2009 Pacific-10 Conference football season

The 2009 Pacific-10 Conference football season started on Thursday, September 3, 2009. Oregon won the Pac-10 title, which had been held by USC for the past seven years. Seven conference teams were invited to participate in post season bowl games, with only UCLA and USC winning their bowl games.

2009 Pacific-10 Conference football season
#193980
LeagueNCAA Division I FBS (Football Bowl Subdivision)
Sportfootball
DurationSeptember 3, 2009
through January 1, 2010
Number of teams10
2010 NFL Draft
Top draft pickDT Tyson Alualu, California
Picked byJacksonville Jaguars, 10th overall
Regular season
ChampionOregon Ducks
  Runners-upStanford Cardinal
Arizona Wildcats
Oregon State Beavers
Football seasons
← 2008
2010 →
2009 Pacific-10 Conference football standings
Conf Overall
Team   W   L     W   L  
No. 11 Oregon $   8 1     10 3  
Arizona   6 3     8 5  
Oregon State   6 3     8 5  
Stanford   6 3     8 5  
No. 22 USC   5 4     9 4  
California   5 4     8 5  
Washington   4 5     5 7  
UCLA   3 6     7 6  
Arizona State   2 7     4 8  
Washington State   0 9     1 11  
  • $ – BCS representative as conference champion
Rankings from AP Poll

Previous season

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During the 2008 NCAA Division I FBS football season, all five Pac-10 teams won their bowl games:

Preseason

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Pre-season poll voted on by the media during the Pacific-10 Football Media Day, with the number of first-place votes shown in parentheses:[1]

  1. USC (28)
  2. California (3)
  3. Oregon (1)
  4. Oregon State
  5. Arizona State
  6. Stanford
  7. UCLA
  8. Arizona
  9. Washington
  10. Washington State

Rankings

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Highlights

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September

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  • September 3, 2009 – In the first game of the season for both teams, #14 Oregon was upset by #16 Boise State, 19-8.
  • September 12, 2009 – UCLA defeated Tennessee, 19-15, before a crowd of 102,239 at Neyland Stadium. A last-minute Volunteers drive was stopped by the Bruins at the goal line.
  • September 12, 2009 – With 1:05 left, USC's Stafon Johnson scored on a 2-yard run for a touchdown to give the Trojans an 18-15 win over Ohio State in front of a record 106,033 fans in Columbus.
  • September 19, 2009 – The unranked Washington upset #3 ranked USC 16-13 in Seattle after Erik Folk scored the winning field goal. The Huskies would be ranked 25th the following day.
  • September 26, 2009 – Oregon pulled an upset of #6 ranked California, 42-3 at Autzen Stadium.

October

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  • October 3, 2009 – Stanford ended UCLA's unbeaten record, winning 24-16 at Stanford; California lost their second conference game, 30-3 to USC; Oregon won their fourth in a row with a 52-6 victory over Washington State. Oregon State beat Arizona State 28-17 at Sun Devil Stadium. It was Oregon State's first win over Arizona State at Sun Devil Stadium in 40 years.
  • October 10, 2009 – Oregon won its fifth consecutive game, 24-10 over UCLA; Stanford lost its first conference game, 38-28 to Oregon State at Reser Stadium, Corvallis.
  • October 17, 2009 – California won its first conference game against UCLA, the first win for the Bears in Southern California during Jeff Tedford's tenure as head coach. Cal had previously been 0-7 on the road against USC and UCLA.
  • October 17, 2009 – USC held off Notre Dame for their eighth consecutive win over the Fighting Irish, 34-27.
  • October 24, 2009 – The week's Pac-10 game of the week featured Oregon State against USC. The Beavers had the longest road winning streak at five games and had beaten the Trojans twice in their previous three meetings. USC had won 46 of the last 47 home games, not allowing more than 10 points at the Coliseum since mid-2007, and had surrendered a total of 38 points during the last ten home games. The Trojans managed to hold off the Beavers and win 42-36.
  • October 31, 2009 – The Halloween match-up between USC (BCS No. 5) and Oregon (BCS No. 10) could determine the conference champion. USC had lost three in a row in the state of Oregon prior to the game.[2] ESPN's College Gameday broadcast from Eugene. The Ducks won, 47-20, to stay on top of the conference standings. The defeat was the worst in the Pete Carroll era, giving up the most points and by the largest margin.[3]
  • October 31, 2009 – With 21 seconds left in the game, Giorgio Tavecchio kicked a 24-yard field goal to give California a comeback victory over Arizona State, 23-21.[4]
  • October 31, 2009 – Behind 19-3 in the fourth quarter, UCLA rallied back with two passing touchdowns and two two-point conversions to tie the game against Oregon State. James Rodgers scored for the Beavers in less than two minutes to pull out a win at home, 26-19.[5]

