|
Arizona (2-1) at UCLA (1-1),
3:00 EST
Why to watch: What looked
like a marquee matchup just a
couple of days ago has lost most
of its luster. Both Arizona and
UCLA lost games to Mountain West
teams, becoming microcosms for
all that went wrong for the
Pac-10 last weekend. The Bruins
were assaulted by BYU, 59-0,
suffering their worst loss since
1929 and squandering all of the
equity they gained from beating
Tennessee in the opener. Only
the blind optimist felt the
program was built for today, but
after a public dress down, UCLA
needs to figure out if it’s
closer to the team that battled
the Vols to an overtime win or
the one that bowed down to the
Cougars without a fight. Just
when it looks as if Arizona is
turning the corner, it goes
ahead and inexplicably loses to
winless New Mexico. The Lobos
have a nice program, but if the
Wildcats want to finally capture
that elusive bowl berth, they
can’t afford to lose as a heavy
favorite. If they can’t turn
things around immediately,
another season is capable of
slipping away.
Why Arizona might win:
While absolutely nothing went
right against BYU, UCLA’s
inability to stop the pass or
pressure the quarterback is its
biggest concern heading into
this week. The Bruins had just
one sack and allowed seven
touchdown passes in a little
more than three quarters with
Max Hall at the controls.
Arizona’s strength is a passing
game that ranks No. 18 in the
country and has already produced
nine touchdown passes. It’ll be
bombs away as usual for QB
Willie Tuitama, who has a gem in
Pac-10 leading receiver Mike
Thomas and is expected to get
back premier TE Rob Gronkowski,
who missed the first three
games.
Why UCLA might win: New
Mexico provided the blueprint on
how to defeat Arizona, running
right at the soft underbelly of
an inexperienced and undersized
defense. The Wildcats allowed
221 yards on the ground, which
wore down the D and kept the
high-powered offense on the
shelf for long periods of time.
Despite the Bruins’ problems on
the offensive line and the
questionable health of RB Kahlil
Bell, they plan to attack the
Arizona D and expose its
weakness in run defense.
Who to watch: If
Gronkowski can shake off the
rust from a month of inactivity,
he’ll give the Wildcats another
dangerous weapon in the aerial
game. Just a sophomore, he
already has the look of an NFL
tight end and can stretch the
Bruin defense with his long
stride and good speed. With
Thomas and Delashaun Dean
commanding attention on the
outside, Gronkowski will be a
force working the middle of the
field.
What will happen: As much as
UCLA wants to establish the run,
there’s a reason it ranks 119th
nationally on the ground.
Instead, Arizona will dictate
the tempo of the game, moving
the ball through the air and
staying one step ahead of the
disjointed Bruin offense,
CFN Prediction: Arizona
31 … UCLA 24 ... Line: Arizona
-2.5
Must See Rating: (5
Hole in the Wall - 1
First Blood) … 3
-
Click here to receive ATS
Consultants FREE selections
Boise State (2-0) at Oregon
(3-0),
3:30 EST
Why to watch: The
quarterbacks may be dropping
like flies, but that hasn’t kept
Oregon from opening 3-0 and
moving up to No. 17 in the AP
poll. Even with starter Justin
Roper on the sidelines with a
knee injury, the Ducks erased a
halftime deficit and beat Purdue
for a meaningful road victory.
At least for the next few weeks,
the offense will be in the hands
of first-year players Chris
Harper and Jeremiah Masoli. With
wins over Idaho State and
Bowling Green, Boise State is
unbeaten and inching toward in
the Top 25. The Broncos will get
there with a win in Eugene,
their first road game and true
test of the season. In a role
reversal, they’re putting their
fate in the hands of the defense
as the offense adjusts to a
handful of new starters.
Why Boise State might win:
How many more hits can the
Oregon offense endure? Roper was
the backup until Nate Costa was
lost for the season and Harper,
the likely starter, was in high
school last fall. The Bronco
defense is playing exceptionally
well, yielding a single
touchdown in each of the first
two games. Ends Mike T. Williams
and Ryan Winterswyk form a
disruptive bookend up front, and
Kyle Wilson is a lockdown corner
capable of taking one of the
Duck receivers out of the mix.
Why Oregon might win:
Boise State’s problems on
offense, specifically the
offensive line, will cost the
program this weekend. The
Broncos survived their first
scoreless second half at home in
two decades, but won’t be as
fortunate against a quality
Pac-10 opponent. The Ducks will
attack the rebuilt Boise line
with ends Nick Reed and Will
Tukuafu, forcing rookie QB
Kellen Moore to hurry his
throws. The Broncos’ ample
reserves of skill position
talent will be neutralized by
Jairus Byrd, Patrick Chung, and
Walter Thurmond, Oregon’s trio
of all-league-caliber defensive
backs.
Who to watch: While Reed
entered the season with more
publicity and career sacks,
Tukuafu has upstaged him through
the first three games. He
already has a team-high five
tackles for loss and four sacks,
and was a beast in the win over
Purdue. His continued emergence
makes it impossible for teams to
double up on either side of the
line.
What will happen: Yes,
the injuries at quarterback have
made the Ducks more vulnerable,
but not this Saturday. They’ll
rally behind the play of the
defense and the running of
Jeremiah Johnson and LeGarrette
Blount to offset a decline in
production from the new
signal-callers.
