Week eight Pac-10 picks

After the debacle of my week six picks in the Pac-10 match-ups, I rebounded nicely in week seven to raise my record above .500 and now stand with a 5-3 overall record. Let's take a look at the Pac-10 games of week eight:

(12) Oregon at Washington

The Ducks are looking to continue their recent success after heading into the bye week at full steam. Starting quarterback, Jeremiah Masoli, is still day to day and remains a question mark after suffering a knee injury two weeks ago. If Masoli can not go, the responsibilities will once again fall on backup Nate Costa, who started in place of Masoli and delivered a lackluster performance against UCLA. Costa was not great, but he still did enough to help the Ducks get the win. Washington is coming off of a heartbreaker at the hands of the Arizona State Sun Devils in a game that was full of Huskies’ mistakes. Head coach Steve Sarkisian and the Huskies will definitely have their hands full at home with the 12^th ranked Ducks as Washington tries to get back on track. Oregon will be bringing a fierce offensive attack with or without Masoli, so look for the Huskies to open up the playbook for Jake Locker a bit in an effort to match production. Sarkisian may have the Huskies on the up and up but the Ducks are rested and ready to roll. PICK: Oregon

Washington State at California

Things have not gone well for the Cougars this season; the Cougs have yet to win a game against Pac-10 competition. While Washington State is rested coming out of there bye week, things are not likely to change for Coach Wulff this weekend as the Cougars head to Berkeley to take on the California Golden Bears. Even though the Cougars have had a rough time this season, there are still a number of bright spots including true freshman quarterback Jeff Tuel, who has shown flashes of great potential, and defensive lineman Travis Long, who even as a true freshman has shown he can be a force. Washington State's defense will need all the help it can get on Saturday because it appears that California has regained its offensive spark. It was the Vereen & Best show last weekend as Shane Vereen and Jahvid Best combined for 256 yards on the ground. Best also contributed in the receiving game, hauling in a Kevin Riley pass and taking it 51-yards for the touchdown. Cal is not necessarily out of the picture yet, but the Golden Bears will need to continue their revitalized play if they want to have any shot at the Pac-10 crown this season. PICK: Cal

UCLA at Arizona

So much for a strong start to UCLA’s season. The Bruins have been on a pretty ugly downward spiral as of late, losing their last three games, all against Pac-10 teams. After starting the season 3-0, including a win against Lane Kiffin and the Volunteers in Tennessee, everything that could go wrong has gone wrong for the Bruins. Unfortunately for the Bruins, they are going into a game against an Arizona Wildcats team that has it all coming together. With sophomore Nick Foles at quarterback, the Wildcats are suddenly major players in the Pac-10 race, as evidenced by Foles' game against the Stanford Cardinal last weekend in which he completed 40-of-51 passes for 451 yards and three touchdowns. The way things have been disintegrating for the Bruins' defense and in particular the Bruins’ secondary, who have been giving up the big play lately, it is going to be a long day. I think Bruins' tailback Jonathan Franklin will keep things interesting for at least the first half, but UCLA will not have enough firepower to match the Wildcats for the whole game. PICK: U of A

Oregon State at (4) USC

Coming off of a win in South Bend against the Irish, the Trojans seek to dominate a Beavers’ team that is playing quite well this season. Southern California returns home and hosts Oregon State in what could be an exciting game between two of the top teams in the Pac-10. The Trojans' defense will have its hands full with the Beavers' star tailback, Jacquizz Rodgers. Rodgers, who leads the Pac-10 in touchdowns, has been tearing it up on the ground and will lead the charge for Oregon State this Saturday. Fortunately, run defense has been a huge strength for the Trojans this season as Southern California brings the 4^th ranked rushing defense in the nation. True freshman quarterback, Matt Barkley, hopes to follow up on his career day against the Irish. It seems the young Barkley is getting more and more acclimated to the passing game, week in and week out, which does not bode well for the Beavers and the remainder of the Trojans' opponents. If the Trojans can control their personal foul penalties and put together another solid offensive effort, they should have no trouble with the Beavers. PICK: USC

Arizona State at Stanford

Head coach Dennis Erickson has the Sun Devils playing well as of late as they head to Palo Alto, California, to take on the Stanford Cardinal. Arizona State is coming off of a strong victory over the Washington Huskies, a game in which the Sun Devils won in the closing moments. On the flip-side of things, Stanford is looking to rebound after losing a 43-38 shootout in Arizona against the Wildcats. Cardinal tailback, Toby Gerhart, will try to add to his strong season, but he will have his work cut out for him going up against a Sun Devils’ run defense that is ranked 2^nd in the nation. The Arizona State defense has yet to play against a bruising tailback such as the highly touted Gerhart, who is ranked fifth in the NCAA in rushing with an average of 124.14 ypg. The deciding factor may be which team has the stronger play at the quarterback position, where Cardinal redshirt freshman Andrew Luck has the clear edge this season over the embattled Sun Devil QB, Danny Sullivan. If Gerhart gets it going on the ground, it might be all she wrote for the Sun Devils. PICK: Stanford