November

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  • November 7, 2009 - #7 Oregon's undefeated conference season came to an end at Stanford, being upset 51-42. Stanford became bowl-eligible for the first time since 2001 and earned a Top 25 ranking at #25. Running back Toby Gerhart ran for a school record 223 yards. Both teams have five victories in the Pac-10 championship race.
  • November 7, 2009 - Oregon State upsets #23 California, with the Bears' last home victory against the Beavers being in 1997.
  • November 14, 2009 - With the conference wide open, Toby Gerhart and the #25 Stanford Cardinal pulled their second upset in a row with a 55-21 road victory over #11 USC, the most points ever surrendered by the Trojans. USC has lost three of five at home to Stanford during the last ten years (2001, 2007, and 2009).
  • November 14, 2009 - Oregon State defeated Washington, 48-21, to stay in the hunt for the conference championship.
  • November 14, 2009 - California hung on to upset #18 Arizona 24-16 in the Golden Bears' final home season game.
  • November 14, 2009 - With UCLA's 43-7 win over Washington State and Oregon's 44-21 win over Arizona State, four teams scored over 40 points.
  • November 21, 2009 - #11 Oregon at Arizona was the game-of-the-week, with both teams playing for a trip to the Rose Bowl on New Year's Day. Arizona has never been to the Rose Bowl while Oregon has not been there since the 1994 season. In double overtime, Oregon came back to win the game 44-41.
  • November 21, 2009 - #25 California upsets #17 Stanford in the 112th Big Game 34-28 to retain possession of the Stanford Axe, ending the Cardinal's Rose Bowl hopes. Stanford had scored 106 points in its past two games in victories over Oregon and USC.
  • November 21, 2009 - #19 Oregon State defeats Washington State 42-10 to set up a head-to-head matchup against Oregon in the Civil War to decide the conference champion.
  • November 28, 2009 - Rivalry Week: UCLA vs. USC, WSU vs. Washington, ASU vs. Arizona. The winners were Arizona 20-17, Washington 30-0, and USC 28-7.
  • November 28, 2009 - Stanford rallied to defeat Notre Dame for the first time since 2001, 45-38.

December

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  • December 3, 2009 - Oregon defeats Oregon State 37-33 in the Civil War to claim the conference championship and earn a spot in the 2010 Rose Bowl against Ohio State, Oregon's first trip since the 1995 Rose Bowl.
  • December 5, 2009 - With Arizona defeating #20 USC 21-17, Arizona State became the only school in the Pac-10 that has not beaten the Trojans at least once during the Pete Carroll era.
  • December 5, 2009 - Washington upsets #19 California 42-10, becoming the eleventh FBS team since 1946 to follow a winless 2008 season with five victories.
  • December 12, 2009 – Army fell short of bowl eligibility by losing 17-3 in the Army-Navy game to allow UCLA to go to the EagleBank Bowl, scheduled for December 29, 2009.

