Pac
10
Arizona
| Arizona St
| California
| Oregon
| Oregon St
Stanford
|
UCLA
| USC |
Washington
| Washington St
Past Predictions:
Week One |
Week Two |
Week Three
How are the picks so far? SU 23-3
... ATS 8-12-2
Pac 10 Game of
the Week
Arizona State
(3-0) at
California
(2-1), 3:30 EST, Fox Sports Net,
Saturday, September 23
Why to watch: Last week, there
were seven games pitting teams ranked in
both polls. This week? Just one,
Arizona State at Cal. This is the first
of a handful of Pac-10 semifinal games
that’ll determine who stays in the hunt
to dethrone USC and whose target shifts
from Pasadena to San Diego, and it’s
fair to call this an elimination game in
the race. Both teams are loaded at the
skill positions, have plenty of offense,
and are recovering nicely from slow
starts in their openers. Cal has won
two straight since getting blasted by
Tennessee, but it needs an impressive
win to start to get more national
recognition. RB Marshawn Lynch is the
headline act, but it’s been the recent
development of Nate Longshore at
quarterback that has the Bears thinking
big again. Arizona State has been solid
in recent wins over Nevada and Colorado,
getting ample support from the offense
and a vastly improved defense. In three
tries, Dirk Koetter has yet to beat Jeff
Tedford.
Why Arizona State might win:
Cal’s two biggest concerns heading into
this week—a gimpy offensive line and the
play of the secondary—are going to get
exposed by Arizona State in a big way.
The Sun Devils lead the nation with 18
sacks, which is just four shy of their
total for all of 2005. On the contrary,
Rudy Carpenter will get all day to pick
apart Cal’s 109th-ranked pass
defense with tosses to TE Zach Miller
and WR Rudy Burgess.
Why Cal might win: Longshore has
thrown six touchdown passes to just one
interception the past two games, making
the Bear offense almost impossible to
stop. Even with a tweaked ankle, Lynch
is averaging just under eight yards a
carry, and WR DeSean Jackson is prepared
to have a breakthrough moment against
the sketchy Sun Devil corners. When he
needs first downs and touchdowns,
Tedford will know exactly what buttons
to push Saturday afternoon.
Who to watch: Freshman DE Dexter
Davis is one of the major reasons
Arizona State has done an about face on
defense this fall. With his slippery
moves and knack for making plays behind
the line, he’s been a revelation for a
Sun Devils D that lacked penetration in
2005.
What will happen: In a dead even
match up between two explosive programs,
the edge goes to the team playing at
home and playing for the better head
coach. Anything less than a shootout
will be disappointing.
CFN Prediction: California 38 …
Arizona State 35
... Line: Cal -7.5
Must See Rating: (5 skip the
birth of your first born - 1 The
Janice Dickenson Modeling Agency)
... 4
UCLA (2-0) at
Washington
(2-1), 3:30 EST, Saturday, September 23
Why to watch:
Thanks to the first signature win of the
Ty Willingham era, a tough 21-20 upset
of Fresno State, Washington is brimming
with optimism and above .500 for the
first time in three years. A second
straight win in Seattle will force
everyone to alter the expectations for
U-Dub in 2006 and would set the table
for a run to a possible bowl bid. UCLA
is about to come out of its bye week and
needs to show that it’s not the
inconsistent team that started the
season blowing out Utah before getting a
fight from Rice. The story so far has
been the play of QB Ben Olson, who’s No.
6 nationally in passing efficiency. Is
he the real deal? This is his first road
test.
Why UCLA might win: It’s full
steam ahead for Olson, who’ll torch a
Husky defense that’s ranked 100th
against the pass and has already made
San Jose State’s Adam Trafalis and
Oklahoma’s Paul Thompson look like
All-Americans. The Bruins also have the
benefit of balance with the backfield
tandem of Chris Markey and Kahlil Bell,
who both went over 100 yards two weeks
ago.
Why Washington might win: There’s
been some growth, but UCLA is still soft
up front and vulnerable against offenses
that can pound it between the tackles.
