Pac-10: Ducks sit pretty, but it might be Beavers by a whisker

You hate to pull a muscle swinging at an 85-miles-per-hour fastball that catches too much of the plate, but I'll lunge anyway.

This was some of the news coming out of Oregon last week:

The Ducks debuted another uniform against Arizona — black, dark-green helmet, with yellow and silver wings on the shoulder pads. Apparently, they were smashing.

"They looked awesome," said UO coach Mike Bellotti. "They're going to keep on coming. Our tradition is innovation."

Meanwhile, 40 miles up the road in Corvallis, this was the fashion statement: "No-Shave November." Some offensive players decided a couple of weeks ago not to shave during the season's most meaningful month, and convinced their position coaches to go along with it. It's OSU's takeoff on a similar promotion by the Prostate Cancer Foundation.

Said OSU coach Mike Riley, laughing, "I think some of the coaches are wishing it had never happened at this point."

You could argue substance is winning over style, at least in mid-month, because Oregon State heads to Tucson this week holding a lot of folks' future in its hands, especially its own. If it wins at Arizona and again next week against the sartorially superior Ducks, it goes to the Rose Bowl for the first time in 44 years.

"They're just pretty well-rounded, pretty solid," California coach Jeff Tedford said Tuesday. It was a 34-21 victory over the Bears that keeps the Beavers in the driver's seat, and holds up plans for USC and any other BCS-hopeful team without an automatic berth.

Tedford's right; all the Beavers do is beat you. They have a terrific freshman running back in Jacquizz Rodgers, a couple of other playmakers, they protect the quarterback better than anybody in the league, and they rush the opposing passer.

They do fine with guys like Alex Linnenkohl, the sophomore center from Capital High in Olympia. In August, Riley fretted over two of his offensive line spots, and center was one of those.

"We didn't anticipate him starting this year," said Riley. "The guy is a tenacious player. He is truly, truly dedicated to what he does, and to this team."

Not that either the Huskies or Cougars could use the offensive lineman OSU calls "Taz" — for Tasmanian devil. Both, Linnenkohl said Tuesday, were asking him for senior-year video in early September 2005 at the point when he committed to Riley.

Of course, Riley had a bit of an "in." Linnenkohl had been coming to OSU camps with his older brother Brett since he was in eighth grade. That year (2001), they put him among ninth- and 10th-graders and "I held my own," he says.

Every year, Capital came back, and, says Linnenkohl, "Every time I came here, it felt so natural to be back. I knew the area, I knew the buildings. Man, this was perfect."

OSU had projected senior Marcus Henderson to be the starter at center, but he came down with mono in fall camp. Linnenkohl stepped in and "just kind of never looked back," he says.

And a few weeks ago came the beards — or at least the attempts — and with them, some fence-sitters.

"The coaches are the funniest," Linnenkohl says. "Every week, they ask us if we want to stop it."

Nothing doing. Two victories from nirvana, the Beavers will stick with what's working.

Bowls and roles

Just the league's luck. Some years, 6-6 teams have been left out of bowls (2003, Washington; 2006, WSU and Arizona) because the Pac-10 didn't have enough affiliations. This year, it's unlikely it has enough eligibles to fill its seven slots.

The outlook:

Rose: Oregon State or USC. If OSU wins out, the Trojans figure to go to the Fiesta, where they'd be welcomed with open arms. They haven't been there since a Marcus Allen-led team in 1982.

Holiday: OSU, Oregon or Arizona. If the Holiday loses out on its natural No. 2 pick (if USC gets to the Fiesta), it can disregard the standings in making its pick.

Sun: It would love Arizona, out of the bowl business the past 10 years.

Las Vegas: Probably the Civil War loser or Arizona.

Emerald: Cal or Stanford is most logical. The Cardinal must beat the Bears this week.

Hawaii: Cal or Stanford (if both make it), or Arizona State or UCLA, if either wins six (one will eliminate the other next week).

Poinsettia: A lovely holiday flower, but likely, no Pac-10 representation, unless OSU falls short of the Rose Bowl, Stanford beats Cal and either ASU or UCLA makes it in.

And what's more ...

• Arizona had 98 offensive snaps last week at Oregon.

• Cal and Stanford have met 110 times. The composite score: Cal 1,780, Stanford 1,755.

• One record WSU probably won't be advertising: Chantz Staden's 43 kickoff returns, most in Pac-10 history. If he hadn't sustained a season-ending knee injury last week, Staden might have put the record into orbit.

• How you know Stanford has been a pass-oriented school: The season rushing record is a modest 1,084 yards (Tommy Vardell, 1991). With 52 more yards, Toby Gerhart will surpass it.

Bud Withers: 206-464-8281 or bwithers@seattletimes.com