Game of the Week 

#24 Oregon State at #6 TCU

Saturday, September 4^th (7:45 PM EST, ESPN)

When Oregon State has the ball: Despite the departure of QB Sean Canfield, all signs point to another solid season for the Beavers offense. RB Jacquizz Rodgers and his elder brother James (WR) have accounted for the majority of the Oregon State offensive production for the past two seasons...and that's not going to change. Behind a veteran line, and with plenty of weapons to work with, sophomore QB Ryan Catz should have no problem moving this unit down the field. But this will be a hostile test to start the season. The TCU defense is simply dominating, with seven starters returning from a 2009 unit that led the nation in total defense (239.7 ypg). DE Jerry Hughes is playing on Sundays, but TCU will reload with more speedy defensive players to put helmets to footballs. If TCU can contain the running game of Rodgers (not an easy task), they will stand a good chance of keeping the Beavers out of the end zone.

It's that time of year again, and I couldn't be more excited about the upcoming college football season. It's the last season for the Pac-10 as we know it, as offseason additions of Utah and Colorado will be forthcoming in future years. While the Pac-12 will provide a unique landscape for this conference, I have to say I'm excited for the conference race in the "traditional" Pac-10 (with teams that are actually somewhat NEAR the Pacific). As I do every season, I will break down every team and give my assessment of whether the team will be refining, reloading, or rebuilding this season.
It's a wide open conference race with defending champion Oregon returning most of their talented 2009 squad, USC will be strong once again despite the NCAA sanctions that will prevent them from postseason play, and Oregon State and Stanford are both poised for strong seasons. And there are legitimate Heisman candidates in Washington QB Jake Locker and Oregon State RB Jacquizz Rodgers.

Pac-10 Championship Game

Oregon State (8-3) at Oregon (9-2)
Saturday, December 3rd (9:00 PM EST)

They call it the Civil War, and it's a gridiron battle the entire state of Oregon looks forward to every year. This year, the audience will be nation-wide, as the winner of this heated rivalry will win the Pac-10 and an automatic bid to the Rose Bowl. It's the Ducks and the Beavers, and one game to decide the champion. Oh, and it's a Thursday night matchup on ESPN – this is what Championship Week should be.

When Oregon State has the ball: No one is surprised by the success of the Rodgers brothers this season. Jacquizz and James made a name for themselves last season, and have continued to be one of the most dominant offensive tandems in the nation...and certainly the finest duo from the same household. Jacquizz is 9th in the nation in rushing (119.4 ypg) and 3rd in rushing touchdowns (19). His brother James leads the Pac-10 in both receptions (77) and yards (865), and is also a threat to take a handoff to the house (260 rushing yards). The surprise this season has been the play of QB Sean Canfield. The senior began the season behind Lyle Moevao, but took over the reins of the offense in their very first game. Canfield has since emerged as one of the finest quarterbacks in the Pac-10, leading the conference in yards (254.3 ypg), touchdowns (19), and quarterback rating (147.5). Despite Canfield's success, there are concerns about the pass protection of the Beavers' offensive line. The Beavers have allowed 27 sacks this season, second worst in the conference (WSU has allowed a staggering 53). The big uglies will have their hands full against the Ducks defensive front, that has racked up 30 sacks this season. The ferocious Ducks are led by junior LB Kenny Rowe, who leads the team in tackles for loss (9.5) and sacks (7). The key for the Beavers will be to continue their success on 3rd down, where they lead the Pac-10 (48.4 %) and were unstoppable in November (60.5 %).

A review of games in the Mountain West, Pac-10, and WAC

Best game:

 
Utah            23
BYU             26    OT

They call it the Holy War – a rivalry between the secular state school of Utah, and the private university owned and operated by the Mormons. It means everything in the Beehive State, but it's starting to get some national attention as one of the best rivalry games in the country. It couldn't possibly be more evenly matched. Saturday's three-point margin of victory is the 11th game in the past 13 that have been decided by a touchdown or less.
The normally reserved Max Hall, the record-setting senior quarterback for the Cougars who is also married and a return missionary, didn't hold anything back in his post-game comments about his rival Utah. "I don't like Utah. In fact, I hate them. I hate everything about them. I hate their program, their fans. I hate everything," Hall said. "It felt really good to send those guys home (with a loss)." Hall threw the winning touchdown in overtime, but he didn't have a great day statistically (12/32  134 yards, 2 TD).

Game of the Week

Idaho (7-3) at Boise State (9-0)
Saturday, November 14th (3:30 PM EST)
Affectionately, the “Spud State Super Bowl”

When Idaho has the ball: The Idaho offense has been terrific this season, especially against their conference foes (449.3 yards per game). They are thrilled to have QB Nathan Enderle back this week, after he sat out last week with a rotator cuff injury. The key for the Vandals will be the ground game, where they must get some production. It won't be easy against a Broncos defense that ranks 10th in the nation in total defense (271.6 ypg). The strength of the Vandals offense will match up against the strength of the Boise defense – passing. If Enderle can keep his composure, he may be able to complete some passes, but Boise simply doesn't let anyone beat them through the air (10 TD, 14 INT for their defense). The season high for passing yards by a Boise opponent was 214 by Hawaii, a team that ranks 3rd in the nation (350.3 ypg).

When Boise State has the ball: The Boise State offense is hitting their stride at exactly the right time. With a balanced and efficient attack, the Broncos are averaging 48 points per game in their last three contests. Defense has been a bit of a problem for the Vandals, who are 97th in the nation in total defense. Opponents have had tremendous success through the air, where the Vandals have yielded 20 touchdowns. The Idaho defense has been especially porous in the red zone, where opponents have scored in 18 of their last 19 trips. Look for the Boise offense to move the ball at will, and put up plenty of points.