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UCLA (5-3) at Arizona (3-6)
3:30 EST, ABC
Why to Watch: Is UCLA
still a legitimate contender for
the Pac-10 title? The 4-1
league record may say yes, but
last week’s dreadful 20-point
loss to Washington State and
late season schedule indicate
that the program will be
scrapping for a second-tier bowl
game again in December. Things
could get real ugly in November
for battle-scarred head coach
Karl Dorrell and the Bruins, who
are accumulating injuries on
offense. With a finishing kick
that includes Arizona State,
Oregon, and USC, it’s imperative
that UCLA grab a win when it can
this weekend in Tucson. Like
Dorrell, Arizona head coach Mike
Stoops is under the AD
microscope with no guarantees
that he’ll be back for another
season in 2008. The Wildcats
improved to 3-6 with a stirring
48-41 win over Washington behind
a record-setting day from QB
Willie Tuitama. Under Stoops,
Arizona has been at its best in
November, and last week’s
comeback in Seattle is a sign
that the team is poised for
another late-season rally.
Why UCLA might win: With
Arizona, you never know what
you’re going to get from week to
week. The program completely
lacks any consistency, failing
to score when the defense plays
well, and looking like a sieve
when the offense puts up
points. Last Saturday, Tuitama
and WR Mike Thomas had to bail
out a sketchy Wildcat defense
that gave up 572 yards to
Washington, one of the worst
offenses in the Pac-10. Without
any running game or a reliable
front wall to control the
sack-happy Bruins, Arizona will
revert back to the offense that
went a three-game stretch in
October without scoring more
than 20 points in a game.
Why Arizona might win: QB
Ben Olson is out. His backup,
Patrick Cowan, is limping.
Leading rusher Kahlil Bell is
out for the year. His running
mate, Chris Markey, is gimpy.
Leading WR Brandon Breazell is
trying to play through sore
ribs. Where will the UCLA
production come from this week?
Against an awful Wazzu defense
last week, the Bruins managed
just seven points and 267 total
yards, a preview of what’s to
come over the balance of the
season. The Wildcats, on the
other hand, will be able to air
it out on a UCLA defense that’s
allowed 16 touchdown passes and
has been vulnerable to the long
ball all season.
Who to watch: Although he
gets somewhat overlooked around
the Pac-10, Thomas has been the
one constant on offense for
Arizona this season, catching 50
passes for a third year
in-a-row. An undersized player
that can find the soft spots in
a defense, he’s coming off a
monster 10-catch,
three-touchdown performance
versus Washington, and will
toast a UCLA secondary that’s
been spotty for much of the
year.
What Will Happen: UCLA
may have four games remaining,
but last week’s game in Pullman
proved that this program is
clinically dead. Or is it? Just
when you think UCLA stinks, it
comes up with a great win from
out of nowhere. The defense will
pull this one off as it bends,
but rarely breaks against
Tuitama.
CFN Prediction
UCLA
30 … Arizona 20
... Line: UCLA -3
Must See Rating: (5 Heidi
Klum on Victoria's Secret
Fashion Show - 1 Heidi Klum
on Oprah) ...
Washington (2-6) at Stanford
(3-5)
3:30 EST
Why to Watch: Did
Washington reach rock bottom
with last week’s 48-41 home loss
to Arizona, a game it led 41-26
in the final quarter? We’ll
find out this week when the
Huskies, riding a six-game
losing streak, travel to Palo
Alto to play a Stanford team it
needs to beat to show that
things are headed in the right
direction. An even better
question might be whether or not
the program has accomplished
anything under Tyrone Willingham
in 2007, other than breaking the
seal on the Jake Locker era.
While dropping five in-a-row to
better teams was acceptable,
last Saturday’s loss to the
Wildcats was not. The Cardinal
had problems of its own last
weekend, playing its worst game
in a month in a 23-6 loss to
Oregon State. Although Stanford
was never competitive in
Corvallis, three upcoming games
with sub-.500 teams have the
program clinging to the faint
hope of winning six games, and
nabbing a bowl invitation.
