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Washington State (1-4) at UCLA
(1-3),
10:15 EST
Why to watch: While
Washington is sure to have
something to say about it, this
week’s game in the Rose Bowl
will go a long way to
determining who occupies the
Pac-10 cellar. Both UCLA and
Washington State are struggling
badly to overcome injuries,
inconsistent offenses, and a
general lack of depth on both
sides of the ball. The Bruins
actually generated some offense
last weekend, but the defense
and special teams units
collapsed in a 36-31 loss to
Fresno State. They’ve now
dropped three straight since
opening with a feel-good win
over Tennessee. If recognition
was given to the worst of the
BCS programs, Wazzu would be a
formidable contender. In four
games against FCS opponents, the
Cougars have yet to be
competitive, losing every game
by at least 26 points. Rookie
head coach Paul Wulff will spend
the rest of the year coaching up
redshirt freshman Marshall
Lobbestael, the future at
quarterback who’s been pressed
into action by serious injuries
to Gary Rogers and Kevin Lopina.
Why Washington State might
win: If UCLA continues
having problems moving the ball
and holding onto it, it’ll be
vulnerable against anyone,
including the Cougars. The
Bruins are currently last in the
Pac-10 in scoring and total
offense, and are next to last in
turnover margin. QB Kevin Craft
has been a non-factor, throwing
just one touchdown pass over the
last three games. Lobbestael
will be prone to rookie
mistakes, but he makes things
happen and is a good fit for the
new spread offense. In the last
two games, he’s thrown four
touchdown passes.
Why UCLA might win: As
long as Wazzu can’t stop the
run, there’s no reason for the
Bruins to dig too deep into Norm
Chow’s playbook. The Cougars are
next-to-last nationally in run
defense, giving up a staggering
seven yards a carry. One of the
only things that went well for
UCLA last week was the ground
game, which produced 234 yards
and a pair of touchdowns on 38
carries. Now that the wrapping
has been taken off true freshman
Derrick Coleman and Kahlil Bell
is healthy, the Bruins have two
powerful runners who’ll keep
Craft from having to do too
much.
Who to watch: If he can
hold on to the ball and get in
better shape, UCLA fans should
expect to see a lot more of
Coleman over the next two
months. While Bell is the
starter, Coleman is a 220-pound
hammer with a lot of potential.
He’s a little behind after
undergoing knee surgery in
August, but is quickly making up
ground and looked good gaining
86 yards on 10 carries on
Saturday.
What will happen: There’s
bad and then there’s scary bad,
a place Washington State calls
home these days. The Cougars are
in no position to go on the road
and beat any Pac-10 team, even
one like UCLA that’s having
problems of its own. The Bruins
will gobble up more than 200
yards on the ground and get an
interception return for a
touchdown from CB Alterraun
Verner.
CFN Prediction: UCLA 27 …
Washington State 10... Line:
UCLA -16.5
Must See Rating: (5 Palin
vs. Biden - 1 Beverly
Hills Chihuahua) … 2.5
-
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Consultants FREE selections
Arizona State (2-2) at
California (3-1),
3:30 EST
Why to watch: Now that
USC has already lost a league
game, there’s a bunch of Pac-10
programs emboldened by the
prospects of dethroning the
Trojans. Near the front of the
line are Arizona State and Cal,
talented programs that were
ranked at one time in September
before suffering crippling
losses. The Bears bounced back
from its loss to Maryland by
pummeling Colorado State last
week, 42-7. However, top rusher
Jahvid Best was shelved in the
game by a dislocated elbow and
Jeff Tedford surprised everyone
by opening up the quarterback
competition between Kevin Riley
and Nate Longshore. Riley’s
numbers aren’t bad, but the
coach believes he’s not in synch
with the receivers. The Sun
Devils will need a road upset to
avoid a three-game losing streak
that began with a damning defeat
at the hands of UNLV. With USC
and Oregon waiting in the wings,
Arizona State could start
circling the drain if it doesn’t
surprise someone in October.
Why Arizona State might win:
Dennis Erickson is determined to
run the ball better, but at the
end of the day, the Sun Devils’
fate rests with senior Rudy
Carpenter, one of the top
quarterbacks in the league. He
leads the Pac-10 in passing
efficiency, throwing seven
touchdown passes to just a pair
of picks. In Michael Jones,
Kerry Taylor, Kyle Williams, and
Chris McGaha, he’s also
surrounded by the best
collection of receivers that the
Cal secondary has faced this
fall. Plus, the healthy return
of RB Keegan Herring, who’s
missed all but one game, could
be a boon to the offense.
