You Can’t Soft-Petal The Issue Let Rose Bowl Talk Begin

With another difficult November looming, Washington State football fans know better than to spend too much time talking about Pasadena.

The rest of us have no such worries, so let the speculation begin. Here’s how the Rose Bowl race breaks down:

As the only teams with undefeated records in the Pacific-10 Conference, Washington and Washington State can qualify by winning out.

UCLA would go if the Bruins win out and WSU loses twice.

Arizona State would go if the Sun Devils win out, UW loses twice and UCLA loses once.

Tiebreakers are decided first by head-to-head competition. If the teams did not play one another, a six-step point system is invoked.

If still tied, the qualifying team will be the one with the longest absence from the Rose Bowl (WSU hasn’t gone since 1931, the longest absence of any Pac-10 team).

Of course, if you have taken the time and energy to sift through the possibilities, you have probably already jinxed your favorite team. But there’s always next year.

Leaf bruises left shoulder in collision

WSU quarterback Ryan Leaf isn’t expected to miss any practice time after suffering a bruised non-throwing shoulder during the final 10 minutes of Wednesday’s practice, coach Mike Price said.

Leaf’s left shoulder collided with a teammate’s helmet after an attempted hand-off.

“He’s going to be fine,” Price said. “It was just a real freaky thing. I just got done watching it on film, and you can hardly tell when it happened.”

The Cougars visit Arizona State this weekend. The Sun Devils are favored by two points and can’t wait to get their hands on Leaf.

“I hope all that cockiness starts to drain out of him when we start hitting him,” ASU defensive tackle Jeremy Staat said. “He’s a big target. If we keep hitting him enough, if we do our job … we can shut the whole thing down.”

Sophomore cornerback Courtney Jackson was more diplomatic.

“He’s tearing it up,” Jackson said. “The thing I like about him is he doesn’t get rattled too easy. He’s gutsy.”

UW lineman ailing

Benji Olson, Washington’s All-America offensive guard, has been sidelined by recurring back pain. His availability for this week’s game against USC is not yet known.

Brad Hutt replaced Olson during the second half of the Huskies’ 45-17 victory over Oregon State last week. Olson had micro-surgery to relieve disk problems in his back last spring, but he was expected to be near 100 percent this season.

“I’ll probably have it checked out after the Apple Cup,” Olson said. “I’m just going with the flow right now, trying to take it easy and see how it feels.”

Olson and Hutt could end up sharing playing time for the rest of the season.

McNown pulls reversal

When UCLA’s Cade McNown threw 12 touchdowns and 16 interceptions last season, he was arguably the Pac-10’s worst quarterback.

More than halfway through this season, McNown leads the nation in passing efficiency. During the Bruins’ six-game winning streak, he has completed 62 percent of his passes while throwing 14 touchdowns and two interceptions.

Around the conference

WSU averages 6.9 yards per offensive play, best in the nation. Perhaps surprisingly, WSU’s defense is allowing only 4.4 yards per play, best in the conference… . With 13 touchdown passes, Arizona quarterback Ortege Jenkins already ranks sixth on the Wildcats’ single-season list. Marc Reed set the record by throwing 20 in 1966. Leaf has 22 through seven games and needs just three more to break Timm Rosenbach’s single-season record, set in 1998.

After Arizona gained only 73 yards on 38 carries, coach Dick Tomey had nothing but praise for WSU’s defensive line: “They whipped us up front. Those guys are all NFL guys.” … ASU tailback J.R. Redmond has recovered from a hip injury and is expected to play against WSU. Redmond averages 91 yards per game and 6.4 yards per carry… . USC quarterback John Fox played poorly in the second half of last week’s 24-22 win over Oregon and could be demoted. Freshman Mike Van Raaphorst has been taking additional snaps in practice, and offensive coordinator Hue Jackson is expected to make an announcement later this week.

USC receiver Mike Bastianelli has been cleared by the NCAA after serving a two-game suspension imposed by USC. Bastianelli was punished for receiving improper assistance on a paper two years ago. Other USC players remain under NCAA scrutiny, including star receiver R. Jay Soward… . UCLA sophomore receiver Brad Melsbyreturned to the team this week after a two-month leave of absence. Melsby has battled depression and exhaustion since leaving the team in training camp. Melsby will play with the scout team this week and use the Nov. 8 bye to regain playing shape.

Stanford coach Tyrone Willingham possesses a 6-1 record in November, but he could really use a couple more defensive backs. Since losing safety Tim Smith to a seasonending knee injury, the Stanford secondary has been a quarterback’s best friend. UCLA’s McNown gets his shot this week… . When Texas basketball coach Tom Penders took a recruit to the UCLA-Texas football game in September, he was hardly fazed when the Bruins romped to a 66-3 victory. “See,” Penders told the recruit, “I told you Texas is a basketball school.”

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