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Fresno State (2-1) at UCLA (1-2),
3:30 EST, ABC
Why to watch: In
retrospect, beating Tennessee on
Labor Day might have been the
worst thing for UCLA this fall.
The upset quickly spiked
expectations in Rick Neuheisel’s
first season to a level that
doesn’t match the program’s
talent level. The Bruins have
been exposed in back-to-back
weeks by BYU and Arizona, losing
by a combined score of 90-10. In
a matter of a few weeks, they’ve
tumbled from the darlings of
Westwood to a longshot for a
bowl game. At some point,
Neuheisel might begin building
for the future and getting more
reps for his underclassmen. No
longer on the short list of
possible BCS busters, Fresno
State can turn its attention to
capturing an elusive WAC
championship. For now, the
Bulldogs have been displaced as
the league front-runner after
they needed double-overtime to
beat Toledo and Boise State
shocked Oregon in Eugene.
Why Fresno State might win:
Nothing has gone right for UCLA,
especially on the offensive side
of the ball. The Bruins have not
scored an offensive touchdown in
the last eight quarters, and
their issues on the line are
impacting every aspect of the
attack. Although things got out
of control last week against
Toledo, the Bulldogs are a lot
closer to the defense that
limited Rutgers and Wisconsin to
20 combined points in the first
two games. Since showing signs
of life in the opener, UCLA QB
Kevin Craft has regressed,
throwing five picks and just a
single touchdown pass.
Why UCLA might win:
Stopping the running game is
like cutting off the head at
Fresno State. The Bruins have
the potential to corral Ryan
Mathews and Lonyae Miller with a
stout middle of the defense. It
all starts up front with the
tackle tandem of Brigham Harwell
and Brian Price, both of whom
possess the quickness to shoot
the gap and make plays behind
the line. In the Bulldogs’ lone
loss of the season, they rushed
for well below their season
average and didn’t get a lot of
help through the air from QB Tom
Brandstater. UCLA will also be
focused on stopping the backs
and putting the game in the
hands of the quarterback.
Who to watch: Someone has
to step up for Fresno State and
replace injured DT Jon Monga,
one of the few Bulldogs capable
of putting heat on the
quarterback. He’s going to miss
at least the next three games
with a knee injury, joining the
other starter, Cornell Banks, on
the shelf. Fresno is banking on
three underclassmen, Logan
Harrell, Chase McEntee, and Mark
Roberts the inevitable onslaught
on runs they’ll see from the
Bruins.
What will happen:
Although Fresno State is turning
out to be a little overrated,
UCLA’s utter state of chaos will
prevent it from capitalizing in
the Rose Bowl. The Bruin offense
will sputter for a third
straight week, as the Bulldogs
zoom past behind the power
running game and a couple of
Brandstater touchdown passes to
Bear Pascoe and Seyi Ajirotutu.
CFN Prediction: Fresno State
31 … UCLA 13 ... Line: Fresno
State -7
Must See Rating: (5
Debate No. 1 - 1 The 2008
Primetime Emmys) … 2.5
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Consultants FREE selections
Colorado State (2-1) at
California (2-1),
6:00 EST
Why to watch: Cal has had
a week off to get beyond the
Maryland game and fix some of
the myriad problems that led to
an unforeseen 35-27 loss in
College Park. The Bears are
chalking it up to a long trip
and an uncharacteristically bad
day for the offensive line,
claiming they’re closer to the
team that beat Michigan State
and dressed down Washington
State. They’ll be carrying the
banner for the Pac-10, which is
winless in five games against
the Mountain West this season.
Get a load of Colorado State,
which nosed above .500 in Steve
Fairchild’s first season with a
thrilling win over Houston. The
Rams are beginning to play
better, especially at
quarterback, and have an
opportunity this week to make a
quantum leap with a road win
over a quality Pac-10 opponent.
