





If you’re a college football fan, now is the time to consult the Horace Greeley playbook.





It is time to go West.

From Oct. 5 through Nov. 7, the resurgent Pac-12 is the most interesting conference in the nation. It is the place to find the most relevant and competitive football. Check your local listings and stock up on caffeine if you must, but don’t miss what’s happening on the left coast.

Four teams from that league currently ranked in the AP Top 16 will play each other in a fascinating series of games that will have a major impact on the national picture: No. 5 Stanford beat No. 16 Washington last week (and the coaching crossfire from that 31-28 thriller is just not subsiding); No. 2 Oregon visits Washington this week; No. 11 UCLA plays at Stanford on Oct. 19 and at Oregon on Oct. 26; and then the Ducks visit the Cardinal on Thursday, Nov. 7, for a showdown that will be must-see TV.

The SEC can swagger back onto center stage after that, starting Nov. 9 when LSU visits Alabama. But until then, enjoy the Pac-12 renaissance in all its late-kickoff glory. “I’ve always thought (the league) was pretty good,” said 13-year Oregon State head coach Mike Riley, “but I think it’s at its best right now.”

[Watch: College football's Week 7 picks to win]

This is a league with just one bad loss in non-conference play: Riley’s Beavers were beaten 49-46 by FCS No. 6 Eastern Washington. There have been victories over Boise State, Nebraska, Wisconsin, Illinois, Tennessee and BYU. Ten of the 12 teams are ranked in Sagarin’s Top 50 – and one of the two outside that range, Colorado, is significantly improved over the previous two years.

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“From top to bottom, I’m really impressed with the Pac-12,” said Washington State coach Mike Leach, who was in the Big 12 during one of its heydays, with Oklahoma or Texas playing in five national championship games in a seven-year stretch. “The top of the conference is big, strong, physical, a lot like the Big 12 was. And the lower end of the Pac-12 is really strong. I don’t know who’s going to end up being there, because everyone’s beating everyone.”

Perhaps most impressive and surprising, the Pac-12 is this robust despite some significant changes in the last few years.

Jim Harbaugh left Stanford for the NFL in 2010 – and Stanford has continued to thrive. Few predicted that. Chip Kelly also left Oregon for the NFL – and while he’s only been gone half a season, early returns are that the Ducks are as dynamic as ever without the architect of their Blur Offense.

And the league has risen without much help from perennial kingpin USC. The Trojans are 3-2 and fired their coach, Lane Kiffin, and have not contributed a bowl victory to the league bragging rights since 2009. There was a time when the league was USC and a rotating cast of intermittent strivers. Today, the Trojans are just part of the pack.

Oregon is the national glam program – and Stanford, with its national appeal to high achievers and intellectuals, is not far behind. UCLA is adeptly carrying the banner for Los Angeles. Washington is working on its best season since 2000, and Washington State on its best since 2003. Arizona State and Arizona could both be on their way to their second straight eight-win seasons.

That kind of depth makes every Saturday an adventure.

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