Roundup: Will Oregon be in the top 4?

With the new College Football Playoff top 25 being released Tuesday afternoon, CBS Sports bracketologist Jerry Palm believes Oregon is now in the top 4. He also has Mississippi State No. 1, Florida State No. 2 and Auburn No. 3, but we’ll find out for real at around 4:30 p.m. PT.

Days after mustering just 57 yards through the air, Utah is re-opening the quarterback competition this week as it prepares for Oregon, according to Dirk Facer of the Deseret News. Travis Wilson and Kendal Thompson are listed as co-starters on the latest depth chart.

Huskies coach Chris Petersen told Christian Caple and other reporters "I haven't seen a better football player out there” than Washington’s Shaq Thompson. I mean, how many other players out there have registered 54 tackles, four defensive touchdowns and 356 rushing yards at a 7.9-per-carry clip?

Kyle Bonagura provides us with a solid article on UCLA quarterback Brett Hundley and the dilemma he faced at the beginning of the year of trying to play a certain way for NFL scouts or trying to do the job necessary to get UCLA wins, which requires him to take off on foot more.

David Lombardi says that Stanford football is facing a “pivotal juncture” now that its Pac-12 title chances are all but done (Oregon needs to lose out and Stanford needs to win out in order for the Cardinal to play the South champ on Dec. 5).

Washington State quarterback Connor Halliday tweeted about his more than understandable frustrations with the season-ending injury he suffered against USC, leading to that post from Yahoo! Sports’ Graham Watson.

You can say “we’re just trying to go 1-0 this week” all you want, but Arizona State knows that Notre Dame isn’t “just another game.” Tyler Lockman of FOX Sports Arizona on the beat.

With a fifth win in the bank, Cal is looking to go to a bowl game, pens Jeff Faraudo. How many non-Cal fans thought this would be a November headline?

Friends and relatives of Oregon State quarterback Sean Mannion reflect on what it took for the signal caller to become the Pac-12’s all-time leading passer, courtesy of The Oregonian’s Gina Mizell.

Scott Wolf of the Los Angeles Daily News features USC defensive end Greg Townsend Jr., who made his first career start against Washington State and registered a sack.

From a couple of days ago but lost in the football shuffle – the NCAA has cleared Arizona basketball center Dusan Ristic to play this season. As Sam Vecenie of CBS Sports notes, the NCAA was looking into amateurism issues with the post player because he played for a professional basketball team in Serbia. However, he did not sign a pro contract with the team, keeping his NCAA eligibility intact.

Do you want to see Chip the Buffalo dance ballet on the “Mascot Challenge?” Of course you do; hence, the link.