Why Colorado State might win:
The Cal defense sprung some
leaks versus an average Maryland
offense that the Rams will look
to exploit. Billy Farris has
played well at quarterback the
last two weeks, throwing for 597
yards, three touchdowns, and
only one interception. He has a
stable supporting cast that
includes complimentary backs
Gartrell Johnson and Kyle Bell,
and receivers Rashaun Greer,
Dion Morton, and Kory Sperry.
Colorado State hung with Cal a
year ago, losing 34-28, and
won’t be intimidated by the trip
to Strawberry Canyon.
Why Cal might win: The Bear
offensive line, which got
schooled by the Terps, is
determined to prove that last
week’s effort was an anomaly. C
Alex Mack and his linemates will
play with a chip on their
shoulders, blowing the Ram line
off the ball and allowing the
Cal playmakers to make plays. In
its toughest game to date,
Colorado State gave up three
rushing touchdowns to Colorado
and failed to produce a sack.
Backs Jahvid Best and Shane
Vereen will reprise their early
season roles, jetting through
holes and into the Ram
secondary.
Who to watch: The biggest
news in the offseason at Cal was
whether Kevin Riley or Nate
Longshore would get the ball
from Jeff Tedford to start the
season. So far, it looks as if
Tedford has made the right call.
Riley has been terrific,
accounting for seven touchdowns,
turning the ball over just once,
and getting a multitude of Bears
involved in the offense. The
more he has to develop chemistry
with his young backs and
receivers, the more dangerous
he’ll be as a distributor.
What will happen: Don’t
think the Mountain West brass
won’t be watching this game very
closely. The league, along with
the Pac-10, has plenty riding on
the outcome. Cal will save a
little face for the Pac-10,
exploding on offense for 450
balanced yards, more than 40
points, and am easy double-digit
win. Best will be the star,
rekindling a smattering of
Heisman talk.
CFN Prediction: California
45 … Colorado State 16 ... Line:
Cal -25.5
Must See Rating: (5
Debate No. 1 - 1 The 2008
Primetime Emmys) … 2
-
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Consultants FREE selections
Oregon (3-1) at Washington State
(1-3),
6:15 EST
Why to watch: Sure, it
would’ve been nice if Oregon had
a healthy starting quarterback,
but that can’t explain why it
allowed 37 points to Boise State
in the school’s worst home
performance since losing to
Arizona in 2006. A Duck
secondary that was supposed to
be a strength got bombarded by
Kellen Moore, a freshman making
just the third start of his
career. The lone bright spot was
QB Darron Thomas, who ditched
his redshirt in the second half
and almost rallied Oregon back
from a 24-point deficit. No. 5
on the depth chart when camp
began, he’ll get the start if
Jeremiah Masoli can’t shake the
cobwebs from last week’s
concussion. If the Ducks want to
commiserate about their
quarterback situation, all they
have to do is look across the
sidelines. Already in a
freefall, Washington State has
lost Gary Rogers for the season
with a fractured vertebrae, and
Kevin Lopina is questionable
with a shoulder injury. Redshirt
freshman Marshall Lobbestael
played well in the rout of
Portland State, and could get
his first start on Saturday.
Why Oregon might win: It
may not matter who’s behind
center if the Ducks don’t fall
behind this week and are able to
commit to the run. Wazzu is
allowing a nation’s-worst 7.4
yards a carry through four
games, routinely getting blown
off the ball by the other team’s
blockers. Oregon will flex its
muscles in the trenches,
creating daylight for LeGarrette
Blount and Jeremiah Johnson to
operate. The Ducks will widen
its Pac-10 lead in rushing,
piling up 300 yards on the
ground and forcing the Cougars
to play catch-up with an
inexperienced quarterback.
Why Washington State might
win: Although the Ducks have
talent on defense, they’ve shown
too many cracks in the first
month of the season. The
situation reached a boiling
point last weekend, especially
with the pass defense. Oregon
got abused for 386 yards, three
touchdowns, and too many big
plays. Lobbestael may be young,
but he’s actually a great fit
for the spread offense Paul
Wulff is installing in Pullman.
