College Football Week 5: Pac-10 and Other Game of the Week Picks

College football in 2010 is one large conspiracy... against the television viewer.

Last week, the powers that be (the networks) gave Pac-10 fans USC in the same time slot as UCLA/Texas and Stanford/Notre Dame. 

All three of which were up against Alabama/Arkansas. 

Week 5 has arrived, and ESPN is back at it.

This week, they decided to help out the Pac-10 by moving No. 9 Stanford at No. 4 Oregon into the same time slot as Washington at No. 18 USC and No. 7 Florida at No. 1 Alabama. 

Is the goal here for every viewer east of the Rockies to ignore the Pac-10 while watching the Crimson Tide continue their dominance in the SEC? (Oops, I'm revealing a pick.)

Remember way back to 2009 when, in a scheme to attract viewers throughout the day, good games featuring highly ranked and/or popularly watched teams did not always play at the same time?

Alright, our rant is over, onto the picks.

Pac-10 Conference:

Washington State at UCLA (Line - UCLA by 25.5)

Trevor Sojka (Last week 6-4, 5-5 against the spread) (UCLA) - There really is not much to describe in this game. UCLA is finally putting it all together and the Cougars seem to be getting worse as the season progresses. A trip to the Rose Bowl isn’t going to solve any problems for Washington St., yet it will be a nice rest for the Bruins leading up to a difficult two-game road trip. UCLA wins big at home.

Patrick Hamblin (Last week 8-2, 5-5 against the spread) (UCLA) - Maybe Washington St. can have a history lesson in the locker room about the glory days of Ryan Leaf, Jason Gesser, and Mike Price. That will be the only success the Cougars taste on Saturday.

Arizona State at Oregon State - (OSU by 5)

TS (ASU) - Two teams with tough losses all around. Neither has lost to a team outside of the top 15, however, neither has beaten anyone of note either. This will be the weekend one of them finally breaks through, and I think it will be Arizona St. The Sun Devils defense has been outstanding in its last two losses and I think it will continue just enough to pull off the mini-upset in Corvallis.

PH (ASU) - Home games for Oregon St. in Corvallis and U of O in Eugene can only mean one thing, a traffic nightmare from Portland. The nightmare will continue as Ryan Katz's rookie struggles will continue against Vontaze Burfict and a stellar Sun Devil defense. The Beavers have the Rodgers' brothers, but it will not mean offensive success until Katz proves he can be consistent throwing the football.

Washington at No. 18 USC - (USC by 10)

TS (USC) - This might be the hardest game to pick. In the Pete Carroll-era this was the kind of game the Trojans dominated. Can the Kiffin-era do the same? I think it will. USC rolls Washington as the Trojans' schedule still resembles that of a high school team. However, this will show USC is better than people think.

PH (USC) - Much is made of Steve Sarkisian and his defensive coordinator Nick Holt being familiar with USC, upsetting the Trojans a year ago, and knowing what Lane Kiffin is going to do. Not enough is said that last year USC was preparing to go up 17-0 early, but shot themselves in the foot with three turnovers deep in Washington territory and Aaron Corp's inability to throw the ball 25 yards downfield. (Oh wait, that's because Pete Carroll never told him he was starting.) UW can't stack the box against Matt Barkley and a balanced USC offense wins going away, 38-17.

Pac-10 Game of the Week:

No. 9 Stanford at No. 4 Oregon (Oregon by 6.5)

TS (Oregon) - Game of the week locally, and nationally, and will have huge implications for all. The Ducks still haven’t faced a really good team yet, while Stanford has had a few tests already. I think this will be close and end with the Ducks' usual scoring blitz to close the game. Oregon covers easily.

PH (Stanford) - Finally, some disagreement here! Last year, the Ducks got back into the game late because Jeramiah Masoli could throw the ball. The question this year is the Oregon speed vs. the Stanford power. Stanford's ability to protect the football will be the key. If they protect, expect Jim Harbaugh's team to move into the top five on Sunday afternoon. 

Other Games of National Interest (and some Big Ten games of zero national interest.)

Virginia Tech at No. 23 North Carolina State (Va Tech by 5)

TS (Virginia Tech) - The Wolfpack may be undefeated, but Virginia Tech is going to win. The Hokies are finally getting their stride back, and I think they will start to look like the team everyone thought was originally playing in Blacksburg. The big difference in this game will be the Bud Foster-led Virginia Tech defense, which hasn’t played well, but will finally play up to its potential against a good NC State offense.

