Finally, a change at the top. ...

1, Oregon --- Who'dathunkit on Sept. 3 that the Ducks would be the team to beat by Nov. 1? But that's where the Ducks are, in the driver's seat for their first Rose Bowl in 15 years. Work, though, still awaits --- Oregon has to go to Stanford and Arizona and host Oregon State at the end. Still, an amazing turnaround from that night in Boise.

2, USC --- Is this the end of the reign or a bump in the road? USC is currently starting four seniors on each side of the ball --- though most ominously, the entire secondary right now is seniors as are three of five starting OL.

3, Arizona --- Coming off a bye week to get the next best thing to a second one --- a home game against Washington State. Then travels to Cal before hosting Oregon on Nov. 21 for what could be one of the bigger games in school history.

4, Cal --- Bears have pulled themselves nicely off the mat after the Oregon-USC debacles to prove that this won't be like the 2007 team that folded to the finish. Now get two straight at home against Oregon State and Arizona.

5, Oregon State --- UCLA win just about ensures another bowl game for the Beavers, who travel this week to Cal.

6, Stanford --- Cardinal had last week off to prepare for a visit by the Ducks --- a game in which Stanford will have all kinds of unlikely rooters. And a lot of tough games left for Stanford which will then travel to USC before ending the year with home games against Cal and Notre Dame.

7, Arizona State --- Realistically might have blown shot at a bowl game with its last-minute loss to Cal Saturday. Last four are USC, at Oregon, at UCLA and Arizona. Hard to see two wins there.

8, Washington --- Huskies have to hope Jake Locker got healthy over the bye week and that they now can solve the mystery of beating UCLA in Pasadena --- Huskies haven't won there since 1995.

9, UCLA --- An 0-5 conference start is raising lots of questions about the direction of things under Rick Neuheisel. But Bruins have a chance to get healthy in their next three --- home to UW, at WSU and then home to ASU.

10, Washington State --- Only nine teams in the country are already bowl ineligible. Cougs one of them.