Feeling Bad for a Trojan?

There is nothing that I personally despise more in the world of sports more than Trojans from U$C (those from Troy University are alright). However, there are moments when even the most dedicated Bruin and Trojan-hating human has to feel compassion for a Trojan. After all, Trojans are human. Most of them have emotions and feelings. In all seriousness, the news about U$C RB Stafon Johnson's horrific accident led me, and probably hoards of other UCLAers, to feel nothing but sadness. This was not an accident brought upon by alcohol, drugs, or trying to prank a rival school. It was solely an accident. Plain and simple.
Accidents happen, especially in the weight room. More often than not, they are not incurred by misuse but rather from the inherent nature of weight lifting. I had a friend back in high school had a dumbbell cut one of his fingers and he needed some ugly stitches to fix it. However, that is nothing in comparison to what happened yesterday. We all have to remember that it could have easily been any of one of us. Would we want to have people from rival schools say "oh he's a _____, he deserved it"? No. The spirit of competition tells us to root against players so they get crushed in a game, look silly, and make mistakes. None however, should be when it comes to a serious health problem.
There is more to life than just football, basketball, soccer, volleyball, and any other sport imaginable. What's more? living life. When a situation arises that hinders any athlete from living life like the rest of us "mortals", we should all take notice and care. Just because Johnson is a gifted football player who chose to play for a hated school does not make his struggle to live any less than the struggle by any Bruin, Duck, Husky, or others out there. Get better Stafon, recover at your own speed. Life is too short to mess around. You have plenty of life ahead of you, and even your sports enemies are rooting for you.

Cal flops...yet again

Once again, the Bears of The University of California, Berkeley have shit the proverbial bed. And this time, they shat themselves silly on national television. 42-3. That was almost a shutout. And for three quarters of it, it was. Cal lost to an Oregon team that lost a high profile game to Boise St. and barely etched out at win against Purdue, but have recently shown shades of their former offensive glory by ending Utah's winning streak and now knocking off the team who many in the West Coast believed would be raising a Pac 10 championship banner and giving the collective middle finger to The School over There on behalf of the rest of us. But no. Cal flopped. Again. Let's look at some numbers.

77: Cal's total rushing yards. This, more than any other reason, explains the loss. Cal simply could not move the ball on the ground. Oregon on the other hand had no problem whatsoever running all over Cal's defensive line. How bad was the disparity? Oregon had 236 rushing yards. You do the math. Oh and by the way, Oregon ranks EIGHTH in the Pac 10 for stopping the rush.
3.6: Cal's average yards per pass. Pretty abysmal. Coupled with the fact that they had no rushing game, Cal could not score. I don't have to remind you that Cal did not post any sort of touchdown this game. Oh and Riley by the way threw 12 of 31 completions. Uh NICE.
55: So of those 77 rushing yards Cal put up, 55 of those came from ESPN's darling Jahvid Best. These aren't exactly Heisman numbers Jahvid. All credit goes to the Oregon defense for stopping California's one trick pony offense. Am I too harsh? Let's look at Best's 2009 career. Against Minnesota Best posted 131 yards and 5 TDs (!). In the game against Eastern Washington Best goes 141 yards for 1 TD. In Maryland he went 137 yards for 2 TDs. So what's the key to beating Cal? Contain Jahvid Best. Once he's contained pressure the QB into making bad throws and California has no offense whatsoever. Secret's out.

Honestly, I expected Cal to put away Oregon pretty handily. In fact, no one on RJS or anyone else that I've talked to anticipated Oregon to pull the upset. While I believed that it would be a good game, California and Jahvid Best I thought would put away Oregon, home field advantage notwithstanding. This does, however, continue a longstanding tradition they have over there in Berkeley which is: get as highly ranked as possible and then lose on national television. A trip down memory lane proves my point

2009: #6 California loses to unranked Oregon
2008: #21 California loses to unranked Arizona
2007: #2 California loses to unranked Oregon St.

