The 2010 Pacific-10 Conference football season began on September 2, 2010 with a victory by

USC USC most often refers to: * University of South Carolina, a public research university ** University of South Carolina System, the main university and its satellite campuses **South Carolina Gamecocks, the school athletic program * University of ...

Hawaii Hawaii ( ; haw, Hawaii or ) is a state in the Western United States, located in the Pacific Ocean about from the U.S. mainland. It is the only U.S. state outside North America, the only state that is an archipelago, and the only stat ...

. Conference play began on September 11 with

Stanford Stanford University, officially Leland Stanford Junior University, is a private research university in Stanford, California. The campus occupies , among the largest in the United States, and enrolls over 17,000 students. Stanford is considere ...

shutting out

UCLA The University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) is a public land-grant research university in Los Angeles, California. UCLA's academic roots were established in 1881 as a teachers college then known as the southern branch of the California St ...

35–0 in

Pasadena Pasadena ( ) is a city in Los Angeles County, California, northeast of downtown Los Angeles. It is the most populous city and the primary cultural center of the San Gabriel Valley. Old Pasadena is the city's original commercial district. Its ...

ESPN ESPN (originally an initialism for Entertainment and Sports Programming Network) is an American international basic cable sports channel owned by ESPN Inc., owned jointly by The Walt Disney Company (80%) and Hearst Communications (20%). The ...

Oregon Oregon () is a U.S. state, state in the Pacific Northwest region of the Western United States. The Columbia River delineates much of Oregon's northern boundary with Washington (state), Washington, while the Snake River delineates much of it ...

repeated as the conference champion, ending the regular season with a program-first twelve wins and with a #2 BCS ranking. The Ducks earned a berth in the

2011 BCS National Championship Game The 2011 Tostitos BCS National Championship Game was a college football bowl game to determine the national champion of the 2010 NCAA Division I Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS) season. The finale of the 2010–2011 Bowl Championship Series was p ...

, which they lost to SEC Champion

Auburn Auburn may refer to: Places Australia * Auburn, New South Wales * City of Auburn, the local government area *Electoral district of Auburn *Auburn, Queensland, a locality in the Western Downs Region *Auburn, South Australia *Auburn, Tasmania *Aub ...

repeated as the conference runner-up, ending the regular season with a program-first eleven wins (their sole loss was to Oregon) and with a #4 BCS ranking, giving them an at-large BCS berth. The Cardinal defeated

ACC ACC most often refers to: * Atlantic Coast Conference, an NCAA Division I collegiate athletic conference located in the US *American College of Cardiology, A US-based nonprofit medical association that bestows credentials upon cardiovascular spec ...

Champion

Virginia Tech Virginia Tech (formally the Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University and informally VT, or VPI) is a Public university, public Land-grant college, land-grant research university with its main campus in Blacksburg, Virginia. It also ...

in the

2011 Orange Bowl The 2011 Discover Orange Bowl was a postseason college football bowl game between the Virginia Tech Hokies and the Stanford Cardinal on Monday, January 3, 2011, at Sun Life Stadium in Miami Gardens, Florida. Stanford defeated Virginia Tech 40–12 ...

Arizona Arizona ( ; nv, Hoozdo Hahoodzo ; ood, Alĭ ṣonak ) is a state in the Southwestern United States. It is the 6th largest and the 14th most populous of the 50 states. Its capital and largest city is Phoenix. Arizona is part of the Fou ...

lost to

Oklahoma State Oklahoma (; Choctaw: ; chr, ᎣᎧᎳᎰᎹ, ''Okalahoma'' ) is a state in the South Central region of the United States, bordered by Texas on the south and west, Kansas on the north, Missouri on the northeast, Arkansas on the east, New ...

while

Washington Washington commonly refers to: * Washington (state), United States * Washington, D.C., the capital of the United States ** A metonym for the federal government of the United States ** Washington metropolitan area, the metropolitan area centered o ...

defeated

Nebraska Nebraska () is a state in the Midwestern region of the United States. It is bordered by South Dakota to the north; Iowa to the east and Missouri to the southeast, both across the Missouri River; Kansas to the south; Colorado to the southwe ...

in non-BCS bowls. This was the final season for the conference as a 10-team league. In July 2011,

Colorado Colorado (, other variants) is a state in the Mountain West subregion of the Western United States. It encompasses most of the Southern Rocky Mountains, as well as the northeastern portion of the Colorado Plateau and the western edge of t ...