Why Washington might win:
At long last, the Huskies get to
face an offense that lacks the
weapons to obliterate it the way
opponents have over the last six
weeks. Washington is horrible
defensively, but a Stanford
offense that’s last in the
league in scoring and total
yards won’t be able to take
advantage. On defense, the
Cardinal will fail to contain
Locker, who’s improving weekly
as a passer, and getting good
contributions from top receivers
Marcel Reece and Anthony Russo.
Why Stanford might win:
Washington has been so bad on
defense this year, it couldn’t
stop Samford, let alone
Stanford. The Cardinal will go
right after a Husky secondary
that allowed 510 yards passing
to Arizona by utilizing a gifted
set of receivers in Richard
Sherman, Evan Moore, and Mark
Bradford. Stanford would love
to get back RB Anthony Kimble
from a shoulder injury so he can
run against a U-Dub defense that
hasn’t stopped any running game
with a pulse having given up 147
points over the last three
weeks. On an intangible level,
there seems to be no quit in a
Cardinal program that’s being
led by high-energy head coach
Jim Harbaugh.
Who to watch: It’s going
to be a big game for Washington
DE Daniel Te’o-Nesheim, a
high-motor guy and one the
Huskies’ best pass rushers.
He’s going to toy with a
Stanford line that’s been
abysmal in keeping the
quarterbacks upright all year
long, allowing a whopping 32
sacks through eight games. If
the Cardinal tries to double
Te’o-Nesheim, speedy Greyson
Gunheim will make it pay from
the opposite side.
What Will Happen: The
Washington offense has played
well enough to win the last two
games, but the defense has
failed to hold up its end of the
pact. That won’t be a problem
against Stanford this week, as
Locker will carry the Huskies to
their first win in nearly two
months.
CFN Prediction:
Washington 31 … Stanford
27 ...
Line: Washington -3
Must See Rating: (5 Heidi
Klum on Victoria's Secret
Fashion Show - 1 Heidi Klum
on Oprah) ... 2
Oregon State (5-3) at USC (6-2)
8:00 EST
Why to Watch: After
losing to Oregon Saturday, and
basically dropping out of the
Pac-10 race, where does USC go
from here? These are strange
days for the Trojans, who remain
loaded with future pros on both
sides of the ball, yet will take
a rare backseat to the likes of
Oregon and Arizona State over
the next month as it sits around
dealing with the Reggie Bush
situation. Still, despite all
the talk of dynasties ending and
skies falling, there’s plenty
for USC to play for, including a
sixth-straight 10-win season
that just might be enough to
earn the program a
season-salvaging at-large BCS
bowl berth. The Trojans could
get starting QB John David Booty
back from a finger problem, as
the team’s injury list gradually
continues to shrink. Along with
the Ducks and the Sun Devils,
Oregon State is suddenly the
hottest team in the Pac-10,
winning three straight games to
move into a fourth-place tie in
the league with the Trojans.
The Beavers are being carried by
a veteran defense that’s more
than compensating for an offense
that’s been hampered by injuries
and poor play behind center.
Why Oregon State might win:
The Beavers have allowed just 16
points a game during its winning
streak, rising to No. 1 in the
country in run defense and
sacks. The veteran front seven,
in particular, will present
problems for a USC offense that
lacks playmakers and has been
held in check by far less
seasoned units over the past
five games. Even if Booty does
return to the huddle, he’ll have
to shake a few off a few layers
of rust that come with almost a
month of inactivity.
Why USC might win: For
all the issues the Trojans have
had this season, none can be
pinned on a defense that ranks
fourth in the country and is
getting healthier each week.
With star WR Sammie Stroughter
on the shelf, top RB Yvenson
Bernard nursing a shoulder
injury, and QB Sean Canfield
still struggling with his reads,
the USC defense should the OSU
offense from the star. The
Beavers have had problems with
pass protection this fall, which
is not going to improve against
a defense that features DT
Sedrick Ellis, DE Lawrence
Jackson, and the best ensemble
of linebackers in the country.