Every year its supposed to be all about Cal. Remember when DeSean Jackson was the talk of the town? Well in 2007 at the Rose Bowl in Pasadena, UCLA put him down with 2 carries and -3 yards. I remember sitting near a bunch of Cal fans that year and all they could say was Justin Forsett DeSean Jackson ad nauseum all game. They didn't have much to say when Alterran Verner picked one off in UCLA's endzone to run it back to the house for 6. Oh and then Cal was ranked #12. Dream on California, dream on. Maybe part of your problem is this fellow.

For your enjoyment I give you the lyrics to the Cal anti-fight song to sing along to as you enjoy another California flop

1. The Dirty Golden Bear (to the tune of "The Sturdy Golden Bear")

(verse 1)
The Dirty Golden Bear
Is losing all his hair
His teeth are out
He's got the gout
He knows not what it's all about
His eyes are made of glass
He's losing all his class
So TAKE the Dirty Golden Bear and shove him up your ***!

(verse 2)
The Dirty Golden Bear
Has dirty pubic hair
His dick is dead
It's got no head
He cannot get it up in bed
He tries to use his hand
But cannot find his gland
So YOU can find him jerking off the UC Berkeley Band!

Week 4 Pac-10 Predictions

Week 4 Pac-10 Predictions
(Last week Truebluebruin 5-4, 4-4-1 against the spread. Blueandgold 5-4, 5-3-1 against the spread)
(Overall Truebluebruin 19-8, 9-12-2 against the spread. Blueandgold 21-6, 10-10-3 against the spread)

Cal (-7) @ Oregon
(Truebluebruin) This is the battle for who many will consider to be the top candidate to finally dethrone USC from its pac-10 throne. Both of these team feature dangerous running games. Cal probably has the better defense, and Oregon has a major home field advantage. The difference? The Cal passing attack has been strong with a surprisingly set of good performances from Riley, while Oregon is one of only 4 schools in the nation to yet have a passing touchdown. The game should be close for a half, but Oregon can’t keep up with Cal’s multidimensional offense
Cal 42 Oregon 31
(Blueandgold) Many think Cal squeaked out a win against an above average Minnesota team last week and Oregon came up big with a win over Utah. So does that level the playing field? Oregon and Cal were both set to duke it out to dethrown the ‘SC reign so this is a big game for both teams. Personally I’m still a Cal fan and think they can pull off the tough win on the road.
Cal: 32 Oregon: 24

Arizona State @ Georgia (-13)
(Truebluebruin) This is a rough game for Arizona State. Sure they are undefeated, but that game against two patsies at home. Georgia is not the world beaters of the SEC but this is still a much stiffer test for Arizona State, worse yet on the road. Expect the ASU offense to stall against the stiffest defense they’ve seen yet.
Georgia 24 ASU 10
(Blueandgold) This is a big non conference game for ASU, heading into SEC territory to play a good Georgia team. ASU really hasn’t played anyone challenging yet in the season and now they are on the road. Georgia is not the same team as the past, but still a top 20 team and should win this one.
Georgia: 34 ASU:17

Arizona (-2.5) @ Oregon State
(Truebluebruin) This is a game that could easily go either way. Both teams are 2-1 and suffered difficult losses last week. Both teams feature strong running games, but OSU is at home, and features the stronger run defense. Therefore, I gotta go with the beavers
OSU 28 Arizona 21
(Blueandgold) I’m a little surprised that Arizona is the favorite on this road game. Yes OSU had some tough times in the last 3 weeks, but I think they are better than Arizona, even if the Wildcats are 3-0. I think OSU wants to make a statement in their Pac 10 opener at home and will come out with the W.
OSU: 24 Arizona: 17

Washington @ Stanford (-9)
(Truebluebruin) I think it’s silly that Washington is ranked in the AP poll for beating SC. Washington is a good team, yes, but Stanford won’t be overlooking them the way USC did. This is also Washington’s first road game, so they need to prove themselves on the road. It’s not uncommon to suffer an emotional letdown game after a huge victory (hello, USC?) and Stanford is a very solid team. I think Washington is capable of winning this game, but wont
Stanford 31 Washington 17
(Blueandgold) Washington has the media eating out the palm of their hands. Yes, not to take anything away from a great Husky win, but seriously is this a top 25 team in the nation? No, plain and simple. Also they have no experience on the road this year, playing their first 3 games at home. Stanford wants to maintain momentum in the Pac 10 and I think they pull out a win here.
Stanford: 21 Washington: 17