and

Utah Utah ( , ) is a state in the Mountain West subregion of the Western United States. Utah is a landlocked U.S. state bordered to its east by Colorado, to its northeast by Wyoming, to its north by Idaho, to its south by Arizona, and to it ...

joined the conference, at which time the league's name changed to the Pac-12 Conference. The

Sagarin Ratings Jeff Sagarin is an American sports statistician known for his development of a method for ranking and rating sports teams in a variety of sports. His ratings have been a regular feature in the ''USA Today'' sports section since 1985, have been use ...

by the end of the bowl season, ranked the Pac-10 as the best conference in football, overall.

Previous season

During the

2009 NCAA Division I FBS football season 9 (nine) is the natural number following and preceding . Evolution of the Arabic digit In the beginning, various Indians wrote a digit 9 similar in shape to the modern closing question mark without the bottom dot. The Kshatrapa, Andhra and ...

, the Pac-10 teams won 2 and lost 5 bowl games: *

Las Vegas Bowl The Las Vegas Bowl is an NCAA Division I FBS annual post-season college football bowl game held in the Las Vegas area. First played in 1992, the bowl was originally held at the 40,000-seat Sam Boyd Stadium in Whitney, Nevada before moving to the ...

–

BYU Brigham Young University (BYU, sometimes referred to colloquially as The Y) is a private research university in Provo, Utah. It was founded in 1875 by religious leader Brigham Young and is sponsored by the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day S ...

44,

Oregon State Oregon State University (OSU) is a public land-grant, research university in Corvallis, Oregon. OSU offers more than 200 undergraduate-degree programs along with a variety of graduate and doctoral degrees. It has the 10th largest engineering col ...

20 *

Poinsettia Bowl The Poinsettia Bowl was a post-season NCAA-sanctioned Football Bowl Subdivision college football bowl game played in San Diego, California, United States from 2005 to 2016. The game was originally played from 1952 to 1955 between military service ...

–

37,

California California is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States, located along the West Coast of the United States, Pacific Coast. With nearly 39.2million residents across a total area of approximately , it is the List of states and territori ...

27 *

Emerald Bowl The San Francisco Bowl was an annual postseason college football bowl game certified by the NCAA and played in the San Francisco Bay Area. Originally named the Diamond Walnut San Francisco Bowl during its first two editions from 2002 to 2003, it w ...

–

24,

Boston College Boston College (BC) is a private Jesuit research university in Chestnut Hill, Massachusetts. Founded in 1863, the university has more than 9,300 full-time undergraduates and nearly 5,000 graduate students. Although Boston College is classifie ...

13 *

EagleBank Bowl The Military Bowl is a post-season National Collegiate Athletic Association-sanctioned Division I college football bowl game that has been played annually each December in the Washington metropolitan area since 2008. The game was originally held ...

–

30,

Temple A temple (from the Latin ) is a building reserved for spiritual rituals and activities such as prayer and sacrifice. Religions which erect temples include Christianity (whose temples are typically called churches), Hinduism (whose temples ...

21 *

Holiday Bowl The Holiday Bowl is a post-season NCAA Division I Football Bowl Subdivision college football bowl game that has been played in San Diego since 1978. San Diego County Credit Union has been the game's title sponsor since 2017, and the bowl has b ...

–

33,

0 *

Sun Bowl The Sun Bowl is a college football bowl game that has been played since 1935 in the southwestern United States at El Paso, Texas. Along with the Sugar Bowl and Orange Bowl, it is the second-oldest bowl game in the country, behind the Rose Bowl. ...

–

Oklahoma Oklahoma (; Choctaw language, Choctaw: ; chr, ᎣᎧᎳᎰᎹ, ''Okalahoma'' ) is a U.S. state, state in the South Central United States, South Central region of the United States, bordered by Texas on the south and west, Kansas on the nor ...

31,

27 * Rose Bowl –

Ohio State The Ohio State University, commonly called Ohio State or OSU, is a public land-grant research university in Columbus, Ohio. A member of the University System of Ohio, it has been ranked by major institutional rankings among the best public ...

