Arizona State (4-1, 1-0)
Last week: Beat Stanford 65-24
This week: North Carolina (1-3)

After starting the year as a backup to Chad Christensen, quarterback Andrew Walter is definitely making the most of his opportunity to start. In last week's game against Stanford, the sophomore threw for 414 yards and five touchdowns. Walter, who led the Sun Devils on comebacks in two straight games in relief of Christensen, now leads the nation in passing efficiency with a QB rating of 185.84. It's not the first time an ASU quarterback has been among the country's best in the statistic; last year's starter, Jeff Krohn, was second in the country for much of the first half of the season until a shoulder injury seriously hampered his play.

California (3-2, 0-1)
Last week: Lost to Washington State 48-38
This week: No. 12 Washington (3-1, 0-0)

The Bears' playmaking defense was ripped apart in the second half of the team's loss to the Cougars, especially when it came to putting pressure on the quarterback. The normally elusive Jason Gesser wasn't put under much pressure, and he led Washington State to a 10-point victory after trailing by 12 at the half.

Stanford (1-2, 0-1)
Last week: Lost to Arizona State 65-24
This week: No. 9 Notre Dame (4-0)

Things couldn't be much worse for the Cardinal right now. After losing to the Sun Devils ö considered by many to be the second-worst team in the conference ö by a huge margin, Stanford plays Notre Dame this weekend in South Bend. To make matters worse, there's chaos under center, where head coach Buddy Teevens made like Steve Spurrier and pulled starter Chris Lewis for backup Kyle Matter, only to put Lewis back in the game later. To top it all off, the defense is wretched, and won't be getting any better soon.

No. 8 Oregon (4-0, 0-0)
Last week: Bye
This week: Arizona (3-1, 0-0)

The Ducks start conference play fresh off a bye week that allowed them to enter the game with no significant injuries and plenty of time to game plan for Arizona. Head coach Mike Belotti said the timing of the break couldn't be better, as it allows his team to rest after seven weeks of play and before another run at the conference title.

Oregon State (4-1, 0-1)
Last week: Lost to USC 22-0
This week: UCLA (3-1, 0-0)

Not only did quarterback Derek Anderson commit some mistakes that can be attributed to inexperience last week, but receivers also dropped some balls that could have made a difference. Going into the USC game, the Beavers boasted the top offense in the conference, and for them to have a shot of winning against the Bruins, the offensive line will have to get Anderson more time against a UCLA defensive line that's among the best in the conference.

UCLA (3-1)
Last week: Beat San Diego State 41-7
This week: Oregon State (3-1, 0-1)

Head coach Bob Toledo said he's decided to nix the experiment of giving freshman quarterback Drew Olson snaps while games are still on the line, after the signal-caller saw meaningful playing time in relief of senior Cory Paus during the team's four non-conference games. The plan was originally to not only give Olson useful experience, but also to see if he could provide an upgrade at the position if needed. After the freshman led the Bruins on a successful scoring drive against Colorado State, however, his play was lackluster and Toledo decided to scrap the idea heading into the always tough Pac-10 season.

No. 18 USC (3-1, 1-0)
Last week: Beat Oregon State 22-0
This week: No. 17 Washington State (4-1, 1-0)

USC is attempting to do what has proven to be almost impossible ÷ make a run at the Pac-10 conference title on the back of the defense, not offense. The Trojans are only giving up 205 yards a game and shut out Oregon State last week, a team that was leading the conference in total offense.

No. 12 Washington (3-1, 0-0)
Last week: Beat Idaho 41-27
This week: California (3-2, 0-1)

Washington has a high-powered offense of their own ÷ especially with word that standout receiver Reggie Williams is back to 100 percent after suffering a calf injury ÷ but Cal has put up plenty of points this season, and the Huskies' defense is looking at this game as a chance to prove they can shut down a good attack.

No. 17 Washington State
Last week: Beat California 48-38
This week: No. 18 USC (3-1, 1-0)

Quarterback Jason Gesser said his dislocated rib hasn't improved much despite being hit few times against Cal last week. Gesser said it hurts to sleep, but apparently the pain isn't stopping him from directing the Cougars' offense, as he led his team to an impressive second-half comeback last weekend. Head coach Mike Price said he's going to take it easy on his quarterback in practice this week, especially after hearing Trojans' defensive players say publicly that their goal in this weekend's match-up is to knock Gesser out of the game, like they did to Beavers quarterback Derek Anderson last weekend.