Pac-10 picks
OK, after a mediocre first week, I think I’ll be back on my game this week:
Cal 31, Minn. 10: I know people will think I’ve been eating some of the nasty pot brownies in Berkeley this week but bare with me. This game is either going to be a statement week for the Bears or a nightmare. The Bears have too much talent for anything in-between. And I’m firmly on the Bears side. Last week was a tough one in a tough environment. At home against a less fierce opponent, I think they’re going to make a statement. Longshore is going to get his act together and while I expect a few mistakes, he’ll abuse their defense for enough long plays to open up the running lanes for Lynch who’ll finish off whatever is left of the burrowing Gophers. Add that to the fact that UM is supposedly an all ground-game team and the best part of the Bears game last week was their run-control (minus one play) and I think this is going to be a romp. Heck, I’ve even scaled my official prediction back from the 42-3 game my heart tells me we’re in for. So to recap: on Monday you’ll think I’m either a genious or a complete fraud.
OSU 28, BS-U 24: Good ol’ Boise St… this is a tough game for me. The Boise boys play pretty well on their blue turf and I’m not sure what I think of OSU even though they took E. Wash. to the woodshack last week. In the end, I’ve got to go with OSU. I think they’re stronger than people give them credit for and Boise St. is on a down-trend.
Stanford 35, SJ St. 29: The question that’ll be on most Cal fans mind when seeing this match-up will be: who’s better UC Davis or SJ St.? And while that is a valid question (SJ is the answer) I think the more appropriate question is who is going to take the doghouse position in the Pac-10 this year Stanford or Washington? I think it’s a toss-up and their scores vs SJ St. will be the same.
WaZoo 38, Idaho 24: Ah, good ol’ WaZoo. Fresh from their expected roll-over to Auburn, they get back to their normal ways to take on Idaho. This game is the same every year: Idaho comes out and makes a statement to the overly-lax WaZoo “football” players. But in the end, a Pac-10 team is just too good to lose to Idaho and WaZoo comes roaring back to win.
UDub 13, OK 20: I think people are expecting OK to blow away Washington and in a sense they’re right. But this game is going to be slow with all of the stunted drives. In the end, I think OK will slowly grind out a decisive victory, but a couple lucky drives by UW and a self-defeating OK offense will keep the score closer than the actual game.
UA 21, LSU 38: Arizona will do a pretty good job on defense in this game… in the first half. In the end, they just won’t have the offense necessary to keep LSU off the field and no defense will keep LSU out of the endzone forever.
UCLA 45, Cream-of-Wheat… er Rice 6: Man, how did UCLA get the joy of scheduling these powder-puffs? Did the WaZoo AD take a job at UCLA? Particularly considering how UCLA stuck it to Utah and that Rice lost to Houston last week, this one is going to be a walk in the park.
ASU 31, Nevada 24: ASU had better be careful in this one. Nevada may be just south of Idaho and you’d expect their two football teams to perform similarly, but you’d be mistaken. Nevada won the WAC last year and challenged Fresno St. last week. In the end I think ASU will win this one, but if they come in as rusty as they did against N. Arizona, this could be the upset of the week.
Oregon 38, Fresno St. 24: Fresno St. is one of those teams that lives off of Pac-10 upsets. They always seem to be better in September when playing the Pac-10 than in October when they get to the heart of their WAC schedule. Don’t forget that this is the same team that gave USC a scare last year. That said, Oregon is just too strong this year and they are always immaculately prepared. Bulldog stadium will have no effect on them and they’ll walk away with this one pretty easily.
OK, that’s all folks! USC is on a bye this week. Tune in on Monday for an update on on the Cal game and my prediction metrics.