It's a full slate of games in the opening week, although several PAC-10 teams opted for the typical serving of cupcake brunch to ease into the season.
USC 37, Hawaii 9
There's a somber mood at USC, what with sanctions, penalties, defections and suspensions, but the Trojans have too much firepower for the Rainbows. This one will be over early, and serve as a coronation for Matt Barkley. The aura of good feeling is not likely to last, however. In October the Trojans host Jake Locker's improved Washington team, then travel to Palo Alto for a clash with the Cardinal, host Cal and then Oregon on October 30 in Fright Night--the Rematch. Their once formidable depth decimated by graduation and sanctions, USC may be playing out the string by mid-October. But this Thursday night game will give the ESPN commentators a chance to cover Barkley and Kiffin with praise. Ever notice how the team winning in a football game is suddenly the greatest thing since the Four Horsemen? SC has a soft nonconference schedule this season, but the deep, tough PAC-10 slate will expose them. Lane Kiffin is the classic triumph of style over substance, and the Trojan boosters will be very disgruntled by the 8-5 finish he puts together.
Arizona 45, Toledo 17
The Wildcats have an inexperienced defense, but it won't be tested much by mid-major Toledo, and the Rockets won't have an answer for Nick Foles and Company. Another game that will be over early.
Kansas State 24, UCLA 16
The Bruins are in disarray, and Rick Neuheisel may be coaching for his job by the time they host USC in December. They've lost four starters on the offensive line, two to injuries, one to academics, and one left in December for a Mormon mission. Their best pass rusher went down the first week of fall camp; he's out till November. Starting quarterback Kevin Prince has been hurt all camp and was very limited in practice, giving him little time to master Norm Chow's new "Pistol" offense. There are few bullets in the chamber. The Bruins will have trouble blocking, tackling or scoring, and they are headed for a disappointing year.
BYU 33, Washington 27
Jake Locker's Heisman campaign moves closer to an early concession speech. He and his teammates host Nebraska in Game 3 and travel to USC for Game 4. The Husky defense is not ready for a prime-time road game, and despite Locker's heroics, the Dawgs fall short in Provo.
Paycheck 2-for-1 special:
Cal 51, UC Davis 10; Stanford 45, Sac St 17
Two games designed to make the alumni feel good about the upcoming season and keep writing the checks. Kevin Riley and Andrew Luck will pad their resumes with a pair of 300-yard games, and the two minor state schools will balance their athletic budget with a painful visit to the big boys.
TCU 31, OSU 24
It's a lot to ask of sophomore starting quarterback, traveling to Cowboy Stadium to face the number six team in the nation. The Rodgers brothers will exhort their teammates as best they can, and lead on the field with a superhuman effort, but the Beavs don't have enough to win this kind of road game this early in the year. They have a suspect front seven on defense, and a couple of question marks at receiver and offensive line. Mike Riley always improves his teams, and they'll be competitive in conference, but this is sure to be a discouraging loss.
ASU 31, PSU 17
The Sun Devils open with two lower-division opponents, Portland State and Northern Arizona, before traveling to Wisconsin and hosting the Ducks at the end of the month. They get to feel good about themselves for a while, but it's not likely to last long. By week seven or so they will look like an FCS team. Dennis Erickson has a new quarterback, Steven Threet, a transfer from Michigan, and a new spread offense. Threet is 6'5", 240 lbs., a highly-coveted prep star from Michigan with an NFL-ready body and a big arm. Curiously, he left Michigan because he felt his skills were incompatible with new coach Rich Rodriguez's spread offense, and now he finds himself in another one. The Sun Devils have some talent, but don't have enough PAC-10 players to go around.
Oklahoma State 41, Washington State 17
The Cougs are reportedly improved in 2010, but it won't translate into to many more wins. Paul Wulff works diligently and so do his players, but it's just too big of an hole. Does Mike Bellotti come in in 2011 for a major overhaul? Or does he surface in Tempe, where the weather is warmer and the recruiting climate is more hospitable? Stay tuned.
The 3 games of interest, to me, are:
ReplyDeleteUCLA v. KSU- I agree with you, but just can't help but get the feeling Rick will turn things around a bit there. This is one I would not be surprised if UCLA pulled off the upset. In fact, I'm taking UCLA with the spread.
BYU v. Washington- I agree with your assessment. Each year we hear how improved the dogs are and each year they under perform. BYU is also, traditionally, a strong starting team.
Beavers v. TCU- There's nothing I'd like better than seeing OSU win this gamer, but I think they'll lose. And lose big. OSU has been a terrible starting team recently and have a new QB against the most complex and deceptive defense in the nation. Unless TCU turns the ball over 6 times, a see a 21+ point TCU win.
As always, a very nice post Dale.
I should have come here for my two 4 team parlays. I would have won one of them. I also thought USC would cover easy and lost that ticket. UCLA was more of a guess and I took the points thinking that they should have more talent than KSU.
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