Arizona State (1-4, 2-6) @ Washington (0-5, 0-8)

By ANDREW GARDA - PAC-10 INSIDER

Arizona St. and Washington are suffering through long and painful seasons. The Sun Devils began with high expectations, the Huskies not so much.

Washington has not been able to notch a single win, leading to the ouster of head coach Ty Willingham at the end of the season. It is unlikely that the Huskies will be able to get things going against State this weekend. While quarterback Rudy Carpenter has spent much of the season dodging linebackers and defensive linemen, Washington has not been able to put together much of a pass rush. This may be the one game where Carpenter will come out with nary a grass stain on his jersey and less bruises than he came in with.

Arizona State’s defense should have a better than average day as well against a pretty lackluster offense. Both the pass and run phases of the Huskies’ offense are woeful. This is one game that should give Sun Devil fans something to cheer about, while Washington fans may simply long for a quicker end to the season.

Photo Credit: Collegiate Images

Oregon State (4-1, 5-3) @ UCLA (2-3, 3-5)

By ANDREW GARDA - PAC-10 INSIDER

The Bruins have been a very streaky team. Sometimes they can be very efficient and sometimes Rick Neuheisel’s squad looks like they haven’t played a down together in weeks. They’ll need all their ‘i’s dotted and ‘t’s crossed if they are to slow down a very potent Beavers team, which can smell the Pac-10 title.

The biggest challenge for the Bruins is slowing down freshman sensation Jacquizz Rodgers, who is athletic, agile, able to make tacklers miss and is very dangerous in space. His brother James Rodgers can run the ball as well, and is also an effective target for quarterback Lyle Moevao.

It will incredibly difficult to slow – much less stop – the Beavers’ potent offense, but UCLA will have to find a way to do it if they have any chance of pulling off the upset. One way would be to keep them off the field and that will require not only a solid game from Bruin quarterback Kevin Craft, but a solid ground game. That’s been almost nonexistent, as their lead runners, Derrick Coleman and Kahlil Bell, haven’t even reached 200 yards for the season. Bell has five touchdowns.

If they can’t, the Oregon State offense will have an excellent chance to go 2-0 against teams from Southern California.

Arizona (3-2, 5-3) @ Washington State (0-6, 1-8)

By ANDREW GARDA - PAC-10 INSIDER

Once a potential contender for the conference title, Arizona has fallen on hard times after losses to Stanford and USC, but a bowl appearance is still within reach. Arizona quarterback Willie Tuitama is an efficient signal caller who will keep the chains moving, but he needs help from the ground game.

Washington State’s defense shouldn’t be too much trouble for the Wildcats. Neither will the Cougar offense. Both Marshall Lobbestael and Kevin Lopina have struggled. Either quarterback will find it very tough going against an Arizona team looking to reboot their season and finish strong with their first bowl appearance under Coach Mike Stoops.

Stanford (4-2, 5-4) @ Oregon (4-2, 6-3)

By ANDREW GARDA - PAC-10 INSIDER

Oregon fell further back in the Pac-10 race with last week’s loss to California and it will be difficult to climb out of the hole they now find themselves in. They cannot lose to Stanford if they want their chances to stay alive. Clearly, Stanford isn’t thinking conference title by any means, but a win Saturday could make them bowl eligible, so expect the Cardinal will bring their best game to Autzen Stadium.

The strength of both teams is running the football. The Ducks have the number one run offense in the Pac-10 (sixth in the nation) and Stanford is right behind at number two. Making it even more interesting is that each defense is equally adept at stopping the run. Oregon possesses the second best rush defense in the conference, while the Cardinal are ranked third. The brick wall versus the speeding truck all game long.

If the two sides grind to a halt on the ground, the passing offense need to take over and things could get ugly. Both teams are nearly as ineffective through the air as they are effective on the ground. However, at the same time, neither defense can stop the pass. Cardinal quarterback Tavita Pritchard continues to turn the ball over at a brisk pace. If he keeps that up, he could give the Oregon ground attack field position that will be too tough to overcome.

