Houston at Oregon
3:30 PM
Why to watch:
Okay, Oregon, which one is it?
Are you the program that started
last season 4-0 or the one that
careened to an embarrassing 0-4
finish? Losers of at least five
games in four of the last five
seasons, the Ducks are no longer
the darlings of the Pac-10.
They’ve got plenty to prove in
2007, and enough playmakers on
offense to answer their growing
numbers of critics. The key
this fall will be the
development of QB Dennis Dixon,
who regressed badly in 2006, but
has the athletic ability to be
the point man in a potent
offense. Expect more touches
for Jonathan Stewart, a beast of
a back with All-America
potential that was underutilized
last season. If you think
Houston will be rebuilding
because Kevin Kolb has
graduated, think again. While
the road to a Conference USA
title will be much harder
without the franchise
quarterback, the Cougars return
15 starters from a team that won
ten games last year, including a
dizzying array of skill position
talent. Beating Oregon on the
road will send a clear signal
that Houston’s ready for the
next chapter in its evolution
under Art Briles. Why Houston might win:
Led by senior linemen Jeff
Akeroyd and Dustin Dickinson,
the Cougars will create running
lanes for burners Anthony
Alridge and Randall Antoine
against a Duck defense that’s
noticeably soft up front.
Alridge, in particular, has the
4.2 jets to quiet the crowd at
Autzen Stadium in a flash. If
Oregon can’t do a better job of
protecting the ball in 2007,
it’ll be ripe for the picking,
especially against an
opportunistic and experienced
program, such as Houston. This
Cougar team has the overall
speed to run with the Ducks. Why Oregon might win: In
the first start of his college
career, it’s asking way too much
of either redshirt freshman Case
Keenum or sophomore Blake Joseph
to go on the road and engineer
an upset at Oregon. The starter
will have great weapons in Jeron
Harvey and Donnie Avery, but
both receivers will have trouble
finding space against a tough
Duck secondary that features
rising corners Jairus Byrd and
Walter Thurmond, and
hard-hitting rover Patrick
Chung. The Cougar defense is
good by Conference USA
standards, but doesn’t have the
size or the speed to shut down
Stewart and Jeremiah Johnson on
the ground, or 6-5, 240-pound
pass-catchers Jaison Williams
and Ed Dickson. Who to watch: All eyes
will be on the play of Dixon,
whose radical inconsistency was
a microcosm of the Oregon
program last season. A fast
start in the opener will silence
his critics for the time being,
while doing wonders for his
self-confidence. The opposite
could set the tone for a really
rough season. What will happen: Count
on lots of offense and plenty of
big plays from the special
teams. With Kolb still on
campus, this would be a huge
landmine for the Ducks. Without
him around, Oregon will survive
behind a monster game from
Stewart and in a departure from
last year, a victory in the
turnover battle.
CFN Prediction:
Oregon 35 …
Houston
23
... Line: Oregon -14.5 Must See Rating: (5 Hef
wants you to take his place on
The Girls Next Door, but
you can’t because you have to
watch this game - 1 Cavemen)
... 3
Arizona at BYU
5:30 PM Versus
Why to watch:
After winning 11 games and a
Mountain West title last year,
BYU is determined to raise the
bar in 2007. Arizona’s Mike
Stoops, on the other hand, might
be looking for a job if he can’t
lead the program to the
post-season in his fourth year.
