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BYU (1-0) at Washington (0-1),
3:00 EST
Why to watch: The popular
choice to run the table and bust
the BCS, BYU gets its first of a
couple marquee chances to
impress national voters. No,
Washington isn’t a Pac-10
contender, but a win in Seattle
is exactly what the program
needs to start creating more
widespread awareness. Disposing
of Northern Iowa in the opener
was great for compiling stats,
but it did nothing to answer
questions about the Cougar
defense. The Huskies, and
embattled head coach Ty
Willingham, need a win in the
worst way. To do so, however,
they’ll need to make a sharp
u-turn from last week’s dreadful
44-10 loss to Oregon, in which
nothing went right. Washington
is young and an inconsistent,
but it needs to play like a
tight, veteran team or the first
half of the season could be an
utter disaster.
Why BYU might win: The
suspect Washington defense
yielded 496 yards and tackled
poorly versus Oregon, a preview
of what’s to come this Saturday
afternoon. The Cougars sport a
fine-tuned offense that can push
the pile with Harvey Unga or get
vertical with QB Max Hall. Hall
began the year with 486 yards,
two touchdown passes, and just
seven incompletions, spreading
the ball out to a deep corps of
receivers. The Huskies will have
to be extra special to slow down
this attack.
Why Washington might win:
The book is still out on the
Cougar defense, which is
replacing a ton of starters and
just allowed 362 yards and 17
points to Northern Iowa. QB Jake
Locker is healthy and the Husky
line has the size and experience
to open holes for Brandon
Johnson and Chris Polk. Getting
C Juan Garcia back unexpectedly
early from a foot injury
provides a big boost to the
entire offense.
Who to watch: The Huskies
will have their hands full
trying to contain BYU TE Dennis
Pitta, who roasted the Panthers
for 11 catches and 213 yards.
He’s got good size and great
hands, a challenge for a
Washington defense that’s weak
in the back seven and struggling
to replace top LB E.J. Savannah.
What will happen: BYU is
the better team, but beating a
Pac-10 team on the road is never
a foregone conclusion. Fueled by
300 total yards from Locker, the
Huskies will hang tough for
three quarters before fading
down the stretch to the balanced
Cougar offense.
CFN Prediction: BYU 34 …
Washington 20 ... Line: BYU -21
Must See Rating: (5
Entourage premiere -
1 One Tree Hill premiere)
… 3
-
Click here to receive ATS
Consultants FREE selections
Utah State (0-1) at Oregon (1-0),
3:30 EST
Why to watch: Oregon has
become a plug-and-play offense
that can insert backups at key
areas, such as quarterback, and
still crank out the points. Take
last Saturday, for example. Even
after starter Justin Roper, who
got the job when Nate Costa got
hurt, suffered a concussion,
backups Jeremiah Masoli and
Chris Harper shredded the
Washington defense en route to
an impressive 44-10 victory.
Roper is back and allowed to
play, but it doesn’t matter
who’s under center, the Ducks
are capable of scoring on
anyone. Utah State did little in
its opener with UNLV to elevate
beyond being one of the nation’s
worst overall programs. The
Aggies sputtered on offense,
managing just 10 points through
the first three quarters.
Why Utah State might win:
The Aggie defense played pretty
well in the opener, keeping RB
Frank Summers in check and
holding the Rebels to 353 total
yards. They’ve got a veteran
unit and a solid group of
linebackers that’s led by Jake
Hutton and Paul Igboeli. As good
as Masoli was in relief, there’s
no guarantee he’ll be as
effective as the starter.
Why Oregon might win: Not
only should the Ducks have no
problem scoring, but their
defense is fast, aggressive, and
air-tight in the secondary. Utah
State is loaded with question
marks on offense, primarily at
quarterback where neither Sean
Setzer nor Diondre Borel are
effective through the air. Those
two will throw at least two more
picks than touchdowns Saturday
afternoon.
Who to watch: Oregon RB
Jeremiah Johnson did a heck of a
job of impersonating Jonathan
Stewart in his first game back
from knee surgery. He raced for
124 yards and two scores on just
15 carries, sparking a running
game that averaged more than
five yards a carry. If he
continues to run well, life will
be far easier for Roper.
