Pac
10
Arizona
| Arizona St
| California
| Oregon
| Oregon St
Stanford
|
UCLA
| USC |
Washington
| Washington St
Past Predictions:
Week One |
Week Two
How are the picks so far? SU 16-2
... ATS 6-9-1
Pac 10 Week
Three Fearless Predictions
Fresno
State
(1-1) at
Washington
(1-1), 6:30 EST, Saturday, September
16th
Why to Watch:
The battle between the Dogs is another
tussle for bragging rights between the
Pac-10 and the WAC. San Jose State and
Boise State represented the WAC well
with big wins over Stanford and Oregon
State respectively, while Washington and
Oregon picked up victories over San Jose
State and Fresno State. After the win
over San Jose State, Washington ran into
an Oklahoma buzz saw in the second half
of their loss in Norman, while Fresno
State battled Oregon throughout the
game, but got beat by a fake field goal
in the fourth quarter. This conference
rubber match, so to speak, is a huge for
both teams. Fresno State wants to
reestablish that it belongs among the
BCS conference teams, while Washington
desperately needs a good win under head
coach Ty Willingham.
Why Fresno State Might Win:
Fresno State should be able to pound it
with RB Dwayne Wright, the number three
rusher in the nation who’s averaging 156
yards per game. It might sound
simplistic to just turn and hand him the
ball, but the senior power back has been
nothing short of sensational early in
the season. One week after running
over, around and through Nevada, Wright
ran for 154 yards on 29 carries to help
the Bulldogs maintain a nine-minute time
of possession advantage against Oregon.
Washington hasn’t been able to slow down
the run yet, and it won’t this week.
Why Washington Might Win: The
Huskies can also run the ball ranking
ninth in the country in rushing
registering 252 yards per game. Against
San Jose State’s porous D, that’s easy
to understand, but the Huskies ran for
204 yards against Oklahoma with a few
big dashes to make it interesting. QB
Isaiah Stanback has to get involved as a
threat early on to utilize his blazing
speed and decent arm. By scrambling, he
keeps backside defenders from closing
too quickly on running backs Louis
Rankin and Kenny James.
Who to Watch: Containing a
versatile quarterback like Stanback
isn’t ever easy for opposing
linebackers, which makes the play of
Fresno State linebackers Dwayne Andrews
and Alan Goodwin incredibly important.
These two have to stay disciplined and
not be over-aggressive every time
Stanback is on the move.
What Will Happen: Fresno State
had the best audition it could possibly
have had facing Oregon’s dynamic Dennis
Dixon last week. However, Stanback
isn’t throwing the ball nearly as well
as Dixon, or as often. Once the Bulldog
defense slows the Washington offensive
unit, FSU QB Tom Brandstater should find
play action to his liking while the
Huskies chase the bruising Wright. If
Brandstater completes 60% of his throws
and doesn’t turn the ball over (he threw
two picks last week), the Bulldogs will
win.
CFN Prediction:
Fresno State 34 ... Washington 28
... Line: Fresno State -3.5
Must See Rating: (5
skip the birth of your first born - 1
Dancing with the Stars) ...
2.5
Arizona State (2-0) at
Colorado
(0-2), 7:00 EST, TBS, Saturday,
September 16th
Why to watch:
Let’s get Arkansas vs. Boise State on
the undercard, and have a reunion of the
last four Boise State head coaches.
Colorado’s Dan Hawkins worked for
Arizona State’s Dirk Koetter with the
Broncos, and the two have remained tight
ever since and are still considered two
of the best offensive minds in college
football. Hawkins, however, has a lot
more than reunions to worry about these
days. His Buffs are one of this year’s
biggest disappointments having lost to
Montana State and Colorado State, and
his baby, the offense, has been brutal.
Everyone knew there’d be growing pains
in Boulder, but this 0-2 start has been
worse than expected and things could get
much, much worse with road trips to
Georgia and Missouri after the date with
the Devils. Arizona State rebounded
nicely from a shaky opener with Northern
Arizona by pounding Nevada last week in
an impressive 52-21 win. Isn’t it funny
how no one is talking about the Sam
Keller-Rudy Carpenter saga after
Carpenter threw for 333 yards and five
touchdowns in the rout? With Cal, Oregon
and USC over the next three weeks, ASU
has to try to win impressively to go
into the most important part of its
season with sky-high confidence.
Why Arizona State might win:
Right now, Colorado looks good for about
10 –to-14 points a game, which Arizona
State can average in a
quarter…especially now that Carpenter
has begun to percolate. The Buffs are
117th nationally in total
offense, and they haven’t exactly been
facing the Pittsburgh Steelers of
college football. With off-Broadway
quarterbacks James Cox and Bernard
Jackson as Hawkins’ only options, and
the two still needing more seasoning,
don’t anticipate an overnight
turnaround. The Sun Devils lead the
nation in sacks, and will salivate after
watching film of the Buff pass
protection.
Colorado might win: As bad as the
offense has been in Boulder, the defense
has been pretty stingy under new
coordinator Ron Collins. Colorado has
allowed just 33 points all year, and
behind the edge rushing of Abraham
Wright, is No. 4 in the country in
sacks. Koetter better forget about
establishing a running game; the Buffs
are allowing just over a yard per carry
through two games.
Who to watch: Arizona State’s
Zach Miller has nine catches to start
the season doing nothing to alter the
notion that he’s the most gifted tight
end at this level and a likely early
entry in the 2007 NFL Draft. When the
Sun Devils are looking to move the
chains, he’ll continue to be Carpenter’s
first option to open things up for the
rest of the offense. For Colorado, it
might be sink or swim time with Jackson.
