Last week was a topsy-turvy one in the Pac-10, what with Washington pulling off the stunning (although not so much to some) upset of USC, Oregon knocking off Utah, Oregon State failing to clip Cincinnati and Washington State actually beating somebody.

It was also a seismic week for my picks, which went haywire. Now that conference play is beginning in full swing, I’m hoping that things will stabilize a bit.

Perhaps the most consistent team in the Pac-10 so far has been California, and the No. 6 Golden Bears will get another test when they travel to Oregon this week. Jahvid Best has been bolstering his Heisman candidacy, and while you shouldn’t expect another five-TD performance against the Ducks, Best will be the Bears’ best weapon.

Oregon’s offense hasn’t been able to get back on track this season (last in the conference), even though they knocked off the ranked Utes last week, the Ducks don’t look to have the firepower to keep pace with Cal. Pick: Cal 34, Oregon 20.

No. 24 Washington at Stanford: After last week’s unbelievable upset of the Trojans, Steve Sarkisian is already being sainted by UW fans, and the Huskies, who just three weeks ago were still being viewed as a laughingstock by the national media, are now ranked. Will prosperity spoil the Huskies? A tough road trip to the Farm is their reward. Jim Harbaugh’s crew surely had this game marked as win before, but how do things change now that UW seems to have found its mojo? Well, the one thing Stanford can do is run, and that was the Huskies’ weakness last week (although USC seemed loath to exploit it). I think Toby Gerhart has a big day. Pick: Stanford 28, Washington 21

Arizona State at No. 21 Georgia: The Sun Devils have put up some gaudy defensive numbers this season, but they have come against two cupcakes. Now, we find out if Dennis Erickson’s crew is a paper tiger when they travel to a hostile SEC environment. The Bulldogs haven’t had problems scoring points, and while ASU may throw them a curve or two, I don’t think the Devils’ offense can keep up. Pick: Georgia 27, Arizona State 17.

Washington State at No. 12 USC: OK, so it’s clear that the Trojans are not going to run roughshod through the conference – they don’t seem to have the talent as some of the previous teams, although I would contend that playcalling was a major issue in last week’s loss. All that said, Matt Barkley and Taylor Mays will be back on the field, and the Trojans will be pissed off. The Cougars will be the unfortunate team in USC’s way. Pick: USC 44, Washington State 7.

Arizona at Oregon State: The Beavers’ defense was always a question mark, and last week Cincinnati took advantage of it in its victory. Now Oregon State must bounce back against an Arizona team that was overmatched in its game against Iowa. The Wildcats are making a QB change to provide a spark to their moribund offense, and in a game like this, I go with the sure things, which are the Rodgers brothers and the Beavers’ offense. Pick: Oregon State 30, Arizona 14.

Last week: 5-4
Overall: 20-7