26,

Preseason

* March 12, 2010 – Coach

Chip Kelly Charles Edward Kelly (born November 25, 1963) is an American football coach who is the head coach of the UCLA Bruins. He came to prominence as the head coach of the Oregon Ducks from 2009 to 2012, whom he led to four consecutive BCS bowl ga ...

suspended quarterback

Jeremiah Masoli Jeremiah Taeatafa Masoli (born August 24, 1988) is an American professional Canadian football quarterback for the Ottawa Redblacks of the Canadian Football League (CFL). He was signed by the San Francisco 49ers of the NFL as an undrafted free a ...

for the 2010 season after he pleaded guilty to second-degree burglary charges. * March 19, 2010 – Oregon athletic director

Mike Bellotti Robert Michael Bellotti (born December 21, 1950) is an American college football analyst for ESPN and ABC Sports, ABC. He was with the Oregon Ducks football, University of Oregon's football program for over 20 years serving as offensive coordin ...

steps down to join ESPN as a football analyst. * June 9, 2010 – Oregon dismisses Masoli. * June 10, 2010 – The NCAA releases the report of its investigation of the USC football team for violations dealing with former Trojans running back

Reggie Bush Reginald Alfred Bush Jr. (born March 2, 1985) is an American former football running back who now serves as an on-air college football analyst for Fox Sports. He played college football at USC, where he earned consensus All-American honors twi ...

. Sanctions imposed include loss of scholarships and include a two-year postseason ban * June 10, 2010 –

joins the Pac-10 as its 11th member effective July 1, 2012. (The school and its then-current conference, the

Big 12 The Big 12 Conference is a college athletic conference headquartered in Irving, Texas, USA. It consists of ten full-member universities. It is a member of Division I of the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) for all sports. Its fo ...

, later reached an agreement in September 2010 to allow the Buffaloes to join the Pac-10 in 2011.) * June 17, 2010 –

joins the Pac-10 as its 12th member effective July 1, 2011. Although they are the 12th member to accept an invitation to the conference, they are at the time believed to be the 11th member to compete since Colorado is not initially scheduled to join until 2012. * July 1, 2010 – Running backs coach

Todd McNair Todd or Todds may refer to: Places ;Australia: * Todd River, an ephemeral river ;United States: * Todd Valley, California, also known as Todd, an unincorporated community * Todd, Missouri, a ghost town * Todd, North Carolina, an unincorporated ...

's contract at

expired June 30, 2010. He played a key part in the NCAA's investigation of the school's athletic department in dealing with Reggie Bush. * July 6, 2010 – Seantrel Henderson, the nation's No. 1-ranked offensive tackle recruit was given a release from his commitment to play with USC. Defensive end Malik Jackson transferred to

Tennessee Tennessee ( , ), officially the State of Tennessee, is a landlocked state in the Southeastern region of the United States. Tennessee is the 36th-largest by area and the 15th-most populous of the 50 states. It is bordered by Kentucky to th ...

. * July 29, 2010 – Annual media poll: 1. Oregon (314 points); 2. USC (311); 3. Oregon State (262); 4. Stanford (233); 5. Arizona (222); 6. Washington (209); 7. California (175); 8. UCLA (134); 9. Arizona State (81); 10. Washington State (39). Media day was held at the Rose Bowl.

Rankings

Highlights

September

* September 11 – In the first conference game of the season, #25

defeated

in a 35–0

shut out Shut Out may refer to: * Shutout, a game in which one team prevents the opposing team from scoring * ''Shut Out'' (album), a 1977 album by Paul Jabara * "Shut Out" (song), a 1977 song by Paul Jabara and Donna Summer * "Shutout", a song by The Walk ...

at the Rose Bowl, marking several firsts: the Cardinal's first victory in Pasadena since 1996, the first home shut out UCLA had suffered since an October 16, 1999, 17–0 loss to

, the first time Stanford had shut out an opponent on the road since 1974, and the first time since 1941 that Stanford shut out UCLA. * September 17 – In a matchup between the number one defense in the nation in Cal and the number one offense in the nation in

Nevada Nevada ( ; ) is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States, Western region of the United States. It is bordered by Oregon to the northwest, Idaho to the northeast, California to the west, Arizona to the southeast, and Utah to the east. N ...