What will happen: After
opening with a Pac-10 game
against a rival, a visit from
Utah State will give Oregon a
chance to get healthy and get
the backups reps in the second
half. The offense will roll up
silly numbers again, getting the
backs and the receivers involved
in the action. With a trip to
Purdue up next, Mike Bellotti
will look to get the starters to
the sidelines as early as
possible.
CFN Prediction: Oregon 48
… Utah State 10 ... Line: Oregon
-35
Must See Rating: (5
Entourage premiere -
1 One Tree Hill premiere)
… 1.5
-
Click here to receive ATS
Consultants FREE selections
Oregon State (0-1) at Penn State
(1-0),
3:30 EST ABC
Why to watch: All of a
sudden, a potential yawner of a
game will get a glaring
spotlight after yet another
issue off-the-field for Penn
State. After a nightmare of an
off-season, the last thing the
program needed was more negative
publicity, but it's getting it
and then some. All-America DE
Maurice Evans, DT Abe Koroma, TE
Andrew Quarless and CB A.J.
Wallace will be suspended for a
game, at least, after marijuana
was discovered in Wallace's
apartment. A major distraction,
Penn State has to try to focus
and deal with a wounded Oregon
State team coming off a tough
and embarrassing loss at
Stanford. The Beavers put up big
numbers, but couldn't handle the
Cardinal running game. Games
against USC and Utah are coming
up after a date with Hawaii, and
while OSU is overmatched against
a fully-functional Penn State
team, now the playing field has
been leveled a bit. If the
Nittany Lions can just get
through this week, things ease
up immeasurably against Syracuse
and Temple.
Why Oregon State might win:
Besides the suspension factor,
the Oregon State passing game
should be able to put up big
numbers with QB Lyle Moevao
likely to get far more time to
work. The running game should be
able to work up the middle
against the depleted Penn State
defensive interior, while the
Nittany Lion secondary, which
gave up 198 yards in the 66-10
win over Coastal Carolina, could
get bombed on for 300 yards.
Oregon State's offense should be
able to come up with a few big
home runs.
Why Penn State might win:
If Stanford could run the ball
on the one-time great Oregon
State run defense, then Penn
State should be able to do
whatever it wants to. The
Nittany Lion offensive line is
fantastic, and it's only getting
better each week with more and
more experience. Stephon Greene
and Evan Royster should be able
to control the game on the
ground while taking the heat off
new starter Daryll Clark, who
had a nice first game completing
11 of 14 passes for 146 yards
and a touchdown.
Who to watch: The Penn
State suspensions take away from
a special showdown between two
of the nation's most
electrifying punt returners and
wide receivers. Oregon State's
Sammie Stroughter is back after
missing most of last year
injured, and he hasn't missed a
beat catching 12 passes for 157
yards and two touchdowns against
the Cardinal. However, he was
held to nine yards on three punt
returns. On the other side,
Williams caught just two passes
against Coastal Carolina for 45
yards, but he all but ended the
game on an 89-yard kickoff
return for a score.
What will happen: In the
past, Penn State has rallied
around adversity and came
through big. This time should be
no exception as the team will
come together and focus, using
the running game to pound its
way to a win.
CFN Prediction: Penn
State 37 ... Oregon State 17 ...
Line: Penn State -16.5
Must See Rating: (5
Entourage premiere -
1 One Tree Hill premiere)
… 3
-
Click here to receive ATS
Consultants FREE selections
California (1-0) at Washington
State (0-1),
6:30 EST
Why to watch: Oh yeah,
Cal is good. Picked apart in the
offseason for the way they
finished 2007, the Bears
responded with a quality win
over Michigan State, getting
contributions from the offense,
defense, and special teams.
Kevin Riley looked like the
right choice at quarterback, and
the running tandem of Jahvid
Best and Shane Vereen makes the
future look bright. Consistency
has rarely been Cal’s calling
card, however, so it’ll need a
road win in Pullman to keep the
critics quiet. Washington State
struggled in its first game with
Paul Wulff on the sidelines,
losing badly to Oklahoma State.
With Stanford playing well, it
could come down to the Apple Cup
to decide who occupies the
Pac-10 cellar.
Why Cal might win:
Against a solid Michigan State
defense, the Bears did a nice
job of moving the ball and
keeping drives alive. Riley was
relaxed and mistake-free in the
pocket, and Best and Vereen were
dynamite on the ground. Cal
should have few problems keeping
the momentum going against a
Wazzu defense that’s shaky
defending the run and the pass.