PH (NC State) - This Jim Valvano-coached Wolfpack, I mean Tom O'Brien-led team has been one of the few pleasant surprises for a conference (ACC) that has needed some. It helps when you have a quarterback playing at a high level. While Tyrod Taylor received significant mention in ACC-previews, Russell Wilson has been the better quarterback so far, and I expect him to pull the mild upset with a home win over the Hokies.

No. 22 Penn State at No. 17 Iowa (Iowa by 7)

TS (Iowa) - As is the case with most Big Ten teams, both Penn St and Iowa have played one tough game, and as usual both lost. Now, they both meet with hopes of a Big Ten title still ahead of them. The Nittany Lions have struggled on offense, and playing at Iowa isn’t going to help.  The Hawkeye’s offense will roll and easily cover the spread, winning big at home and cause Joe Paterno to rethink retirement as the Lions' season starts to fall apart.

PH (Iowa) - The Hawkeyes have the more experienced quarterback, the higher rated and more physical offensive line, and are playing at home. It will take a miracle for the Nittany Lions to win on the road.

No.11 Wisconsin at No. 24 Michigan State (Wisconsin by 2)

TS (Wisconsin) - The Spartans have a huge win, the most recognizable in the country, escaping a bad Notre Dame team. This week, however, they play a real team, one that is good and the Badgers pull it out. Wisconsin did almost lose to a mediocre Pac-10 team at home, but they will win over a mediocre Big Ten team on the road.

PH (Wisconsin) - The storyline in this game is Spartan coach Mark Dantonio's return to coaching, albeit in the press box instead of the sideline, after suffering a minor heart attack after the play call of the year against Notre Dame. His return will not help his long-term health, however, as Michigan State returns to its traditional role of being a middle of the pack Big Ten team. Side Note: Everybody says Notre Dame, who lost to the Spartans, will not join the Big Ten because of its TV deal. Maybe it's just because it would be the conference's sixth or seventh best team.

No. 16 Miami at Clemson (Miami by 3)

TS (Clemson) - Like a broken record, Miami will win if Jacory Harris throws no interceptions. Unfortunately, he will continue to do so, and the Hurricanes will be stuck in bad situations. I believe in the Tigers, based on a tough loss in Auburn, but of course they really have no legitimate wins either. I say Tigers in a small upset, and the ACC finishes the week with one less ranked team.

PH (Clemson) - I could not agree more with my partner, sorry if I sound like Brent Musberger. The Canes have not shown an ability to win a tough game on the road, Jacory Harris turns the ball over way too much, and Dabo Sweeney may be proving his worth to the Tigers for the long haul. Its hard to call anyone in this year's ACC elite, but Clemson may be the best team in the conference.

No. 21 Texas vs. No. 8 Oklahoma (Oklahoma by 4)

TS (Texas) - A week ago, I would have picked Texas, now I feel it’s a tossup, almost. The Sooners looked great against Florida St, then pretty unspectacular against everyone else. Texas just hasn’t looked like Texas, so who wins? Something tells me the Longhorns will be more fired up than Oklahoma and do enough to win. Specifically, Texas finds some semblance of an offense while its defense regains its top form. Texas with the upset.

PH (Oklahoma) - It's bad form to rip the co-writer, but if I'm not mistaken, Oklahoma still has hopes of a national title. Texas has hopes of avoiding the Alamo Bowl. (As we know, Texas teams can hang around in the Alamo but haven't had much success going back to 1836.) TS is, of course, a UCLA-homer, so he believes the Longhorns will win and thus boost the Bruins' national outlook. Objectivity is a must here. Oklahoma can pass, Texas cannot. The Sooners can run, the Longhorns cannot. Bob Stoops' team occasionally plays defense. Mack Brown's team can't stop a team from scoring that passes for only 27 yards. This game is a gimme in my humble opinion.

Non Pac-10 Game of the Week:

No. 7 Florida at No. 1 Alabama (Alabama by 9)

PH (Alabama) - Freshman Trey Burton's breaking of Tim Tebow's single-game touchdown record was the story of last week's Gator win over Kentucky. Joker Phillips is one thing, Nick Saban is another. Expect the Crimson Tide to pressure the Florida spread attack and give John Brantley precious little time to throw the football. If the shotgun snap was difficult against South Florida, what do you think might happen Saturday night in Bryant-Denny Stadium. To make matters worse for Urban Meyer, Mark Ingram looks like he has not skipped a beat. 

My thoughts on college football can be followed on Twitter at @plh55