Stanford gets no respect.
Well, OK, academically it does. But the Cardinal aren’t getting a lot of love when it comes to football poll voters.
Stanford is 4-1 overall, with its only loss coming on the road to Wake Forest – in the final two seconds. The Cardinal also rank atop the Pacific-10 Conference at 3-0.
The No. 13 Oregon Ducks are the only other undefeated team in Pac-10 play, but they’ve played only two league games so far.
Cardinal coach Jim Harbaugh suggested that since it has been a while since Stanford has had a national profile in football, it may take some time to grab attention.
“The respect, that has to be earned,” Harbaugh said.
Stanford officially was ranked outside of the Top 25 at No. 29 in the AP Poll. In the USA Today Poll of coaches, the Cardinal was ranked 30th.
Stanford’s most recent victory came over UCLA 24-16.
“I don’t understand what you have to do to get into the Top 25,” said Bruins coach Rick Neuheisel.
ford has scored six points or less in three of its last four visits to Corvallis.
The Beavers have won eight of the last 12 games, but the Cardinal won 36-28 last year in the season opener.
Oregon State coach Mike Riley believes Stanford should be ranked given the team’s only loss came on the road against the Demon Deacons.
“They’ve done exceedingly well since that,” Riley said.
When it comes down to it, Stanford is just two wins away from bowl eligibility. But the Cardinal have a tough road to the postseason.
After facing the Arizona schools, Stanford hosts No. 13 Oregon the first week of November before visiting USC. The Cardinal finishes out the month with the Big Game against California before hosting Notre Dame in the finale.
“We’re a blue-collar team,” Harbaugh said. “Blue-collar teams don’t need to be ranked right now. If we deserve that, we’ll muscle our way in.”
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LOW LOCKER: Washington coach Steve Sarkisian thought Jake Locker deserved a “mulligan” after the Notre Dame game.
Locker didn’t speak to reporters after the 37-30 loss to Notre Dame on Saturday, but both Sarkisian and Locker insisted Monday this wasn’t because Locker is a sore loser.
Locker, always gracious with the media, was simply bummed.
“It was difficult after the game; I’m not going to lie to you,” he said.
final seconds to force overtime but ultimately fell short.
And there were some disputed calls. One of the most notable came when running back Chris Polk appeared to score a touchdown in the fourth quarter that would have put Washington ahead 31-22 with about seven minutes to go.
The call on the field was a touchdown, but replay officials overturned the ruling, saying Polk’s knee hit the turf before the ball crossed the goal line.
Washington athletic director Scott Woodward told the Seattle Times that he has asked for a review of some of the calls.
Woodward spoke to Pac-10 commissioner Larry Scott and asked for a review of the overturned touchdown and one other call in Saturday’s game.
“There are going to be mistakes in every game,” Woodward told the Seattle Times. “What you try to do is get better and fix them so it doesn’t happen (in the future). … (Officiating) will continue to get better as long as we continue to question and judge what goes on. It’s human nature.”
After the loss, Locker did not speak to the media for the first time in his career.
He said Monday he didn’t “want to have to sit up here today and explain anything” he might have said afterward.
“I felt bad for our guys, I felt bad for our coaches,” Locker said. “When you put that much effort into something, it’s hard to not get the outcome that you’d like.”
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Wulff is under fire. Again.
Seen overall as a coach who cares about his players, critics point out that Wulff is 3-15 in one and a half seasons. That’s the worst start for a coach in Cougars history.
The fan debate surrounding Wulff heated up again after Washington State’s 52-6 loss at Oregon last Saturday.
In his favor, the Cougars (1-4, 0-3) are a very young team that has been beset by injuries this season. They started seven freshman against the Ducks.
Athletic director Jim Sterk has repeatedly backed Wulff, who is signed to a five-year deal.
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HONORS: Oregon State flanker James Rodgers and USC safety Taylor Mays and punt returner Damian Williams were named conference players of the week.
Rodgers had 10 catches for 114 yards and finished with 209 all-purpose yards in Oregon State’s 28-17 victory at Arizona State. He leads the league with an average of 7.4 catches and 93.2 receiving yards per game.
“James Rodgers is the most conscientious guy,” coach Mike Riley said. “Since he started playing receiver when he came here, he has just tried to learn and work very hard at it.”
Mays had 10 tackles, six solo, and an end zone interception in USC’s 30-3 victory at California.
Teammate Williams returned a punt 66 yards for a touchdown and had eight receptions for 101 yards on offense.
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