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Late Night with the Pac-10: Week 1 Preview
September 1, 2010 | By Jeff Popelka
The new football season in the Pac-10 starts what may well be a roller coaster season for the conference. Despite potential breakout teams such as Oregon, Washington, Arizona and Stanford, the USC postseason ban sidelines the conference’s perennial title contender. While the Pac-10 does have a number of teams that could emerge on the national stage, a couple of key losses could see the whole conference sink into anonymity.
The new football season in the Pac-10 starts what may well be a roller coaster season for the conference. Despite potential breakout teams such as Oregon, Washington, Arizona and Stanford, the USC postseason ban sidelines the conference’s perennial title contender. While the Pac-10 does have a number of teams that could emerge on the national stage, a couple of key losses could see the whole conference sink into anonymity. Week 1 predictions:
Arizona at Toledo (+16) - An Arizona team with a potent offense, passable defense and an weak road record over the last few seasons means that they win, but take Toledo and the points.
New Mexico at Oregon (-34) - Oregon has to replace QB Jeremiah Masoli, but the odds suggest that bettors don’t expect the offense to miss a beat. The Pac-10 champs from a year ago start with a win, but take New Mexico and the points.
Oregon State at TCU (-13.5) - OSU is a difficult team to pin down, but it seems likely that TCU backs up their 12-1 season with an opening victory, and a big one. Lay the 13.5 and take TCU.
Washington State at Oklahoma State (-15.5) - A Washington State team that went 1-11 last season goes into this game at Oklahoma State as only a 15.5 point underdog? Take OSU, and don’t look back.
Washington at BYU (-3) - One of the opening week’s hidden gems, this matchup may well determine the season long arcs for both these teams. Given the usual three-point home advantage, this game is a virtual pick ‘em. BYU in a close one, but you’ll have to lay the three.
USC at Hawaii (+21.5) - A tumultuous off season leads to this, the first game of the Lane Kiffin era. It will take a couple of weeks for Kiffin’s ineptitude as a coach to shine through, but for this game at least, his recruiting and returning players mean that USC wins big. Lay the points and take USC.
UCLA at Kansas State (-1.5) - A tough game to call between two teams expected to have very modest conference finishes, take the home team and lay the 1.5.
These last three are off the board due to the weak competition, so expect blowouts in favor of the Pac-10 teams: Cal (vs. UC Davis), Stanford (vs. Sacramento State), Arizona State (vs. Portland State).
Posted September 1, 2010 6:30 PM
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