Under Willingham, Washington’s
commitment to the run is paying
dividends. Led by Louis Rankin, the
Huskies are No. 16 in the country in
rushing, which has taken some of the
pressure off Isaiah Stanback from having
to do too much in the passing game.
Who to watch: To get the maximum
from Olson’s big arm, UCLA needs a
receiver who can stretch defenses to
make his presence felt. Enter Junior
Taylor, who’s all the way back from last
year’s ACL tear and, after having only
moderate success the first two games, is
itching to use this platform as his
coming-out party.
will happen: Washington is clearly
making strides, but not enough to topple
a well-rested Bruin team that’s going to
light up the Husky secondary.
CFN Prediction: UCLA 27 …
Washington 20
... Line: UCLA -3.5
Must See Rating: (5 skip the
birth of your first born - 1 The
Janice Dickenson Modeling Agency)
... 3
Washington State (2-1) at
Stanford (0-3), 5:00 EST, Saturday, September 23
Why to watch:
It hasn’t been pretty, but Washington
State has regrouped from its opening
night loss to Auburn and now should be
back on track against a Stanford team
that’s struggling to get out of the
gate. In their sloppiest effort of the
season, the Cougars needed a late rally
to fend off Baylor 17-15 in a game they
probably would have dropped last fall in
the first half. However, Wazzu’s last
five losses in 2005 were by four points
or less, so any win’s a good one. New
stadium, same old Stanford. Actually,
after losing to San Jose State and
getting torpedoed by Navy, the Cardinal
has exceeded its recent standard for
poor play. Injuries to Mark Bradford
and Evan Moore, Stanford’s two best
playmakers, have made a bad situation
worse.
Why Washington State might win:
Stanford’s 116th ranked
defense will breathe life into a
talented Cougar offense that sputtered
last week against Baylor. The Cardinal
is pulling up the rear in run defense
and has yet to keep an opponent below 35
points. Making matters worse, last
week’s nine-point outburst versus the
Middies is evidence Stanford no longer
has the pieces on offense to go
stride-for-stride in a track meet.
Why Stanford might win:
Washington State’s offensive woes last
week can be traced to poor play on the
offensive line. Starting left tackle
Bobby Byrd is out indefinitely with an
MCL sprain, so things won’t be getting
better any time soon. The Cougars
managed just 51 yards on 34 carries, a
paltry average that must improve now
that league play is starting.
Who to watch: Alex Brink is one
Cougar who’s happy to be playing on the
road. The quarterback was booed
relentlessly at Seattle’s Qwest Field
last weekend, so he’ll revel in his
irrelevance at the new Stanford
Stadium. Without the added distraction
of cat-calls and expletives, Brink will
enjoy his best day of the season.
What will happen: Two teams
heading in opposite directions will
continue down those paths with
Washington State pulling away in the
second half.
CFN Prediction: Washington
State 34 … Stanford 20
... Line: Washington State -10
Must See Rating: (5 skip the
birth of your first born - 1 The
Janice Dickenson Modeling Agency)
... 2
USC (2-0) at
Arizona
(2-1), 8:00 EST, ABC, Saturday,
September 23
Why to watch: The cast is
different, but the results have been the
same for USC. Yeah, Leinart and Bush
are gone, but 78-24 over two pretty
credible opponents sounds an awful lot
like scores from the past couple of
seasons. In front of a nationally
televised audience, the Trojans reset
the timetable for Nebraska’s return to
glory behind a suffocating, makeshift
defense and three John David Booty
touchdown passes in the 28-10 win. They
may no longer be the favorites to blow
everyone away on the way to the national
title, but in two blowouts, the Trojans
served notice that they deserve to be in
the mix. Their visit to the desert is
Arizona’s chance to make a national
splash, take two. In their first
opportunity at LSU, the Wildcats failed
miserably in a 45-3 drubbing and most
jumped off the bandwagon. Even against
I-AA Stephen F. Austin last week, the
offense got mixed reviews to go along
with 28 points.
