The battle for the Rose Bowl was narrowed Saturday, with perennial powers Michigan, Penn State, Oregon and Washington all falling by the wayside. Both conferences now feature three-school races: in the Big 10, it's Ohio State, Iowa, and surprising Minnesota all undefeated; out west, Wazzou and Arizona State lead USC by a game in the standings. The most impressive win of the week was Iowa's 34-9 blowout in Ann Arbor, a game blown wide open after a tight first half. The Wolverines still have to play at Columbus, and after their worst home loss in 35 years, may have to settle for a mid-tier bowl game. Oregon lost their second consecutive home game, 44-33 to USC, an unthinkable distinction for a school that at one time had gone several years without a defeat at Autzen Stadium. For the Trojans, the victory was especially sweet, as the Ducks have aggressively marketed themselves in Los Angeles the past two years, draping multi-story advertisements for the team on some local buildings; as might be expected, USC didn't like having the school to the north rub its nose in its recent decline.