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GAME NOTES: Rumors of Oklahoma State joining a Pac-16 mega-conference are just that at this point, but the ninth-ranked Cowboys will get a taste of the Pac-12 this week, as they take on t he Arizona Wildcats in Thursday night action in Stillwater.

From 1931 to 1942 the Cowboys and the Wildcats clashed on the football field six times, and split those meetings down the middle. However, last year the matchup was renewed in the Alamo Bowl, and in the first showdown since World War II, Oklahoma State proved to be the far better team, defeating Arizona 36-10 to take a 4-3 lead in the all-time series.

The Wildcats had no worries in their 2011 opener, as they easily defeated Northern Arizona 41-10. It was the fourth straight season-opening victory for Arizona, which begins a tough stretch that includes Thursday's game at Oklahoma State. After this contest the Wildcats will have to host Stanford and Oregon, before going on the road to take on USC.

Over the past three years the Cowboys have been one of the better teams in the nation, but last year Oklahoma State took another step towards elite status, finishing with 11 victories. OSU's season picked up right where last year left off, as the Cowboys claimed a 61-34 lopsided victory over Louisiana.

Andrew Luck and Matt Barkley get most of the attention at the quarterback position in the Pac-12, but Nick Foles should start to be discussed in the conversation.

Foles was solid last year, and if the season-opener is any indication, he might just be getting better.

Foles threw for 412 yards and five touchdowns in Arizona's comfortable win, but like a true leader he pushed most of the credit of the team's success towards the play of his teammates.

"We got very talent receivers and the key was always the offensive line," said Foles. "I thought they did a great job tonight."

Five different players were on the receiving end of those touchdown passes, but the main target was Juron Criner. Foles and Criner were a dangerous tandem a year ago, and the two seem in mid-season form already. The veteran wideout finished with 151 yards and one score on six receptions.

This offense was not flawless though, as the rushing attack did not show much consistency. Arizona finished with just 75 yards on 3.8 yards per carry. Redshirt freshman Ka'Deem Carey led the way with 59 yards on nine carries, while Keola Antolin helped out with 41 yards on six totes. Antolin will get the start once again this Thursday, but the senior tailback has to be more productive because it is unlikely Foles will enjoy similar success against a very tough Oklahoma State squad.

Not to be outdone in the opener was the Arizona defense, which was just as effective against Northern Arizona. Obviously, the Lumberjacks are not exactly a juggernaut, but still Arizona put on a defensive clinic.

Arizona held NAU to just 10 points on 259 total yards. Over the past few seasons the Wildcats have pounced on the opposition's ground attack and through one game in 2011 that approach has not changed. Arizona limited the Lumberjacks to just 80 yards on 2.4 yards per attempt.

Shaquille Richardson and C.J. Parish finished with eight tackles apiece, while Parish also collected one of the team's two sacks.

Overall it was a strong effort by the defense, but the real test is just ahead, as the Wildcats will find out just how good they are on Thursday when they take on the high-octane offense of Oklahoma State.

The Cowboys absolutely dominated Louisiana, racking up 666 total yards of offense, en route to a 61-34 decision. Clearly it was a successful debut for Todd Monken as the team's offensive coordinator.

Before Monken stepped into this position the Cowboys were already a tremendous offensive team, so the new coordinator knew not to change a lot and shake the club's confidence.

"There were a number of things that the players have confidence in," Monken said. "We're going to continue to do what we feel like gives us the best chance to move the ball. ... There's a number of things that they did in the past that I think, as I've said many times, we'd be silly to change."

Brandon Weeden overcame three interceptions, two of which were returned for touchdowns, by throwing three touchdowns of his own to go along with 388 yards. All-American Justin Blackmon led the way with 144 yards on eight catches, while Tracy Moore finished with 112 yards and one score on seven receptions.

Coach Gundy obviously liked the three touchdowns, but the three interceptions he can do without, and he feels the reason Weeden made those mistakes is because he is trying too hard.

"There are just a couple things we need to clean up," said Gundy. "I thought (Brandon) Weeden pressed a couple times. I mentioned to him that he doesn't have to make every single play. The second interception he threw for a touchdown he was just pressing and he doesn't have to do that. But he'll figure that out. He's treading in new water coming in as a guy who is highly regarded and has had so much press coverage over the last nine months."

The ground game was equally impressive, as Gundy's squad racked up 208 yards on 4.7 yards per run. However, the majority of the damage was done by Joseph Randle, who pounded Louisiana for 129 yards and two scores on only 22 carries.

The numbers put up by this offense in week one were impressive, but coach Gundy was not completely sold on the team's efforts.

"I thought we could have played better," Gundy said. "But I like it when we don't play as good and score 61."

Two of Louisiana's touchdowns came on the ground, but overall Oklahoma State held the Ragin' Cajuns to just 108 yards on 2.9 yards per carry. The defense also made life miserable for UL's quarterback, Blaine Gauthier. The Cowboys picked off the signal caller once and collected five sacks, while holding him to just 106 yards passing.

There were some mistakes made in this contest though. The unit will have to be much more prepared this week because Arizona can air out the football.

For all the fans out there that enjoy a high-scoring, pass-happy battle, this is the perfect game to watch. Both schools have prolific passing attacks and just like heavyweight boxing matches these two schools should throw one haymaker after another. As mentioned earlier the Cowboys had some issues defensively, but once again OSU should overcome defensive shortcomings with another outstanding offensive performance.

Sports Network Predicted Outcome: Oklahoma State 41, Arizona 24