Contributing Fanspeak writer Geoff Nelowet

The Southern California Trojans have won seven straight Pac-10 titles. They hope – and are expected – to continue that streak, but they will have to come from behind this season, which is something they are unaccustomed to. They are also unaccustomed to having a starting freshman quarterback in Matt Barkley, but this season is an adjustment process in which the Trojans will be learning on the fly. Playing Oregon in Eugene is arguably the Trojans’ toughest task of the season, and should they win this game, and win out the rest of the season, they will have earned a Pac-10 title in very impressive fashion.

The Ducks boast a potent offense at 45.7 points per game and 484.7 yards, and this is bad news for USC because over the last few weeks, their defense has been shaky at best. The Trojans have given up 482 and 367 yards the past two weeks to offenses that are arguably inferior to the Ducks’ attack. USC narrowly defeated Notre Dame and Oregon State, so their hands will undoubtedly be full against tenth-ranked, 6-1 Oregon.

Oregon’s lone loss came at Boise State in the first week of the season. Oregon has won six straight – and they have won impressively. On September 26^th, they took down then-ranked No. 6 California 42-3. The week prior, they beat then-ranked No. 18 Utah. In short, USC needs to bring their best performance to take down this flourishing Oregon unit.

Dual-threat quarterback Jeremiah Masoli leads the Ducks this season. He has accounted for 12 touchdowns this season – seven were on the ground. Since the Boise State game, LaMichael James has taken over at running back for the infamously suspended Legarrette Blount. He has rushed for over 700 yards and six touchdowns in his freshman campaign.

Barkley has shown he can lead the Trojans into a hostile environment and come out with a victory. He has done it twice now at Notre Dame a week ago, and at Ohio State early in the season. He will do it again against Oregon, but he will only play a partial role. The Trojan defense will correct its past errors, and they will contain the Oregon attack. Final score: USC 34 Oregon 24

With today’s news that Aaron Corp will likely start on Saturday for the ailing freshman Matt Barkley when the Trojans take on the Washington Huskies, it brings to mind a question. Just how secure is the Matt Barkley starting job in Southern California? I know most USC fans and the coaches will tell you that Barkley has done a wonderful job and he’s the greatest since Matt Leinart. So far USC is 2-0 so its been hard to find much to complain about, but if you take a look in side Barkley’s numbers you’ll see that he’s hasn’t been as effective as the USC hype machine would lead you to believe.

In his first game against San Jose State, Barkley was 15-19 for 233 yards and one touchdown. On paper that looks impressive, but watching the game you would see that a number of his completions were thrown high or low, that limited the receiver’s ability to get yards after the catch. A lot of those completions wouldn’t have been made against a better defense. Barkley’s inability to hit receivers on the numbers was somewhat exploited in week two against Ohio State. Barkley’s completion percentage dropped 30 points, with a 15-31 for 195 yards and an interception performance against the Buckeyes. Barkley did lead the game winning drive in the 4th quarter, but that was the only real touchdown drive he led. USC’s first touchdown came after the interception return and four straight running plays to punch it in. Barkley has also shown an inability to throw an accurate deep ball, which has always been a big part of USC’s game plan (especially with WR Damian Williams). Barkley lacks the mobility to make plays with his feet, and keep plays alive by moving outside the pocket. Already he’s been sacked three times and hit plenty of others (which led to this shoulder injury).

So what happens when redshirted sophomore Aaron Corp takes the field this Sunday and lights the Huskies up for 300 yards and four touchdowns? Pete Carroll will say that Barkley is still his guy, but the numbers  and the facts don’t lie. Corp has a better grasp of the offense, better mobility and is a more accurate passer. He knows how to hit a receiver in stride to turn moderate gains into game breakers. The biggest knock on Corp has been his lack of arm strength in throwing the deep ball, but since Barkley doesn’t have the accuracy to throw it that’s a wash now. Barkley is the best quarterback of the future and the better pro prospect, but Corp gives the Trojans a better on the field general right now and a better chance to win. I think if Corp sees the field this Saturday his performance will make it tough to take him off of it the following week, and could just possibly start a real quarterback controversy in Southern California.

With both teams ranked in the top 25 and the higher seed (according to the AP poll, they are flipped in the USA Today poll) at home it would seem like the smart pick would be the Boise State Broncos, but I think the Cinderella team is going to have their hands full tonight. As much as I love the Broncos I can’t pick them over the Ducks tonight. It boils down to one major ‘BIG’ reason, 6’2″ 240 lbs. senior running back LeGarrette Blount. Despite sharing time with Jeremiah Johnson last year, Blount still managed to rush for over 1,000 yards and lead the team with 17 touchdowns. Blount’s size makes him a power back, but before you label him a “three yards and a cloud of dust” running back, remember he averaged 7.3 yards per carry last season. Joining Blount on offense is the dual threat junior quarterback Jeremiah Masoli. Masoli proved last year that he could handle the Oregon offense and really sparked the Ducks success. The Ducks weakness on offense is their receivers, but Masoli finds a way to make big plays regardless of who he’s throwing the ball to.

The Broncos aren’t without hope though. They return one of the most intriguing college quarterbacks in redshirted sophomore Kellen Moore. Moore last season took the college world by storm, by throwing for almost 3,500 yards and 25 touchdowns. He was extremely efficient with a completion percentage of 69.4 that led to a 157.11 QB rating (which ranked 11th in the nation). They also have a pair of quick running backs that could give the Ducks some problems on the perimeter in juniors James Avery and D.J. Harper. The Boise State defense has some weaknesses in the front 7, but their strong secondary should give Masoli fits.

Overall I think Oregon’s ground game will be too much for the Broncos to handle. I don’t think they have the speed to contain Masoli, or the talent up front to stop Blount. While Moore and company should keep Boise State in the game, I think Oregon’s talented line backing corps will stifle the Broncos’ ground game. Also I think the Ducks should be able to get solid pressure on Moore that should keep him from being the winning quarterback. I think it will be a close high scoring game overall, with the Ducks coming out ahead 38-31.