Posted by Jerry Hinnen

Breaking down who won and lost in the Pac-12 on National Signing Day.

WINNERS

Stanford's future backfield. We don't want to say anyone could succeed at quarterback or tailback behind a line featuring Andrus Peat, Kyle Murphy, and John Garnett. Dame Helen Mirren would fail, probably. We wouldn't like Bill Nye, the Science Guy's odds. Most 12-year-olds would struggle.

But when we're talking about an offensive line class David Shaw said "could be one of the best in college football history" without hyperbole, it's hard to rule anyone out. And when it comes to players like potential 2012 quarterback starter Brett Nottingham or new running back signee Barry J. Sanders, we think the chances of success are so sky-high as to be nearly guaranteed. Jim Harbaugh and Andrew Luck might be gone, but if the results of National Signing Day are any indication, the Cardinal as a program aren't going anywhere.

Players to watch: DT Aziz Shittu, RB Barry J. Sanders, OT Andrus Peat.

The checkbooks of future Pac-12 assistants. The conversions of five-star Shaq Thompson (pictured) and receiver Jordan Payton to Washington from Cal (even if the latter was only temporary) were already evidence enough for the impact of ace recruiter Tosh Lupoi's move from Berkeley to Seattle. The Huskies capping their late surge by stealing away USC commitment Pio Vatuvei and fending off a late challenge from the Trojans for quarterback Cyler Miles was just beating a dead horse, really.

Which is why any coach with bona fide West Coast recruiting connections is likely about to find himself a much hotter commodity than they were before Signing Day began. The Huskies aggressively pursued Topoi, doubled his salary at Cal with their new conference media money, and saw immediate, dramatic dividends. Topoi might have been the first coach to have his wallet fattened overnight by Larry Scott's TV negotiations, but with results like these, he won't be the last.

Washington players to watch: DB Shaq Thompson, ATH Jaydon Mickens, CB Brandon Beaver.

Jim L. Mora. To silence the doubters for good, Mora will have to win on the field as well as the recruiting trail. But there's little doubt that Mora has at least done the latter. With another high-profile Cal exile safely in the fold in Ellis McCarthy, the Bruins spent Signing Day polishing up an already impressive haul with a pair of blue-chip receivers in Payton and Javon Williams--an area of sore need with Nelson Rosario gone.

The Bruin brass appeared to be aiming to hire the next Pete Carroll when they took a chance on Mora, and though there's still a long way to go before the comparison is valid at the collegiate as well as pro level, this class is a heck of a step in that direction.

Players to watch: DT Ellis McCarthy, ATH Devin Fuller, DB Ishmael Adams.

LOSERS

Lane Kiffin's pied piper flute. Around mid-afternoon, this was shaping up to be a typical Signing Day for college football's most notorious late-game recruiter; sure, Vatuvei had gon to the Huskies, but Kiffin had also managed to pull both high-upside end Leonard Williams and No. 1 athlete Nelson Agholor (pictured) out of Florida despite each's various Sunshine State suitors. With Miles, Peat, Murphy, and Shittu all considering the Trojans and Murphy's late announcement rumored to be potentially affected by Peat's, another matching set of Signing Day coups appeared within reach.

Instead, the Cardinal swept the big linemen while Miles stuck with the Huskies. Those decisions didn't exactly make the Trojan class a disappointment--far from it, given that it finished 9th in the country while boasting just 16 (uniformly outstanding) recruits. But it does mark the first time that Kiffin wasn't able to simply snap his fingers on Signing Day and come away with a bushel of five-stars; it will be interesting to see if, in 2013, Kiffin doesn't leave things quite so late.

Players to watch: OL Zach Banner, WR Nelson Agholor, OL Jordan Simmons.

Cal. It's not that the Bears' class wasn't solid, maybe even better than solid; Tom Lemming ranked it 15th despite only having 17 signees, and the Bears did an excellent job of filling needs at both offensive line and wide receiver. It's that it was so close to being a game-changing, program-momentum-turning, spectacular class before Lupoi's defection took the air out of the sails. 