Washington State @ USC (-43)
(Truebluebruin)Can Washington State overthrow Stanford for biggest upset in college history (Stanford defeating USC as a 42 point underdog)? The answer is no, Washington State is bad….VERY BAD. But 43 point underdog bad? It’s possible that USC decides to take out all of their aggression on the cougs, but USC doesn’t have THAT explosive of an offense. They’ll get to take out some frustration, just not 43 points worth.
USC 41 WSU 10
(Blueandgold) Ok USC lost, and now in a free fall according to the media. I don’t really buy that yet, so only time will tell if this is a great team that failed or an actual mediocre USC team. Washington is always tough on the road and Sarkisian had the weapons and brains to outsmart Petey. But no way Wazzu pulls off an upset in the Coliseum against a USC team looking to rebound and make a statement, although a 43 point spread is kind of ridiculous.
USC: 30 Wazzu: 10

Dirtiest Mascots in College Sports

Warning: This is not too PG of content, so read at your own discretion.

There is no good way to judge whether or not a mascot is dirty or not... or is there? Well, you can think about how creepy/perverted/filthy they look as well as what their names also mean. Thus, we are RJS present to you the five most awesomely dirtiest mascots in the world of college athletics:

1. SHOCKERS of Wichita State University. For those of you who do not know what the shocker is, one could only imagine how disgusting it is. It has to do with not one organ, but two, making it the top in terms of dirtiness. Additionally, when a bunch of bros pose for pictures doing "the shocker" you know it is a no good and dirty sign.

2. BEAVERS of Oregon State University. Not only does the beaver also mean the female genitalia, but it also implies that it is quite bushy. The beaver mascot also looks really creepy and quite honestly frightening. I have seen it in person, so I can personally attest to it.

3. GAMECOCKS of USC (the real one). Sure it is intended to be an innocent mascot, but come on! It has the word COCK in it, and even the most mature of adults cannot overlook it. Don't believe me? Check the ESPN archives about a dream matchup between USC and the Beavers, no joke. The best part though, is that their mascot's name is "Cocky".

4. TROJANS of U$C (the pretentious one). What does one think of when they hear Trojans? The warriors who battled in the ancient days and were fooled by a wooden horse? Probably not. Most people think of condoms, and rightfully poke fun at this mascot because of it. Don't believe me? Refer to any sports blog from the Pac-10 or other conferences that are about to face the Trojies.

5. COUGARS of Washington State University. This third Pac-10 school on the list gets the final nod on the list not necessarily because it is overly perverted or anything, but because nothing else comes close to having a connotation as good as it. A Cougar is an older woman who preys on younger men. It is pretty funny to say you are a Coug if you go to the school, and thus it gets the 5th and final nod.

HONORABLE MENTIONS: Pirates, Flames, Cotton Blossoms

Pac-10 Predictions Week 3

Week 3 Pac-10 Predictions
(Last week: Truebluebruin 5-4, 1-6 against the spread. Blueandgold 7-2, 2-5 against the spread)
(Overall: Truebluebruin 14-4, 5-8-1 against the spread. Blueandgold 16-2, 5-7-2 against the spread)

Cal (-12) @ Minnesota
(Truebluebruin24) Two weeks down, and Cal has destroyed two easy opponents. Traveling to 2-0 Minnesota should provide stiffer competition for the bears, and at least a stingier defense than they’ve seen the last two weeks. Still, Cal is the much better team and only really have to fight themselves to not have a let down game. Cal may not put up as many points on the board this week, but the result is all the same
Cal 38 Minnesota 20
(Bluegold) Cal comes off another dominating performance (albeit against a mediocre Eastern Washington team) last weekend. Cal must show that it is a force to be reckoned with on the road as well. Minnesota comes in having won its first two games as well, and look pretty good, beating both Air Force and ‘Cuse in the season so far. However I am on the Cal bandwagon so far, so I’m picking them.
Cal: 35 Minnesota: 21