Who to watch: USC is in dire
need of more big plays on
offense, which is one reason why
true freshman RB Joe McKnight
has seen his role in the offense
increase over the last three
weeks. The prize of last year’s
recruiting class, he has the
breakaway speed and Bush-esque
moves in the open field that
Trojan coaches hope can loosen
up defenses over the final month
of the season.
What Will Happen: Fueled
by a suffocating defense, USC
will thoroughly frustrate
Canfield, and get an ounce of
revenge for last season’s
memorable loss in Corvallis.
CFN Prediction: USC 28 ….Oregon
State 13
... Line: USC -15.5
Must See Rating: (5 Heidi
Klum on Victoria's Secret
Fashion Show - 1 Heidi Klum
on Oprah) ... 3.5
Washington State (3-5) at
California (5-3)
10:00 EST
Why to Watch: Didn’t you
used to be Cal? The Bears, who
were on a collision course with
a No. 1 ranking last month, are
in the midst of a three-game
losing streak that has
completely altered
expectations. While the losses
have hardly been one-sided, they
‘ve exposed the program’s
inability to win close games or
make timely stops on defense.
The Chicago Cubs of the Pac-10,
Cal will have to wait another
season to try ending a near
half-century absence from the
Rose Bowl. Washington State
came up unexpectedly big last
weekend, destroying UCLA for its
first league win of the season.
The defense played its best game
of the season, RB Dwight Tardy
ran for a career-high 214 yards
and two scores, and the Cougars
showed everyone that they
weren’t quitting on beleaguered
head coach Bill Doba. Deliver
another upset this week, and the
program will have something to
play for in November: bowl
eligibility.
Why Washington State might
win: Tardy’s performance
last week and the overall play
of the offensive line give hope
that the Cougar offense can
display balance over the final
month of the year to go along
with all-time leading passer
Alex Brink. Save for the
Louisiana Tech game, Cal hasn’t
stopped anyone this season,
allowing 27 points a game and
rarely generating much pressure
on opposing quarterbacks. The
Bear secondary is suspect,
creating an opening for Brink
and an underrated group of
receivers to take over the game
in Berkeley.
Why Cal might win: In
Pullman, Washington State has
been very respectable. Outside
of the Palouse, the Cougars have
been very repulsive, losing by
an average of 32 points.
Saturday night’s game is on the
road. Wazzu’s effort on defense
last week was commendable, but
it was also an aberration. The
Cougars have one of the nation’s
youngest and most generous pass
defenses, yielding 19 touchdown
passes and an average of 271
yards a game. If the Bears want
to end their skid, they’ll
attack this unit with a dynamite
collection of receivers that
includes DeSean Jackson, Lavelle
Hawkins, and Robert Jordan.
Who to watch: It’s
obvious that Cal QB Nate
Longshore’s ankle still isn’t
100%, but is his complete lack
of mobility killing the Bear
offense? Opposing defenses are
blitzing the already
heavy-legged quarterback,
knowing that he has no chance of
avoiding the rush. Expect more
of the same from Washington
State, which loves turning loose
LB Andy Mattingly, the team’s
leader in sacks and tackles for
loss. If Longshore shows any
hints of being a liability for
Jeff Tedford, expect the coach
to yank him in favor of freshman
Kevin Riley.
What Will Happen: With
its defense reverting back to
usual form, Washington State’s
road woes will continue in a
lopsided loss in Strawberry
Canyon. Cal will produce 500
yards of balanced offense to
overcome its own issues on the
defensive side of the ball.
CFN Prediction:
California 42 …
Washington State 21...
Line: California -14.5
Must See Rating: (5 Heidi
Klum on Victoria's Secret
Fashion Show - 1 Heidi Klum
on Oprah) ... 2.5
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