Notes

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  • September 3 - Oregon running back LeGarrette Blount was suspended by the university for the season after he punched Boise State defensive end Byron Hout in the chin after Hout had taunted him in front of Boise State head coach Chris Petersen at the end of their season opening game.[6] Blount was reinstated on November 9, 2009 with the approval of the conference.
  • September 28 - A weight room accident ended USC tailback Stafon Johnson's season.[7]
  • The Pac-10 will use football stars in a new promotion: California's Aaron Rodgers; Oregon's Joey Harrington; Oregon State's Mike Riley (coach); Southern California's Pete Carroll (coach), Marcus Allen, and Carson Palmer; Washington's Warren Moon; and Washington State's Drew Bledsoe.
  • The media's only correct pre-season prediction was on Washington State.
  • December 12 - Stanford running back Toby Gerhart finishes second to Alabama running back Mark Ingram II in the closest vote in Heisman Trophy history.
  • December 17 - It was reported that Joe McKnight, USC tailback, may have violated NCAA rules by driving a sport utility vehicle owned by a Santa Monica businessman.
  • January 1, 2010 - With Oregon's loss to Ohio State in the Rose Bowl, the Pac-10's bowl record for the 2009 season was 2-5. The previous season all five Pac-10 teams to receive bowl bids won their bowl games.
  • January 10, 2010 – USC head coach Pete Carroll told his players that he will resign his position with the Trojans and become the new head coach of the Seattle Seahawks.[8]
  • January 13, 2010 – Tennessee head coach Lane Kiffin was named the new head coach of the Trojans. He had been an assistant coach at USC from 2001 to 2006 under Pete Carroll, including a stint as offensive coordinator.
  • January 25, 2010 – California announced a $321 million retrofit of Memorial Stadium to begin in June.
  • February 18, 2010 – Cal's defensive coordinator Bob Gregory left for Boise State and was replaced by Clancy Pendergast, former defensive coordinator for the Oakland Raiders.[9] Stanford replaced defensive coordinator Ron Lynn with Vic Fangio, who had formerly been with the Baltimore Ravens. Former Chicago Bears offensive coordinator Ron Turner will be quarterbacks and wide receivers coach and former Minnesota Vikings assistant Derek Mason will be the defensive backs coach at Stanford.[10]
  • February 21, 2010 – At Oregon, LaMichael James was arrested on February 17 and pleaded not guilty to charges of fourth-degree assault, physical harassment and strangulation. Oregon kicker Rob Beard and defensive end Matt Simms were cited for misdemeanor assault investigation. Simms was dismissed from the team and kicker Mike Bowlin left the team. Simms and Beard have pleaded not guilty. Jamere Holland was dismissed from the Oregon football team for his Facebook comments.[11]
  • April 22, 2010 - Cal defensive end Tyson Alualu and running back Jahvid Best were selected as the 10th and 30th overall picks in the 2010 NFL draft, respectively. They were the only Pac-10 players to be drafted in the first round. This also marked the first time since 2003 that two Cal players had been drafted in the first round of the NFL Draft.[12]
  • April 22–24, 2010 - Twenty eight players were selected in the 2010 NFL draft. USC had the most players selected, with seven. Arizona State had four, California, Oregon, Stanford, and UCLA each had three, Arizona and Washington had two each, and Oregon State had one player selected. No players from Washington State were drafted.

Players of the week

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Cal's Shane Vereen (no. 34) takes the handoff from Kevin Riley (no. 13) at the Cal-UCLA game
Week Offensive Defensive Special teams
Player Team Player Team Player Team
1 – Sep. 5 Kevin Riley, QB CAL Mike Nixon, OLB ASU Chris Owusu, KR STAN
2 – Sep. 12 Joe McKnight, TB USC Reggie Carter, MLB UCLA Kai Forbath, PK UCLA
3 – Sep. 19 Jahvid Best, TB CAL Donald Butler, ILB WASH Erik Folk, PK WASH
4 – Sep. 26 Ed Dickson, TE ORE Devin Ross, CB ARZ Chris Owusu, KR STAN
5 – Oct. 3 James Rodgers, WR OSU Taylor Mays, FS USC Damian Williams, PR USC
6 – Oct. 10 Jacquizz Rodgers, RB OSU Mason Foster, OLB WASH Kenjon Barner, KR ORE
7 – Oct. 17 Nick Foles, QB ARIZ Jurrell Casey, NT USC Bryan Anger, P CAL
8 – Oct. 24 Allen Bradford, TB USC Cam Nelson, FS ARIZ Damian Williams, PR USC
9 – Oct. 31 LaMichael James, RB ORE Mike Mohamed, ILB CAL Justin Kahut, PK OSU
10 - Nov. 7 Toby Gerhart, RB STAN Will Harris, SS, USC Nate Whitaker, PK STAN
11 - Nov. 14 Toby Gerhart, RB STAN Akeem Ayers, OLB UCLA Giorgio Tavecchio, PK CAL
12 - Nov. 21 Jeremiah Masoli, QB ORE Mike Mohamed, ILB CAL Nate Costa, H ORE
13 - Nov. 28 Toby Gerhart, RB STAN Malcolm Smith, OLB USC Alex Zendejas, K ARIZ
14 – Dec. 7 Jake Locker, QB WASH Earl Mitchell, DT ARIZ Justin Kahut, K OSU