Tedford is right that the commitments at the Army All-American game from Thompson, McCarthy, and Payton didn't mean anything on the Bears' bottom line, but it's silly to think they didn't mean the Bears had a clearcut opportunity to sign all three (and others) they couldn't take advantage of. It's debatable, too, when that kind of opportunity will come again for Tedford.

Players to watch: QB Zach Kline, WR Bryce Treggs, OL Freddie Tagoloa  

Oregon State's secondary. Want another example of the impact of position coaches on current Pac-12 recruiting? Look no further than the Beaver defensive backfield, which saw no less than four players decommit after OSU secondary coach Keith Heyward -- like Lupoi -- defected to Washington. (One of them was highly regarded corner Devian Shelton, who did get Kiffined away to USC.) The Beavers recovered to still sign four defensive backs, but when even Mike Riley was admitting there were holes at corner that went unfilled, it's safe to say things didn't go as planned.

Players to watch: OL Isaac Seumalo, TE Caleb Smith, QB Brett VanderVeen  

Maxpreps photos by Gary Jones and Margaret Bowles.

Posted by Bryan Fischer

Tragic news out of Corvallis Wednesday night as Oregon State freshman defensive tackle Fred Thompson has died of an apparent heart attack.

The school confirmed the death of Thompson, who was to turn 20 on Sunday, with a release. According to officials, Thompson was playing basketball at the Dixon Recreation Center on campus when he collapsed.  He was transported to Good Samaritan Hospital in Corvallis where he was later pronounced dead.

A 6-foot-4, 317-pound defensive tackle for the Beavers, Thompson had just enrolled for the winter semester and was expected to compete for a spot in the rotation in 2012 after redshirting. He is from Richmond, Calif. and played his prep ball at Oakland Tech High School.

Head coach Mike Riley was on the road recruiting when he first heard of the news and is making his way back to town. The school will hold a press conference to discuss the event on Thursday.

According to the Oregonian, news of Thompson's death has already produced reaction on Twitter from several of his teammates and the rest of the Oregon State community.

"Everybody on the team loved him," teammate Kyle Gardner told the Corvallis Gazette Times. "He was just one of those guys that was always just smiling and joking around with you. It's sad. We just don't know what to think. I just think everyone is in shock."

Posted by Bryan Fischer

OREGON WON. The Beavers had won just three games all year but that didn't mean they were to be taken lightly by the Ducks in the Civil War. It looked like Oregon came out flat and uninspired early in the game however, missing several chances to easily take control of the game with two early interceptions of Oregon State quarterback Sean Mannion. But, as they've done countless times, a few quick scoring drives put the game away as home team not only won their traditional rivalry game but put up some style points heading into next week's Pac-12 Championship game. 

WHY OREGON WON: The defense did a good job against Mannion and the Beavers' passing attack but Darron Thomas starting hitting his targets in the second quarter to really get the offense going. A week after having his struggles against USC in the first home loss ever under Chip Kelly, Thomas tossed touchdown passes to David Paulson, De'Anthony Thomas, Kenjon Barner and Colt Lyerla on the way to a 25 for 38 and 295 yard day. LaMichael James had no issues on the ground, rushing for 143 yards and a touchdown before hurting his wrist late in the third quarter.

WHEN OREGON WON: After two interceptions, Mannion bounced back with a 58-yard touchdown pass to Jovan Stevenson to even the score at 7-all. The Ducks came right back and turned on the jets with a few big plays on back-to-back scoring drives of 75+ yards led mostly by Thomas' passing. Oregon added a third touchdown drive right before halftime to put things away as it was much of the same in the second half - all green, all the time.

WHAT OREGON WON: The win secured the North division for the Ducks and hosting duties for the first ever Pac-12 Championship Game, which will be Friday at Autzen. Though they are out of the national title race - baring complete and utter chaos - the Rose Bowl is still a pretty good consolation prize for Oregon. Beat UCLA next week and flower shops around Eugene will be out of red roses.

