Pac10 Week Three: Can USC Shine Against Ohio State? Will Oregon Handle Purdue?

Week two was good to yours truly, a perfect six for six in my predictions, and nearly guessed the Oregon vs. Utah State score if it weren't for late fourth quarter scoring.

The entire Pac-10 faces fairly unfamiliar opponents in week three and looks to improve on their very good 7-3 non conference record.

Here's some insight into week three's Pac-10 schedule:

Washington State @ Baylor - Friday 8:30pm ET on FSN

Hurricane Ike must be a football fan, apparently the storm couldn't wait till Saturday to watch this match up.  That or he wanted to get it out of the way as fast as possible so he could watch real football.

Washington State is still attempting to find something to hang their hat on. The Cougars have lost by a combined 105-16 in the first two weeks.  Total rushing stats are 171 for and 565 against. 

Slowly the Cougars should gain a little momentum and become more comfortable, however the first trip outside the Northwest could be iffy at best.  The forecast is calling for high 70's and rain all day and could feel like home to the Pullman faithful loyal enough to make the trip to Waco, TX.

Baylor has pulled a Jekyll and Hyde act in the first two weeks, playing the role of crushee against No. 23 Wake Forest, then crushing severely over-matched Northwestern State.

Quarterback Robert Griffin has looked impressive completing over 68 percent of his passes for 419 yards and three touchdowns.  The offense seems balanced and should have success against a youthful Wazzu defense at home.

Prediction

Washington State's woes continue, however the team begins to play better football. Score remains close, but the pieces aren't there.  If only it were at WSU!

Baylor 31  WSU 20

No. 23 Californa @ Maryland - Saturday 12:00pm ET on ESPN

The Terrapins of Maryland return to College Park in hopes of improving to 2-1.  The lone bright point for the Mighty Turtles is the production in the run game.  Sophomore Da'Rel Scott is averaging 8.6 yards per carry on the ground and has totaled 320 yards. 

The key will be whether or not QB Chris Turner—nicknamed Napoleon Dynamite—can improve on his not-so-stellar 45 percent completion percentage and one to three TD to INT ratio.

California comes off a complete dismantling of Pac-10 foe Washington State.  After surprising many with their win over Michigan State, Cal took it to the Cougars, putting up 66 points and only yielding three. 

Jahvid Best's 311 yards and four TD's have picked up right where, now Indianapolis Colt, Justin Forsett left off.  Many around the bay area are believing that QB Kevin Riley and Co. are for real this year.

Prediction

I saw first hand what kind of a team Maryland was last year versus Oregon State in the Emerald Bowl.  Stereotypical boring ACC team with decent talent.  I don't think, even at home, they have the horses to run with the Golden Bears.

Cal wins and remains undefeated and will await their first test on October 4th against No. 15 Arizona State.

California 42  Maryland 24

Stanford @ TCU - Saturday 1:00pm ET on The Mtn.

The TCU Horned Frogs have a tough road ahead of them.  They play three teams in the top 25 including No. 3 Oklahoma.  But for now, Stanford is their greatest concern. 

TCU had a confidence booster last week versus Stephen F. Austin winning 67-7. TCU has racked up over 800 total yards in the first two weeks with a fairly balanced attack. 

Runningback by committee has worked well, six different backs have over 40 yards on the season. Their defense which has given up only 10 points will be tested this week by a Pac-10 quality team.

Stanford got smacked back down to earth in Jim Harbaugh's second year behind the wheel with a 41-17 loss at Arizona State.  The Stanford secondary has given up 749 yards through the air the past two weeks, luckily for them, TCU seems to be more of a running team.  Either way, Stanford will need to be prepared for a dogfight come Saturday.

Prediction:

Stanford can ill afford to lose this game.  Momentum from last years victories over USC and rival California, matched with the opening win over Oregon State has nearly been lost with their most recent performance.  I see Stanford playing sound football and coming home with a W.

Stanford 27  TCU 23

No. 16 Oregon @ Purdue - Saturday 3:30pm ET on ABC

Chip Kelly's spread offense meets a similar style offense this week.  Oregon has shuffled quarterbacks but remains the nations leader in total offense.

Justin Roper has managed the game well thus far and seems to be learning the system quickly.  Runningback Jeremiah Johnson left last week's game with a dislocated shoulder. 

As of now Johnson is expected to play. After all, he is what fuels this high powered Duck offense.

While the Oregon offense has put up amazing numbers, this Boiler Maker offense is powerful in its own right.  A 42-10 victory over Northern Colorado may not seem like much, but if anything, it creates confidence for this Purdue team. 

Curtis Painter averages more than 10 yards per completion and runningback Kory Sheets racks up over five yards every time he touches the ball.

Prediction:

I think the first road game and real test of the season starts iffy for the Ducks.  Purdue has a much better defense than Washington or Utah State and could give UofO difficulties.  In the end, the game will boil-no pun intended-down to who can stop who.  Oregon has a great defense and should win because of it.

Oregon  38 Purdue 23

UCLA @ No. 18 BYU - Saturday 3:30pm ET on Versus

After a thrilling come back, fall behind, come back overtime victory over Tennessee, UCLA embarks on another upset mission in just their second game of the season. The biggest factor in this game will be the play of Kevin Craft. 

The first year native of Escondido, CA was night and day from the first to the second half.  His first road game will test whether or not he will continue his success.

BYU squeeked by Washington after being granted a bogus celebration penalty in the waining seconds of the game.  The Cougars take on another Pac-10 foe and hope to increase their ranking and move up into BCS conversations. 

