Pac 10 Football Preview for Week 12
The USC Trojans earned another key victory in the Pac-10 title chase last week when they defeated California, 17-3. Oregon State, meanwhile, remained just a half-game behind the first-place Trojans by knocking off UCLA, 34-6.
Elsewhere in the conference last Saturday, Oregon edged Stanford in a 35-28 thriller. Arizona became bowl-eligible by pounding Washington State, 59-28, while Arizona State snapped a six-game losing streak with a 39-19 win over Washington.
Another full slate of Pac-10 action is on this week’s schedule. Here is a look at the five match-ups.
California (6-3 overall, 4-2 Pac-10) at Oregon State (6-3, 5-1)
3:30 p.m. EST
Oregon State controls its own destiny in the race for the Rose Bowl, owning a tie-breaker advantage over USC thanks to a 27-21 victory over the Trojans on Sept. 25. If the Beavers can defeat California, Arizona and Oregon to close out their regular-season schedule, they will be playing in Pasadena on Jan. 1.
Oregon State tailback Jacquizz Rodgers has been a major factor in the Beavers’ success. With 144 yards rushing last week against UCLA, Rodgers increased his season total to 1,089 yards, setting a new Pac-10 freshman record. He is on pace to become the first freshman ever to lead the Pac-10 in rushing.
California will be looking to get its offense back on track after being held to three points and 165 total yards last week against USC.
Prediction: Oregon State 31, California 27
Washington State (1-9, 0-7) at Arizona State (3-6, 2-4)
5:30 p.m. EST
While the Sun Devils’ season has been a disappointment, they can still qualify for a bowl game if they finish with victories over Washington State, UCLA and rival Arizona.
Arizona State should have no trouble with a Washington State team that has allowed 409 points in seven Pac-10 games.
Prediction: Arizona State 49, Washington State 10
Arizona (6-3, 4-2) at Oregon (7-3, 5-2)
6:30 p.m. EST
This game has the makings of an entertaining shootout between two teams that have plenty of offensive firepower.
Oregon is the top rushing team in the Pac-10 with an average of 274.3 yards per game. Quarterback Jeremiah Masoli led the Ducks on a buzzer-beating drive last Saturday against Stanford, as LeGarrette Blount scored the winning touchdown on a 3-yard run with six seconds remaining.
Meanwhile, Arizona amassed 531 yards of total offense last week against Washington State. Nic Grigsby rushed for 189 yards and Willie Tuitama passed for 214 for the Wildcats.
In winning their sixth game of the season, the Wildcats have qualified to play in a bowl game. It will be Arizona’s first bowl trip since 1998.
Prediction: Oregon 34, Arizona 31
USC (8-1, 6-1) at Stanford (5-5, 4-3)
7 p.m. EST
This year’s Stanford team is better than the one that went to Southern Cal last season as a 41-point underdog and shocked the Trojans, 24-23.
This year’s USC defense, however, has been dominant in eight of the Trojans’ nine games, with the lone exception being the 27-21 loss to Oregon State in late September. Since that loss, USC has won six straight and has outscored its opponents, 231-23.
For the season, the Trojans lead the nation in scoring defense (at 6.7 points allowed per game) and total defense (206.4 yards per game). They should be able to maintain those rankings by shutting down Stanford’s grind-it-out, ball-control offense.
Prediction: USC 31, Stanford 3
UCLA (3-6, 2-4) at Washington (0-9, 0-6)
10:15 p.m. EST
Rick Neuheisel takes his new team, the Bruins, to Seattle to face the Huskies, a team that he coached from 1999-2002.
While Washington is the only FBS team in the country that has not won a game this season, the losing streak could end on Saturday.
Prediction: Washington 24, UCLA 21
By Tom Kessler
DFN Sports Staff Writer
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