#16 California (4-1, 6-2) @ #7 USC (5-1, 7-1)

By ANDREW GARDA - PAC-10 INSIDER

USC is playing like a Pac-10 Champion – six weeks after dropping its conference opener, the Trojans have dominated for the most part, winning five straight by a 207 to 27 margin. They always heat up in November (24 straight wins), so it’s going to be a tough fight for anyone to hand them a second blemish to their record from here on out. That’s just what the Golden Bears aim to do this weekend at the Coliseum. California is one of several teams deadlocked and looking for a shot at wresting the conference title from USC.

Marc Sanchez leads the Pac-10 with 22 touchdown passes, 1,884 yards and a 163.3 passer rating. Any one of USC’s stable of running backs could get hot, making it hard for opponents to game plan. The defense has also been stifling, only allowing 211 yards and one touchdown per game.

At press time, California coach Jeff Tedford has still not named a starter at quarterback. It is unclear whether sophomore Kevin Riley will be healthy enough to play or if senior Nate Longshore will get the nod. Riley tends to protect the ball a little better and that would be key against an opportunistic USC pass defense, even without safety Kevin Ellison.

Sophomore running back Jahvid Best has played well since returning from injury, showing the ability to break long runs and find the end zone. Best will have his work cut out for him against the usually tough USC run defense.

As is the case nearly every week, this is a critical game and will either give the Trojans another leg up on the rest of the conference or close ranks a little more and make things even foggier in the Pac-10.

Photo Credit: Collegiate Images

Pac-10 Preview - Week Seven

By ANDREW GARDA - PAC-10 INSIDER

ARIZONA STATE at #5 USC
A few weeks ago, this looked like an interesting matchup between two very good quarterbacks on teams who shared a Pac-10 title last year and would likely be fighting for the Pac-10 title again.

Maybe not. First USC dropped it’s Pac-10 opener while Arizona State stumbled in an out of conference match-up, which sent them into a tailspin that has yet to come to an end.

Both quarterbacks are in danger of missing a matchup already robbed of some of its luster. Sun Devil quarterback Rudy Carpenter sprained his ankle in last weekend’s loss to California while USC quarterback Mark Sanchez sustained a bone bruise during the Trojan victory against the Oregon Ducks. Both are hoping to play in a very important conference game, but either player could be a huge loss for their team, with Carpenter more likely to miss the contest.

If Sanchez cannot go, Pete Carroll will turn to Arkansas transfer Mitch Mustain who looked good last week when he entered the game (5-of-8 for 111 yards and a touchdown). Mustain also threw an interception. While Sanchez knows the offense better and is an important leader on the sidelines, Mustain has worked hard to get up to speed on the subtleties of Carroll’s offense and he should be able to move the chains if he is called upon to play.

If Carpenter cannot go, things are a little dicier. Coach Dennis Erickson will have to hope that junior Danny Sullivan can stay vertical behind a shaky offensive line. But that’s really the least of ASU’ issues. The run game has been non existent this season and the team is turning over the ball at an alarming rate – five times over the last three games.

If ASU hands the ball to USC’s defense like that, it may not matter who is taking snaps under center.

ARIZONA at STANFORD
The Wildcats sit atop the Pac-10 rankings with California, clearly in the drivers seat. However, a title is long way away and they will have to avoid a letdown to Stanford.

So far, Arizona has played well, limiting turnovers, moving the ball efficiently and into the end zone regularly. However, their victories have come largely at the expense of teams that were not powerhouses and even then, they managed to lose a match-up they should have won versus New Mexico. The coming games will be a real challenge to Arizona. The offensive line will need to make sure they give quarterback William Tuitama enough time to find his receivers and sophomore running back Nic Grigsby lanes to run through.

Stanford has been very streaky, at times they are able to move the ball well and score points but just as often they turn the ball over and struggling on both sides of the ball. Coach Jim Harbaugh will need to get his team to remain focused after their tough loss at Notre Dame, mainly quarterback Tavita Pritchard, who will need to stop throwing interceptions if he wants to keep his team in the game. The rushing game will need to get some momentum going. If they can control the clock via the run and keep from turning the ball over, they might be able to wear the Wildcats down and send Arizona home with a loss.