USC (-22) @ Washington
(Truebluebruin) USC escaped last week out of Columbus with a closer than expected victory. I still don’t buy the hype of Barkley as the second coming of Jesus Christ, but the USC defense, as always, seems to be the real deal. Washington is clearly an improved team from last year, but they still don’t have any business being in this game. USC may not be as up for this game coming off of last week’s huge victory (and USC does seem to have a brain fart game every year), so I’ll call USC to win, but not to cover the spread.
USC 31 Washington 13
(Bluegold) This game has the potential to be the perfect trap for SC. They are coming off a huge win against a top 10 team at the time and on national TV. However SC beats the big teams and loses to the small ones, and this week there are some story lines involved with Sarkisian now the coach of the Huskies. Still 9 out of 10 times SC wins this game, probably 8 times out of 10 very convincingly, however there is that off chance that the Huskies can pull off the upset at home.
SC: 35 Washington: 21

Utah @ Oregon (-6.5)
(Truebluebruin) Here is a game that really puzzles me. Oregon has not really done anything to make me believe in them this year, while Utah at 2-0 is deceptively not as good as they seem, struggling to get by SJSU last week. The fact that this game is in Auzten makes me want to go with the ducks, but after barely getting by Purdue thanks to a blown 2 point conversion, they have yet given me a reason to pick them against a team that should be tougher competition. I think Oregon loses it in a close one.
Utah 21 Oregon 17
Utah has the longest winning streak in the country and showed how good they were last year going undefeated. Now they look to take on a dismantled (and very overrated) Oregon team in Eugene. They aren’t the same Utes as last year, but they still have a lot of weapons, and Oregon is still sputtering along.
Utah: 24 Oregon: 17

Arizona @ Iowa (-6)
(Truebluebruin) I don’t honestly know too much about Iowa, but this should be the toughest test Arizona has had yet, especially on the road. Iowa’s defensive backfield is strong, allowing only 1 touchdown against 5 interceptions so far, so Arizona will most likely rely on its running game to move the chains. If Arizona can dominate the running game, they’ll take the game, but if they need to start passing, that could play into Iowa’s hands. I don’t see Arizona winning this on the road
Iowa 28 Arizona 17
(Bluegold) I’m going to have to go with the Pac-10 on this one, don’t know why. Both teams are undefeated, but Arizona holds the receiver advantage and I think they will narrowly escape with a win in the Hawkeye state.
Arizona: 21 Iowa: 17

S. Methodist (-4.5) @ Washington State
(Truebluebruin) What a fool I am. Why did I have faith in Washington State? Sure, they made a comeback when the game was seemingly out of reach, but they just got destroyed by a mediocre Hawaii team at best. SMU, interestingly enough, has Hawaii’s old coach June Jones, known as an offensive guru. Hawaii put up over 600 yards on Washington State, so SMU should be able to move the ball at will
SMU 33 Washington State 20
(Bluegold) Wazzu is just kind of going through the motions and I still think they can’t win a game, even at home this week against a 2-0 Southern Methodist. They continue to look good, and Wazzu continues to look bad.
Wazzu: 14 SMU: 24

Cincinatti @ Oregon State (-3.5)
(Truebluebruin) Well, I was partially right last week. Oregon State did struggle on the road, but pulled out a tough win against UNLV, which should give them confidence that they should be able to win the tough one. Oregon State is still somewhat questionable on the lines, but their play makers are carrying the team, and should be able to secure a victory at home against an overrated Cincinatti team. Cincinatti can also light it up on offense, and this could be a fun shoot out. Oregon State should be fired up for this one as a revenge game from last season, and for the opportunity to enter conference play undefeated.
OSU 41 Cincinatti 35
(Bluegold) I saw Cincinnati destroy Rutgers and so far Oregon State has kind of not lived up to my expectations so I see them losing their first game this week. They are a force in the Pac 10 but as a national force against a high power offense, I’m not so sure.
Cincy: 28 OSU: 17

