Pac-10 week 2 predictions

PAC 10 Predictions (Week 2)
Last Week: Truebluebruin 9-0 (4-2-1 against the spread) Blueandgold 9-0 (3-2-2 against the spread)

Stanford at Wake Forest (Even)
(Truebluebruin) Stanford is sitting on top of the Pac-10 right now, but has to travel across the country to play the Demon Deacons. However, the Deacons have already dropped their first home game against Baylor, and Jim Harbaugh has proven his ability to keep his teams calm on the road (USC 07 anyone?) Stanford shouldn’t run away with this game, but I’m confident they should have the upper hand.
Stanford 31 Wake Forest 23
(Blueandgold) Stanford showed it could play last week, with Gerhart rushing for 2 touchdowns against Wazzu. Although Luck was decent at 193 yards passing, he can definitely play better. Wake Forest is coming off a tough loss to Baylor, so look to them to try to respond. I like Stanford under Harbaugh, and in a tight game I will go with the Cardinal.
Stanford: 21 Wake Forest: 14

Idaho at Washington (-21)
(Truebluebruin) Ok, I’ll admit it. I Thought Washington was dead in the water against LSU, and they proved me wrong. While they still have a ways to go to become a top Pac-10 team, with Locker back from injury, this is a much better team. Washington has earned this game in what should be an easy win for the Huskies.
Washington: 33 Idaho: 10
(Blueandgold) Washington last week comes into week 2 showing that it much improved under Sarkisian. They were within striking distance of LSU for a good portion of the game. Locker threw for over 300 yards and the backfield produced over 150 yards rushing. The Vandals come in having beat DeWayne Walker’s New Mexico State, however the offense was not nearly as prolific as Udubs last week. I will say Washington wins its first game in over a year, however I’m not so certain they’ll cover the spread of 21.
Idaho: 10 Washington: 24

UCLA at Tennessee (-6.5)
(Truebluebruin) I wish this game was being played in the Rosebowl, I’d be much more comfortable picking the Bruins then. Kevin Prince had a great first half against SDSU last week, but showed he can make freshman mistakes in the 2nd half. He now plays in front of a 100,000+ screaming fans in what is a tough environment for a quarterback to play just their second game. Add that into the fact that UCLA hasn’t won a major road game in quite some time, and I’m sadly forced to pick against the Bruins, no matter how much I’ll be yelling and screaming for them this Saturday.
Tennessee 24 UCLA 14
(Bluegold) Well here’s a real test for the Bruins. Coming off a solid win, demonstrating that they are much improved since last year, especially offensively, UCLA must not fall into the trap it did a year ago, losing to BYU 59-0 after an overtime win against Tennessee. While UCLA came up on top last year in the meeting between these two teams, this game will be a horse of a different color. Tennessee destroyed their competition (albeit a new division 1 team), with over 600 yards of offense. Also Tennessee has a debt to settle with their lost against UCLA last year, which was the beginning of their downward spiral. As much as I am a UCLA fan, Tennessee has such an arsenal from both the air and ground, that you have to give them the edge this weekend, and I think they will beat the spread too.
UCLA: 17 Tennessee: 31

Eastern Washington at California (No line)
(Truebluebruin) Cal proved against Maryland that this team not only has serious offensive weapons, but also may be one of the stingiest defenses in the conference. Bad news for Eastern Washington having to come into Berkeley to play the bears. Best should be able to continue to pad his stats in his Heisman campaign, and Riley can continue to prove that this season he is a much different quarterback than last year.
Cal: 51 EWU: 13
Cal showed it may be the best team in the Pac-10 by coming out and taking care of Maryland very handily last weekend. Riley looked good, Best looked good, and Jones looked good. The eagles played a division II team last week, so don’t let the numbers fool you, this is a whole different level of competition. Cal should dismantle EWU easily.
Eastern Washington: 7 California: 42

