It is week 11 in the Pac 10 and our boys in purple and gold are trying to stave off bowl elimination with an upset in Corn Valley. I don't feel too confident in their ability to do that but as usual they will put up a fight, keep it interesting, and break our hearts.
One game outside of the Pac 10 I will be keeping an eye on will be the Idaho at Boise State clash. The Vandals are 7-3 this season with losses to only Washington, Nevada, and Fresno State. Knocking off Boise will be a tall order for these guys but I am rooting for it to happen. The game will be broadcast on ESPNU starting at 12:30 PM.
Keep another eye peeled on Notre Dame at Pittsburgh. If the Irish fall to the 12th ranked Panthers they fall to 6-4. Still on the schedule is a tough season ending game in Palo Alto. I think the Irish finish 7-5 on the season which will put Charlie Weis in jeopardy. Losses to Michigan and Navy are the one's that Irish fans can't forgive.
Stanford at USC
Fresh off thumping the Oregon Ducks back to earth the Stanford Cardinal heads to the LA Coliseum in an attempt to do the same thing to USC. The Trojans are very vulnerable after having to sneak by ASU on the road last weekend. Pete Carroll usually owns November but this week I am picking Stanford because they have enough defense to stop the Trojans and they have the offense to score more points than the USC. This is the game that will knock the Trojans out of the BCS bowl race for good.
Stanford by 7
UCLA at Washington State
The Cougars meet a team they can potentially battle a bit with. The Bruins who beat Washington last week at home are no juggernaught but should have no problem shutting down the WSU offense. WSU simply put is terrible.
UCLA by 17
Arizona at California
Tougher game than it looks on paper for the Wildcats but the Bears aren't really playing for anything. Arizona on the other hand is playing for a possible Rose Bowl bid which would be the first in school history. The Wildcat defense should be able to shut down the one dimensional Cal offense and Nick Foles should be able to carve up the Bear secondary.
Arizona by 7
Arizona State at Oregon
ASU leads the league in penalties. The Sun Devils love to goad the opposing team into sloppy offensive play with a bevy of personal fouls and cheap hots to start the game. In addition to that the Devil defense is pretty stout playing cheap or straight up. The game will be closer than most think but Oregon has way too much firepower and the Devils have none on offense. I have to go with the Ducks at home.
Oregon by 14
Washington at Oregon State
This one doesn't look good on paper for Washington. The Beavers have way too many weapons on offense for the Husky defense to contend with. The Rodgers Brothers can beat you in so many ways and Sean Canfield has developed into the top passing threat in the Pac 10. Not real good news for a team that has serious problems on defense and special teams.
Washington counters with Jake Locker who has been on the decline for the past month. His numbers are serviceable but his percentages and efficiency ratings have been sliding. For Washington to beat the Beavers Jake has to be completely on his game. The Beaver pass defense is a weakness Washington needs to exploit if they intend to pull off the upset.
The Beavers are beatable. Good defenses have been able to slow them down and force them into mistakes this season. The problem is Washington doesn't have a good defense.
Oregon State by 14