College Football Power Rankings, Week 9: Pac-10 Wide Receivers
Week 8 was a busy one for wideouts in the West, with teams putting up points left and right while quarterbacks happily distributed the ball to their favorite targets.
Even so, there wasn't exactly a ton of movement in the rankings from last week. One can only look to the three members of last week's edition who were inactive this week for the obstruction, and, of course, the stellar performances turned in by those at or near the top.
Next week's edition should be a different story, with every Pac-10 team engaged in a conference melee this Saturday.
10. Doug Baldwin, Stanford
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Starting off this week's edition of the rankings is Stanford's Doug Baldwin, who finds himself one spot lower in the rankings, though not necessarily for poor performance.
Baldwin turned in a solid effort in the No. 13 Cardinal's 38-28 win against Washington State, accounting for five catches, 49 yards and a touchdown.
Unfortunately for Baldwin, there were too many other outstanding games turned in by Pac-10 wideouts this week that the only way he could move was down.
But never fear, Stanford fans! A matchup this week with Washington should yield a good game for Baldwin and the Cardinal's aerial attack, after the Huskies' secondary got torn to shreds by Arizona.
Last week's ranking: ninth
9. Marvin Jones, Cal
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After slip-sliding down and out of the power rankings over the past few weeks, Cal's Marvin Jones finally put himself back in the mix with a stellar showing in the Bears' 50-17 demolition of Arizona State.
Sure, Jones only managed four catches, but he made each one count, accruing 110 yards and a touchdown.
Will Jones keep the balling rolling against a rested Oregon State squad? Tune in on Saturday to find out.
Last week's ranking: not ranked
8. Jared Karstetter, Washington State
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Quick, name the Pac-10 leader in receptions.
Okay, maybe it's too obvious to propose the question in association with a specific receiver, but yes, Washington State's Jared Karstetter currently leads the conference in receptions with 44.
Karstetter found his way to the top of that heap after pulling in another nine Jeff Tuel passes for 101 yards and two touchdowns while leading a furious, if ultimately futile, fourth-quarter Cougar comeback against Stanford.
Should Karstetter keep it up, he'll undoubtedly find himself moving up the list at a speedy pace.
Last week's ranking: eighth
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7. Markus Wheaton, Oregon State
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Markus Wheaton finds himself back in the seven-spot after he and his Oregon State 'mates had the week off.
Should the Beavers' upcoming bout with the Cal Bears turn into the shootout that everyone expects it to be, Wheaton could very well find himself much higher in the rankings next week.
Last week's ranking: seventh
6. Jermaine Kearse, Washington
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Like the rest of the Huskies, Jermaine Kearse didn't exactly play his best against No. 15 Arizona.
After climbing back toward the top of the previous rankings with a 146-yard, four-touchdown performance against Oregon State, Kearse mustered four catches for 47 yards and a touchdown.
Respectable, to be sure, but not exactly spectacular.
A big game against Stanford would go a long way toward putting Kearse back with the creme de la creme.
Last week's ranking: third
5. Juron Criner, Arizona
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Add Juron Criner to the list of top-notch Week 8 performers whose progress up the charts was impeded by the inactivity of some and the stellar play of others.
Though Arizona's leading receiver is one spot up from where he was a week ago, his play against Washington (eight catches, 108 yards and a touchdown) would normally merit a greater rise in the ranks.
Criner will have plenty of opportunities to continue his climb back to the top against a banged up and suspect UCLA secondary on Saturday.
Last week's ranking: sixth
4. Ronald Johnson, USC
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Ronald Johnson finds himself back at the four-spot after USC took the week off.
He and the Trojans will have their work cut out for them this Saturday when No. 1 Oregon comes to town.
Last week's ranking: fourth
3. Marquess Wilson, Washington State
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Want proof that defense wins football games?
The Pac-10 leaders in passing yardage (Jeff Tuel), receptions (Karstetter) and receiving yards (Marquess Wilson) all play for Washington State, which is currently 1-7 on the season, including 0-5 in conference play.
Nonetheless, it'd be unfair to fault any of those three for the Cougars' failures.
Particularly Wilson, the true freshman wideout who has taken the stat sheets by storm while making nary a peep on the college football airwaves, thanks in large part to the ineptitude of his team.
The trend continued in the Cougs' loss to Stanford, with Wilson picking up another six catches for 150 yards and a touchdown.
Last week's ranking: fifth
2. Jeff Maehl, Oregon
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Marquess Wilson's story is very similar to Jeff Maehl's, except Maehl's team has been winning, of course.
Amidst what was essentially a clinic against hapless UCLA, Maehl did his thing, hauling in eight passes for 107 yards and a touchdown.
With a matchup this weekend against the one player ahead of him on this list, Maehl has a great shot at finally reaching the summit of the power rankings.
Last week's ranking: second
1. Robert Woods, USC
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The man that Maehl has his eyes on, of course, is USC's Robert Woods.
After a week off, Lane Kiffin will have Woods and the Trojans ready to play Oregon in an unfamiliar position, as hosts to a visiting No. 1 team.
The Trojans will need a big game from Matt Barkley if they hope to win. Should Barkley come through, expect Woods to be the biggest beneficiary.
Last week's ranking: first
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