Peerless Pac-10 Prognostications – Week 3

Big weekend for the Pac-10. If ESPN had more than a passing interest in west coast football, they’d come up with a cool nickname for it. Something like “Scintillating Saturday” or “Pac-10 Proving Day.”

Warning: I’m about to homer the hell out of these games, credibility be damned (wait, when did I ever have credibility?).

Last Week: 7-2
Season: 15-3 (1st week was unpublished)

California @ Minnesota
The California “Games That Look Tougher Than They Really Are” Tour continues this week in Minnesota. I guess them being on the road means it’s a bit of a challenge. And oh my God, they have to do it at 9 a.m.! How will they ever cope? No excuses this time, Bears. And no looking ahead either to your loss on Sept. 26 either.

The Pick: California

USC @ Washington
The “Great White Sark” is 1/17th of the way to Tyrone Willingham’s Washington win total. Dare to dream. And, seriously, dream really hard this weekend because no matter what anybody says, you’re not ready for this one. As for USC, I’m not sold yet just because they did what any self-respecting BCS team outside the Big 10 regularly does to Ohio State.

The Pick: USC, of course

Utah @ Oregon
I’m less confident than a mountain climber with a fear of heights on this one. Could be a blowout, but I couldn’t tell you which way. Could be close, too, but I just don’t know. What I am sure of is that when in doubt, be a homer.

The Pick: Oregon

Arizona @ Iowa
Two teams with something to prove. For the Wildcats, it’s been a long time since they were in the top 25 and a win here could get them in. I sense an upset. It’s my first display of blatant Pac-10 homerism.

The Pick: Arizona

SMU @ Washington State
SMU, SMU, SMU. The pick is SMU. Never again will I pick Washington State to win anything. It’s an absurd concept and I won’t be party to it.

The Pick: SMU x 1,000

Cincinnati @ Oregon State
There’s plenty of reason to believe Cincinnati wins this game, especially if “Quizz” can’t play. Whoa, quick side note directed to Mike Riley. You have to stop with this excessive load on one running back. If you insist, then get a running back that’s bigger than my left wrist. You’re killing your guys. Anyway, I don’t know if it’s my unsworn allegiance to those who raised me in an orange and black household or more illicit Pac-10 homerism, but I can’t see the Bearcats winning this game.

The Pick: Oregon State

San Jose St. @ Stanford
Used to be, you’d pick San Jose State in this game and probably be right. Not this year. Stanford has promised no more phantom clipping penalties, almost guaranteeing their touchdowns will count this time.

The Pick: Stanford

Louisiana-Monroe @ Arizona State
Perennial SEC whipping-school Louisiana-Monroe is expanding its paycheck game horizons to the desert Saturday. After this one is over, we’ll be three weeks into the season and still have no idea if Arizona State is worth a damn.

The Pick: Arizona State

Kansas State @ UCLA
Classic game you’d expect the Bruins to tank. But frankly, Kansas State isn’t that good. They just lost to Louisiana-Lafayette and even if Kevin Craft hand-delivers the ball to Wildcat defensive backs in each quarter, UCLA should still win this game. Of course, “should win” is a recipe for disaster with the Bruins so they may just get beat 59-0. Regardless of the outcome, I’m most looking forward to Rick Neuheisel’s constant verbal abuse of Craft.

The Pick: UCLA