[13]

Pac-10 vs. BCS matchups

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Date Visitor Home Winner Notes
September 5 LSU Washington LSU
September 5 Maryland Cal Cal
September 12 UCLA Tennessee UCLA UCLA's second straight win against Tennessee
September 12 USC Ohio State USC USC won with a late touchdown
September 12 Purdue Oregon Oregon
September 19 Arizona Iowa Iowa
September 19 Cal Minnesota Cal
September 19 Kansas State UCLA UCLA
September 19 Cincinnati Oregon State Cincinnati Oregon State's first non-conference home loss since 1996.
September 26 Arizona State Georgia Georgia
October 3 Washington Notre Dame Notre Dame Overtime
October 17 USC Notre Dame USC USC's eighth consecutive win over Notre Dame
October 31 Washington State Notre Dame Notre Dame Played at the Alamodome in San Antonio, Texas
November 28 Notre Dame Stanford Stanford Stanford's first win over Notre Dame since 2001

Bowl games

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Bowl Date Winner* Score Loser* Score Location Time+ Network Pac-10's
Record
Notes
Las Vegas Bowl December 22, 2009 BYU 44 Oregon State 20 Las Vegas 5:00 PM ESPN 0–1 BYU's fifth straight appearance in the Las Vegas Bowl; Oregon State lost its first bowl game since 2002
Poinsettia Bowl December 23, 2009 Utah 37 California 27 San Diego, California 5:00 PM ESPN 0–2 Utah earned its ninth straight bowl victory; Cal lost its first bowl game since 2004
Emerald Bowl December 26, 2009 USC 24 Boston College 13 San Francisco, California 5:00 PM ESPN 1–2 USC's first non-BCS Bowl appearance since 2001
EagleBank Bowl December 29, 2009 UCLA 30 Temple 21 Washington, D.C. 1:30 PM ESPN 2–2 UCLA scored 13 unanswered points in the fourth quarter to come from behind and win its first bowl game since 2005
Holiday Bowl December 30, 2009 Nebraska 33 Arizona 0 San Diego, California 5:00 PM ESPN 2–3 Rematch of the 1998 Holiday Bowl, which Arizona won 23–20; Arizona's second Holiday Bowl appearance since 1998; first shutout in Holiday Bowl history
Sun Bowl December 31, 2009 Oklahoma 31 Stanford 27 El Paso, Texas 11:00 AM CBS 2–4 First bowl game for Stanford since 2001; Oklahoma's first bowl win since 2005
Rose Bowl January 1, 2010 Ohio State 26 Oregon 17 Pasadena, California 2:00 PM ABC 2–5 Oregon's second Rose Bowl appearance since 1958; Ohio State's first bowl win since 2006; Oregon's first bowl loss since 2006
*Pac-10 team is bolded. +Time given is Pacific Time

Head coaches

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Awards and honors

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Doak Walker Award

  • Toby Gerhart, RB, Stanford

Lou Groza Award

Tom Hansen Conference Medal[14]

All-Americans

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Walter Camp Football Foundation All-America:

  • Place kicker Kai Forbath, UCLA, first team All-America
  • Defensive tackle Brian Price, UCLA, second-team All-America
  • Safety Rahim Moore, UCLA, second-team All-America

FWAA All-America Team:

  • Toby Gerhart, RB, Stanford
  • Kai Forbath, PK, UCLA

Sporting News All-America team:

  • Kai Forbath, PK, UCLA (first-team)
  • Brian Price, DT, UCLA (second-team)
  • Rahim Moore, S, UCLA (third-team)

AFCA Coaches' All-Americans First Team:

  • Toby Gerhart, RB, Stanford
  • Brian Price, DL, UCLA
  • Kai Forbath, PK, UCLA

ESPN All-America team:

