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USC (0-0) at
Virginia (0-0),
3:30 EST, ABC
Why to watch:
New year, same expectations at
USC. The Trojans are back in a
familiar place, looking down on
the rest of the Pac-10 and
residing on the short list of
national championship
contenders, but is this the year
they get back over the hump
after a few major gaffes led the
way to Rose Bowls instead of the
BCS Championship? Although
they’re facing turnover at
quarterback and on both lines,
the bottomless pool of talent
Pete Carroll lures to Troy means
that the backups are as good as
everyone else's starters. One of
those new starters is former
high school All-American Mark
Sanchez, who held off Mitch
Mustain in the high-profile
battle to succeed John David
Booty, but a knee injury changed
the pecking order ... at least
for a while. Sanchez was
questionable, but has practiced
and appears ready to go.
Meanwhile, Virginia is coming
out of a rough off-season marked
by suspensions and dismissals to
key players on both sides of the
ball. The glow from last year’s
9-4 shocker was gone before
spring ball started
losing
elite linemen Chris Long and
Branden Albert to the NFL
along with the suspension of
starting QB Jameel Sewell.
Still, there’s enough returning
talent to earn a second-tier
bowl invite, provided the young
Cavs don’t get demoralized in
the opener by a far superior
team.
Why USC might win: Even
without Sedrick Ellis and
Lawrence Jackson on the line,
the Trojan defense is going to
be sensational once again. The
back seven alone sports four
players with All-America
potential, a daunting sight for
the untested Virginia
quarterbacks. USC will be able
to concentrate its full forces
on stopping the Cavs’ best
offensive weapons, backs Cedric
Peerman and Mikell Simpson.
Linebackers Rey Maualuga and
Brian Cushing, and safeties
Kevin Ellison and Taylor Mays
are basically NFL players with
college eligibility left.
They'll play like it.
Why Virginia might win:
One thing you can count on from
an Al Groh-coached team is a
rugged defense that limits big
plays. Although the Trojans are
flooded with skill position
talent, the offense hasn’t
exactly been unstoppable over
the last couple of seasons.
Plus, Sanchez still has plenty
to prove behind a line that's
breaking in four new starters.
Virginia will be able to keep
plays in front of it, getting
maximum effort from the senior
linebacker trio of Clint Sintim,
Jon Copper, and Antonio Appleby.
Who to watch: In USC’s
star-studded offensive lineup,
none will shine brighter than RB
Joe McKnight, a homerun hitter
every time he gets the ball in
space. After scratching the
surface of his potential as a
true freshman, he’s ready to
start living up to the incessant
Reggie Bush comparisons. Stafon
Johnson will get more carries,
but McKnight will finish the day
with more total yards.
What will happen:
USC is dominant in good road
games like this, and it'll be so
again with its defense.
In front of an electric home
crowd, the Cavaliers will put up
a fight for 20 minutes before
succumbing to the Trojans’
superior overall talent. The USC
defenders will end any thoughts
of an upset, overwhelming a
Virginia line that’s vulnerable
on the interior. The offense,
however, will be sporadic in its
only tune-up before Ohio State
visits Sept. 13.
CFN Prediction: USC 31
... Virginia 13 ... Line: USC
-19.5
Must See Rating: (5 90210
- 1 90210, at least what you’ll
say among your friends) …
3.5
-
Click here to receive ATS Consultants
FREE selections
Northern Arizona (0-0) at
Arizona State (0-0),
10:00 EST, Saturday, August 30
Why to watch: Dennis
Erickson begins his second
chapter at Arizona State after
leading the program out of
mediocrity and into Pac-10
contention. After going 10-3,
the Sun Devils return enough key
players, including QB Rudy
Carpenter and DE Dexter Davis,
to be right back in the league
hunt this fall. Progress,
however, won’t be possible
unless the offensive line can
make a sudden turnaround in the
area of pass protection. The
unit was embarrassed a year ago,
forcing the staff to install
quicker drops and more generic
blocking schemes. Coming off
back-to-back 6-5 seasons,
Northern Arizona is a mid-tier
program out of the Big Sky
Conference. While not a complete
team, the Lumberjacks are fun to
watch, sporting a high-octane
attack and two of the better
runners in the league.