, the Bears fell to the Wolf Pack 52–31 in

Reno Reno ( ) is a city in the northwest section of the U.S. state of Nevada, along the Nevada-California border, about north from Lake Tahoe, known as "The Biggest Little City in the World". Known for its casino and tourism industry, Reno is the ...

in the teams' first meeting since 1915. * September 18 –

records two shutouts in a season for the first time since 1964 with a 69–0 blowout of

Portland State Portland State University (PSU) is a public research university in Portland, Oregon. It was founded in 1946 as a post-secondary educational institution for World War II veterans. It evolved into a four-year college over the following two decades ...

and a 72–0 shut out of

New Mexico ) , population_demonym = New Mexican ( es, Neomexicano, Neomejicano, Nuevo Mexicano) , seat = Santa Fe , LargestCity = Albuquerque , LargestMetro = Tiguex , OfficialLang = None , Languages = English, Spanish ( New Mexican), Navajo, Ker ...

in its September 4 season opener. Two Pac-10 teams upset their opponents: UCLA defeated No. 23

Houston Houston (; ) is the most populous city in Texas, the most populous city in the Southern United States, the fourth-most populous city in the United States, and the sixth-most populous city in North America, with a population of 2,304,580 in ...

in the Rose Bowl for the Bruins' first win against a ranked opponent since 2008 and

defeated No. 10

Iowa Iowa () is a state in the Midwestern region of the United States, bordered by the Mississippi River to the east and the Missouri River and Big Sioux River to the west. It is bordered by six states: Wisconsin to the northeast, Illinois to the ...

at home, scoring the most points allowed so far by the Hawkeyes in the season. * September 19 – Five Pac-10 teams are ranked in the Top 25 (#5 Oregon, #14 Arizona, #16 Stanford, #20 USC, #24 Oregon State). * September 21 – Colorado and the Big 12 Conference reach an agreement that will allow the Buffaloes to join the Pac-10 in 2011. * September 25 – UCLA pulls off its second upset in a row of a ranked opponent with a 34–12 defeat of No. 7

Texas Texas (, ; Spanish language, Spanish: ''Texas'', ''Tejas'') is a state in the South Central United States, South Central region of the United States. At 268,596 square miles (695,662 km2), and with more than 29.1 million residents in 2 ...

in front of a stadium-record crowd of 101,437 in

Austin Austin is the capital city of the U.S. state of Texas, as well as the seat and largest city of Travis County, with portions extending into Hays and Williamson counties. Incorporated on December 27, 1839, it is the 11th-most-populous city ...

. Stanford wins at Notre Dame for the first time since 1992. No. 14 Arizona survives a scare in

Tucson , "(at the) base of the black ill , nicknames = "The Old Pueblo", "Optics Valley", "America's biggest small town" , image_map = , mapsize = 260px , map_caption = Interactive map ...

with a late touchdown and interception against Cal to hold on and prevent an upset in both teams' Pac-10 openers. Four Pac-10 teams (#4 Oregon, #9 Stanford, #14 Arizona, #18 USC) are 4–0.

October

* October 2 – #9 Stanford visited #4 Oregon in a game that could decide the Pac-10 championship in their first meeting as ranked teams. The Ducks rallied to come from behind 21–3 and defeat the Cardinal. Washington upset #18 USC for two consecutive years, winning at the

Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum The Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum (also known as the L.A. Coliseum) is a multi-purpose stadium in the Exposition Park neighborhood of Los Angeles, California. Conceived as a hallmark of civic pride, the Coliseum was commissioned in 1921 as a mem ...

32–31 with a last-second field goal. * October 9 – #3 Oregon remains the sole undefeated Pac-10 team at 6–0 with a victory over Washington State. Oregon State upsets #9 Arizona 29–27 in

Tucson , "(at the) base of the black ill , nicknames = "The Old Pueblo", "Optics Valley", "America's biggest small town" , image_map = , mapsize = 260px , map_caption = Interactive map ...

. Cal snaps a 3-game winning streak by UCLA with a 35–7 rout in

Berkeley Berkeley most often refers to: *Berkeley, California, a city in the United States **University of California, Berkeley, a public university in Berkeley, California * George Berkeley (1685–1753), Anglo-Irish philosopher Berkeley may also refer ...