  • Kai Forbath, PK, UCLA
  • Brian Price, DT, UCLA

All-Pac-10 teams

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  • Offensive Player of the Year: Toby Gerhart, RB, Stanford
  • Pat Tillman Defensive Player of the Year: Brian Price, DT, UCLA
  • Offensive Freshman of the Year: LaMichael James, RB, Oregon
  • Defensive Freshman of the Year: Vontaze Burfict, MLB, Arizona State
  • Coach of the Year: Chip Kelly, Oregon
  • Charles Brown, OT, USC, Morris Trophy winner
  • Stephen Paea, DT, Oregon State, Morris Trophy winner

First Team:

Pos. Name Yr. School Pos. Name Yr. School Pos. Name Yr. School
Offense
Defense
Specialists
QB Sean Canfield Sr. Oregon State DL Brian Price Jr. UCLA PK Kai Forbath Jr. UCLA
RB Toby Gerhart Sr. Stanford DL Stephen Paea Jr. Oregon State P Bryan Anger So. California
RB Jacquizz Rodgers So. Oregon State DL Tyson Alualu Sr. California KOR Chris Owusu So. Stanford
WR James Rodgers Jr. Oregon State DL Dexter Davis Sr. Arizona State PR Damian Williams Jr. USC
WR Damian Williams Jr. USC LB Keaton Kristick Sr. Oregon State ST Suaesi Tuimaunei Jr. Oregon State
TE Ed Dickson Sr. Oregon LB Mike Mohamed Jr. California
OL Chris Marinelli Sr. Stanford LB Reggie Carter Sr. UCLA
OL Mike Tepper Sr. California DB Rahim Moore So. UCLA
OL Jeff Byers Sr. USC DB Syd'Quan Thompson Sr. California
OL Charles Brown Sr. USC DB Taylor Mays Sr. USC
OL Gregg Peat Sr. Oregon State DB Alterraun Verner Sr. UCLA

ST=special teams player (not a kicker or returner)

All-Academic

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First Team:

Pos. Name School Yr. GPA Major
Offense
QB Andrew Luck Stanford RFr. 3.55 Undeclared
RB Josh Catron Stanford Sr. 3.48 Economics
RB Toby Gerhart Stanford Sr. 3.25 Management Science & Engineering
WR Casey Kjos Oregon State (2) Jr. 3.63 Psychology & Sociology
WR Alex Lagemann California Jr. 3.68 Media Studies
TE David Paulson Oregon So. 3.68 Business Administration
OL Mark Boskovich California (2) Jr. 3.73 Political Science
OL Micah Hannam Washington State (2) Jr. 3.59 Civil Engineering
OL Andrew Phillips Stanford Jr. 3.53 Classics
OL Chris Prummer Washington State Jr. 3.88 Zoology
OL Carson York Oregon RFr. 3.70 Journalism
Defense
DL Kevin Frahm Oregon State So. 3.24 Political Science
DL Kevin Kooyman Washington State Sr. 3.16 Management and Operations
DL Erik Lorig Stanford Sr. 3.12 Public Policy
DL Tom McAndrew Stanford Sr. 3.58 Science, Technology and Society
LB Mike Mohamed California Sr. 3.43 Business Administration
LB Mike Nixon Arizona State Sr. 4.07 Political Science
LB Will Powers Stanford Sr. 3.48 Classics
DB Victor Aiyewa Washington Jr. 3.36 Sociology
DB Cameron Collins Oregon State So. 3.37 Business
DB Jay Matthews Washington State RFr. 3.68 Undeclared
DB Chima Nwachukwu Washington State Jr. 3.45 Political Science
Specialists
PK Nate Whitaker Stanford Jr. 3.38 Engineering
P Jeff Locke UCLA RFr. 3.69 Undeclared
RS Taylor Kavanaugh Oregon State Sr. 3.28 Construction Engineering

[15] (2) Two-time first-team All-Academic selection; (3) Three-time first-team All-Academic selection