Why Northern Arizona might
win: If the Lumberjacks can
turn this game into a track
meet, they’re a dangerous team.
With former Ole Miss QB Michael
Herrick and/or solid veteran
Corey Slater at the controls,
and Alex Henderson and Lionel
Scott carrying the load
behind a veteran line, Northern
Arizona has a potent offense
that’ll keep it competitive
beyond halftime. No, the ‘Jacks
aren’t Oregon or Texas, but when
Arizona State faced diverse
offenses late last year, the
defense got pushed around.
Why Arizona State might win:
Even with a two-man advantage,
the feeble Northern Arizona
defense wouldn’t have a prayer
of stopping the Sun Devil
offense. Carpenter will vie for
All-Pac-10 honors, and has the
potential to be the league’s
offensive player of the year if
he gets a little time, teaming
up regularly with top receivers
Michael Jones and Chris McGaha.
ASU is also loaded in the
backfield, led by Keegan
Herring, who has the upside and
the potential to come up with a
big year, and a huge first game.
The ‘Jacks have no pass rush, so
at least for one night, the
Devils’ problems on the line
won’t impact the rest of the
unit.
Who to watch: Of course
he’ll get much stiffer tests in
the coming weeks, but everyone
around ASU wants to know how Jon
Hargis holds up in his first
start at left tackle. The
converted defensive tackle
impressed in the spring, needing
to keep the momentum going if
the line as a whole is to
improve. Follow No. 59 in the
maroon jersey if you want to
monitor his progress a little
closer.
What will happen:
There’ll be plenty of offense,
mostly from Arizona State.
However, it might take a little
while before this becomes ugly.
ASU won’t punt, moving the
chains at will and getting the
reserves on the field early in
the third quarter. Erickson will
be thinking about next week’s
visit from Stanford before the
last die-hard Sun Devil fans
file out of the stands.
CFN Prediction: Arizona
State 49 ... Northern Arizona
27... Line: No Line
Must See Rating: (5 90210
- 1 90210, at least what you’ll
say among your friends) …
1.5
-
Click here to receive ATS Consultants
FREE selections
Idaho (0-0) at Arizona (0-0),
10:00 EST, Saturday, August 30
Why to watch: Is this the
season Arizona finally breaks
through under fifth-year head
coach Mike Stoops and earns a
bowl invite? It had better be
because Stoops is running out of
excuses and the fan base is
running out of patience. Unlike
last year, when the defense was
stacked with veterans, it’s the
offense that brings back almost
every starter and will be the
catalyst of the program. The
passing game and QB Willie
Tuitama, in particular, are
poised to light up the
opposition in their second
season running Sonny Dykes’
Texas Tech-style spread attack.
Idaho’s decade-long bout with
futility shows no end in sight.
The Vandals haven’t had a
winning season in the 21st
century and won just a single
game in Robb Akey’s debut. Alas,
with 18 starters returning,
there is hope they can climb out
of the WAC cellar this fall.
Why Idaho might win: Ten
starters, including all five
offensive linemen, are back for
Akey and his staff. The best of
the group is RB Deonte Jackson,
who rushed for 1,175 yards and
seven touchdowns in his first
season in Moscow. Idaho will run
right at an Arizona defense
grappling with heavy turnover
and a lack of sure-things,
especially on the defensive
line. If the Vandals can slow
down the pace of the game and
control the clock, the Arizona
offense can’t hurt them from the
sidelines.
Why Arizona might win:
Not many defenses will stop the
‘Cats this fall. Idaho certainly
isn’t one of them. The Vandals
can’t stop the pass or pressure
the quarterback, hardly a recipe
for slowing down high-flying
Arizona. Tuitama will be able to
name his final numbers, dishing
the ball to an outstanding group
of receivers that’s headed by
receivers Mike Thomas and
Terrell Turner, and TE Rob
Gronkowski. Even RB Nic Grigsby
might get in the act, providing
a few rare big plays out of the
running game.