. #16 Stanford defeats USC 37–35 for the Trojans' second loss in a row on a last-second field goal. * October 16 – USC quarterback

Matt Barkley Matthew Montgomery Barkley (born September 8, 1990) is an American football quarterback for the Buffalo Bills of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football at USC, and was drafted by the Philadelphia Eagles in the fourth roun ...

throws a school record-tying five touchdowns in a 48–14 blowout victory over Cal. Cal has won three games (all at home) by the margin of 139–17 and lost three games (all on the road) 110–54. Washington upsets #24 Oregon State in 35–34 in double overtime, snapping a six-game losing streak to the Beavers. Both teams were tied at 21 points apiece at the end of regulation. * October 17 – Oregon earns a #1 ranking in the AP and Coaches' Polls and a #2 BCS ranking. * October 21 – Oregon quarterback

Darron Thomas Darron Varnell Thomas (born May 23, 1990) is a former American football quarterback. He was the starting quarterback for the University of Oregon football team that reached the 2011 BCS National Championship Game and won the 2012 Rose Bowl. E ...

throws for a career-high 308 yards in a 60–13 blowout of UCLA. * October 23 – Stanford gets their sixth victory in seven games to open a season for the first time since 1970 with a victory over Washington State, becoming bowl-eligible for the second straight season since 1995–96. Cal defeats Arizona State 50–17, while #15 Arizona routs Washington 44–14. * October 30 – Arizona State shuts out Washington State 42–0 and Washington is shut out at home for the first time since 1976 by No. 13 Stanford 41–0. No. 15 Arizona holds off UCLA to prevail 29–21, while Oregon State defeats Cal for the fourth time in a row, 35–7. Oregon running back

LaMichael James LaMichael Keondrae "LaMike" James (born October 22, 1989) is a former American football running back. He played college football for the University of Oregon and was drafted by the San Francisco 49ers in the second round of the 2012 NFL Draft. ...

sets a school record with his 15th career 100-yard rushing game and Darron Thomas becomes the first quarterback to throw 20 touchdown passes in a season since 2007 as #1 Oregon stays unbeaten with a 53–32 defeat of #24 USC. * October 31 – Oregon is ranked first in the BCS, AP, and Coaches Polls.

November

* November 6 – Top-ranked Oregon fails to score in the first quarter for the first time in the season in a 53–16 rout of Washington. #10 Stanford dominates #13 Arizona in a 42–17 victory. USC edges out Arizona State 34–33 after a last minute Sun Devils field goal misses. UCLA defeats Oregon State 17–14 on a field goal with 1 second left in regulation. Cal holds off Washington State for its first road victory since the 2009 Big Game against Stanford. * November 13 – Oregon is held scoreless in the first quarter for the second week in a row and held to a season-low 317 yards of offense, but holds off Cal for a 15–13 victory, the first game of the season where the Ducks did not score at least 42 points and win by at least 11 points. #7 Stanford edges out Arizona State 17–13. USC upsets #18 Arizona 24–21. Washington State snaps a 16-game conference losing streak by defeating Oregon State 31–14 in Corvallis. * November 14 – Oregon holds its #1 rankings in all polls. Stanford holds its #7 ranking in the AP Poll and its #8 ranking in the Harris Polls while rising from #9 to #8 in the Coaches Poll. Arizona falls to #23 in all polls. USC returns to the AP rankings at #20. Three Pac-10 teams are bowl assured: Oregon, Stanford, and Arizona. * November 18 – In its home finale, Washington has two 100-yard rushers for the first time since 2007 and puts up a season-high 253 yards rushing in a 24–7 defeat of UCLA. * November 20 – #7 Stanford ties a 1975 Cal record for the most points in Big Game history to recapture the

Stanford Axe The Stanford Axe is a trophy awarded to the winner of the annual Big Game, a college football match-up between the University of California Golden Bears and the Stanford University Cardinal. The trophy consists of an axe-head mounted on a lar ...

from Cal in

, 48–14. Oregon State upsets #20 USC at Corvallis 36–7, the third consecutive victory for the Beavers over the Trojans in Oregon. They will have faced five Top 10 teams by the end of the year. * November 26 – Arizona State tops UCLA 55–34. Wildcats quarterback

Nick Foles Nicholas Edward Foles (born January 20, 1989) is an American football quarterback for the Indianapolis Colts of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football at Arizona and was selected in the third round of the 2012 NFL Draft ...

passes for a career-high 448 yards, but his performance is not enough to stage an upset of #1 Oregon by #20 Arizona, as the Ducks prevail 48–29. * November 27 – Washington keeps its bowl hopes alive by scoring a touchdown with 2 seconds left in the game in a matchup against Cal to prevail 16–13, ending Cal's bowl hopes. #6 Stanford has its first 11-game winning season in school history with a 38–0 shutout of Oregon State, its third conference shutout of the season. Notre Dame defeats USC 20–16 for its first win since 2001. Oregon moves down in the BCS rankings to #2, while Stanford moves up to #4.