Why USC might win: Arizona came
into the season with high expectations,
but those have been replaced by
inconsistency on both sides of the
ball. The defense is creating no
pressure this month, which will give
Booty the time he needs to find
receivers Dwayne Jarrett and Steve
Smith. On offense, the Cats will
struggle to surpass their season average
of 15 points against a nasty Trojan D,
which just held Nebraska to 211 total
yards and one touchdown.
Why Arizona might win: The
Wildcats possess one of the few
secondaries in the country that can
actually force USC to lean on the
running game. If Booty and Co. can be
slowed down, the Trojans’ talented, but
untested running game-by-committee will
be put in the unfamiliar role of
carrying the attack. The Arizona team
that hung with USC for more than three
quarters at the Coliseum last season is
a year older and far more dangerous. Now
it gets the big boys in Tucson.
Who to watch: Jarrett caught 11
balls for 136 yards and two scores
Saturday night to become USC’s all-time
leader in touchdown receptions…with
almost two years of eligibility
remaining. The catches will be a little
harder to come by this week with Jarrett
going one-on-one with Antoine Cason, one
of the best cover corners in America.
The pro scouts already know about Cason,
but this is the type of game that makes
first day prospects top 40 picks.
What will happen: The Arizona
defense will prevent the game from
getting out of control, but the Cats
won’t have nearly enough on offense to
spook a Trojan team that’s just
beginning to rev up.
CFN Prediction:
USC 37 … Arizona 13
... Line: USC -21
Must See Rating: (5 skip the
birth of your first born - 1 The
Janice Dickenson Modeling Agency)
... 3
Idaho (1-2) at
Oregon State
(1-1) 10:00 PM EST Saturday September 23rd
Why to Watch: The second
installment of the Dennis Erickson Bowl
takes place in Corvallis as Erickson’s
Vandals take on Erickson’s former team.
The Vandals lost the inaugural Erickson
Bowl at Washington State two weeks ago,
but they picked up their first win of
the season at home against rival Idaho
State in a 27-24 battle. The Beavers
have had two weeks to let their blowout
loss to Boise State fester as they
prepared for Erickson’s new team before
diving into Pac 10 play with a showdown
against Can next week. This is an Oregon
State looking to get its groove back.
Why Idaho Might Win: Vandal QB
Steven Wichman threw for 266 yards out
of Erickson’s offense against Idaho
State, but more importantly, the offense
times for 161 yards to help provide
better balance. The arrival of the
running game couldn’t have come at a
better time with an all-around attack
needed to try to keep pace with the
occasionally high-powered Beavers. The
OSU defensive front is still a major
question mark two games into the season.
Why Oregon State Might Win: Two
weeks away from the field should help
the Beavers recover from the Boise State
beatdown, and the extra game tape of
Idaho will certainly help. It’ll all be
about RB Yvenson Bernard, who ran for 89
yards at Boise State and should have few
problems against an Idaho run defense
ranking 111th in the nation.
Who to Watch: The Oregon State
defensive line was physically beaten in
its last outing getting physically
manhandled at the point of attack by the
Broncos. If Oregon State is going to
win, the defensive line, in particular
the team’s edge defenders, must do a
much better job containing Idaho’s
outside running game. Idaho CB Stanley
Franks is a JUCO transfer who has only
played three games at the D-I level, but
he’s proving that he’s already playing
like a veteran picking off two passes
against Idaho State.
What Will Happen: The Beavers
will give it to Bernard at least 30
times to dominate time of possession and
to help keep Moore from having to throw
the football at Franks and company 30+
times. The Vandals will maintain their
offensive balance, which will keep the
Beaver defense on the field for long
play drives, but the Vandal D will wear
down by the fourth quarter.
CFN Prediction: Oregon State 44 …
Idaho 13 ...
Line: Oregon State -23
Must See Rating: (5 skip the
birth of your first born - 1 The
Janice Dickenson Modeling Agency)
...
2