Who to watch: Gronkowski
is worth watching every time the
Wildcats play. Just over a year
removed from high school, he
already has the frame and
downfield ability of an NFL
tight end. A mismatch every time
he runs a route, he’ll be an
even bigger factor for the
offense after debuting with 28
catches for 525 yards and six
touchdowns.
What will happen: The
Wildcat offense will be in
mid-season form, churning out
the points and getting four
touchdown passes from Tuitama.
It’s the defense, however,
that’ll eventually determine the
fate of the program in 2008. If
they give up ground to Idaho,
it’ll be a bad omen that
resurfaces when Pac-10 play
begins.
CFN Prediction:
Arizona 34 ... Idaho 16 ...
Line: Arizona -27.5
Must See Rating: (5 90210
- 1 90210, at least what you’ll
say among your friends) …
2
-
Click here to receive ATS Consultants
FREE selections
Washington (0-0) at Oregon (0-0),
10:00 EST, Saturday, August 30
Why to watch: It’s not
the Apple Cup or the Civil War,
but as far as Pac-10 rivalries
go, Washington-Oregon is still
one of the league’s most
intense. The Ducks have owned
the Huskies of late, winning the
last four by an average of 23
points and racking up 661 yards
in last October’s spanking.
Oregon is out to prove it’s
still a threat to USC’s throne,
even though QB Dennis Dixon and
RB Jonathan Stewart are no
longer in Eugene, and it also
has to show that last year’s
late slide was
just
an aberration. Yes, the
backfield is getting a facelift,
counting on unproven players,
like QB Nate Costa and RB
LeGarrette Blount, but Costa is
hurting with a banged up knee,
while the rest of the team has
the depth and talent to prevent
a decline. On the other side,
the clock says it’s must-win
time for Husky head coach Tyrone
Willingham, who’s just 11-25
since returning to the Pac-10.
With a schedule that begins with
Oregon, BYU, and Oklahoma, the
entire squad could be feeling
the heat at the end of
September. Now that the face of
the program, QB Jake Locker, has
a season in the books, he needs
to get more support from the
rest of the team.
Why Washington might win:
Even without injured C Juan
Garcia and 1,000-yard rusher
Louis Rankin, the Huskies will
be able to move the ball on the
ground. Locker is a locomotive
outside the pocket, nearly
becoming the first Pac-10
quarterback to ever rush for
1,000 yards in a season, and now
that an injured hamstring
doesn’t appear to be a problem,
he needs to have a big game. He
and Rankin’s successor, Brandon
Johnson, will thrive running
behind a massive line that
excels in run blocking. Although
Oregon has few concerns on
defense, stopping the run is one
of them early on.
Why Oregon might win:
There’s no reason to believe the
Washington defense will be
appreciably better right away
than last year when it yielded
446 yards and 32 points a game.
With C Max Unger and LT Fenuki
Tupou doing most of the dirty
work, the Ducks will dominate
the line of scrimmage, creating
daylight for Blount and Jeremiah
Johnson, while making life
easier for the Duck passers.
Oregon won’t match last year’s
production, but it won’t have
much problem scoring either,
getting help from both the
running and passing game in a
balanced attack that won’t count
on just two players like it did
often throughout last year.
Don’t sleep on the Duck D, which
has a ball-hawking secondary
helped by a devastating pass
rush led by Nick Reed, a
blue-collar force at defensive
end.
Who to watch: Is Jamere
Holland ready to add some
big-play potential to an Oregon
receiving corps lacking depth
and consistency? A world-class
sprinter who began his career at
USC, he’ll have at least two or
three opportunities to jet past
a Washington secondary that’s
among the most generous in the
conference.
What will happen: Oregon
will make its first statement of
2008 that there is life after
Dixon. The Ducks were
ill-prepared when the
quarterback was injured last
year, but won’t be caught off
guard with an offseason to
prepare. With so much time to
prepare, coordinator Chip Kelly
will devise a gameplan that
exposes all of Washington’s
defensive warts.
CFN Prediction:
Oregon 35 ... Washington 24 ...
Line: Oregon -13.5
Must See Rating: (5 90210
- 1 90210, at least what you’ll
say among your friends) …
3
-
Click here to receive ATS Consultants
FREE selections
Pac 10 Week One Fearless Predictions,
Part 1 |