WHAT OREGON STATE LOST: Another loss in a disappointing season as the Beavers fall to 3-9 in 2011. Mike Riley certainly had higher expectations but the team had to replace a lot from last year's mediocre squad and it showed. Although James Rodgers has now played his final game in orange, it's an encouraging sign for the offense to see the progress Mannion has made in the passing game as a redshirt freshman. The defense needs a lot of work as well, just one of many things to work on in what should be a long offseason.

Posted by Bryan Fischer

OREGON STATE WILL WIN IF: The Beavers are significant underdogs against their in-state rivals and will need plenty of breaks to go their way on top of playing flawless. Redshirt freshman quarterback Sean Mannion threw for 339 yards last week to top the three thousand yard mark for the season and has been a solid option behind center as Mike Riley has opted to throw the ball more than in the past. James Rodgers will need to be healthy and contributing on top of the defense playing their best game of the year if they want to win the Civil War.

OREGON WILL WIN IF: No one wants to come out and get a win more than the Ducks after getting upset last week by USC. A win also gives them the Pac-12 North title and hosting duties for the Pac-12 Championship so there's plenty riding on the outcome. They have the better, more complete team and just need to do what worked well during their long winning streak against conference teams: get skill position players in space and watch them quickly proceed to the end zone.

X-FACTOR: James Rodgers. He got hurt in the first half against Washington and did not return. Considering he's the Beavers best player, Rodgers has to be on the field if Oregon State wants to win or even stay close. Considering it was his ankle that kept him out one is right to doubt his effectiveness but OSU is going to need him there to give Oregon's defense something to think about.

Posted by Bryan Fischer

STANFORD WON. It's safe to say that the Cardinal is very much a second half team this season. What looked like a game that could be another one of those miracle upsets that Mike Riley seems to get every year in Corvallis turned into just another big Stanford win. Things weren't all positive for David Shaw however, as he saw two offensive threats, tight end Levine Toilolo and Chris Owusu, get knocked out of the game.

WHY STANFORD WON: Despite the injuries to three of his top four targets, Andrew Luck continued to be efficient, throwing for 209 yards, three touchdowns on 19-of-29 passing with an interception. The ground game really was the difference though, with the team topping 300 yards and five players with at least 30. The defense also stepped up and limited the Beavers to just 275 yards on the day.

WHEN STANFORD WON: After a seven-play, 66-yard drive for Oregon State to start the second half, Stanford responded two drives later with a quick (by their standards) 77-yard trip to the end zone resulting in a 24-13 lead. They put the game away after recovering a Sean Mannion fumble on the next series and Luck tossing a 14 yard touchdown pass to Coby Fleener.

WHAT STANFORD WON: Pac-12 North division, Pac-12 Championship and BCS title hopes are still alive for the Cardinal. They also held of their end of the bargain for the West Coast's version of Alabama-LSU with Oregon coming into Palo Alto next week. The victory did come at a price with the injuries so Stanford will have to limp back home.

WHAT OREGON STATE LOST: Mike Riley's team moves to 2-7 on the year, which has been quite forgettable. There were some positives to take away from the game, especially on the defensive side at times, but this still a team that is struggling no matter who they play.

THAT WAS CRAZY: A week after taking a big hit from USC safety T.J. McDonald, wide receiver Chris Owusu was the recipient of another vicious hit that resulted in him being taken off in an ambulance. It didn't look like it was a direct helmet-to-helmet and the way he fell to the turf had to be concerning for Owusu and the doctors. He's had a history of concussions and one hopes this wasn't his final play of the season or his career.

Posted by Bryan Fischer

STANFORD WILL WIN IF: On paper, this looks like a total mismatch but many highly ranked teams have gone into Reser Stadium on a cold afternoon and gone home with a loss - that's why they play the games after all. Andrew Luck has a chance to continue his march to winning a Heisman Trophy this week but will have to adjust to the loss of tight end Zach Ertz. This will be a good game to re-establish the run and work on a few things defensively as they prepare for Oregon in two weeks. Still, David Shaw will have to get his team excited about playing this game after last week's thrilling win at the Coliseum.

OREGON STATE WILL WIN IF: Stanford has the 81st ranked pass defense and the Beavers love to throw the ball with freshman quarterback Sean Mannion. If they can create some turnovers, run the ball effectively and play decent defense, there's a chance. It's a very, very small chance against Stanford but stranger things have happened. They have a great coach in Mike Riley and are looking to begin November with a big home win.

