After last week’s drubbing of USC, Trojan fans stepped out on the ledge and prepared to end their pathetic existence quicker than the end of the Trojan’s strangle-hold on the top spot of Pac-10.  Ouch, that’s harsh!

But as the senile old guy from College GameDay would say, “Not so fast, my friend.”

The Pac-10 is set up for a “perfect storm” of sorts and it gives the Trojan fans a glimmer of hope to make it through this weekend–when, most likely, everything falls apart and the Trojans are mathematically eliminated causing fans to take his or her place back on the proverbial ledge.

The Pac-10 could possibly end in a SIX-WAY TIE!  Sound crazy?  It would be.

But there is only one thing that can be certain at this point: No matter which one of the six teams wins the Pac-10 and goes to the Rose Bowl, all of them would BEAT THE PISS out of the Ohio State Buckeyes!

Here is how a six-way tie could happen:

Oregon Ducks (6-1) (against teams tied 2-3)

They are in the driver’s seat for the Pac-10 and at the end of the day, they should win their eighth conference title–which is one more than the Trojans have won in the last eight years.  But in the perfect storm this is what the Ducks need to do:

• Lose to Arizona (11/21)
• Lose to Oregon State (12/3)

Stanford Cardinals (6-2) (against teams tied 2-3)

After crushing Oregon and USC, the Cardinals have to drop one at home to their bay area rival, Cal-Berkeley.  The possibility for the Cardinals to trip up at home is there because it is a night game.  Stanford’s fans generally don’t show up for late games as the average age of a Cardinal fan is 74.  After hitting the Old Town Buffet at 4:30 p.m., they generally call it a night, except for the multiple trips to the bathroom.  No home field advantage for the mascot-less Cardinals.  But in the perfect storm this is what the Cardinals need to do:

• Lose to Cal-Berkeley (11/21)

Win against Notre Dame (11/28) – This game has no bearing on the Pac-10 race, but I hate the Irish and love to see them lose all the time!  Happy trails, Charlie Weis.

Oregon State (5-2) (against teams tied 3-2)

The Beavers would have to accomplish the truly unthinkable, and if it happens then “destiny” is a word you could use to describe USC football.  The Beavers would need to lose to the cellar-dwelling Cougars of Washington State, who are still without a Pac-10 win.  But we are dealing with the perfect storm and anything can happen, but after losing they would have to rebound to beat their in-state rival, Oregon.

• Lose to Washington State (11/21)
• Win against Oregon (12/3)

Arizona (4-2) (against teams tied 3-2)

The Wildcats are an awkward team.  As good as they are, and that is still a question, the Cats would need to be consistent down the stretch with a couple big wins, only to fall short in the finale.  However, that is how this season has been for Arizona who has experienced more ups-and-downs than Cal’s bus ride from NorCal to SoCal.  In this perfect storm, the Wildcats need to do the following:

• Win against Oregon (11/21)
• Win against Arizona State (11/28)
• Lose to USC (12/5)

Cal-Berkeley (4-3) (against teams tied 2-3)

As bad as the Bears have looked, it is unbelievable that they could end up snatching a share of the Pac-10 championship.  Their inconsistency was evident all season as they searched for leadership and for their stars to make big plays.  Jahvid Best is out for Saturday’s game but the Bears have won without him–just not against a team as good as Stanford.  The Bears, like Sarah Palin, have been counted out a time or two this year, but they still won’t go away.  In this perfect storm here is what the Bears need to accomplish:

• Win against Stanford (11/21)
• Win against Washington (12/5)

USC (4-3) (against teams tied 3-2)

The streak of seven-straight Pac-10 titles is still alive, but definitely on life support.  USC has looked OK, and god-awful all season long, and even during stretches of games.  Matt Barkley, the freshman golden boy of Pete Carroll, needs to play like a wiley veteran down the stretch as neither of their must-win games are gimmies; no matter what Trojan fan says.  Barkley should provide more handouts than the government as the key to a strong Trojan finish is by overworking the running backs.  This would complete the perfect storm but is it enough to keep the Trojan streak of four-straight Rose Bowls alive?

• Win against UCLA (11/28)
• Win against Arizona (12/5)

Who goes to the Rose Bowl when there is a six-way tie?

Rose Bowl Selection Procedure when there is a tie:

Two-team Tie: The head-to-head winner goes to the Rose Bowl.

Multiple-Team Tie: The combined records of all the multiple teams against each other are totaled and the team with the best record goes to the Rose Bowl.  If there is a tie, repeat the tiebreaker process between the teams.

The three teams with the best records against the six teams tied for the Pac-10 championship:  USC, Oregon State, Arizona.

After repeating the process, USC would receive the invitation to play demolish Ohio State in the Rose Bowl, and this would be another huge “WTF?” moment in college football.
With a rats chance in hell, the Trojan football team is sending an inspirational messages to their fans:

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