Pac-10 Football Preview | Trojans, Bears have a lot to lose

The many-sided puzzle that is Pac-10 football 2007 continues working toward a climax with high-impact games today in Berkeley and Los Angeles.

The first week of October, USC was No. 2 in the Associated Press poll, and California No. 3. Now the teams have combined for five conference losses to dim what once looked to be a game with national-title implications.

Still, it's big, especially for the Trojans (7-2), who can sustain Rose Bowl hopes and BCS-bowl possibilities with a win.

For both, avoiding a loss is almost bigger than what's gained with a win. Cal dropped three straight after a 5-0 start and would be consigned to an also-ran bowl if it loses.

Thursday, USC coach Pete Carroll, in a question-and-answer session with the Los Angeles Times, said, "We really blew it against Stanford because we played a guy [quarterback John David Booty] who was hurt. It cost us a game that cost us the flavor of this season. We've been tainted ever since, for obvious reasons.

"Do you think I'm not as smart as I was? Have I lost my edge? None of our [coaches] have. It's really hard to win games with your backup quarterback."

Then there's the subplot of Cal receiver DeSean Jackson, once hotly recruited by USC. The L.A. Daily News said Carroll yelled at Jackson during last year's game, but Jackson says he doesn't know what was yelled and Carroll says he doesn't remember it.

Jackson is one of the nation's best all-purpose players, but his Heisman Trophy campaign has expired with Cal's losses and what has sometimes seemed a diminished role in the Bears' offense. He has caught five passes each of the past two weeks, trails Lavelle Hawkins in team receptions (53-51), and his yards per catch is down, to 11.5.

"We get it to him when it fits with what's going on," said Cal coach Jeff Tedford this week. "We have two other guys [Hawkins and Robert Jordan] that are very talented as well. Whatever dictates with the coverage and defense is where the ball goes."

While injuries to Booty and Cal quarterback Nate Longshore (a bad ankle that has crimped his effectiveness) have augured badly for both teams, it's UCLA, hosting Arizona State (8-1), that has been bombarded by problems at QB.

This week, the Bruins go with Osaar Rasshan, who moved to wide receiver last spring after playing backup quarterback. Now he's the starter, with Ben Olson and Patrick Cowan on the shelf.

According to the Daily News, the Bruins (5-4) have lost a combined 60 games to injuries by 14 key players, a number that will get bigger today. It has made it more difficult to judge the future of coach Karl Dorrell.

"We still have so much to play for," said Dorrell, whose team needs another victory to become bowl-eligible. "I don't want to make that [Dorrell's status] a bigger distraction than it needs to be."

No doubt UCLA's best chance today is to get after ASU quarterback Rudy Carpenter. The Bruins have a good pass rush and Carpenter has been sacked 37 times.

The Sun Devils are still squarely in the running for a BCS bowl. Win out, and they figure to do no worse than the Fiesta Bowl.

ASU suffered its first loss at Oregon last week. Said coach Dennis Erickson, "I believe, just because of the situation, our guys will come back pretty fast."

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