He has the mobility and the intangibles
to be a dangerous weapon, but he has to
get the offense moving after completing
eight of 13 passes for 70 yards, and
rushing for 30 yards and score, against
Colorado State.
What will happen: Colorado’s
bringing a knife into a gunfight, and
simply doesn’t have the weapons to go
step for step with an Arizona State
offense that’s heating up. Against the
Buffs last weekend, Colorado State’s
Caleb Hanie was 20-of-23 passing, a
precursor to what Carpenter’s going to
do at Folsom Field.
CFN Prediction:
Arizona State 34 ... Colorado 16
... Line: Arizona State -10
Must See Rating: (5
skip the birth of your first born - 1
Dancing with the Stars) ...
3
Stephen
F. Austin
(0-2) at
Arizona
(1-1), 10:00 EST, Saturday, September
16th
Why to watch:
It’s back to the drawing board for an
Arizona program that got humbled in
Baton Rouge last weekend in a 45-3 loss.
The Wildcats had hoped to use their trip
to LSU to make a national statement, but
the only message resonating Saturday
night was that they’ve got a long way to
go before joining the nation’s elite.
Mike Stoops has to use this week to
right the ship with USC and the start of
the Pac-10 season kicking off. Stephen
F. Austin began the year with high
expectations, but has been a big
disappointment, opening with losses to
Tulsa and Division II Delta State.
Why Stephen F. Austin might win:
Arizona isn’t doing anything right on
offense these days. The passing game
has accounted for just one touchdown and
the running game ranks 114th
in the country at just 51 yards a game.
If they can’t snap out their funk, and
the Lumberjacks hang around in a
low-scoring game, the Wildcats become
susceptible to a gag of epic
proportions.
Why Arizona might win: Running
into a Bayou Buzzsaw has skewed
Arizona’s defensive statistics. They’ve
actually got a deep and very talented
defense that’ll be a mismatch for a
Stephen F. Austin offense that’s yet to
throw a touchdown pass and is 88th
in I-AA in total offense. With DE Louis
Holmes applying pressure up front and
Antoine Cason and Michael Johnson
lurking in the secondary, Danny Southall
will get picked multiple times.
Who to watch: Willie Tuitama’s
season has gone from bad to worse. The
Arizona quarterback has struggled badly
out of the gate, and now is battling the
effects of a concussion he suffered
early last week. The Cats desperately
need the Tuitama that lit a fire under
the offense last year, but if he’s a
scratch this week, backup Adam Austin
gets a crack at a ‘Jack pass defense
that’s pulling up the rear in I-AA.
What will happen: After last
week’s loss, Arizona needed this level
of competition in the worst way. The
defense will dominate and the offense
will use all four quarters to work on
execution and run blocking.
CFN Prediction:
Arizona 48 ... Stephen F. Austin 3
... Line: No Line
Must See Rating: (5
skip the birth of your first born - 1
Dancing with the Stars) ...
1
Navy (2-0) at
Stanford (0-2), 10:00 EST, Saturday, September 16th
Why to watch:
After the ribbons are cut on the New
Stanford Stadium, fans will witness a
sharp study in contrast between a pair
of programs that have struggled in
September. While Navy has literally run
the ball on 90% of its plays, Stanford
leans heavily on the strong right arm of
QB Trent Edwards and his talented
receiver Evan Moore. The Middies are
2-0, but close calls with East Carolina
and UMass have created cause for
concern. Fortunately, this doesn’t
appear to be the nasty battle it did
when the schedules first came out. If
not for Duke, Stanford might be the
worst team playing in a BCS conference.
After getting shellacked by Oregon, the
Cardinal blew a 20-point lead last week
in a stunning loss to San Jose State.
Making matters worse, WR Mark Bradford
may be done for the year with an injury.
Hey, at least they’ve got new digs.
Why Navy might win: It’s no
mystery what Navy will do when they have
the ball, but that doesn’t mean Stanford
will stop them. The Cardinal D is 119th—that’s
synonymous with dead last—in the country
against the run surrendering a
mind-boggling 320 yards a game. In San
Jose last week, they made Yonus Davis
look like Terrell Davis. Stanford’s top
three tacklers are defensive backs, and
they’ll be padding those numbers again
this week.
Stanford might win: The only
thing that’s gone right for the Cardinal
has been the passing game. Edwards is
off to a strong start and will hook up
early and often with the 6-7 Moore
against an undersized Navy secondary
that’s ranked 80th nationally
in pass defense. If Stanford jumps out
to a quick lead, in the new era of
non-stop game clocks, the Midshipmen
don’t have the aerial weapons to play
catch up.
Who to watch:
Bradford’s injury has opened the door
for former prep star Richard Sherman to
contribute in his first fall on the
Farm. The 6-3 true freshman had six
catches for 71 yards and a touchdown in
his debut, and is one of the best
all-around athletes on the team. Navy
Head coach Paul Johnson hasn’t been
happy with the play of quarterbacks
Brian Hampton and Kaipo-Noa
Kaheaku-Enhada, who’ve been careless
with the ball and unable to complete
passes. Johnson used both options last
week, and he might repeat that Saturday
night if the attack isn’t crisper.
What will happen: Navy won’t stop
Stanford’s passing game, and Stanford
won’t stop Navy’s ground attack. An
Adam Ballard, fourth-quarter plunge into
the end zone will continue the
Cardinal’s nightmarish start to
2006.
CFN Prediction:
Navy 31 ... Stanford 30
... Line: Stanford -3
Must See Rating: (5
skip the birth of your first born - 1
Dancing with the Stars) ...
2.5
Pac 10 Week
Three Fearless Predictions