COUGARS

Another week, another Wednesday of Pac-10 news. Yes, that's what Wednesday's are for. It's hump day, the last time folks look over their shoulder at the weekend just past and then begin to race down the hill to the next game. Read on.
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• Washington State: We had some notes on the blog last night, and we had our Pac-10 notebook in today's paper, along with the game of the week, which we have at the bottom of this section. ... ... Tomorrow could be a big day for one former Cougar. ... Speaking of former Cougars, here's a piece by one about another one who will be in Martin Stadium this weekend. ... Freelancer Howie Stalwick had this notebook today. ... Two former Cougars meet in a big game this weekend.

• Here's our Pac-10 game of the week ...

Stanford (1-0, 0-0 in Pac-10) at UCLA (0-1, 0-0)

7:30 p.m. Saturday; ESPN

Stanford has a tradition – OK, the past few years really don't qualify for traditional designation, but you get the picture – of playing an early September conference game. This season they play a UCLA team in danger of making its season irrelevant two weeks in. The Bruins received surprisingly solid offensive line play in their season-opening 31-22 loss at Kansas State, but quarterback Kevin Prince was just 9 of 26 passing. The Cardinal were not tested in their 52-17 rout of Sacramento State and they showcased the talents of their quarterback, Andrew Luck. The sophomore was 17 of 23 for 316 yards while tossing four touchdowns.

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• Around the Pac-10: Bud Withers did some reporting on conference realignment and his column has some information that differs with previous reports. ... A quick look around the Pac-10. ... The conference players of the week. ... ESPN.com's Ted Miller looks at the differences in the polls as they relate to the Pac-10. ... Washington: The Huskies had some injuries at practice. ... They want some turnovers, and we're not talking about the bakery products. ... Oregon State: Another thing the Rodgers brothers have down for the Beavers: Helped them make inroads in Texas recruiting. ... Oregon: The SEC? Big deal to Chip Kelly. After Tennessee this year, the Ducks will play LSU next year, both on the road. ... Former Duck player Justin Wilcox is in charge of the Vols' defense. ... Cal: The Bears spent $300,000 wisely. ... Stanford: The Cardinal lose their starting tight end for the season. ... Believe it or not, Jim Harbaugh has been at Stanford for four years. ... USC: Dillon Baxter took his punishment. Now it's time to play. ... UCLA: Quarterback Kevin Prince has more injury problems. ... Arizona State: The Sun Devils get a receiver back, though when he'll play is still undecided. ... Arizona: The Wildcats were looking for a lot of new players on defense. This freshman came through quickly. ... Comparing the worst teams to ever play in Tucson. And no, the Cougars are never mentioned.

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• That's all for this morning. We'll be back after practice with some notes and our story for tomorrow, which looks at tackling and how you improve at it. Until then ...

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