San Jose State @ Stanford (-19)
(Truebluebruin) San Jose State actually put up a good fight last week against Utah before falling late, while Stanford’s offense completely disappeared in the second half in a disappointing loss at Wake Forrest. Despite the disappointing performance for the Cardinal last week, at home against an average San Jose State team, Stanford should be able to get back on track and take some momentum into conference play
Stanford 28 San Jose State 13
(Bluegold) Stanford is coming off a tough loss on the road but look for them to rebound against a team that SC absolutely destroyed. Gerhart should be able to run all over the Spartan defense and the Stanford Defensive line should hold up against a weak running SJSU team.
Stanford: 35 SJSU: 10

LA-Monroe @ Arizona State (-17)
(Truebluebruin) ASU gets another warm up game at home against a team that isn’t exactly a household name. Arizona State was expected to struggle on offense this year, but blasted away Idaho State 2 weeks ago, and should be able to use this game to tune it’s offensive game plan even more. ULM has a decent running game and should be able to put up a few scores on the board.
ASU 41 ULM 17
(Bluegold) The Sun Devils are coming off a bye week and had ample time to prepare for this out of conference game. They should win this game easily.
ASU: 28 LA-Monroe: 10

Kansas State @ UCLA (-14)
(Truebluebruin) UCLA really impressed me with their victory against the Vols last week, and I couldn’t be happier to be wrong. Kansas State limps into this game after a humiliating loss to Louisiana Lafayette. The UCLA Defense is unlike anything KSU has seen, and Louisiana Lafayette held them to 15 points. UCLA may be UCLA’s greatest enemy: they have to avoid a let down game, figure out the quarterback situation, and deal with 4 role players being suspended for the game. If UCLA can stay focused, they should be able to pull out an easy win.
UCLA 30 KSU 10
(Bluegold) UCLA is coming off a great win at Tennessee, although it was a messy one, especially at the end. Basically this is a potential trap game for the Bruins, and with the loss of their starting quarterback as well as 4 players ranking high in the depth chart at their respective positions, the Bruins need to come out strong against a mediocre Kansas State team that lost last week.
UCLA: 17 Kansas State: 10

What We Learned in Week 2

Week 2 of the college football season provided us fans, bloggers, students, et al a whole lot of excitement. The slate of games on the ESPN family today was unbelievable. First, Michigan takes out the Irish in the Big House on a great play by freshman Tate Forcier. If the last name sounds familiar, it's because he has two older brothers on resurging Pac-10 programs, although Chris is transferring out of UCLA. This Forcier brother seems to be like the one that is headed for greatness out of all of them and today we saw why. We saw two other freshmen go into hostile territories and come away with a win to take back to LA. We also saw the Big-12 get tested. Lots of goodness, so lets break it down.

Notre Dame can't play D: Well, if UMich led by the aforementioned Forcier can rack up 38 points on them, we know something is wrong. This is not to discredit the maize and blue, but no one saw this offensive production from Rich Rod's squad this early in the season.

UCLA is back: Well, going in with a redshirt freshman quarterback, new o-line into the sea of Orange that is Neyland Stadium seemed like a desperate chance to win. Apperantly no one told the Bruin running backs as Knox and Franklin had their way for the most part against the Vols' D and the UCLA secondary made Crompton look like... well... himself. Sorry Tennessee, it does get worse than this. Why? Ever heard of Tebow, Urban, and the Swamp?

U$C just cannot lose big games: They had to lose this one. They deserved to lose this one. There was no way they should have even been close against the Buckeyes the way they played. Unfortunately for the Buckeye nation, they are from the Big-10, and are in somewhat of a down year compared to the last few, so they lost.

Matt Barkley is NOT the real deal... for now: Lets examine the stats shall we? 15/31 for 195 yards and an INT. To be honest, those numbers are probably padded considering that the last drive in which he went 3/5 but only because of the way Joe McKnight was running and spreading the field. He was just plain silly! As for Barkley? He is not even a top-5 QB right now in the PAC and probably not as impressive as the guy wearing Blue and Gold.