Round Overall pick NFL team Player Position College
1 10 Jacksonville Jaguars Tyson Alualu Defensive tackle California
1 30 Detroit Lions Jahvid Best Running back California
2 35 Tampa Bay Buccaneers Brian Price Defensive tackle UCLA
2 38 Cleveland Browns T. J. Ward Safety Oregon
2 42 New England Patriots Rob Gronkowski Tight end Arizona
2 49 San Francisco 49ers Taylor Mays Safety USC
2 51 Minnesota Vikings Toby Gerhart Running back Stanford
2 64 New Orleans Saints Charles Brown Offensive tackle USC
3 70 Baltimore Ravens Ed Dickson Tight end Oregon
3 77 Tennessee Titans Damian Williams Wide receiver USC
3 79 San Diego Chargers Donald Butler Linebacker Washington
3 81 Houston Texans Earl Mitchell Defensive tackle Arizona
3 86 Philadelphia Eagles Daniel Te'o-Nesheim Defensive end Washington
3 92 Cleveland Browns Shawn Lauvao Offensive tackle Arizona State
3 94 Indianapolis Colts Kevin Thomas Cornerback USC
4 100 Minnesota Vikings Everson Griffen Defensive end USC
4 104 Tennessee Titans Alterraun Verner Cornerback UCLA
4 111 Seattle Seahawks Walter Thurmond Cornerback Oregon
4 112 New York Jets Joe McKnight Running back USC
6 185 Seattle Seahawks Anthony McCoy Tight end USC
6 190 Oakland Raiders Travis Goethel Linebacker Arizona State
6 206 San Francisco 49ers Kyle Williams Wide receiver Arizona State
7 219 Washington Redskins Terrence Austin Wide receiver UCLA
7 225 Denver Broncos Syd'Quan Thompson Cornerback California
7 233 Arizona Cardinals Jim Dray Tight end Stanford
7 236 Seattle Seahawks Dexter Davis Linebacker Arizona State
7 239 New Orleans Saints Sean Canfield Quarterback Oregon State
7 253 Tampa Bay Buccaneers Erik Lorig Defensive end Stanford

References

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  1. ^ Bruins Picked To Finish Seventh In Pac-10 Conference Football Archived 2011-07-25 at the Wayback Machine, UCLABruins.com, July 30, 2009
  2. ^ Gary Klein, It's a big game for Trojans -- and Pete Carroll, Los Angeles Times, October 30, 2009
  3. ^ Scott Wolf, USC back on the Oregon fail Archived 2009-11-04 at the Wayback Machine, Los Angeles Daily News, November 1, 2009
  4. ^ Cal Rallies to Get 23-21 Victory Over Arizona State Archived 2011-10-01 at the Wayback Machine, CALBears.com, October 31, 2009
  5. ^ Beavers pull out thriller, 26-19 Archived 2012-02-17 at the Wayback Machine, OSUBeavers.com, October 31, 2009
  6. ^ John Hunt (September 4, 2009). "Oregon's LaGarrette Blount suspended for season". The Oregonian. Retrieved September 4, 2009.
  7. ^ Gary Klein and Ben Bolch, USC running back Stafon Johnson hurt in weight-room accident, Los Angeles Times, September 29, 2009
  8. ^ Dan Loumena, Pete Carroll to take Seattle Seahawks coaching position, Los Angeles Times, January 10, 2010
  9. ^ Associated Press, Cal hires Raiders' coach away after one week, San Francisco Chronicle, February 20, 2010
  10. ^ Associated Press , Stanford hires two assistants, ESPN, February 17, 2020
  11. ^ Associated Press, Former Taft High, USC receiver Holland dismissed from Oregon football team Archived 2011-06-21 at the Wayback Machine, Los Angeles Daily News, February 21, 2010
  12. ^ Crumpacker, John (April 23, 2010). "Lineman Alualu, Best give the Bears 2 first-rounders". SFGate.com. Archived from the original on April 26, 2010. Retrieved April 23, 2010.
  13. ^ Pac-10 Players-of-the-week Archived 2009-10-01 at the Wayback Machine, Pac-10.Org
  14. ^ "Pac-10 Named 2009-10 Tom Hansen Conference Medal Winners". CBS Interactive. Retrieved August 29, 2010.
  15. ^ Pac-10 Football All-Academic Team Announced Archived December 6, 2009, at the Wayback Machine, Pac-10.org, December 2, 2009