Run for the Roses Picks: Week 2
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by The Beast
(14) Penn State v. Notre Dame
Notre Dame's offense was atrocious against Georgia Tech last week, as they failed to score one touchdown and used all three quarterbacks. This time around the Irish will start true freshman Jimmy Clausen against one of the nation's toughest teams,Penn State. The Nittany Lions were very impressive last weekend, especially on defense, but then again they were playing Florida International. This should be Penn State's first real test, if you consider Notre Dame to be any good at all. While Notre Dame might be competitive for a quarter or half, Penn State is playing at home and is simply a much better football team. Penn State 31-6
Colorado State v. (10) California
The Bears showed the nation why they are truly a national title contender with their 45-31 victory over SEC powerhouse Tennessee. All of their offense playmakers, Nate Longshore, Justin Forsett, and DeSean Jackson were firing on all cylinders during the victory. While the Bears looked spectacular against the Volunteers, Colorado State suffered a heartbreaking defeat against arch-rival Colorado. The Rams are looking to rebound against Cal and have the offensive playmakers in quarterback Caleb Hanie and running back Kyle Bell to certainly make this a close game. to However, Cal has just too many playmakers on offense and should pull away down the stretch. Cal 42-28
It will be very interesting to see if Michigan can bounce back after their embarrassing home loss to Appalachian State. Last week, Oregon was explosive in their home victory over Houston and Michigan's loss makes the Ducks even more confident heading into the game. Last week, Appalachian State's spread offense caused a lot of problems for the Wolverines' defense. The Ducks run a similar offense scheme and have much more talented players than the Mountaineers ever did. It will be asking too much of defensive coordinator Ron English to fix all of their defensive issues in just one week and look for Oregon's backfield tandem of Dennis Dixon and Johnathan Stewart to have a field day against the Wolverines. It seems inevitable that the Ducks will take advantage of Michigan's weak defensive in a thrilling shootout. Oregon 45-38
In last week's victory over Washington State' quarterback Tyler Donovan showed fans why John Stocco will soon become a distant memory, as the senior quarterback threw 284 yards and three touchdowns. While Donovan had a breakout game, Heisman Trophy candidate P.J. Hill looked a little rusty as he just rushed for just 84 yards on 21 carries. As long as they come to play, the Badgers should be able to easily take care of UNLV. Wisconsin 42-10
Last week, the Bruins totaled over 600 yards of offense against lowly Stanford, but on Saturday, they will face their first real test of the season against visiting BYU. The Cougars have won two consecutive games over Pac Ten teams, Oregon (2006 Las Vegas Bowl) and Arizona (last Saturday) and are extremely well coached. They have an outstanding defense that matches an already efficient offense. Both the Bruins and Cougars are good on both sides of the ball so expect this one to be a very close game. In the end, the Bruins should pull this one out. UCLA 27-24
Upset Special
(22) Boise State v. Washington
Both Boise State and Washington are coming off blowout wins from a week ago. The Broncos thrashed Weber State 56-7 and the Huskies took care of business on the road against Syracuse, winning 42-12. Washington is much improved from a year ago, and they have the offensive weapons to pull off the upset against Boise State. Last week, quarterback Jake Locker completed 14 of 19 passes for 142 yards, rushed 10 times for 83 yards, and scored two touchdowns before exiting in the third quarter. The Huskies also got 147 rushing yards and three touchdowns from senior running back Louis Rankin. While Boise State has always had an exciting offense their defense is quite average and lacks the athletes to shut down Washington's explosive offense. Remember, this isn't 2006, Boise State isn't as good, and Washington is a lot better. With the home crowd behind them and a team hungry for a victory, expect the Huskies to win this one. Washington 38-21
