Pac-12 Week 2 Predictions

Went 8-3 next week, and though I probably went out on the limb boarding Mike Leach's pirate ship, I honestly didn't see the Bears and Buffaloes dropping their games. Doh!

Looking to rebound this week.

Utah 31 Utah State 17
Utah travels to face a decent Utah State squad. Utah State went 7-6 last year with wins over teams like Nevada (gasp) and losing close ones to Auburn and BYU. This team is capable of putting up points, particularly on the ground. But they're facing one of the best defenses they'll see all year in Utah and they should have a hard time slowing down John White IV. Utah State will keep it competitive for a while, but the Utes run game puts them away.

Colorado 35 Sacramento State 13
It's an absolute must win for Jon Embree's Buffs, and they'll get it done against the FCS squad that lost to New Mexico State 49-19. Don't be surprised to see the score a little closer than CU fans would like, but the more likely scenario is having new QB Jordan Webb find his mojo and dice up Sac State's secondary.

Washington State 38 Eastern Washington 20
Eastern Washington is no gimme. The Big Sky team just trounced FBS Idaho 20-3. Granted, it was Idaho, but still, this team knows what they're doing. With that said, I don't think Washington State is nearly as bad as they looked against BYU. Last Thursday's game was more of an instance of the Cougs getting punched in the mouth early on and being unsure as to how to respond. I do think we're going to see some points and major yardage through the air in this game however. Mike Leach's Cougars begin the slow path to clicking on Saturday.

USC 42 Syracuse 20
Yawn. The Trojans will continue to roll, and I honestly think I'm being generous in thinking Syracuse puts up 20. But with the questions in USC's secondary, I think it's certainly possible they give up some yardage through the air on some drives. But really, this isn't going to be close and Marquise Lee and Matt Barkley continue to put up video game numbers. Unless, of course, Lane Kiffin decides they want to focus on a running game that managed just 81 yards against Hawaii last week.

Oregon State 17 Wisconsin 34
With the Beavers' season opener against Nichols State postponed last week, OSU has the much tougher task of starting their season against 13th ranked Wisconsin. Though the Beavers might be a bit more hopeful after Wisconsin struggled in a 26-21 win over Northern Iowa, the Badgers are too physical in the running game to make me think anything but a loss is coming for Mike Riley's squad. Quarterback Sean Mannion is a good one though, and he'll put up solid numbers.

Oregon 45 Fresno State 24
Although this is an improved Bulldogs team, they're nowhere near offering a real challenge to the Ducks just yet. I'm taking the over on having DeAnthony Thomas score 2 TDs in this game. Oh, and expect Kenjon Barner to go over the century mark after having a quiet game last week against Arkansas State.

Washington 17 LSU 31
I fully expect and hope for the Tigers to beat the Huskies here. I don't think it will be an outright throttling, just because Keith Price is just that good of a quarterback. But despite some big plays, LSU will live in Washington's backfield, causing Price to scramble and throw it away enough to keep the Huskies out of an offensive rhythm. Defensive coordinate Justin Wilcox has Washington's defense heading in the right direction, but they won't be able to keep LSU under 20.

UCLA 23 Nebraska 34
UCLA fans are likely feeling pretty good about Brett Hundley (Heisman!) and new coach Jim Mora (Pac-12 Coach of the Year!). But Nebraska is a completely different beast. Expect Nebraska's defense to disrupt UCLA offensive flow, but I'm starting to think that the bigger concern is UCLA's defense. After giving up 384 yards to Rice last week, you have to wonder how they'll do against a Nebraska offense 632 yards against Southern Miss last week. Oh, and apparently Nebraska QB Taylor Martinez finally got the memo about being a quarterback now, throwing for 354 yards and 5 TDs in the rout. Woof.

Arizona State 35 Illinois 28
I had this pencilled in as a loss heading into this season, but after watching ASU, I'm liking the Sun Devils here. Their offense is looking polished and that defense is play much smarter ball in the post-Erickson era. Give them the home field, and I'm thinking ASU pulls the upset.

Stanford 31 Duke 17
Stanford's attempting to have a "Seriously, we don't suck that bad," type of game. Duke's the perfect opponent to do it against. I still don't think this offense is going to be close to what it's been the past few years, but they will be better than they looked against San Jose State. Stepfan Taylor scores 3 TDs as the Cardinal continue to suck the life out of his future NFL career.

Arizona 30 Oklahoma State 44
This is going to be a barn burner. I doubt the Wildcats win, but I expect them to make much more of a game out of it this year. Oklahoma State will score, but I think the Wildcats aren't going to be much of a slouch in this area either. Still, Oklahoma State will be too physical on defense and the Wildcats aren't polished enough on their end to keep the Cowboys off the scoreboard for extended periods of time.