The Wildcat head coach took a
page out of the BYU blueprint in
the off-season, looking to
Lubbock and hiring a Mike Leach
disciple to run his feeble
offense. It’s worked so far for
the Cougars, who hired Robert
Anae away from Texas Tech three
years ago, and Stoops is hoping
Sonny Dykes can be just as
successful in Tucson. It won’t
happen overnight, but the
healthy return of strong-armed
Willie Tuitama will help with
the transition. It’s a tall
order, but BYU will be right
back in the conference title
hunt if it can solve its
backfield issues, specifically
at quarterback, where John Beck
has graduated. The heir
apparent is Max Hall, who shares
some of Beck’s cerebral
qualities and actually prepped
at the same high school, yet
will be taking his first college
snaps Saturday night. He didn’t
stick around Arizona State long
enough to play for a Territorial
Cup, but beating Arizona in his
debut won’t be any less
satisfying. Why Arizona might win:
Hall’s first live action in four
years will come against one of
the Pac-10 best all-around
defenses. That’s a recipe for
short drives and turnovers. The
Wildcats are especially strong
in the back seven, led by
all-league LB Spencer Larsen and
Antoine Cason, an elite corner
capable of completing walling
off half the field. If Hall
doesn’t get help from a rebuilt
running game, he’ll have a hard
time moving the ball through the
air. This isn’t the team you
want to start your career
against. Why BYU might win: It’s
going to take a while before
Arizona feels truly comfortable
in an offense that’s a stark
contrast from last season and
doesn’t quite fit the team’s
personnel. Until Tuitama and
his young receivers are on the
same page, expect lots of
miscommunication and a fair
amount of turnovers. BYU has
the experience and opportunistic
tendencies, especially at
linebacker, to turn those
mistakes into points. Don’t
underestimate how tough it is to
win in Provo, where head coach
Bronco Mendenhall has made a
special point of making sure the
Cougars play up to their
potential. Who to watch: With BYU
star tight end Jonny Harline
gone, Hall needs to find a go-to
receiver this weekend and
beyond. Now that he’s returned
from a two-year Church mission,
WR Austin Collie is more than
capable of filling the void if
he can be consistent. Now a
solid 6-2 and 210 pounds with
deep skills, he was a find as a
true freshman in 2004, hauling
in 53 passes for 771 yards and
eight touchdowns. On the other
side, this is when Tuitama has
to shine. Everyone has been
waiting for him to become the
superstar he appeared to be
growing into two years ago, and
a win here in the new offense
would go a long way to setting
the tone for the season. What will happen: Both
defenses will be noticeably
ahead of the offenses, resulting
in a low-scoring game for the
second straight year. If won’t
be a heart-stopper like last
season, when the Wildcats pulled
out a tough one with a bomb of a
field goal, but it’ll be tight.
BYU will win a battle of
turnovers and field position, as
Arizona shows serious growing
pains with Dykes’ new offense. CFN Prediction:
BYU
23 … Arizona 16
... Line: BYU -6 Must See Rating: (5 Hef
wants you to take his place on
The Girls Next Door, but
you can’t because you have to
watch this game - 1 Cavemen)
... 3 Final Score:
San Jose State at
Arizona State
10:00 PM
Why to watch:
Arizona State will begin the
Dennis Erickson era with a
sneaky-tough visit from a San
Jose State program led by head
coach Dick Tomey, the former
Arizona head coach who produced
one of 2006’s most stunning
turnarounds. Erickson has a
track record of impatience when
rebuilding, and enough key
returners on both sides of the
ball to be the next best thing
to USC in the Pac-10. How
quickly the Sun Devils can
escape mediocrity will depend
heavily on the maturation of QB
Rudy Carpenter, who struggled
last year, appearing to try to
do too much, after leading the
nation in passing efficiency as
a freshman. He’ll have the
luxury of being surrounded by
all-league RB Ryan Torain, a
slew of veteran linemen, and an
improving receiving corps that
should make the offense explode.
On the other side, the Spartans
are looking to build on a
nine-win season and come up with
a huge win that could define the
Tomey program. Many of the key
pieces are back; this could be a
lot better than it might appear.
Why San Jose State might win:
Balanced offenses will move the
ball on the Arizona State
defense during stretches. The
Spartans have a balanced
offense. The combination of
Adam Tafralis’ passes and the
running of Yonus Davis and
Patrick Perry will be a handful
for a Sun Devil defense that’s a
tad soft on the inside and
potentially vulnerable through
the air. The Spartans,
particularly CBs Dwight Lowery
and Christopher Owens, have
become thieves under Tomey, so
Carpenter needs to be extra
careful with his reads. The
SJSU defense will be
ultra-aggressive trying to screw
things up. Why Arizona State might win:
While the Spartans are a feisty
bunch on defense, they lack the
size and strength to hold up
against a very physical and
savvy Sun Devil line. Led by
all-leaguers Mike Pollak and
Brandon Rodd, ASU has six
linemen with starting
experience, who’ll keep
Carpenter from having to leave
the pocket and give lots of room
for Torain to rumble for first
downs. The skill guys get the
headlines, but this game will be
won at the line of scrimmage. By
the fourth quarter, the Sun
Devils should have the Spartan
defensive front worn down. Who to watch: Carpenter’s
sophomore slump wasn’t all his
fault. He got help from a young
group of receivers that dropped
too many passes and didn’t make
enough big plays. That’ll
change in 2007 with the
development of Michael Jones on
the outside and Kyle Williams in
the slot, both of whom flash
game-breaking skills. At 6-4
and 208 pounds, Jones has the
size and ups to create a
fascinating duel with Lowery. It
would be extremely good for
Carpenter to be sharp right away
considering Colorado and its
nasty defense is up next week.