December

* December 2 – Arizona State blocks two PATs to defeat Arizona in double overtime 30–29 in their annual

Territorial Cup A territory is an area of land, sea, or space, particularly belonging or connected to a country, person, or animal. In international politics, a territory is usually either the total area from which a state may extract power resources or an ...

game. * December 3 – The NCAA denies Arizona State's request for a waiver to play in a post-season bowl game. * December 4 – Oregon repeats as the conference champion with a victory over Oregon State in the

Civil War A civil war or intrastate war is a war between organized groups within the same state (or country). The aim of one side may be to take control of the country or a region, to achieve independence for a region, or to change government policies ...

to finish with 12 wins for the first time in program history. USC defeats UCLA for the fourth straight time to hold on to the Victory Bell. Washington defeats Washington State in the

Apple Cup The Apple Cup is an American college football rivalry game between the University of Washington Huskies and Washington State University Cougars, the two largest universities in the state of Washington. Both are members of the North Division of th ...

on a game-winning touchdown with 44 seconds left in the game to become bowl-eligible for the first time since 2001. * December 5 –

moves past Oregon for the #1 AP Ranking. The two teams will meet in the

BCS National Championship Game The BCS National Championship Game, or BCS National Championship, was a postseason college football bowl game, used to determine a national champion of the NCAA Division I Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS), first played in the 1998 college fo ...

. #5 Stanford won an at-large BCS berth and will face ACC Champion

in the

Orange Bowl The Orange Bowl is an annual American college football bowl game played in the Miami metropolitan area. It has been played annually since January 1, 1935, making it, along with the Sugar Bowl and the Sun Bowl, the second-oldest bowl game in th ...

, Arizona will face #16

in the

Alamo Bowl The Alamo Bowl is an NCAA Division I Football Bowl Subdivision college football bowl game played annually since 1993 in the Alamodome in San Antonio, Texas. Since 2010 it matches the second choice team from the Pac-12 Conference and the secon ...

, and Washington will face #17

in the

. * December 6 – Two of the four finalists for the

Heisman Trophy The Heisman Memorial Trophy (usually known colloquially as the Heisman Trophy or The Heisman) is awarded annually to the most outstanding player in college football. Winners epitomize great ability combined with diligence, perseverance, and hard ...

represent the Pac-10: Oregon running back

and Stanford quarterback

Andrew Luck Andrew Austen Luck (born September 12, 1989) is a former American football quarterback who played in the National Football League (NFL) for seven seasons with the Indianapolis Colts. One of the most highly touted amateur prospects during his c ...

. This is the second year in a row that Stanford has had a Heisman Trophy finalist. Oregon head coach

is named the

Eddie Robinson Coach of the Year The Eddie Robinson Coach of the Year Award is given annually to a college football coach by the Football Writers Association of America The Football Writers Association of America (FWAA) is an organization of college football media members i ...

by the

Football Writers Association of America The Football Writers Association of America (FWAA) is an organization of college football media members in the United States founded in 1941. It is composed of approximately 1,200 professional sports writers from both print and Internet media out ...

. * December 9 – Oregon running back LaMichael James is the recipient of the

Doak Walker Award Since 1990 the Doak Walker Award honors the top running back in college football in the United States. It is named in honor of Doak Walker, a former running back who played for the SMU Mustangs from 1945 to 1949 and in the National Football Le ...

, the second year in a row that a Pac-10 running back has received the award. * December 11 – Stanford quarterback Andrew Luck is the runner-up in Heisman Trophy balloting to

quarterback

Cameron Newton Cameron Jerrell Newton (born May 11, 1989) is an American football quarterback who is a free agent. He has played for 11 seasons, primarily with the Carolina Panthers of the National Football League (NFL). Nicknamed "Super Cam", he is the NFL ...

, the second year in a row that a Stanford player is the runner-up in balloting for the Heisman. * December 21 – Oregon head coach Chip Kelly is named the Associated Press College Football Coach of the Year. Stanford's Jim Harbaugh finished third in balloting.

