Saturday, October 30 at 2 PM
1-7, (0-3 WAC)
at
1-6, (0-3 WAC)
Yeah, I know. This is a pillow fight. Both teams are really bad and neither deserves to post a second win on their resume. But alas, someone will come out on top and I could really care less who it is. San Jose State showed some improvement when they took on Fresno State last week, only losing by a final score of 33 to 18. They were at least competitive, especially in the first half. New Mexico State also improved a little bit and scored 14 points at Idaho. The Aggies score an average of 12 points a game and give up 38. The Spartans only score an average of 10 a game, but only give up 34. With that said, I have more confidence in San Jose State than I do their competition in the south, I think...
Prediction: Spartans 24, Aggies 17
Saturday, October 30 at 8:30 PM
2-5, (0-3 WAC)
at
6-1, (1-1 WAC)
Utah State laid a complete egg last week at home against Hawai'i. I have completely given up on their season and I would guess that they have as well. If they still have some fight in them, it's not going to matter very much against the Wolfpack. The Aggie offense is turning out to be nothing spectacular and their defense can't stop anybody. In other words, it is the same Utah State team that we have known for years. It's too bad they peaked the first game of the season at Oklahoma. Nevada on the other hand, suffered a stunning loss at Hawai'i a couple of weeks ago. Still, they find themselves back in the top 25. They are still a good team, but "Bird Leg" Kaepernick will need to play much better than he did against the Rainbow Warriors. I would expect him to do just that, with a lot of anger in his eyes. Even if he does not, the Wolfpack should win comfortably.
Prediction: Wolfpack 51, Aggies 17
Saturday, October 30th at 9:30 PM
4-3, (1-1 WAC)
at
6-2 (4-0 WAC)
The Vandals rebounded from a bad loss at Louisiana Tech by beating New Mexico State at home 37 to 14. They got the "W," but lost starting linebacker Jojo Dickson to a season ending leg injury. It was pretty devastating and tough to see. But they are ready for their trip to the islands in what should be a great match up of passing attacks. Hawai'i ranks first nationally in passing yards per game and Idaho ranks fourth. In other words, there will be lots of yardage through the air coming from both sides of the field. The difference is going to be the ground game. Idaho has struggled finding consistency with their running backs. Last week, on the other hand, against Utah State, Hawai'i got a great game from Alex Green, going for 142 yards in the win. I doubt that either defense will be able to stop the opponent's offense very often, but the Rainbow Warriors are better than the Vandals. Enough key stops and a ground game will seal the victory for Hawai'i.
Prediction: Rainbow Warriors 45, Vandals 35
Saturday, October 30 at 1:30 PM
4-3, (2-2 Pac-10)
at
3-3, (2-1 Pac-10)
Both of these teams are struggling, but for different reasons. Cal is simply not that good of a team, and Oregon State played the schedule of death to kick off the season and is now suffering for it. However, the Golden Bears may be finding themselves as they pasted Arizona State last week 50 to 17. The Beavers lost a heart breaker two weeks ago at Washington in overtime. They extra rest will bode well for them as will the fact that they are playing at home. Ryan Katz is playing well, even with the absence of injured James Rodgers. Oregon State almost always makes a big run later on in the season and wins some games. This year will be no different.
Prediction: Beavers 35, Golden Bears 31
Saturday, October 30 at 6PM
7-0, (4-0 Pac-10)
at
5-2, (2-2 Pac-10)
This will be a very exciting game in so many ways. It will be the first legitimate road test for the Ducks. It is most intriguing because of the offenses that both squads will put on the field. Oregon plays so frenetically fast that it is next to impossible to stop them. Darron Thomas, LaMichael James, and the rest of the Quackers will be going full speed and will score a lot of points. On the other side, Matt Barkley leads the Trojan attack. He has completed 65% of his passes and thrown for 1,869 yards, 20 touchdowns, and only 4 interceptions. He is playing very well and not many people are noticing. The Ducks have a suspect defense and are yet to even be tested this year. At the same time, USC has not been as dominant defensively as they had been in past years. Still, they are rounding into form and have a lot of talent to make a difference in this game. This contest has plenty of national title implications to make it the game of the week nationally. If Oregon wins, they clear another hurdle in their championship quest. If they lose, it opens the door for Auburn, Boise State, TCU, Utah, Alabama, Nebraska, and Missouri to get into the discussion even more than they are now. For the Trojans, they are banned from post season play because of sanctions stemming from NCAA violations. This is their Super Bowl, their chance to ruin somebody's season, and also to reestablish themselves in the Pac-10 standings. Do not think for a moment that they will mail this one in and let Oregon run all over them. What remains to be seen is whether or not that will be enough to slow down a very good Duck offense and pull off the upset. This will be a lot of fun to watch. Make sure you are doing just that. As much as I think USC can win this game, I don't feel comfortable enough to pick them. But, I would not feel bad if I predict the wrong team to win.
Prediction: Ducks 42, Trojans 38
Saturday, October 30 at 1:30 PM
8-4, (4-0 Big-10)
at
5-2 (2-1 Big-10)
With the exception of the first three quarters of the Arizona game, the Hawkeyes have played very well this season. In fact, they are a couple of seconds and better use of their last time out against Wisconsin away from being 6-1. They have Ricky Stanzi at quarterback and a really good defense. In other words, they are able to compete with anybody in the nation. They just need to be consistent for all four quarters. Michigan State is undefeated and knocking on the door of a Big-10 championship and a BCS Bowl berth. They play well on defense and good enough on offense to win a lot of games. Their trick plays also help them in finishing the games on top (right Notre Dame?). Still, I think they along with Utah are the most unworthy of being in the top 10. This week should be the one where they finally get a loss and they will see their dream season take a setback.
UPSET SPECIAL!
Prediction: Hawkeyes 34, Spartans 24
Record coming into this week (including Boise State's win over Louisiana Tech on Tuesday): 33-10
There we have it! It has been another weird week with no Boise State games on the weekend. Regardless, there will be some good games to watch. I strongly urge you to pay attention to the Oregon at USC game. Enjoy it all!
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