Hawaii (-6) at Washington State
(Truebluebruin)Hawaii is not the same Hawaii as a few years ago under June Jones that was an offensive monster. It is interesting that Hawaii coming off a solid victory, while WSU, who is coming off a loss at home, look pretty even. If this game was away from the Palouse, I wouldn’t pick Washington State, but I have a feeling that at home they can pull off a tough victory against a Hawaii team that is not nearly as talented as it is in the past. It’ll be a close call
Washington State: 23 Hawaii: 20
(Blueandgold)Washington State is coming off a loss to Stanford, and looks to rebound in its first non conference game. Hawaii looked decent against Central Arkansas last week, coming away with a win with over 400 yards of offense. This is a close game, and a winnable one for Wazzu, but I still think Hawaii has the edge.
Hawaii: 21 Washington State: 14

USC (-4.5) at Ohio State
(Truebluebruin) I hate how USC seems to not only win every big game, but humiliate the team they play. Outside of the Texas game in 2005, I really can’t remember the last time USC lost a major, nationally hyped game (some may argue @Oregon 2 years ago). USC only seems vulnerable to teams no one expects to beat USC. I can taste the vomit in my mouth as I unfortunately have to pick USC to win this one, and in traditional USC fashion, I would not be surprised if they embarrass the Buckeyes
USC: 38 OSU: 17
(Blueandgold)The game of the week (hopefully). Ohio State comes off a nailbiter against Navy, which theoretically shouldn’t have been close (up 15 with 6 ½ to play and win by 4?) USC is going to take advantage of any mistakes by the Buckeyes, so if they want to redeem themselves for years of underperforming on the big stage, they need to take care of the football. USC looked dominant after a slow first few minutes, and most importantly, it showed that Barkeley is ready for the big time. As much as I want to see the demise of the Trojans on a big stage, I think they still hold the advantage, and with OSU’s disaster last year at the Coliseum, I think they have a chance to cover the spread in Ohio.
USC: 31 Ohio State: 24

Northern Arizona at Arizona (No line)
(Truebluebruin) Arizona had a tough win against CMU, and proved that their defense will once again carry the day, as they allowed only 6 points in their first outing. Compared to Central Michigan, Northern Arizona should be an easier opponent to handle. The only advantage NAU has is game tape on Arizona’s first game while NAU has yet to play a game and thus have no game tape. That’s about all they have going for them
Arizona: 28 NAU: 7
Arizona comes off a 19-6 win, with a balanced rushing and passing attack at moving the ball (however they only punched it in once offensively for 1 TD). NAU on the other hand had a bye last week, so they are coming out looking to win their first game. After this game, Arizona goes on the road for 3 straight weeks, and won’t be back in for game in Tempe for 35 days. Arizona should win its 4th straight dating back to last year, beating Northern Arizona.
Northern Arizona: 10 Arizona: 21

Purdue at Oregon (-13)
(Truebluebruin) As the line shows, there is still some respect for Oregon, despite their terrible performance last week in Boise. Purdue has a strong offense, but a porous defense, which should be a perfect way for Oregon’s offense to get back on track. Just because Blount is now out for the season does not mean that Oregon doesn’t still have weapons on offense, and I expect Masoli to take on a bigger load this week. This could be a fun, high scoring game.
Oregon: 38 Purdue: 24
(Blueandgold)Based off last week’s performance (both on and off the field), Oregon proved how overrated it really was. Blount’s suspension in my opinion is a little tough, especially for his senior season and the fact that it is an NFL career ender. Oregon will need to establish the run against a Purdue team that scored 52 points last week, but gave up almost 500 yards to their opponent, Toledo. Look for Masoli to pass and run in order to exploit the weak Purdue defense. Oregon should win this one against a mediocre Big 10 team in order to gain their confidence back. However a loss could cause Oregon to sputter and dig a deep hole with Utah and Cal right around the bend.
Purdue: 17 Oregon: 31

Oregon State (-8.5) at UNLV
(Truebluebruin) This is the kind of game that would scare me as a Beaver fan. Oregon State has fallen pray to a confusing, disappointing non-conference road loss these past few years. UNLV is not a push over of a team. I want to believe that this Oregon State team is different than previous years, but I’m not convinced that they won’t have a let down game on the road. I’m going to go with history here and predict a close loss on the road.
UNLV: 21 OSU: 20
(Blueandgold) Oregon State did a good job last week taking care of business, and head to Las Vegas against a UNLV team that also had a dominating performance. Still I’m going with the “Quiz” on this one. Although both teams played mediocre ones at best last week, Oregon State is still the team to beat in this one, and should also cover the spread.
Oregon State: 27 UNLV: 17