Pac-10 Week 9 Preview

There are four Pac-10 games this weekend. All have interesting storylines, but no matter how good the other three games may be all eyes will be on the Oregon-USC game at 5 o’clock Saturday night. Even though USC at Oregon is the most intriguing match-up of the weekend, we can not forget about the other Pac-10 games.

Cal @ Arizona State: The Golden Bears are coming off of an impressive win against Washington State in which they put up a season high 559 yards of total offense. Cal’s offense has a lot of weapons and is expected to put up points even against an ASU defense that is among the best in the country. ASU has a stellar defense, but lacks offensive rhythm and efficiency. The offense is the team’s obvious weakness and will not be able to put up enough points to keep pace with the Golden Bears on Saturday.

UCLA @ Oregon State: Remember when the Bruins started the year 3-0 including a victory at Tennessee? The Bruins looked like a football team that could make some noise in the Pac-10 until reality set in. UCLA is in the middle of a four game losing streak because it does not have an effective quarterback. Reser Stadium is a tough place to play and the Beavers are gaining momentum. They are coming off a loss at USC, but they were able to put up over 450 yards of offense on that great USC defense. Oregon State should beat the Bruins and extend UCLA’s losing streak to 5.

Washington State @ Notre Dame: Hopefully Jimmy Clausen realizes what a great opportunity he has on Saturday. Clausen is in the discussion of Heisman hopefuls and in a year where no one has really stood out, Clausen could legitimize his candidacy with a big game over Washington State on Saturday. The Cougars do not have much of a defense and Notre Dame should be able to throw the ball all over them. This game is being played in the Alamodome in San Antonio, Texas.

USC @ Oregon: This is easily the Pac-10 game of the week and possibly the National Game of the Week. ESPN’s College Game Day announced that it will make the trip to Oregon to watch the Ducks take on the Trojans. In my Pac-10 Season Preview I predicted that the Ducks would upset the Trojans and I’m sticking to it. USC has looked good on defense for the majority of the year, but they showed vulnerabilities and weaknesses against Oregon State on Saturday. The Beavers put up over 450 yards of offense without nearly as explosive of an offense as what the Trojans will face on Saturday. Autzen Stadium is the second loudest in the country and will be a hostile environment for the Trojans. They have played in tough environments before, but Oregon provides a unique home-field advantage and it will be interesting to see how Barkley is able to adapt. The Trojans have lost three straight times in the state of Oregon and are facing a team that is better than any of those three previous teams. Oregon can be expected to have an explosive offense, but what makes this year’s team so special and unique is the defense. Oregon’s defense is better than usual and is among the best in the country. This game will be a great game to watch and should be entertaining for a multitude of reasons. This game has the potential to determine the Pac-10 Champion along with who gets the Rose Bowl Berth and I’m going with the Ducks in a close one.