Previews

UCLA vs Oregon

It’s the immovable object versus the irresistible force. The Duck offense ranks fourth nationally with 469 yards per game, while the Bruin defense ranks second nationally, allowing only 221 yards per game. In this battle for third place in the Pac-10, something has to give. The Ducks are lucky that their first game after getting destroyed by Cal is back in the friendly confines of Autzen Stadium. Jonathan Stewart had a disaster of a game running into Desmond Bishop and the rest of Cal’s defense. Averaging nearly 8 yards per carry coming into the game, he managed only 25 yards on 18 carries. Jaison Williams had only 66 receiving yards after averaging 140 yards in the previous three games. Dennis Dixon was sacked twice and threw three interceptions. Just about everyone on Oregon had their worst game of the season against Cal. So while this game is at Autzen, it’s against a team with a much better defense than Cal. Speakin of UCLA’s defense, it has been mighty impressive this season, though UW is the only team they have played with a top 50 offense. This will be their first real test, and they get to follow this game up with another test at Notre Dame next week. The Bruins come into Eugene with Ben Olson on the shelf for a few weeks with a torn mcl. That forces Patrick Cowan into the starting lineup after relieving Olson in Pasadena last week. He played pretty well against Arizona, though I’m sure the Bruin coaches would prefer their QB not have his debut start in the Pac-10’s toughest place to play. Actually, the Bruin coaching has been so bad this year, I don’t know that it crossed their minds. To me, that’s the difference in this game. Bellotti > Dorrell in a landslide, though the game itself should be pretty close.

What UCLA should watch out for: The Oregon offense
What Oregon should watch out for: The UCLA defense

Brian’s Pick: Oregon

Cal vs Washington State

The Cougars have beaten the Bears the last ten times they have played in Pullman. That’s 27 years since Cal last won there. This year, Cal brings a top 10 offense with them to Martin Stadium. WSU wasn’t able to stop a DJ-less USC team two weeks ago, so it seems unlikely they will be able to hold a full strength Cal team under 30 points. That means the question in this game is whether or not the Cougars will be able to translate any of their offense into points. While Cal is 8^th in total offense and 5^th in scoring, WSU is 17^th in offense but only 51^st in scoring. Neither team has a great defense, so if the Cougars can actually get the ball into the endzone, they could make it interesting. Somehow I get the feeling that Alex Brink is going to try and throw at Daymeion Hughes, and that is never a good idea. The Bears usually protect Longshore pretty well, but WSU leads the nation in sacks this year. How well Cal keeps Mkristo Bruce and company out of the backfield could be the difference in this game.

What Cal should watch out for: Brink actually throwing to Jason Hill
What WSU should watch out for: Cal’s defense forcing turnovers

Brian’s Pick: Cal

Oregon State vs Washington

The Huskies are 3-0 at home this year, and it’s doubtful a blemish will appear on their record this week. After beating UCLA and Arizona, the Huskies were 15 yards away from toppling the Trojans and their Pac-10 winning streak. The refs kinda sorta kept them from getting off another play, but they still proved that they’re a team to be reckoned with in the Pac-10. Oregon State, not so much. Matt Moore is a disaster of a quarterback, so maybe Sean Canfield will get to play once Moore throws a couple interceptions UW’s way. Isaiah Stanback has carried the Huskies this season, but he won’t need to do everything this week against the lowly Beavers. Maybe Yvenson Bernard gets 20 carries this week, Mike? For the sake of Beaver fans, let it be yes.

What OSU should watch out for: The Seattle crowd
What UW should watch out for: Yvenson Bernard

Brian’s Pick: Washington

Arizona State vs USC

Coming into the season, this looked like it was going to be a big game. ASU was supposed to not suck and USC was supposed to still be USC. That’s not the case now. The Sun Devils have given up nearly 100 points in their last two games, losses to Cal and Oregon. The Trojan offense hasn’t looked nearly as good as the Ducks or Bears this season, but they still have an arsenal of weapons waiting to be fired. One has to think the barrage of big plays is coming soon. USC has three weeks to get ready for their brutal slate to end the season, now seems as good a time as any to show the explosiveness of the offense. ASU’s offense on the other hand, has been morbid the last few weeks. Playing an athletic defense like USC’s, isn’t going to help. If you’re having trouble against Oregon’s and Cal’s defenses, USC is going to be an absolute nightmare. Dirk Koetter needs to light a fire under Rudy Carpenter and let Ryan Torain take some pressure off him if he wants a chance of winning this game. In the end though, Koetter and his Sun Devils have never won a game in the state of California and are mind-blowingly bad at beating ranked teams. USC ending their conference winning streak this week seems about as likely as Terrell Owens shutting his mouth.

What ASU should watch out for: Booty coming into his own
What USC should watch out for: Carpenter returning to form

Brian’s Pick: USC

*Pac-10 Game of the Week*
Arizona vs Stanford

Congratulations Stanford!! You’ve been named the fourth worst team in the NCAA, in front of luminaries like Eastern Michigan and Florida International. That said, this is their best chance at a W all season. Arizona hasn’t had a good year by any means, but at least they’ve won a couple games. Stanford is as dreadful as can be, and this game is about as bad a matchup as any college football fan could dream of. But maybe we’re conditioned to think these teams are bad and everyone is inflating their true ineptitude. So with that in mind, let’s take a look at the tale of the tape:

Ok, bad example. This game is going to be a real stinker. Neither team can pressure the opposing quarterback nor keep their own upright. Hell, they can’t keep their own running backs from being tackled behind the line. Neither team has an offense to speak of, and while Arizona’s defense isn’t atrocious, Stanford’s barely has a heartbeat. In fact, Stanford looks like they may be a new kind of terrible. This game is so bad, I’m sure FSN will be showing it instead of any other game this Saturday.

What Arizona should watch out for: Themselves
What Stanford should watch out for: The possibility people may attend this game

Brian’s Pick: Arizona