BYU's combo of QB Max Hall and TE Dennis Pitta have accounted for 21 completions and 361 yards.  Linebacker coverage is a must for UCLA if they want to stop this killer connection.

Prediction:

UCLA travels into Utah and nearly comes out with a win.  Kevin Craft continues to look good, then bad and should make mistakes in his first road game.

BYU 30  UCLA 20

Hawaii @ Oregon State - Saturday 4:07pm ET on FSN NW

The Warriors travel to Corvallis with a fairly balanced offensive look.  Don't be fooled however. Even with the departure of June Jones, this Hawaii team still likes to air it out.

The production lost from the departure of Colt Brennan and all his receivers has left the Warriors searching for an answer.  A horrible showing at No. 5 Florida and an iffy performance coming back in the second half against Weber State has me believing this team has yet to click.

Oregon State has picked themselves up off the dirt after being stomped on by No. 19 Penn State last week.  The Beaver defense looks for a morale boost from the home town fans and should play better. 

The offense has remained solid. Jacquizz Rodgers rushed for 99 yards and looked more comfortable weaving his way through defenders.  Lyle Moevao continues to find success through the air, averaging 327 yards per game. 

Turnovers and penalties have caused the offense to stall in the red-zone and need to be decreased this week.

Prediction:

The long awaited home opener is here and the Oregon State faithful should be fired up in near sell out numbers.  The Beavs finally hit the turbo button on offense and should put up a lot of points.  The Beavs go to 1-2 and stare No. 1 USC in the eyes two weeks down the road.

OSU 45  Hawaii 27

No. 3 Oklahoma @ Washington - Saturday 7:45pm ET on ESPN

Oklahoma brings their 54 points per game to Husky Stadium in Seattle.  For many, The Sooners are a favorite to contend for the BCS Title. 

Oklahoma can hurt you with many people. Eight different players have scored a touchdown in just two weeks.  DeMarco Murray and Chris Brown create a great one-two punch in the backfield and have combined for seven touchdowns.

Washington is reeling after their crushing "loss" to BYU at home last week.  The Huskies have played well versus big time opponents as of late.  Ohio State visited last year and were in a fight until late in the third quarter. 

Jake Locker is only completing 45 percent of his passes and averages barely five yards a completion.  Runningback Chris Polk will need to start carrying some of the load if Washington wants to keep Locker healthy all season.

Prediction:

Oklahoma does not follow suit and play Washington close.  The Sooners are the real deal this year and should have an easy Saturday that sees nearly the entire roster get some playing time.

Oklahoma 53 Washington 21

UNLV @ No. 15 Arizona State - Saturday 10:07pm ET on FSN Arizona

The Sun Devils made quick work of Stanford last week and thus far have outscored their opponents 71-30. Rudy Carpenter is having the season everyone thought he would with 733 yards and four touchdowns. Arizona State needs to tighten everything up before they go on a stretch that matches them up with a top 25 team four weeks in a row.

Biggest stat of the day, UNLV has won only one of the last 22 road games and have been blanked by top 25 teams.  The Rebels have their work cut out for them down in Tempe.  UNLV will have to play their best game to compete with Arizona State.

Prediction:

Arizona State rolls easily and says "bring on the big boys."

Arizona State 44  UNLV 17

Arizona @ New Mexico - 8:00pm ET on CSTV

Willie Tuitama is making his push for best quarterback in the Pac-10.  Tuitama has a remarkable 77 percent completion percentage through two games and has 471 yards and five touchdowns. 

The surprise of the 2008 Wildcat squad is the production from runningback Nick Grigsby. With all the accolades the passing game has warranted, it's a nice fall back to know you can hand the ball off to a guy averaging 7.8 yards per carry.

New Mexico hosts for the third week in a row.  Good for now, but six of their final nine games are on the road.  Former Oregon State Defensive Coordinator Rocky Long always seems to have his team ready to play. 

The Lobos have made a bowl five out of the last six years and earned their first bowl win since 1961 when they shut out Nevada in the second annual New Mexico Bowl.

Prediction:

Arizona continually is "the team that may."  Year after year they're expected to do great things.  I think with the combo of Tuitama and Grigsby they could be for real this season. New Mexico plays good enough defense to slow down the Wildcats, but can't create momentum on offense.

Arizona 34  New Mexico 20

What game could be left??? HMMMMMMM

No. 5 Ohio State @ No. 1 USC - 8:00pm ET on ABC

Ohio State took a huge hit with the loss of Chris Wells for week three.  Todd Beckman has been consistent and Terrelle Pryor has added another dimension with his feet.  While "Beanie" Wells is a Heisman favorite and workhorse, OSU has many willing and able bodies that can run the ball.  The battle up front is what will determine OSU's success, if they can run the ball they have a chance.

USC, what more can you say?  The Trojans have epitomized success over the past decade. Since 2002 USC has shared or owned the Pac-10 title outright each year, that stretch included four Rose Bowls an AP National Championship and a BCS Championship. 

This year is no different.  The NFL factory that is USC manages to reload better than any team in the nation. QB Mark Sanchez has overcome a dislocated kneecap and is playing very well.  As if Ohio State's backfield wasn't good enough, USC smiles and laughs with the depth and talent they have.

Prediction:

USC thrives at home and wins this one BIG.  This is a message game for the Trojans, letting the nation know they're the team to beat in '08.

USC 42  OSU 23

Week three brings another successful non-conference campaign for the Pac-10 going 7-3.  Match that with the already 7-3 non-conference record and the 14-6 total is a very impressive mark from a very underrated conference.