He moves well around the pocket,
and has quality targets in WR
Brandon Gibson and TE Devin
Frischknecht. If Oregon hasn’t
corrected its problems on
defense, the Cougars will
capitalize with an offense
that’s showing signs of
progress.
Who to watch: As starters
go down, the young Duck
quarterbacks are looking more
and more at making connections
on the intermediate routes.
That’s been pleasing news for TE
Ed Dickson, who has responded
with 20 catches for 266 yards
and a pair of touchdowns over
the last three games. A terrific
playmaker at 6-5 and 243 pounds,
he has the reliable mitts that
often escape the Oregon
receivers.
What will happen: Oregon
is going to play keep-away from
the Washington State offense,
controlling the clock with a
relentless diet of Blount and
Johnson between the tackles. The
Cougars simply don’t have the
stoppers on defense to slow down
the Duck ground game, or the
consistency on offense to make
it a tight game.
CFN Prediction: Oregon 40 …
Washington State 17... Line:
Oregon -20
Must See Rating: (5
Debate No. 1 - 1 The 2008
Primetime Emmys) … 2
-
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Consultants FREE selections
Stanford (2-2) at Washington
(0-3), 10:00 EST
Why to watch: The
toughest stretch of the season
now over, Washington exits its
bye week facing a fork in the
road. With a win on Saturday,
it’ll stop the hemorrhaging and
provide a launching point for a
much more manageable schedule in
October. With a loss, however,
the Huskies would be completely
off the tracks, raising the
likelihood that Tyrone
Willingham would be a lame duck
coach over the next two months.
Stanford snapped its two-game
losing streak, rallying in the
second half to fend of rival San
Jose State. It was a must-win
for the Cardinal if it has any
hopes of manufacturing the six
victories needed to become
bowl-eligible for the first time
since 2001. This could be the
site of the debut of Andrew
Luck, the blue-chip quarterback
who chose Stanford over a slew
of other schools. Jim Harbaugh
has hinted that his prodigy is
ready to go and his starter,
Tavita Pritchard, needs to do
play better to keep his job.
Why Stanford might win:
The Cardinal plans to attack
Washington’s biggest
disappointment so far, a veteran
offensive line that’s already
yielded 11 sacks. Stanford is
coming off an eight-sack game,
bringing pressure the
traditional way and by blitzing
the linebackers and safeties.
The Huskies better pay
particular attention to LB Pat
Maynor, who leads the team with
3.5 sacks. If the Huskies can’t
establish a running game, the
Cardinal is going to tee off on
QB Jake Locker and the
sputtering offense.
Why Washington might win:
The Huskies’ problems on defense
have a little something to do
with the level of competition
they’ve faced. Fortunately for
U-Dub, the Stanford offense
looks nothing like the ones it’s
seen from Oregon, BYU, and
Oklahoma. On the contrary, the
Cardinal ranks 111th
nationally in total offense, and
have gone more than three
straight games without a
touchdown pass. It’s about time
for the young Washington
defenders, such as LB Mason
Foster and S Nate Williams, to
make a statement versus a more
manageable opponent.
Who to watch: Three
games. No sacks for Washington.
It’s a major issue that’s about
to get a one-week solution.
Husky DE Daniel Te’o-Nesheim is
ready for a breakout game after
being handled by some of the
biggest and best tackles in the
country. He’s got a non-stop
motor, which he’ll rely on to
beat his man and sack Cardinal
quarterbacks on multiple
occasions.
What will happen: On The
Farm, Stanford has yet to lose.
On the road, the Cardinal has
yet to win. That trend will
continue in Seattle with
Washington holding on for its
first victory of the season.
Locker will make the key
connections down the stretch,
finding D’Andre Goodwin in the
end zone for the go-ahead score.
CFN Prediction: Washington
26 … Stanford 21... Line:
Washington -4
Must See Rating: (5
Debate No. 1 - 1 The 2008
Primetime Emmys) … 2.5
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Consultants FREE selections
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