Why Cal might win:
Erickson’s quest to establish
the running game will have to
wait at least another week. The
Bears have been outstanding
against the run, allowing just
over 100 yards a game and under
three yards a carry. In fact,
Javon Ringer and Da’Rel Scott,
the Big Ten and ACC leading
rusher, respectively, were both
held in check by Cal. The
defense, in general, has been a
pleasant surprise, ranking third
in the Pac-10 in scoring and
total defense, and first in
takeaways. Whoever gets the ball
from Tedford will be at the
controls of an offense that’s
averaging 43 points a game and
is well-balanced.
Who to watch: With Best
on the shelf for the next week
or two, redshirt freshman Shane
Vereen will assume a starring
role out of the backfield. As a
backup, he’s been invaluable,
spelling Best in all four games
and averaging eight yards on his
35 carries. You can run the ball
on the Arizona State defense,
something that won’t missed by
Tedford or his new feature back.
What will happen:
Something has been missing from
the Arizona State offense this
year. Maybe the return of
Herring will be the difference,
but don’t count on it.
Coordinator Bob Gregory will
continue doing a good job with
the Cal defense, containing the
Sun Devil running game and
preventing Carpenter from taking
the game over. It’s just a
hunch, but Tedford didn’t create
the drama at quarterback for
Longshore to remain on the
bench. He’ll shine with a new
lease on life and a healthy
ankle, firing a couple of
scoring strikes.
CFN Prediction:
California 34 … Arizona State 23
... Line: California -9
Must See Rating: (5 Palin
vs. Biden - 1 Beverly
Hills Chihuahua) … 4
-
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Consultants FREE selections
Washington (0-4) at Arizona
(3-1),
7:30 EST
Why to watch: If Arizona
is truly turning the corner
after nine straight non-winning
seasons, this is the type of
game it absolutely, positively
cannot fumble. The Wildcats
dropped a game to New Mexico as
a heavy favorite three weeks
ago, but quickly responded by
racing past UCLA the following
weekend. Now, they have to
smother a wounded Washington
program that’ll be playing with
nothing to lose. As if starting
the season 0-4 isn’t bad enough,
the Huskies could play the next
two months without QB Jake
Locker, who injured his thumb in
a deflating loss to Stanford
that capped a miserable
three-game homestand. No matter
how positive Tyrone Willingham
remains, it’s getting hard for
the players and fans to tune out
his lame duck status as the
Husky head coach.
Why Washington might win:
The Wildcats are a flighty team
that can disappear when you
least expect it. Witness the
loss to New Mexico, when the
defense got pierced for 36
points and 221 yards on the
ground. While the numbers have
been outstanding, no one should
forget that Arizona has a
rebuilt defense with no star
power. Even without Locker,
backup Ronnie Fouch entered the
game and played well, throwing a
touchdown pass and running for
another. The enormous Huskies
offensive line should be able to
blow a suspect Wildcat interior
off the ball.
Why Arizona might win:
The Willie Tuitama-led passing
attack versus the Husky
secondary is a blatant mismatch.
While the ‘Cats have thrown 11
touchdown passes and have a slew
of talented receivers,
Washington sports the nation’s
worst pass efficiency defense.
The Huskies have yielded 14
touchdown passes in four games,
and made Tavita Pritchard look
like Jim Plunkett last weekend.
Even worse, they’ve yet to
register a sack all year, which
should have Tuitama salivating
before kickoff. Unless they get
sloppy with the ball, Arizona
has the potential to reach 50
points before the start of the
fourth quarter.
Who to watch: Is there a
top-flight receiver that gets
less attention than Arizona’s
Mike Thomas? Maybe it’s because
he lacks prototypical size, but
the senior with a war chest of
school records has been
tormenting Pac-10 defenses since
his freshman season. He’s
already caught 29 passes for 408
yards and three touchdowns, and
will have even more space now
that TE Rob Gronkowski has
returned from an illness.
What will happen: Mike
Stoops has been preaching all
week for his players to remain
focused and not look past the
winless Huskies. Message
received. His Wildcats will
quickly shake off some bye week
rust, exploding on a helpless
Washington defense for more than
500 yards of total offense and a
comfortable win.
CFN Prediction: Arizona
47 … Washington 17... Line:
Arizona -20
Must See Rating: (5 Palin
vs. Biden - 1 Beverly
Hills Chihuahua) … 2
-
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Consultants FREE selections
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Pac 10 Week
6 Fearless Predictions,
Oct. 4 |