Nick Daschel is a veteran sports writer and columnist who has worked on the West coast for nearly three decades. Nick has covered the Pac-10 for about 15 years, primarily focusing on the Northwest schools.
Here’s how we see Pac-10 action unfolding this weekend:
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Portland State at Oregon State (no line): Portland State has been a disappointment under Elvis wannabe Jerry Glanville, but even if the Vikings were the best Division I-AA team on the planet (I refuse to call it FCS), they still wouldn’t have a chance against Oregon State. Even if the Beavers merely line up and pound Jacquizz Rodgers all day long, they’ll win. It’ll be interesting to see how OSU’s rookie secondary fares against PSU’s run-and-shoot offense, though. Beavers 41, Vikings 10.
San Jose State at USC (Trojans by 34): The warmup for Ohio State, the warmup for freshman quarterback Matt Barkley. Most teams can’t wait to end preseason camp, and at the head of the line is USC. If camp had gone on much longer, the Trojans would have sustained so many injuries, they might have started to appear mortal. Trojans 38, Spartans 13.
Stanford at Washington State (Cardinal by 16½): As I’ve said repeatedly in recent weeks, Washington State will be the Pac-10’s most improved team this season. Which means rather than losing to the Cardinal 58-0 as they did a year ago, these Cougars are good enough to force Stanford to play deep into the third quarter. Cardinal 43, Cougars 24.
San Diego State at UCLA (Bruins by 19): Terry Donahue picks the Bruins to finish third in the Pac-10. That must mean he’s expecting UCLA’s young offense to grow up hurry. They won’t need to against San Diego State, but why wait? Bruins 24, Aztecs 6.
Central Michigan at Arizona (Wildcats by 14): Central Michigan, not Arizona, will have the best quarterback on the field in Dan LeFavour. Still, if the Wildcats are as good as coach Mike Stoops has bragged during the preseason, particularly on defense, it shouldn’t matter. Color us skeptical, though, until Arizona proves it. Wildcats 31, Chippewas 28.
Idaho State at Arizona State (no line): Why is Arizona State playing Idaho State? Seriously. We get a Northern Arizona, or Oregon State playing an in-state patsy, but Idaho State? Might as well extend training camp an additional week, because we’re going to learn nothing from this. Sun Devils 52, Bengals 10.
Maryland at California (Bears by 21½): Talk about wanting to lose the bad taste – from losing to the Terrapins a year ago in College Park to Jahvid Best hurling on the stadium turf – this is it. Time to start backing up the Rose Bowl talk with an emphatic start to the season. Bears 45, Terrapins 17.
Louisiana State at Washington (Tigers by 18): The Steve Sarkisian era will almost certainly start with a loss, but we’ll be looking for a couple of things nonetheless. Can the Huskies slow down a good running game? Has Jake Locker improved as a passer? Will Washington fight after getting knocked down a few times? Tigers 41, Huskies 21.
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