Notes

* USC is ineligible for the postseason due to sanctions imposed by the NCAA * USC kicked off the Pac-10 football season by visiting

Hawai'i Hawaii ( ; haw, Hawaii or ) is a state in the Western United States, located in the Pacific Ocean about from the U.S. mainland. It is the only U.S. state outside North America, the only state that is an archipelago, and the only ...

on Thursday, September 2, 2010. * The Pac-10 football season ends with games on Saturday, December 4, 2010 * January 6, 2011 – Fox signed a contract to air the first Pac-12 Conference football championship game on December 3, 2011 for $14.5 million.

Statistics leaders

Players-of-the-week

;National * September 13 – Cal linebacker Mike Mohamed was named

Lott Lott as a surname or given name may refer to: Surname * Barbara Lott (1920–2002), British actress * Bret Lott (born 1958), American author * Bushrod W. Lott (1826–1886), American politician * Cara Lott (born 1961), pornographic actress ...

IMPACT Player of the Week. * September 21 – UCLA linebacker Patrick Larimore, who had a career-high and team-high 11 tackles (10 solos), including three for loss, forced a fumble and broke up a pass in the upset of No. 23

on September 18 was named the

FWAA The Football Writers Association of America (FWAA) is an organization of college football media members in the United States founded in 1941. It is composed of approximately 1,200 professional sports writers from both print and Internet media ou ...

Bronko Nagurski Bronislau "Bronko" Nagurski (November 3, 1908 – January 7, 1990) was a Canadian-born professional American football player in the National Football League (NFL), renowned for his strength and size. Nagurski was also a successful professional ...

National Defensive Player of the Week. * September 27 – UCLA linebacker

Akeem Ayers Akeem Christopher Ayers (born July 10, 1989) is a former American football linebacker. He played college football at UCLA and was drafted by the Tennessee Titans in the second round of the 2011 NFL Draft. He has also played for the St. Louis Ram ...

was named Lott IMPACT Player of the Week. The UCLA Bruins (2–2) are the

Tostitos Fiesta Bowl The Fiesta Bowl is an American college football bowl game played annually in the Phoenix metropolitan area. From its beginning in 1971 until 2006, the game was hosted at the Sun Devil Stadium in Tempe, Arizona. Since 2007, the game has been play ...

National Team of the Week for games of the weekend of September 25. Cliff Harris scores TD at Oregon at Cal 2010-11-13

;Pacific-10 Conference

Pac-10 vs. BCS matchups

Bowl games

All bowl games involving the Pac-10 aired on

Head coaches

Mike Stoops Michael Joseph Stoops (born December 13, 1961) is an American football coach and former player, who is the Linebacker, inside linebackers coach at the University of Kentucky. Stoops also served as the head football coach at the University of Ariz ...

, Arizona *

Dennis Erickson Dennis Brian Erickson (born March 24, 1947) is an American football coach who most recently served as the head coach for the Salt Lake Stallions of the Alliance of American Football league. He was also the head coach at the University of Idaho ( ...

, Arizona State *

Jeff Tedford Jeffrey Raye Tedford (born November 2, 1961) is an American football coach and former player who is currently serving as the head coach at Fresno State, a position which he also previously held from 2017 to 2019. From 2002 to 2012, Tedford was t ...

, California *

, Oregon * Mike Riley, Oregon State *

Jim Harbaugh James Joseph Harbaugh (; born December 23, 1963) is an American football coach and former quarterback, who is the current and 20th head football coach of the Michigan Wolverines. He played college football at Michigan from 1983 to 1986. He play ...

, Stanford *

Rick Neuheisel Richard Gerald Neuheisel Jr. (; born February 7, 1961) is an American football analyst, coach, former player, and attorney. He served as the head football coach at the University of Colorado Boulder from 1995 to 1999, at the University of Washi ...

, UCLA *

Lane Kiffin Lane Monte Kiffin (born May 9, 1975) is an American football coach who is currently the head coach of the Ole Miss Rebels. Kiffin formerly was the offensive coordinator for the USC Trojans football team from 2005 to 2006, head coach of the Nati ...

, USC *

Steve Sarkisian Stephen Sarkisian (born March 8, 1974)Stephens, Ken. – "QB GENEALOGY – Steve Sarkisian is latest in long line of talented BYU quarterbacks". – FUN FACT, Sarkisian’s father is actually Texas Tech Head Coach, Joey McGuire. ''Dallas Mo ...

, Washington *

Paul Wulff Paul Louis Wulff (born February 25, 1967) is an American football coach and former player. In December 2022, he was appointed head coach at California Polytechnic State University. Wulff previously served as the head coach at Eastern Washington ...

