November is a note-worthy month…

A bye week is something most football teams welcome, especially if its USC which has played eight straight weeks. The time off will help the players who are injured to heal up for the Trojans' intersectional clash with Notre Dame on Nov. 29, but rest could hurt USC in the BCS standings.

That’s because No. 2 Texas Tech meets No. 4 Oklahoma Saturday night in a natonally-televised game that very well could shake up the Big 12 and the Top 7 in the BCS. And, for a bonus, No. 7 Utah, which is right behind USC, plays its rival, Brigham Young. A win by the Utes could propel them over USC and into a berth in a BCS bowl...

In the Pacific 10, its two down and two to go for the Oregon State Beavers, who have taken control of the race to the Rose Bowl. Mike Reilly’s club, which has beaten UCLA and California, must defeat Arizona and Oregon to make it to Pasadena on New Year’s Day. The Beavers face the Wildcats Saturday in Tucson.

Meanwhile, the good news for UCLA is that it played its best game in weeks against Washington in Seattle. The down side of the victory, though, is that the Huskies haven’t won a game this year, a winless streak that has cost Coach Tyrone Willingham his job. The Bruins’ running back seemed to come to life with the backs averaging 3.9 yards a carry against the Huskies. And the kicking game looked strong with Tai Forbathe connecting on his field goal tries.

Coach Rick Neuheisel’s return to Washington was greeted by a very unfriendly Huskie crowd, who demonstrated rather vocally that fans in Seattle haven't  forgotten the turmoil Neuheisel caused when he coached at Washington five years ago.

UCLA meets Arizona State this weekend in Tempe.