Around the Pac-10
The last week of nonconference play is finally upon the Pacific-10 Conference and the league’s
true colors are beginning to
show through.
The balance of power has begun to shift to the west with four teams from the Pac-10 holding down spots in the Associated Press
top 20.
Week 4 is here. The Pac-10 season is rounding the first turn. Bring it on.
Arizona (2-0) at No. 22 Wisconsin (4-0) 9 a.m., ESPN2
The Badgers and Wildcats hook up in what could be an underrated contest.
The two schools have never met but Arizona head coach John Mackovic is 4-0 lifetime against Wisconsin. He was perfect against the Badgers while the head man at Illinois from 1988-91, including the last two against current Wisconsin head coach Barry Alvarez.
Arizona was not chosen to make much noise in the Pac-10 this season, and while that’s still up in the air, the Wildcats could get off to
a 3-0 start if quarterback Jason Johnson can continue his hot
play. He threw for 416 against Utah last week and is second nationally
with 378.5 yards per game of
total offense.
Alvarez survived a tough season last year and is primed to lead his Badgers to the top of the Big 10 in what is shaping up to be a down year for the conference. Wisconsin has the edge in the contest and should roll to victory.
Colorado (1-2) at No. 20 UCLA (2-0 12:30 p.m., ABC regional
This game should have been the highlight of the weekend for the Pac-10, but Colorado’s dismal performance against USC last weekend erases that possibility. The Buffaloes were destroyed by the Trojans, 40-3, and are on the downswing this season.
Craig Ochs is out for Colorado and UCLA has successfully replaced DeShaun Foster at running back with Akil Harris, setting the table for another blowout.
But don’t count Colorado out. The Buffaloes lost to a tough Colorado State squad before controlling the ball in a win over San Diego State the next game.
Air Force (2-0) at No. 23 California (3-0) 2 p.m.
The sound heard after California’s 46-22 victory over then No. 15 Michigan State last weekend? The collective jaw-dropping of just about every college football fan who realized this Golden Bear squad might have some talent.
Cal looks to extend its winning streak, which dates back to 2001, to five games against Air Force, a team Cal has defeated in the past four matchups.
The Golden Bears have not started a season off this successfully since 1996, and are just three wins away from magical win No. 6 — the figure that automatically qualifies a team for postseason bowls. Of course, California is banned from bowling this season due to NCAA rules violations, but that doesn’t mean the Bears can’t have some fun along the way.
“The funny thing is, no one on the team was shocked that we won,” California safety
Nnamdi Asomugha said. “We were very confident going into the Michigan State game that we could play with this team, and after half-time it was evident.”
Montana State (2-1)
at No. 16 Washington State (2-1) 2 p.m.
There’s no better way for Washington State to get better than to take on I-AA opponent Montana State.
This game will probably be a cakewalk for the Cougars, especially considering they have defeated Montana State in each of the six previous games the two teams have squared off in, including a 53-28 blowout last season.
But after last week’s loss to Ohio State, the Cougars know they have to get back on track.
“We know we have some work to do,” defensive end Isaac Brown told the Daily Evergreen. “Ohio State showed us we had work to do. I think that was kind of a good thing for us, because we’re not going to be too full of ourselves. We’re not going to be on that high horse in the weeks to come.”
Fresno State (1-2)
at Oregon State (3-0)
3:30 p.m., Fox Sports Net
Hoping to avenge last season’s 44-24 loss to the Cinderella squad from central California, the Beavers welcome Fresno State to Reser Stadium for a game that could be very entertaining.
Derek Anderson has sprouted talent for Oregon State, throwing for 12 touchdowns, no interceptions and a 66 percent completion rate in three games. Against UNLV last week, he threw for five TDs and 356 yards.
Fresno State has nearly been the Cinderella team it was a season ago, but its luck may have run out. The Bulldogs have lost two games by a combined six points — by two to Wisconsin and four to Oregon. However, signal-caller Jeff Grady has not played in two straight, and for the Bulldogs to be successful, they need him behind center.
But with Oregon State’s relative inexperience, this game should be close.
Wyoming (0-3) at
No. 13 Washington (1-1)
7 p.m., Fox Sports Net
Washington should be able to handle the Cowboys without any problems. But the Huskies have had problems of their own this season and Wyoming, which is looking for its first win, could be a dangerous squad.
At least that’s what Washington head coach Rick Neuheisel seems to think.
“Whenever you’re playing a team that’s on the ropes, you always worry about their devil-may-care strategy in a game that can just be wide open and cause you all sorts of fits if they’re doing things that might not be the norm in a contest,” he said. “The outcome of a game is a risk-reward deal, there looks to be very little risk for them right now in terms of what they can do and what they can try. So you get nervous about that.”
The Huskies have not played since Sept. 7, when they notched a convincing win over San Jose State. However, their 31-29 loss to Michigan to open the season still seems to have its residue on the Washington program. For the Huskies to succeed this year, Neuheisel will have to get his players to forgive and forget.
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