UCLA at OREGON
It looks to be a very long day waiting for coach Rick Neuheisel’s Bruins as they will feel the wrath of an Oregon team that was abused by the USC Trojans last week. Oregon will look to get the running back duo of Jeremiah Johnson and LaGarrette Blount back on track after being limited to just 45 yards against USC. Quarterback Jeremiah Masoli will also look to rebound from a subpar game.

UCLA quarterback Kevin Craft has been a good caretaker the last few games, but that won’t be enough against a dynamic Duck defense, nor will it be enough to keep up with an explosive Oregon offense. Craft was never meant to be the starter and his lack of ability will keep UCLA from really making a game of it at Autzen Stadium this weekend.

WASHINGTON STATE at OREGON STATE
Despite their upset win over USC, Oregon State has largely been ineffective. The lone bright spot has been freshman phenom Jacquizz Rodgers who came to prominence in that victory over the Trojans. Rodgers has been on point since the second week against Penn State where he totaled 127 yards combined and two touchdowns. Win or lose, Rodgers is a threat every time he gets the ball.

You can’t say enough about how much Washington State has struggled. Nothing much has gone right for the Cougars this season from injuries to bad penalties to a misfiring offensive and defensive schemes. It’s hard to pinpoint what might turn them around, especially when they were just blown out by the woeful Bruins last week. This game looks to be exceedingly lopsided and it will be all the Cougars can do to just keep it close.

CFI: SUN DEVILS HOPE TO SINK DUCKS

BY ARTHUR DiCESARE
PAC-10 INSIDER

The fifth-ranked Ducks and fourth-ranked Sun Devils meet in a pivotal match up at Autzen Stadium on Saturday as each program looks to move closer to a conference title and potential BCS berth. You could make the case that this is the biggest game for each program in ten plus years. The showdown features the top two scoring offenses in the Pac-10. The early edge would have to go towards Oregon due to home field advantage, one of the top-rated offenses in the country, and the fact that they have the best two players in the game in quarterback Dennis Dixon and running back Jonathan Stewart.

The big story all week has been about Rudy Carpenter who was unable to throw in practice Tuesday due to swelling in his sprained right thumb. Carpenter was able to throw on Thursday and Coach Erickson expects the thumb to be no problem come game day. This game has all the makings of an old fashion Texas shootout via Eugene. Oregon with its dynamic spread offense and an Arizona State offense, which relies on balance but has the ability to strike quick with six touchdowns of forty plus yards.

Oregon will rely on their raucous crowd to force Arizona State into some costly penalties, Arizona State averages seven penalties a game. The crowd will help energize the defense that will look to force some key turnovers. Dennis Dixon who will once again be working without two of his top receivers and has only thrown three picks on the season will have to be wary of Arizona States opportunistic secondary that boasts the two top interception leaders in the conference. Arizona State is also limiting opponents to 15.6 points per game best in the Pac-10 and seventh in the nation. I expect Oregon to try and control the game with back Jonathan Stewart, look for him to carry the ball 25 plus times.

Arizona State will use its balance to attack Oregon; quarterback Rudy Carpenter has a two-back system that has both backs on pace for 900 yards. Carpenter also spreads the ball around to his receivers nicely with four receivers having 20 plus catches. Arizona State will have to avoid a trend of getting into early double-digit defects, which they have done three times this year including last week against Cal. Those three games all came at home and eventually turned into wins. Oregon is too talented and their crowd is too strong to allow Arizona State to coast early and come back late.

Arizona State- Oregon is college football’s game of the week, which has BCS implications involved. Many teams around the country will be very interested in the result of this game. I look forward to an exciting game that will feature a little bit of everything and if these are two teams you have not seen you are in for a treat. Both teams are extremely well-coached and have talent and toughness throughout their rosters. The big time playmakers in the back field for Oregon should be the difference and will help the Ducks pull away late, Oregon continues its march towards the Pac-10 crown 31-20.

PHOTO CREDIT: COLLEGIATE IMAGES