What will happen:
Alright, it was Stanford, but
San Jose State bagged a Pac-10
opponent in 2006, so don’t
expect it to be intimidated by
the trip to the desert. This
will be a competitive game past
halftime, when Torain will take
over, play keep away with the
Spartans, and finish with a
couple of scores and 150 yards
of total offense.
CFN Prediction: Arizona
State 31 …
San
Jose State 17...
Line: Arizona State -14.5 Must See Rating: (5 Hef
wants you to take his place on
The Girls Next Door, but
you can’t because you have to
watch this game - 1 Cavemen)
... 2.5 Final Score:
Idaho at USC
10:15 PM FSN
Why to watch:
Let’s just see how good this No.
1 ranked USC team really is. Of
course the Trojans are supposed
to win easily against an
overmatched Idaho team led by
new head man Robb Akey, but if
this is really the dominant team
it’s supposed to be, it needs to
flex some early muscle before
going to Nebraska in two weeks.
This is a chance to see not just
USC’s wave of proven stars in
action, but also some of the
rookies, such as RB Joe
McKnight, if he’s healthy, and
DE Everson Griffen, as benches
empty early in a one-sided
rout. For future purposes,
special attention should also be
given to C Matt Spanos, who’s
replacing All-American Ryan
Kalil, and the bevy of big,
young receivers vying to replace
Dwayne Jarrett and Steve Smith.
It’s not like the Trojans’ need
the advanced scouting, but
defensive coordinator Nick Holt
was Idaho’s head coach in 2004
and 2005, and recruited a number
of the program’s current
players. For the third time in
the last four years, the Vandals
will be breaking in a new head
coach with Akey, the former
Washington State defensive
coordinator, all too familiar
with the Trojans. Although he
inherits a decent foundation on
defense with CB Stanley Franks
and LB David Vobora, a pair of
NFL prospects, the coach will
need unexpected help from the
offense to match last year’s 4-8
record. Why Idaho might win: Or,
why Idaho might earn a moral win
and cover the spread. The
Vandals have a seasoned back
seven and genuine playmakers in
Franks and Vobora that can make
a few third down stops and force
the Trojans to punt more than
they’re accustomed. The USC
offense is loaded, but with a
couple of new starters on the
line and at receiver, it could
be a few weeks before it’s a
well-oiled juggernaut. As long
as they get a little bit of
early confidence, the Vandals
might make this interesting for
a few quarters. Why USC might win: Aside
from the obvious and
astronomical gap in talent
between the two programs, Idaho
will be using a redshirt
freshman quarterback named
Nathan Enderle against the
vicious USC defense. Uh-oh. As
debuts go, it just doesn’t any
more daunting than a trip to the
Coliseum to face Sedrick Ellis,
Rey Maualuga, Taylor Mays, and
the rest of the Trojan D which
appears to be the best in the
Pete Carroll era. The USC second
team would start for Idaho. Who to watch: With Vidal
Hazelton nursing a groin injury
and Jamere Holland off the team,
WR David Ausberry’s importance
within the USC offense has been
amplified since the start of
fall camp. In fact, he’ll
probably start along with
Patrick Turner, giving Booty a
pair of 6-5 targets to work
with. Also in the spotlight will
be the USC running game, that’ll
try to figure out which of the
sensational prospects are ready
to be the stars. Call this game
a bit of an audition. What will happen: Fueled
by a slew of turnovers, the
Trojan defense will outscore the
Vandal offense this weekend. In
the equivalent of an exhibition
game, Carroll and his staff will
be thinking about the trip to
Nebraska by the first couple of
drives of the third quarter.
CFN Prediction: USC 52 …
Idaho
9...
Line: USC -45 Must See Rating: (5 Hef
wants you to take his place on
The Girls Next Door, but
you can’t because you have to
watch this game - 1 Cavemen)
... 1.5 Final Score:
