Pac-10 Fearless Predictions, Nov. 22

Previews and Predictions for the Week 13 Pac-10 Games

Pac 10  
Arizona | Arizona St |  California | Oregon | Oregon St
Stanford | UCLA | USC | Washington | Washington St 

Pac 10 Fearless Predictions Aug. 30 | Sept. 6 | Sept. 13 | Sept. 20
- Sept. 27 | Oct. 4 | Oct. 11 | Oct. 18 | Oct. 25 | Nov. 1 | Nov. 8 | Nov. 22

How are the picks so far? SU: 54-13 ... ATS: 39-24-1

Pac 10 Game of the Week

Oregon State (7-3) at Arizona (6-4), 7:00 EST
Why to watch: Just two more wins separate Oregon State from a return to the Rose Bowl for the first time since 1965. No tiebreaker and no Trojan can get in the way of the Beavers if they just keep winning. The most unlikely of the BCS contenders, they’re in the midst of authoring a remarkable turnaround after beginning the season with awful losses to Stanford and Penn State. Ironically, Oregon State could get a second chance at the Nittany Lions in Pasadena. Arizona has qualified for a bowl game for the first time in a decade, but is hardly satisfied. In fact, the Wildcats are more than a little embarrassed after allowing 55 points, their most in more than five years, in a wild loss at Oregon. While a strong finish won’t mean a January bowl game, like this week’s visitor is shooting for, Arizona could dramatically improve its postseason destination by getting to 8-4.
Why Oregon State might win: The Arizona defense can be run on. New Mexico, Stanford, and Oregon have all done it, and the Beavers plan to be next. They’ve developed a bona fide star in true freshman RB Jacquizz Rodgers, who’s rushed for at least 90 yards in the last nine games to rank ninth in the country. When Oregon State has the ball, it’ll enjoy a significant edge in the trenches, bullying an undersized and inexperienced Wildcat defensive line. Lyle Moevao will have all day to throw behind a unit that leads the Pac-10 in sacks allowed. Since starting the season poorly, the Beaver D has come full circle, piling up the sacks and limiting the big plays. With ends Slade Norris and Victor Butler as the catalysts, it’s held four of the last five opponents under 300 yards.
Why Arizona might win: The Wildcats continue to live by a balanced, high-powered offense that’s cranking out 412 yards and 39 points a game. Arizona will beat you with the passing of Willie Tuitama, who’s second in the league in total offense, and the running of Nic Grigsby and Keola Antolin. Antolin is the ‘Cats’ edition of Rodgers, an undersized bolt of lightning, who’s rushed for eight touchdowns in the last four games.  Arizona is a completely different team when it’s playing in Tucson. It’s gone 4-1 with the only loss coming against USC.
Who to watch: To derail Oregon State, Arizona needs to give Tuitama time so he can hook up with WR Mike Thomas and TE Rob Gronkowski. That means tackles Eben Britton and James Tretheway must keep Norris and Butler out of the backfield. A pair of seniors, who were relatively unheralded situational rushers entering the season, they’ve combined for 26.5 tackles for loss and 13 sacks. When those two are getting pressure, an already talented secondary is even tougher to navigate.
What will happen: At some point in late September, Oregon State morphed into the Pac-10’s version of Alabama. It’s not the sexiest team in the country, but it doesn’t make mistakes, does all of the little things well, and just keeps finding ways to win. The Beavers are going to be challenged by Arizona, which is hungry for a statement win and is very tough at home. The ‘Cats, however, will fall short, failing to mount a late comeback against an underrated Oregon State defense. In the battle of the freshmen backs, Rodgers will get the best of Antolin.
CFN Prediction: Oregon State 30 … Arizona 24... Line: Arizona -3
Must See Rating: (5 Valkyrie – 1 Paris Hilton’s My New BFF) … 3.5
  - Click here to receive ATS Consultants FREE selections | Get Tickets

