Week Nine

Saturday, October 31

California 23 - Arizona State 21 (pick: California 42-13)

A sloppy, penalty filled game that wasn't decided until the Bears kicked a field goal with 21 seconds remaining in the game. Should it have been that close? No, but California kept Arizona State in the game with turnovers and ASU quarterback Danny Sullivan took advantage of the opportunity. Trailing by a point, California quarterback Kevin Riley engineered an 11-play, 74-yard drive to put the Bears in position to win on the field goal. All wins are good wins and this was the Bears third straight.

Oregon State 26 - UCLA 19 (pick: Oregon State 35-10)

Another contest that went down to the wire that probably shouldn't have. The Beavers were up 19-3 then allowed the Bruins to tie the game with 16 fourth quarter points. James Rodgers' 17 yard end gave OS the win with less than a minute to play.

Notre Dame 40 - Washington State 14 (pick: Notre Dame 27-13)

The Irish scored the first four touchdowns to take control of the game before halftime. With 1:16 left before the break the Cougs got on the scoreboard, then promptly surrendered a 50-yard touchdown pass with 0:07 left that gave Notre Dame a 30-7 halftime advantage. Game over.

Oregon 47 - USC 20 (pick: Oregon 34-21)

Quarterback Jeremiah Masoli and running back LaMichael James ran through, around and over the USC defense for 31 first downs and 613 total yards. As Trojan head coach Pete Carroll stated afterward, "it was pretty easy for them." Oregon coach Chip Kelly's "one game at a time" approach and his maniacal emphasis on practice performance paid off with one of the most impressive performances by an Oregon team in program history.

Week Ten

Saturday, November 7

Oregon at Stanford

Many are calling this a trap game, that the "hangover" from last Saturday's win over the Trojans combined with an extra week's preparation for Stanford will spell trouble for Oregon. The Trees have a very physical offensive philosophy and running back Toby Gerhart embodies the approach. Oregon's defense relies upon speed and numbers to the ball and that is exactly the approach one needs to take with a back like Gerhart and it should pay dividends for the Ducks in this contest and Oregon's pass defense is the best the Cardinal has faced. On the other side of the equation, the Stanford defense has given up a lot of yards and points to teams less offensively proficient than the Ducks. So the pick is for Oregon, but probably not by a large margin. Comfortable, but not large. Something on the order of 31-21.

Oregon State at California

The Benny's have owned the Bears in Berkeley lately and it wouldn't be a complete surprise to see them win this Saturday. The thought however is that Kevin Riley is coming off a good performance against ASU last weekend and that UCLA's late comeback throwing the ball against the Beavers offers head coach Jeff Tedford and Riley the game plan to come away with the win this time. Instead of predicating their attack on Jahvid Best's running, look for the Bears to throw often on their way to a 34-27 win.

Washington at UCLA

After being questionable to play earlier in the week, it appears Washington quarterback Jake Locker will be in the starting lineup against the Bruins. Without him, the Huskies had no chance to win. UCLA's offense came to life late against the Beavers but the Bruins have not yet this season demonstrated the ability to sustain an offensive attack. That gives the Huskies just enough of an edge to give them the nod, 27-20.

Washington State at Arizona

The Cougars season of travail hits the Tucson Trail. The less said the better, it won't be pretty. Wildcats 45 - WSU 10

USC at Arizona State