, Washington State

Awards and honors

and Associated Press College Football Coach of the Year *

, Oregon

Woody Hayes Trophy The Touchdown Club of Columbus was founded in Columbus, Ohio, in 1956 by Sam B. Nicola at the request of state auditor James A. Rhodes, who later became governor of the state. Nicola served as the club's president until his death in 1993. More t ...

, Stanford

, RB, Oregon

Paul Hornung Award The Paul Hornung Award is a college football award that was created in January 2010 by the Louisville Sports Commission (LSC) with the support of Paul Hornung, a native and resident of Louisville, Kentucky and member of the College Football Hall ...

* Owen Marecic, FB and LB, Stanford. ;National Finalists *

, LB, UCLA,

Butkus Award The Butkus Award, instituted in 1985 by the Downtown Athletic Club of Orlando, is given annually to the top linebackers at the high school, collegiate and professional levels of football. The award, named in honor of College Football Hall of Fame ...

(most outstanding defensive player) * LaMichael James, RB, Oregon,

(most outstanding player) and

(most outstanding running back) *

, QB, Stanford, Heisman Trophy,

Maxwell Award The Maxwell Award is presented annually to the college football player judged by a panel of sportscasters, sportswriters, and National Collegiate Athletic Association head coaches and the membership of the Maxwell Football Club to be the best all ...

(best player), and

Davey O'Brien Award The Davey O'Brien Award, officially the Davey O'Brien National Quarterback Award, named after Davey O'Brien, is presented annually to the collegiate American football player judged by the Davey O'Brien Foundation to be the best of all National Co ...

(best quarterback) * Owen Marecic, FB/LB, Stanford, William V. Campbell Trophy (top scholar-athlete) * Mike Mohamed, LB, California, William V. Campbell Trophy

All-Americans

Walter Camp Football Foundation The Walter Camp Football Foundation (WCFF) is one of the organizations whose College Football All-America Team is recognized by the National Collegiate Athletic Association. The organization also presents various awards. It is named in honor of foo ...

All-America: * Running back LaMichael James, Oregon, first team All-America * Quarterback Andrew Luck, Stanford, second team All-America * Center Chase Beeler, Stanford, second team All-America * Linebacker Akeem Ayers, UCLA, second-team All-America * Defensive back Cliff Harris, Oregon, second-team All-America * Kick returner Cliff Harris, Oregon, second-team All-America

Associated Press The Associated Press (AP) is an American non-profit news agency headquartered in New York City. Founded in 1846, it operates as a cooperative, unincorporated association. It produces news reports that are distributed to its members, U.S. newspa ...

All-America First Team: * RB LaMichael James, Oregon * OL Chase Beeler, Stanford * DT Stephen Paea, Oregon State

All-America Team: Sporting News All-America team: * RB LaMichael James, Soph., Oregon, Offense first-team * OL Chase Beeler, Sr., Stanford, Offense first-team * DT Stephen Paea, Sr., Oregon State, Defense first-team * LB Vontaze Burfict, Soph., Arizona State, Defense first-team * S Rahim Moore, Jr., UCLA, Defense first-team * PR Cliff Harris, Soph., Oregon, Defense first-team AFCA Coaches' All-Americans First Team: ESPN All-America team:

All-Pac-10 teams

* Offensive Player of the Year:

, QB, Stanford * Pat Tillman Defensive Player of the Year:

Stephen Paea Stephen Paea ( ; born May 11, 1988) is a New Zealand–born former American football defensive tackle. He played college football for Oregon State University, and was recognized as a consensus All-American. He was drafted by the Chicago Bears ...

, DT, Oregon State * Offensive Freshman of the Year: Robert Woods, WR, USC * Defensive Freshman of the Year: Junior Onyeali, DE, Arizona State * Coach of the Year:

, Oregon First Team: ''ST=special teams player (not a kicker or returner)''

All-Academic

First Team:Marecic, Mohamed Highlight Pac-10 All-Academic Football Team
''Pac-10 News'', November 17, 2010

2011 NFL Draft The 2011 NFL Draft was the 76th installment of the annual NFL Draft, where the franchises of the National Football League select newly eligible football players. Like the 2010 draft, the 2011 draft was held at Radio City Music Hall in New York C ...

References

{{2010 NCAA Division I FBS football season navbox