Bad day for the Pac-10 Conference.

BYU 59, UCLA 0

Maryland 35, No. 23 Cal 27

TCU 31, Stanford14.

That’s most of the entire second-tier (after USC) of the Pac-10 going down to (perhaps) one decent team (BYU) and two middling programs (Maryland, TCU).

Washington will be thrashed by Oklahoma later today.

Then, on Friday, it was Baylor 45,  Washington State 17 — which demonstrated that one of the weaker programs in the Big 12 is far better than the Pac-10’s bottom feeder.

The only good news, so far today? Oregon escaping Purdue with a 32-26 overtime victory. (Unless you count Oregon State 38, Hawaii 7, and I don’t, since OSU is now 1-2, and Hawaii is on its way to something like 2-10.)

So, it’s up to the top-ranked Trojans to save this conference’s dignity. As always.

USC certainly could lose to Ohio State. The Buckeyes have 20 returning starters (though one of them, tailback Beanie Wells, allegedly won’t play today). They’ve won a lot of games throughout the Jim Tressel era, including a national title.

But I believe USC will win. And fairly easily. I think they have just too much speed and size for Ohio State.

Actually, it is incumbent on the Trojans to win

Unless Arizona State and Arizona, who play tonight, plan to be serious football teams. Which we won’t know from their games today vs. UNLV and New Mexico, respectively.

Anyway, off today’s results … the Pac-10 may in one day have introduced itself into the “worst BCS conference” … along with the ACC and Big East.

Especially if the Trojans lose.