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Late Night with Pac-10: Week 4 Preview

September 24, 2010  |  By Jeff Popelka

By painting one of their practice fields blue, Oregon State signaled to the nation that this week’s matchup against Boise State isn’t just a big game for the Broncos.

The Beavers have already played a team currently in the top five, that being their season opener against TCU, and it may well be that they are finally ready to step up to the challenge on a big national stage.

Or it may just be that they’ve always wanted smurf-turf in Corvallis.

Either way, last week’s re-emergence of star running back Jacquizz Rodgers gives OSU fans some hope, but the steady play of sophomore quarterback Ryan Katz (122.5 QB rating, 0 interceptions in over 50 attempts this season) may have far more to do with the outcome on Saturday night.

There are two other interesting out of conference games this week, as Stanford travels to South Bend to take on Notre Dame, while UCLA looks to knock off a ranked team for the second straight week as they travel to face Texas.

Will Andrew Luck continue his hot streak this week in South Bend? Was UCLA’s performance last week against Houston a mirage? Will Arizona suffer a letdown against Cal after their big win against Iowa? This week should help to further define the conference pecking order for fans of the Pac-10.

LNwP-10 was 5-4 last week and is 11-8 against the spread this season.

Saturday games:

USC at Washington State (+22) - Lane Kiffin’s squad let a number of people down last week, falling a couple points short of a cover. While that only mattered to me and a bunch of people who filled out betting slips, the uninspiring play of USC has puzzled many observers. Say what you will about Lane, but his father and defensive coordinator Monte Kiffin is a fantastic defensive mind, and sooner or later the USC defense is going to play well. With good field position and a little help from his skill position players, quarterback Matt Barkley is going to have a few more great days this year, and against Wazzu is a great place to start. Despite being burned last week, the play here is to lay the 22 and take the Trojans.

Stanford at Notre Dame (+5) - Andrew Luck leads Stanford into South Bend this week and must be relishing the chance to take apart the weak Irish secondary. The Fightin’ Kellys have given up 443 yards per game so far this season, but they have kept the games close becuase of their potent offense. Stanford has a great mix of run and pass, so I expect them to win this game, but at home take a flyer with ND and the points.

UCLA at Texas (-16) - UCLA came to life last week with a win over Houston, but on the road in Austin could be a different story. While still highly ranked at No. 7, Texas hasn’t gotten off to the start many would have expected and this game is unlikely to be a shootout. With that in mind, take UCLA and the points.

Oregon State at Boise State (-18) - After last week’s 51-6 beatdown of Wyoming, Boise State look to be back on track. Still, Oregon State is anything but a Wyoming clone and an 18 point line is a pretty big number for a team that played TCU very close. I think Boise wins, but take the Beavers and the points.

California at Arizona (-6.5) - Arizona really delivered against Iowa, and they look to keep their strong play going this week as they host Cal in the conference opener for both squads. Quarterback Kevin Riley had an up and down game against Nevada and this week’s matchup doesn’t look like much of let up. Arizona gets it done at home, so lay the 6.5 and ride the Cats for another week.

Oregon at Arizona State (11.5) - The Sun Devils had perhaps the most surprising result of the week in their game against Wisconsin, playing the Badgers much closer than most people expected. They lost the game after having an extra point blocked, and you have to wonder if that will affect them in their game against the Ducks. Oregon has looked great so far this season, and until they prove otherwise, the smart play here is lay the 11.5 and take Oregon.

Lazy Saturday: Washington

Posted September 24, 2010 10:00 AM