X-FACTOR: Stanford let down. As Luck was running to the locker room after beating USC last week, he pumped his fists in the air and couldn't get the smile off his face. It was a similar story for much of the Cardinal football team. It's one thing getting excited about a top 20 opponent, it's another getting up for a team that is 2-6 on the season. Stanford blanked Oregon State 38-0 last year but have just a 3-7 record against the Beavers since 2000 so there's hasn't been a whole lot of success on the side of the Bay Area team in this series. If there's a slow start by the offense and the defense allows a big play, there could be a chance at an upset.

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Posted by Tom Fornelli

The Saturday Meal Plan is a helpful guide put together for you to maximize the results of your college football diet.  Just enough to leave you feeling full, but not so much you spend your entire Sunday in the bathroom. 

We hope you've starved yourself this week because you're going to need plenty of room in your stomach to get through this week's menu, and although we can't promise you anything featuring streaking referees and fighting, we're sure you'll find these meals as fulfilling just the same.

BREAKFAST

Missouri vs. #4 Oklahoma State - FX, 12pm ET

On paper this one may not seem all that interesting, but Missouri is yet to lose at home this season, and let's not forget that the Tigers knocked off Oklahoma in Columbia last season. It's possible that the Tigers could end another school from Oklahoma's title hopes again this Saturday. Of course, it won't be easy considering the offensive firepower that the Cowboys will be bringing with them. - Tom Fornelli

#7 Clemson vs. North Carolina - ESPN, 12pm ET

Clemson survived their first trap game on the road, marching back from 18 down against Maryland to prove - for the moment - this Tigers team is for real.  Now they have a chance to return to the comfy confines of Death Valley for one last warm-up before traveling to Atlanta for arguably the toughest challenge left on the conference schedule in Georgia Tech.  North Carolina doesn't run the option, but they do have a terrific ground game led by redshirt freshman Gio Bernard.  Bernard has been sensational for the Tar Heels, and ranks third in the ACC with 109.57 yards per game.  The Tigers, on the other hand, are one of the league's worst defenses against the run. North Carolina's defense has been beaten on the perimeter this season, and their weakness in the secondary will likely be their downfall with no answer for Sammy Watkins and DeAndre "Nuke" Hopkins.  - Chip Patterson

Purdue vs. #23 Illinois - ESPN2, 12pm ET

This game will be worth your attention. Bold statement, but it's true. Here's the deal: if Nathan Scheelhaase and A.J. Jenkins get their game back up, you'll want to watch, because that's the best QB-WR combination in the Big Ten. And if Scheelhaase and Jenkins get bottled up like last week, look out, because we might have an early upset on our hands, and those are a fun way to start a Saturday. See? Win-win scenario all the way. - Adam Jacobi

LUNCH

#1 LSU vs. #20 Auburn - CBS, 3:30pm ET

So Auburn has a defense with some success against LSU-style offenses, the host Tigers won't have Tyrann Mathieu or Spencer Ware, and the game's being played in bright, Death Valley-neutralizing sunlight. It's too bad Auburn is sending Clint Moseley out for his first career start at quarterback, or Gene Chizik's bunch could have made a real game of this. (if Moseley is a revelation? They still might. - Jerry Hinnen

#5 Boise State vs. Air Force - Versus, 3:30pm ET

Is there anybody left on Boise State's schedule that can knock the Broncos off? Maybe, but odds are that it won't happen this week as Air Force makes the trip up north to play on the blue turf. Still, even if Boise is likely to win this game, tuning in to see the Broncos playing a home game is seldom a choice to regret. - TF

Miami vs. #22 Georgia Tech - ESPN, 3:30pm ET

Miami turned the corner against Virginia Tech, and has been playing some of their best football of the season in the last three quarters.  But they welcome a Georgia Tech team that got beat around by Virginia last week, and will be looking for a bounce back victory.  This game is a must-win for the Yellow Jackets if they plan on competing for a Coastal Division title, and a must-win for the Hurricanes to establish some kind of momentum in a frustratingly inconsistent season.  If Miami wants to pull the upset, they need to get Lamar Miller going on offense.  A good rushing attack will keep Paul Johnson's pounding offense off the field, and after Miller was held to 29 yards against UNC last week he's due for a big game. - CP