Mike Gundy might be a man, but his team is overrated: Well Houston, who is not a bad team by any means, should not have won that game. In fact, they went down in the second half but showed guys and heart and pulled out a huge win in Stillwater. For those mathematically inclined, by the transitive property: UH beat OSU, OSU beat UGA, so UH > UGA? Which leads to...

The SEC is not that great right now: Call it Florida and the 11 dwarfs. Well, 'Bama and Ole Miss are legit. However, LSU who I expected to destroy UW barely squeaked up in Seattle last week, and UT looked horrific at home against UCLA. UGA got destroyed by OSU who then losses to UH. Also, USC (the real one) looked horrible last week against NCSU. The rest has been playing cupcakes, so time will tell if I'm right or not.

The Big-10 is terrible, again: Other then OSU and Purdue losing to Pac-10 teams, the conference has stunk it up (minus Michigan's win today). The most notable loss of the day has to be MSU losing to CMU in its own house. The same CMU team that could not put up points a week ago against the Wildcats out of Tuscon. Oh, and Wisconsin barely beat Fresno State at home, needing a FG in OT.

The beautiful thing about college football is that next week we will learn many new things, some of which will make me look like a total fool. Then again, it's why you play the games on the field (not on XBox or PS3).

One Week in Season Preview

I am not a big fan of predicting a season before it starts. How can you possibly predict where a team is going to be 8 games into a season when you haven't seen them play a snap? I choose to cheat and see a game before trying to make my decisions.
This is by no means flawless, after UCLA's win over Tennessee last year and UW's near upset of BYU, I was confident in UCLA's ability in that game (which I have since erased from my memory).
With that said, here are my admittedly optimistic predictions for the ongoing UCLA season.

UCLA @ Tennessee:
This game could go either way. I like UCLA, I like Chow, I do not like Kiffin.
UCLA 24 Tenn 20

UCLA vs KSU
KSU looked BAD. Prince and the O-line have 2 games under their belt, this game is not close.
UCLA 35 KSU 10

UCLA @ Stanford
I like Stanford more than most this year. Harbaugh is a great coach (who will not be there much longer), but Neuheisel and Chow are better. Stanford has a lot of young talent, UCLA is also young but more talented.
UCLA 24 Trees 17

UCLA vs Oregon
I would have picked UCLA to lose this game a week ago, but this is where seeing a game before making your predictions helps. Blount is out, and overall they were unimpressive. UCLA moves to 5-0.
UCLA 24 Quacks 17

UCLA vs Cal
Cal looked good in their opener, but they cannot rely on making the big play all year (especially on the road). They need to control the line pf scrimmage better, and they have not done that at all on the road. This series has gone to the home team since Tedford has been at Cal (regardless of talent disparity) and I don't pick this year as the one to break that streak.
UCLA 20 Cal 17

UCLA @ Zona
I wish I had another game to go off for Zona. Can't take away much from their game, especially since it wasn't televised. Zona LOVES to spoil UCLA's seasons. Their season could very much rest on this game. UCLA probably will have a loss that I didn't predict by this point anyways, so I might as well pick this upset.
Zona 24 UCLA 17

UCLA @ OSU
OSU is rebuilding more than people realize. Jacuzzi is still really good, but once Price rocks him once in the backfield, he won't be quite as shifty the rest of the game.
UCLA 21 BEAVERS 14

UCLA vs UW
UW really impressed me. If this game was at UW, I would be thinking of a possible upset. It is not, I am not.
UCLA 27 UW 17

UCLA @ WSU
Practice game.
UCLA 42 WSU 0 (why not?)

UCLA vs ASU
ASU is overrated. Carpenter graduated after 15 years there (you know it felt like he was there that long)
UCLA 28 ASU 14

I will not predict U$C yet. Right now I'm thinking it will be a loss.

Since I was admittedly optimistic on those predictions and UCLA very easily could lose at OSU, Tenn, or to Cal, I will say UCLA will be 9-2 going into $C.

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