Saturday, November 22

Washington (0-10) at Washington State (1-10), 3:00 EST
Why to watch: You can throw out the records when Washington and Washington State meet each November for the Apple Cup. In fact, both schools are requesting that you literally throw out the records. At 1-20 combined, this figures to be the most depressing of the 101 meetings in this long and heated rivalry. While neither team has even been competitive over the last two months, facing each other will give the winner something positive to point to during the long offseason. The Cougars lone victory came Portland State, a lightweight out of the Big Sky Conference. The biggest news at Montlake these days surrounds the cloaked search for Tyrone Willingham’s successor. The names most frequently associated with the opening are current college coaches Gary Pinkel, Jeff Tedford, Chris Petersen, and Kyle Whittingham, and Seattle Seahawks assistant Jim Mora.
Why Washington might win: Although neither school is stopping the run, Washington State hasn’t even put up a fight, allowing 6.3 yards a carry and 266 yards a game. The Huskies enjoy a significant size advantage along the offensive line, which will help spring backs Brandon Johnson and Terrance Dailey to the best games of their young careers. The Cougars have yielded at least 31 points to every FBS opponent, which will give a flicker of hope to QB Ronnie Fouch and the U-Dub offense.
Why Washington State might win: Wasn’t it just two weeks ago that the Cougars scored four touchdowns versus Arizona, their best offensive performance of the season? Wazzu will need to recapture that form against a Washington defense that ranks 116^th in run defense and has given up 23 touchdown passes. QB Kevin Lopina can make plays with his legs, and RB Dwight Tardy is as healthy as he’s been in a while. By their standards, the Cougars are coming off a decent defensive effort, bagging three sacks and keeping a team under 400 yards for the first time in over a month.
Who to watch:
What will happen: There’s bad and then there’s Wazzu-bad. It’s close, but Washington hasn’t quite reached that level of futility. For the first time all year, the Huskies will own the line of scrimmage, creating running room for Johnson and Dailey and forcing Lopina into mistakes. No one has turned the ball over more than the Cougars, a trend that’ll continue this Saturday.
CFN Prediction: Washington 28 … Washington State 14... Line: Washington -7.5
Must See Rating: (5 Valkyrie – 1 Paris Hilton’s My New BFF) … 1.5
  - Click here to receive ATS Consultants FREE selections | Get Tickets
 
Stanford (5-6) at California (6-4), 3:30 EST, ABC
Why to watch: The Big Game will have a little more juice than normal as both schools will be playing with a little extra sense of urgency. Cal has an axe to grind after getting upended in last year’s meeting. Stanford is a win away from bowl eligibility, the next step in Jim Harbaugh’s blueprint for long-term success with the program. The Cardinal started strong, but finished with a whimper in last Saturday’s 45-23 loss to USC. Although Harbaugh has clearly made strides in his second season, a postseason game would provide tangible evidence of that progress. The Bears are looking to avoid the late-season fade that marked the end of last year. Although they’re locked into a bowl game, a third straight loss this weekend would feed into the notion that Jeff Tedford’s teams don’t finish strong.
Why Stanford might win: When the Cardinal has been successful this season, it’s usually because of the defense and the determined running of Toby Gerhart. Gerhart is a bruising back, who ranks fourth in the Pac-10 in rushing and is capable of wearing down the Cal front wall. On defense, Stanford will attack a Bear offensive line that’s banged up and doing a poor job of pass protection. It’ll strive to rattle Kevin Riley with pressure from DE Tom Keiser and LB Clinton Snyder. Cal’s offense has hardly been up to Tedford’s standards, averaging just 17 points during the latest three-game stretch.
Why Cal might win: The Bear pass defense versus the Cardinal passing game is a mismatch. Cal is No. 9 nationally in pass efficiency defense, while Stanford has been unable to move the ball through the air with QB Tavita Pritchard and a mediocre collection of receivers. Without an aerial attack to worry about, the Bears will instruct linebackers Zack Follett, Mike Mohamed, and Anthony Felder to stop Gerhart before he can bust into the secondary. The Stanford D makes big plays, but it also allows plenty of big plays. Cal has the game-breakers at the skill positions to make the Cardinal pay for over pursuing.
Who to watch: This is the type of game that Cal RB Jahvid Best will use to remind the country that he’s one of the most dynamic offensive weapons around. He’s a threat as a receiver and is averaging 6.5 yards on the ground, a number he’s capable of increasing if Stanford gets caught on draws and doesn’t wrap up when it tackles.
What will happen: Cal desperately wants to restore the order in this rivalry by bringing the axe back to Berkeley. It’ll succeed in a close game, slowing down Gerhart and turning loose Best for his most productive game since September. Without a reliable passing attack, Stanford will struggle when forced to abandon the run in the second half, turning the ball over to an opportunistic and athletic Bear secondary.
CFN Prediction: California 30 … Stanford 17... Line: California -9
Must See Rating: (5 Valkyrie – 1 Paris Hilton’s My New BFF) … 3
  - Click here to receive ATS Consultants FREE selections | Get Tickets