DINNER

#2 Alabama vs. Tennessee - ESPN2, 7:15pm ET

The drama and intrigue in this edition of the "Third" Saturday in October positively abounds: can the Vols score a touchdown? Can Trent Richardson break the 200-yard mark? Will Nick Saban decline to score a final humiliating touchdown out of respect for his old assistant, Derek Dooley? Has Smokey finally been fitted for the retina-protecting dog goggles (or "doggles") required by repeated visual exposure to Dooley's pants? (The actual and inevitable outcome, that we're not so intrigued by.) - JH

Notre Dame vs. USC - NBC, 7:30pm ET

One of college football's greatest rivalries gets a bit of a twist this season. For the first time in history, Notre Dame will be playing a night game in South Bend. Can Touchdown Jesus see in the dark? Also, emerging victorious could help catapult the winner back into the rankings, and for Notre Dame a win keeps its slim BCS hopes alive. - TF

#3 Oklahoma vs. Texas Tech - ABC, 8pm ET

This game features two offenses that both come into the game averaging more than 43 points a game, so if you're looking for a shootout to spend your evening with, this will likely be your game. The question will be if Seth Doege and the Texas Tech offense can still have as much success against an Oklahoma defense that's better than any other it has faced this season. - TF

#8 Stanford vs. #25 Washington - ABC, 8pm ET

Andrew Luck and Stanford haven't played a ranked team all year but that will change with Washington rolling into Palo Alto. The Huskies, with quarterback Keith Price and running back Chris Polk, will present a test for the stiff Cardinal defense that is missing a few key defenders. Of course, Luck has to be licking his chops to face the Pac-12's worst pass defense. - Bryan Fischer

#16 Michigan State vs. #6 Wisconsin - ESPN, 8pm ET

This could be the Big Ten's last, best hope to see Wisconsin get knocked off before the championship game -- and MSU just lost its top DE Will Gholston to a Big Ten-mandated suspension for punching Taylor Lewan last Saturday. Whoops! The rest of the Spartan defensive front is fierce, though, and perhaps we'll finally be able to see what happens when an opponent challenges Wisconsin for all four quarters this year. Perhaps. - AJ

LATE NIGHT SNACK

Washington State vs. Oregon State - Fox Sports, 10:30pm ET

Oregon State is off to their worst start in years and Mike Riley and company are looking to turn things around while seeking revenge against a Washington State team that upset them last year and cost them a trip to a bowl game. The Cougars have been competitive in the first half of their last two games but the question is if they can finish against OSU. - BF

Posted by Tom Fornelli

Earlier today I wrote about another injury that Oregon State has suffered this season, as the school announced on Monday that defensive tackle Castro Masaniai's season is over thanks to a broken fibula. Well, it seems that the injuries Oregon State is suffering this year are not limited to just the players.

Following Oregon State's latest loss against BYU, a loss that made the Beavers 1-5 on the season, a frustrated fan took his frustration out on the car of cornerback Jordan Poyer. According to The Oregonian, Poyer had his car keyed and was also the recipient of a nasty message.

[Head coach Mike]Riley said he can understand fans being frustrated with what is happening on the field – OSU has lost 7 out of its last 8 games and 9 out of its last 11 going back to last season – but Riley can’t understand fans being frustrated to the point where they would “key’’ a players’ car and leave a nasty anonymous note on the windshield.

While doing this to a player's car is taking things a few miles too far to begin with, adding insult to injury, Poyer actually had a good game on Saturday night. Poyer had 4 tackles, broke up 2 passes and even returned an interception 51 yards for a touchdown in the game. 

As you'd expect, Poyer wasn't exactly thrilled with the development, and took to Twitter to address the vandal.

“To whoever keyed my car last night saying ‘(bleep) you win a game’ I hope you’re feeling better about yourself," tweeted Poyer.