Pac-10 Football: Top Non-Conference Victories in the Pac-10
The Pac-10 has finally shredded its “USC-and-the-Nine-Dwarves” reputation and has shown that it is full of depth. ESPN.com’s conference power-rankings have the Pac-10 as the second strongest conference behind the SEC. The Pac-10 has had some big non-conference wins this year which have helped bolster its image and reputation.
Here is a look at a few of these wins. (Rankings shown reflect the rankings at the time the game was played)
Montana St. @ Washington St.
1 of 6
Although this game, had no implications as far as Pac-10 perception, it was big for the fans in Pullman because it ended Washington State’s 10-game losing streak and guaranteed they would finish the year with at least one win.
16 Stanford @ Notre Dame
2 of 6
The Cardinal’s 37-14 victory over the Fighting Irish gave the Cardinal their first 4-0 start since 1986. Kicker Nate Whitaker led the way for Stanford with five field goals.
This was the first time in the history of the series the Cardinal have won back-to-back matchups.
The win also set up this week’s top-ten showdown between the 9th ranked Stanford Cardinal and the 4th ranked Oregon Ducks.
7 Oregon @ Tennessee
3 of 6
Although Tennessee has been down lately, this was still a huge game for the Pac-10. To have a Pac-10 team go into SEC territory and come away with a win was huge.
The Ducks were favored in this game, so winning was not necessarily a big deal. Blowing out an SEC team 48-13 in front of their home crowd most definitely was.
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9 Iowa @ 24 Arizona
4 of 6
In the third week of the season, the Arizona Wildcats hosted the ninth-ranked Iowa Hawkeyes. While Nick Foles had been getting attention, the Wildcats had been flying under the radar.
A 34-27 victory over a top ten team certainly got the nation’s attention, as the Wildcats jumped all the way to 14th in the polls after the victory.
23 Houston @ UCLA
5 of 6
After an unimpressive 0-2 start, the Bruins shocked everyone by upsetting the 23rd ranked Houston Cougars. Although the outcome may have been different if Case Keenum had played the entire game, the 31-13 victory was huge for the Bruins and gave them the confidence they needed heading into week four…
UCLA @ 7 Texas
6 of 6
The biggest non- conference win of the season for the Pac-10 came last weekend as UCLA went into Austin, Texas and upset the seventh-ranked Longhorns. No one was expecting UCLA to dominate as they did and come away with the shocking 34-12 upset. The Bruins had just 27 passing yards, but were able to control the clock and dominate on the ground, as they rushed for 264 yards.
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