Pac-10 Week 3 Preview

Week 3 does not have the hype that week 2 may have had, but there are still a lot of intriguing games. There are games that are trap games as some times play their last non-conference games and others begin to play conference games. The Pac-10 has two ranked teams in action and there are two 25 schools that will be playing in Pac-10 stadiums on Saturday.

Cal @ Minnesota: I usually favor the home team when the visitors are traveling east into a different time zone. However, the Bears have been very impressive in their first two games. They have put up 50+ points in each game and Jahvid Best has been phenomenal. I look for Best to make more highlight reel runs and for Kevin Riley to continue to improve and show that he is a legitimate Pac-10 quarterback.

USC @ Washington: Some see this as a trap game for the Trojans because they just played Ohio State and Washington has been impressive so far this year. Steve Sarkesian will be motivated to upset his former team, but USC is too talented. Whether Matt Barkley plays or not, the Trojans should win this game. Pete Carroll is a great coach and he won’t let his team falter this early in the season. The Trojans will be motivated and Carroll will want to stick it to his former defensive coordinator.

Utah @ Oregon: This game promises to be exciting. Oregon finally showed some life on offense this past weekend against Purdue and will look to fully blossom against Utah. The Utes will be trying too legitimize themselves as a true BCS contender by beating a Pac-10 team in a Pac-10 venue. Autzen is one of the toughest places to play in the country, but I think the Utes will take care of business. Oregon’s offense is still in preseason form and the defense has significant injuries. T.J Ward is still questionable and without him the Ducks defense was less than spectacular last week against Purdue. It pains me to say it, but Oregon will be unable to pull off the upset.

Arizona @ Iowa: The Hawkeyes have been impressive so far this year. Their running game is better than expected. The Wildcats have been good, but not as good as expected. This game should be entertaining and could go either way. Home field advantage is a huge factor in college football and in a game where the talent is about equal, home field could decide the game. Arizona has a first year starter at quarterback in his first game away from home. I like Iowa to get the win.

Southern Methodist @ Washington State: Anyone watch this Washington State vs. Hawaii game Saturday? Well if you did you know exactly why it’s easy for me to pick Southern Methodist. There isn’t much to say, Washington State was absolutely horrible. They hardly resembled a football team. This program has fallen on tough times and I’ll be picking their opponents quite often this year.

Cincinnati @ Oregon State:  (Upset Pick) The Bearcats come into this game as the 17^th ranked team in the country. However, I’m going with the Beavers. Reyser stadium is a tough place to play, just ask USC. The Beavers defend their home turf and the fans there know how to get behind their team and cause turmoil for the opponents. Jacquizz Rodgers will have to carry the load, but he is definitely ready for the challenge.

San Jose State @ Stanford: The Cardinal get better year after year. San Jose State is the same team that lost by 50 points to USC. Stanford should have no trouble with the Spartans and improve to 2-1 on the year.

Louisiana-Monroe @ ASU: Despite winning by 47 points in the opener, I was not impressed with the Sun Devils. They dropped a lot of passes and had mistakes on offense. The defense was very impressive, but they were only playing Idaho State. This week won’t be much more of a challenge. The Sun Devils will improve to 2-0, but will still be a mystery until next week’s game at Georgia.

Kansas State @ UCLA: The Bruins showed a lot last week by going into Tennessee and getting the victory. This is a program headed in the right direction. The Bruins have surprised me by how well they are playing this year. I expect them to keep up the good work and improve to 3-0 this week against Kansas State.