Pac Ten Picks: Week 1
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by The Beast
Welcome to the innaugural Pac Ten Picks. Each week, I will select five of the biggest Pac Ten football games and give my thoughts, analysis, and predictions on those contest.
Oregon State v. Utah
At the end of last season, Oregon State was ranked 21st in the AP poll after a narrow 39-38 triumph against Missouri in the Sun Bowl in El Paso, Texas. Their Sun Bowl victory pushed the Beavers to 10-4 on the season. Now, quarterback Matt Moore has graduated and wide receiver Sammie Stroughter has taken a leave of absence, leaving running back Yvenson Bernard to orchestrate the offensive attack. Oregon State's offensive line should be able to overpower the Utes's front seven and look for Bernard and the Beavers to pound it out on the ground, especially with first-time starter Sean Cannenfield at quarterback. Oregon State should play it safe and win a close one. Oregon State 21-13.
Jim Harbaugh bashed just about every team in the nation, except UCLA and for good reasons. With momentum from a 13-9 victory over USC and the return of twenty starters, the Bruins have been pegged by many preseason magazines as a top twenty program. The Bruins defense led by Bruce Davis should have no problems stopping the Cardinal offense. Despite a stifling defense, the Bruins' offense has been inconsistent during the Karl Dorrell era. Quarterback Ben Olson is still relatively inexperienced and look for the Bruins to have some offensive problems, especially early in the contest. The Bruins should pull it out, though. UCLA 23-10
(7) Wisconsin v. Washington State
Washington State is in for a tough one as they face one of the nation's best teams, Wisconsin on the road in Madison. The Cougars' lost a lot of playmakers and senior leaders from last year's team in Mkristo Bruce and Jason Hill. Despite, the losses, the Cougars have some solid offensive players in Alex Brink, Michael Bumpus, and Dwight Tardy. However, Wisconsin should dominate on offense with the presence of running back P.J. Hill. The Cougars also must face one of the nation's best defenses led by shutdown cornerback Jack Ikegwuonu. The Badgers are simply much more talented than the Cougars and this game is in Madison. Wisconsin 38-14
(1) USC v. Idaho It's more interesting to see if USC can cover the spread than to see if they will actually win, as the Trojans are favored by forty-four points. USC has way too many weapons on both sides of the ball for Idaho to even make this game competitive. With the starter at running back still in question, the Trojans might have to work out a few kinks before they can start scoring seventy points like they did against Arkansas in 2005. The defense has appeared to be as good as advertised so far this training camp so expect the Trojans to still dominate. USC 45-3
(12)California v. (15) Tennessee Last season, Tennessee steamrolled the Bears back in Knoxville. Now Cal gets a rematch at home with revenge on their minds. The At first glance, it appears as if the Golden Bears appear to have way too many offensive weapons for the Volunteers to contain. Their offensive trio of Nate Longshore, Justin Forsett, and dangerous Desean Jackson should be enough to beat the Volunteers despite an average defense. Cal 42-27