Cameron Morrah is a big,
athletic tight end, who’ll give
fits to the pedestrian Cougar
linebackers.
Why Washington State might
win: Michigan State’s
receivers were supposed to be
green, but Mark Dell, in
particular, looked like an
All-American playing against the
Cal secondary. The Cougars will
attack that unit with veteran
hurler Gary Rogers and
Biletnikoff Award candidate
Brandon Gibson. While Rogers
floundered in his first game
replacing Alex Brink, he has the
arm strength and know-how to
rebound in a hurry. Plus, he’s
unlikely to endure too much
pressure from the Bear pass
rush.
Who to watch: Best
dismissed any doubts about his
health and durability in his
return from a hip injury,
scooting for 111 and a
touchdown, while adding five
catches for 63 yards. He got 29
touches against a physical
Spartan team, which bodes well
for the rest of his season. If
he and Vereen continue picking
up yards in chunks, the sky’s
the limit for the Bear offense.
What will happen: After the
huge victory over Michigan
State, there’s bound to be a
hangover effect at Cal. It might
take a quarter or 20 minutes
before they snap out of it and
begin carving up a Washington
State defense that’s long on
desire and short on talent
CFN Prediction:
California 42 … Washington State
20 ... Line: California -13.5
Must See Rating: (5
Entourage premiere -
1 One Tree Hill premiere)
… 2.5
-
Click here to receive ATS
Consultants FREE selections
Toledo (0-0) at Arizona (1-0),
10:00 EST
Why to watch: While it
won’t be the most important game
of week two, Toledo’s trip to
Tucson could make for the most
entertaining game of the
weekend. Both teams love to open
things up on offense, and have
the weapons to treat the
scoreboard like a pinball
machine. Arizona was flawless in
its opening day demolition of
Idaho, scorching the Vandals,
70-0. Now in his second season
in Sonny Dykes’ wide-open
offense, Willie Tuitama was
sharp, throwing three touchdown
passes in just two quarters.
Even better, the rebuilt defense
was stifling, giving the ‘Cats
the start it needed. The Rockets
were idle last Saturday, and
will be making their first trip
to the desert since 1985.
They’ve got a chucker of their
own, Aaron Opelt, and many of
the key parts of an attack that
led the MAC in total offense a
year ago.
Why Toledo might win:
Don’t read too much into
Arizona’s defensive effort last
weekend. Toledo isn’t Idaho.
Beyond Opelt, the Rockets return
RB DaJuane Collins and last
year’s top receivers, Nick Moore
and Stephen Williams. The
Wildcats are still adjusting to
eight new starters on defense,
and will be vulnerable to
high-powered, diverse offenses.
Toledo is home to one of those
attacks that can put up yards
and points in bunches.
Why Arizona might win:
Toledo is also home to one of
the nation’s flimsiest defenses,
which will be evident over and
over again Saturday night. If
Keenyn Crier punts more than
twice, it’ll be a surprise. With
Mike Thomas, Terrell Turner, and
Delashaun Dean scorching
defensive backfields, Tuitama is
poised to become a record-setter
this season. He looked extremely
comfortable in the opener, which
he’ll build on this weekend. The
fact that Nic Grigsby rushed for
169 yards and two scores was an
added bonus that makes the
Wildcats much tougher to defend.
Who to watch: Is the
Arizona defense a fluke?
Although the unit was
impenetrable last Saturday, it
was only against Idaho.
Naturally, Toledo will provide a
much stiffer test. If redshirt
freshman CB Trevin Wade, who
intercepted two passes, can play
nearly as well against the
Rockets, the Wildcats may have
their successor to Antoine
Cason.
What will happen: It’ll
be a tackling-optional contest
dominated by the passing games.
It’s a huge game for Arizona,
which needs to build its
confidence and resume one brick
at a time. The Wildcats have the
more explosive offense, and will
outgun the Rockets behind
Tuitama in one of the highest
scoring games of the weekend.
CFN Prediction: Arizona
41 … Toledo 31 ... Line: Arizona
-22
Must See Rating: (5
Entourage premiere -
1 One Tree Hill premiere)
… 3
-
Click here to receive ATS
Consultants FREE selections
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