San Jose State at No. 7 Stanford (Saturday, 2 p.m.)
The loss of former Jim Harbaugh and defensive coordinator Vic Fangio to the NFL could pose problems for the Cardinal over time, but not against San Jose State. Coming off a one-win season, second year Spartan coach Mike MacIntyre and new quarterback Matt Faulkner will have their hands full against No. 7 Stanford, which returns Heisman Trophy frontrunner Andrew Luck and a number of other NFL-caliber players. The Spartans’ best chance for an upset lies in their experience – 20 of San Jose State’s 22 projected starters have made starts at the major college level.
Houston vs. UCLA (Saturday, 12:30 p.m.)
The Cougars lost their last four games in last season’s disappointing 5-7 campaign that was marred by an ACL injury to star quarterback Case Keenum. Keenum will return for a sixth year of eligibility, however, and the Conference USA’s Cougars could give the Bruins a stiff test, particularly in the afternoon Texas heat. UCLA did beat the Cougars 31-13 last season though, and with a revamped coaching staff and 16 returning starters, including a fully healthy quarterback Kevin Prince, UCLA should improve on its 4-8 mark of a season ago.
Fresno State vs. California (Saturday, 4 p.m.)
After a disastrous 5-7 season a year ago, Cal will turn to a former Buffalo quarterback to turn the program around. Dual-threat signal caller Zach Maynard will bring an athletic element the Bears haven’t seen in years, but there are questions about his throwing ability. Coming off an 8-5 season, the Bulldogs will feature a new starting quarterback with a familiar name. Derek Carr, the younger brother of NFL signal caller David, will make his collegiate debut Saturday. The game, billed as a neutral-site contest, will be played at San Francisco’s Candlestick Park.
Minnesota at No. 25 USC (Saturday, 12:30 p.m.)
Despite having no bowl game or Pac-12 crown to play for after NCAA sanctions, the No. 25 Trojans will be significant favorites over the visiting Gophers. Matt Barkley, Robert Woods and several other potent offensive players are back for the Trojans, who should again have among the conference’s top offenses. Minnesota, which dropped a 32-21 home game to the Trojans last season, will play their first game under head coach Jerry Kill, who joined the Gophers from Northern Illinois in the offseason. Minnesota does return 15 starters from last year’s 3-9 team.
Sacramento State at Oregon State (Saturday, 1 p.m.)
Last year, Sacramento State opened its season by getting blown out 42-17 at Stanford. It would be a surprise if the Hornets met a different fate this time around. Quarterback Jeff Fleming is one of 17 returning starters (including special teams) that return from last season’s Hornets squad that went 6-5. And while Sacramento State’s offense should be solid (it ranked No. 13 in Football Championship Subdivision in scoring last year), their 58th ranked scoring defense of a year ago should allow second-year Beaver starter Ryan Katz, star wide receiver Markus Wheaton, and the rest of Oregon State’s offense to feast.
Eastern Washington at Washington (Saturday, 4 p.m.)
Despite the loss of Jake Locker to the NFL, many pundits are predicting another strong season for the Huskies. They’ll begin their quest for a second straight bowl win against reigning FCS champion Eastern Washington, which returns quarterback Bo Levi Mitchell and 15 starters from last season’s 13-2 team. Quarterback Keith Price, who received spot duty last season when Locker was injured, will begin his first full season as starter for Washington on Saturday, which will mark the first time the interstate foes have played one another.
Hawaii vs. Colorado (Saturday, 7:15 p.m.)
Despite facing a Western Athletic Conference opponent, Colorado’s first game as a Pac-12 member won’t be a breeze by any stretch. The Warriors return quarterback Bryant Moniz, who threw for 5,040 yards and 39 touchdowns for last season’s 10-4 team. The Buffaloes, on the other hand, lost a pair of first-round NFL draft picks (cornerback Jimmy Smith and offensive lineman Nate Solder) from last year’s 5-7 team. It could be argued, however, that the talent on that squad was better than its record indicated — it will be up to new head coach Jon Embree to get results, an area in which his predecessor, Dan Hawkins, failed.@@http://hawaiiathletics.com/roster.aspx?rp_id=8921@@
Northern Arizona at Arizona (Saturday, 7 p.m.)
Arizona leads the all-time series against Northern Arizona 10-1, and with dynamic quarterback Nick Foles and receiver Juron Criner back for another season, should add to their dominance over the Lumberjacks. Northern Arizona returns only 11 starters from its 6-5 squad of 2010; among the bigger losses were quarterback Michael Herrick and receiver Daiveun Curry-Chapman. The last time the two squads met was in 2009, when Arizona topped Northern Arizona 34-17.
Idaho State at Washington State (Saturday, 2 p.m.)
For the first time in a long time, Washington State has realistic bowl aspirations heading into a season. Taking on Idaho State, which went 1-11 in 2010, doesn’t seem a real threat to dash those hopes. The combination of Cougar quarterback Jeff Tuel and wide receiver Marquess Wilson should put up huge numbers against a Bengal defense that allowed more than 33 points per game a year ago. Moreover, Idaho State is 0-14 against FBS opponents since 2000.
Week one Pac-12 football roundup
Daily Emerald
September 1, 2011
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