Sports - Colleges

Sunday, Nov. 08, 2009

Pac-10 race is in full-fledged chaos

Five teams still have title hopes

By JOSH DUBOW

The Associated Press

STANFORD, Calif. — Stanford made one thing clear with its upset victory over Pac-10 leader Oregon: There will be a full-fledged scramble for the conference title over a chaotic final four weeks.

With the Ducks losing their first conference game 51-42 to the Cardinal on Saturday, there are five teams with a legitimate shot to at least share the championship and a seemingly infinite number of permutations for how the race will shake out.

Few thought at the beginning of the season that a scenario with Stanford and Arizona finishing ahead of Southern California and Cal was a possibility. But that’s just what the standings show after the first Saturday in November.

“This is best opportunity Stanford football has had in the last 10 years to express who this team is as a football team, and they expressed it,” Cardinal coach Jim Harbaugh said.

A one-win team in 2006, Stanford (6-3, 5-2) has moved into the AP poll at No. 25 for the first time in eight years behind the strong running of Toby Gerhart and the poised passing from redshirt freshman Andrew Luck.

Following their most meaningful win in years, the Cardinal are already a Pac-10 contender in Harbaugh’s third season. It’s surprised even the most ardent Cardinal supporters who rushed the field afterward.

“I was out there and people were saying, ‘I can’t believe you won,”’ said Gerhart, who set a school record with 223 yards rushing. “I was like, ‘Have faith.’ We were confident. There was definitely no fear going into this game.”

The victory also gave a big boost to the conference’s other two-loss teams, No. 11 Southern California and Oregon State.

But heading into the stretch run, only No. 14 Oregon (7-2, 5-1) and No. 18 Arizona (6-2, 4-1) can win the title without any help. The biggest game left will come when the Ducks visit the Wildcats on Nov. 21.