Last Saturday marked a gloomy day for the Pac-10 Conference.

In fact, it’s easier on the tongue to say which teams won (No. 1 USC, Oregon and Oregon State), than the ones that lost (UA, ASU, Cal, UCLA, Stanford, Washington and Washington State).

What’s even more upsetting for conference fans is the almighty Pac-10 went an unlikely 0-4 against the Mountain West Conference – and 0-5 for the season.

Naturally, the night for the Pac-10 was highlighted by our very own ASU, whose loss resonates as the biggest upset in 2008.

The unlikely defeat only spurred the debate over the conference’s validity. As many teams exclusively begin in-conference play now, there are fewer chances for the Pac-10 to gain BCS acclaim by playing against other top teams across the nation.

While ASU coach Dennis Erickson remains focused on his team – he said he “really hasn’t watched many Pac-10 teams play” – it’ll become more and more important to assess its BCS standing.

Disappointment came from everywhere on Saturday. Teams expected to lose did not roll over. Teams expected to win simply did not.

After a UCLA’s grand victory over Tennessee on Sept. 1, the Bruins got a chance to validate their program’s return against BYU. However, the preseason estimators were patted on the back: UCLA lost 59-0. It was UCLA’s worst loss in 75 years and seemed to serve as an appropriate omen for its conference foes.

There were murmurs about Cal making a national run, murmurs that turned into faint whispers Saturday as the Golden Bears lost to a weak ACC team in Maryland.

The trouble found the UA football team as well. The Wildcats traveled New Mexico.

But their trip was marred by five turnovers and just 67 yards on the ground.

These losses alone harmed the conference the most. While nobody seriously expected UCLA to do much, Cal and UA’s aspirations were placed into serious doubt Saturday. Their defeats also reflected poorly on the conference.

There was USC, however. The Trojans made one of the better programs in the nation look like, well, just another Pac-10 opponent. USC held Ohio State to just a field goal Saturday and looked completely unbeatable in its quest for another national championship with coach Pete Carroll at the helm.

The Oregon schools both won, OSU for the first time this season against Hawaii and UO in overtime, holding on by their fingernails as they came back against Purdue.

The Ducks’ win means a second Pac-10 team should enter the nation’s top 15 soon, as their next two games are against conquerable Boise State and WSU.

In the end, however, a 3-7 record last weekend got the conference the wrong kind of publicity. It will take a rebound out of conference followed by consistency within, in order for the Pac-10 to reestablish some of the footing it lost.

Reach the reporter at joshua.spivack@asu.edu.