Pac-10 Preview - Week Ten

November 6, 11:25 AMWashington State Cougars ExaminerLew Wright

Previous Next

1 comment Print Email RSS Subscribe

Subscribe

Get alerts when there is a new article from the Washington State Cougars Examiner. Read Examiner.com's terms of use.

Email Address   Include other special offers from Examiner.com Terms of Use

The Conference of Champions

Related Articles

• WSU Football | Execution key to victory for Cougs
• Neal Leitereg | Pac-10 Picks Week 10
• Dave Fowkes | Pac-10 Picks Week 10
  

We're heading toward the home stretch of the Pac-10 football schedule entering into week ten of the 2009 season. Every school will be playing a conference game this Saturday. Not only does that mean plenty of great football for fans, there's bound to be some unexpected results.

Looking back at last week, plenty of people predicted Oregon would hold serve in Autzen Stadium and defeat USC. No one was expecting total domination by the Ducks.

At the other end of the standings, almost everyone predicted Washington State would still be looking for their first Pac-10 win going into week ten.  Did anyone seriously expect UCLA to be tied with the Cougs for last place at this point in the season? Seriously?

For those of you foolish enough to be following my Pac-10 picks, last week was one of my best, going 2-2. Oh the humanity...

For the avid Pac-10 football fan, book yourself a barstool at your favorite sports pub Saturday afternoon. Three of the five games will be playing simultaneously. You'll need at least three screens just to watch the Conference of Champions. Keep in mind that watching college football this Saturday will be a marathon and not a sprint. Here's my first recommended pick. Pace yourself!

Washington vs. UCLA -3.5

Anytime a game is played at the Rose Bowl, you are watching the premier setting for college football, bar none. Unfortunately that doesn't always equate to viewing one of the best games of the day. Washington has improved remarkably under first year Coach Steve Sarkisian. Things are going so well for the team playing next to Lake Washington they are still in the hunt for a bowl game invitation. Though UCLA might still be in the hunt as well, that's merely a factor of statistical possibility. The Bruins have been playing excellent defense this season. Their offense? Not so much. The storyline on this game has centered on whether or not Husky quarterback Jake Locker will be able to play. What's the big deal about him? He's that good. As of Friday morning, if he can survive the plane trip to Los Angeles Locker is expected to start. Given the level of talent Coach Rick Neuheisel has on his roster and the fact Coach Norm Chow is up in the press box calling plays, UCLA is underachieving on a grand scale. Could this be the week the Bruins finally play up to their potential, matching their efforts early in the season? Not likely. PICK: Washington

(7) Oregon vs. Stanford +5.5 

Last week the Ducks dethroned the king. Heck, they staged an all out coup d’état with an agressive assault on the Trojans. First year Coach Chip Kelly was faced with a major problem following the embarrassment of the opening game of the season against Boise State. The game this week against a physical Stanford squad might just be the second greatest coaching challenge for him this year. Can Coach Kelly keep his players focused on the gridiron rather than their press clippings? Then again, Coach Jim Harbaugh has a challenge of his own. His Cardinal team has changed personality so many times this season they could rightfully be locked up in a psychiatric ward. Stanford has snatched defeat from the jaws of victory a few times this year. Oregon will put up big points against Stanford. Nothing profound in that prediction. The key to this game will be in the hands of Cardinal running back Toby Gerhart. If Gerhart can do what he does best, crank out a series of punishing 7 yard runs, Duck quarterback Jeremiah Masoli and running back LaMichael James might not put up 40+ points on the scoreboard. If you like offense, you'll love this game. PICK: Stanford - For an indepth look at this game, click HERE for Dave Fowkes preview

 Washington State vs. (21) Arizona -31

Arizona has enjoyed a bye week of rest to heal some of the bumps and bruises players have accumulated over their first seven games. Coach Mike Stoops seems to have rebuilt the Wildcats football program into a solid competitor. Coach Stoops hasn't done it with mirrors either. He has a very physical, speedy and athletic roster of players. In fact, for the first time in recent memory, the media spotlight in Tucson is occasionally focused on Wildcat football instead of 'Cats basketball. For Washington State, they are on the road again this week to face yet another Top 25 team. Second year Coach Paul Wulff and his staff are doing good things building a team in Pullman. You'd never know it from their season record, but for the Cougs, youth will be served. This game features two of the best young quarterbacks in the conference in Nick Foles and Jeff Tuel. Both are in their first season under center and clearly getting better every week. That's where the similarities end. Foles runs a version of dink and dunk offense for Arizona throwing high percentage screens, slants and quick outs. Tuel doesn't use the entire WSU playbook, but he has the "tools" to stretch a defense in deep threat Johnny Forzani with sure handed Gino Simone, Jared Karstetter and Jeffrey Solomon capable of finding holes in secondary coverage. There's another significant difference between these two quarterbacks. Foles will be going against a defense that has given up a lot of first half points all season long. Tuel will face a defense that rarely gives up points. PICK: Washington State

Oregon State vs. (23) California -6.5

Here's a match up of teams that have been playing inconsistent football. Both have the roster to beat anyone, anytime, any place. Yet both teams have decent, less-than-spectacular records. Both teams feature outstanding running backs who have the potential to score every single time they touch the football. OSU's Jaquizz Rogers and Cal's Jahvid Best each deserve the label "special player". Looking at the stats for both teams, again they are very, very similar. Though Beaver Sean Canfield completes a higher percentage of passes than Bear Kevin Riley, many of those are really pitchout running plays for the Rogers brothers. Even Coach Mike Riley and Coach Jeff Tedford are similar many ways, including tenure in the Pac-10. In a game this close, the deciding factor could be home field advantage. You know the conventional wisdom about how hard it is to win a game on the road in this conference. Unless something drastically occurs Saturday, like an internet blackout and cell tower blackout, home field doesn't mean all that much in Memorial Stadium at Berkeley. Cal students tend to stay home in droves on game days. If that's the case this week, they are going to miss an offensive shootout between two outstanding running backs. PICK: Oregon State - For an indepth look at this game, click HERE for a preview by Rob Calonge

(12) USC vs. Arizona State +14

USC Coach Pete Carroll saw his team man-handled last week in Eugene suffering a loss like no other since he arrived on campus atop Traveler shouting, "Fight on!" His Trojans might not be the best team in the conference this season, but Coach Carroll is still the best at what he does. His counterpart at ASU, Coach Dennis Erickson, probably wishes his schedule only included schools from the Northwest where the Sun Devils hold a 3-1 record. Coach Erickson is "0" for California and is unlikely to improve that mark this week. USC might not be the best team in the Pac-10 this year, but they are a very close second. It's likely this game will stay close going into halftime because of the Sun Devil defense. They are an outstanding unit. But the ASU D-line will probably be worn down by the outstanding offensive line of USC. Where Arizona State is thin on offense, USC is very, very, very deep. PICK: The Men of Troy - For an indepth look at this game, click HERE for a preview by Neal Leitereg

Lew's picks are now 24-30 on the season. You've been warned!

DISCLAIMER: College football is all about the spectacle and event. Wagering on games taints the experience. Have some fun, enjoy family and friends this weekend.
 

Share