CFN Prediction: Oregon 31
… Boise State 17 ... Line:
Oregon -10.5
Must See Rating: (5
Hole in the Wall - 1
First Blood) … 3.5
-
Click here to receive ATS
Consultants FREE selections
Portland State (1-1) at
Washington State (0-3),
7:00 EST
Why to watch: Even with a
new staff and a tough stretch to
start the season, Washington
State couldn’t have imagined
things would be this bad
in 2008. The Cougars have been
blown out in three straight
games, the most recent a 45-17
spanking from Baylor. First-year
head coach Paul Wulff tried
juggling his lineup, including a
switch at quarterback, but the
results were the same. Clearly
the worst program in the Pac-10,
Wazzu has to handle Portland
State, the only opponent it’ll
be favored to beat. The Vikings
are led by former NFL coach
Jerry Glanville, who still
favors the run-and-shoot
offense. They’ve split their
first two games, beating Western
Oregon before dropping a
shootout with UC-Davis.
Why Portland State might win:
The Vikings like to air it out
with QB Drew Hubel and one of
the most productive passing
attacks in the FCS. Hubel is No.
4 in the country in total
offense, and is flanked by a
deep collection of receivers.
Although the competition has
certainly been better,
Washington State has shown no
ability to play defense or
tackle in the open field,
allowing 50 points and 475 yards
a game. Even Baylor, which is
not known for creating
fireworks, lit up the Cougar D
for 555 yards.
Why Washington State might
win: The Wazzu D is bad.
Portland State is worse. The
Vikings got steamrolled by UC-Davis
for 588 yards and 29 first
downs. The Cougars finally have
a chance to work on the new
spread offense versus a team
that won’t match their size or
speed. If a wrist injury doesn’t
get in the way, Kevin Lopina
will get his second start at
quarterback. A more mobile
option than Gary Rogers, he’ll
frustrate the Vikings with his
arm and legs. If they decide to
keep it simple, Washington State
will run Dwight Tardy and Chris
Ivory without a lot of
resistance.
Who to watch: The Cougars
need to find ways to get the
ball in the hands of WR Jeshua
Anderson. An Olympic-caliber
sprinter, he was sharp in his
first full game back from a
hernia injury, catching a
career-high five passes for 57
yards. A budding complement to
Brandon Gibson, he flashes
plenty of potential as a
game-changer in the open field.
What will happen: Now this
is more your speed, Washington
State. The Cougars will get a
chance to be the bully for a
change, moving the smaller
Portland State players off the
ball and opening things up for
Tardy to have a big day. Don’t
get used to it. The Pac-10
schedule resumes next week.
CFN Prediction:
Washington State 35 … Portland
State 24 ... Line: No LIne
Must See Rating: (5
Hole in the Wall - 1
First Blood) … 11
-
Click here to receive ATS
Consultants FREE selections
San Jose State (2-1) at Stanford
(1-2),
9:00 EST
Why to watch: In a matter
of two weeks, Stanford has gone
from a program on the rise to
the same old Cardinal. After
opening with a surprising win
over Oregon State, Stanford has
lost consecutive games to
Arizona State and TCU along with
all of its momentum. It needs to
recapture that mojo this week
because the next two games are
away from The Farm and the rest
of the schedule isn’t especially
forgiving. San Jose State is
playing better with each passing
week. Two weeks ago, the
Spartans outgained Nebraska in
Lincoln before imploding in the
fourth quarter. And last
Saturday, they destroyed San
Diego State in every facet of
the game. It’s a dangerous and
improving team that’s going to
make a lot of noise in the WAC.
Why San Jose State might win:
The Spartan defense has really
begun to gel around DE Carl
Ihenacho, DT Jarron Gilbert, and
CB Coye Francies. It leads the
WAC in every major statistical
category and went toe-to-toe
with Nebraska on the road two
weeks ago. Ihenacho has been the
chief catalyst, pulling a rare
triple crown as the team leader
in tackles, tackles for loss,
and sacks. The Spartan pressure
will create headaches for a
Stanford offensive line that
continues to have problems in
pass protection.
Why Stanford might win:
The weakest link on San Jose
State is the offensive line,
which is allowing way too many
sacks in September. The Cardinal
will pounce on the opportunity
by bringing pressure from the
second and third lines of
defense. Linebackers Clinton
Snyder and Pat Maynor possess
tremendous range and a knack for
making plays behind the line of
scrimmage. If it comes down to
special teams, advantage
Stanford. The Spartans have been
a mess in this area, getting
nothing from P Philip Zavala or
PK Jared Strubeck.
Who to watch: Spartan QB
Kyle Reed never got a chance to
beat Stanford in The Big Game
when he was at Cal, which makes
this week’s matchup a little
more special. He’s a big part of
the reason why San Jose State is
trending upward, combining great
feet with improving comfort in
the pocket. Reed showed signs of
peaking last week, rushing for
three scores and connecting on
20-of-25 pass attempts.
What will happen:
Stanford better be on upset
alert because Dick Tomey and his
Spartans are arriving on a
mission. Although the Cardinal
has the slight edge in overall
talent, the two schools are
heading in opposite directions.
San Jose State will jump out to
an early lead behind Reed and
get a late defensive stand to
preserve a pivotal road victory.
CFN Prediction: San Jose
State 24 … Stanford 21 ... Line:
Stanford -9
Must See Rating: (5
Hole in the Wall - 1
First Blood) … 2.5
-
Click here to receive ATS
Consultants FREE selections
|