Oregon (+7) at Arizona- This matchup should be a shootout, as both these teams feature strong offenses with great rushing attacks. The Ducks average 233.5 yard per game. LaMichael James has recorded five straight 100-yard games and quarterback Jeremiah Masoli averages 62 yards on the ground. This attack, when combined with Masoli’s steady play at quarterback (59.0 completion percentage and only three interceptions), averages 37.1 points per game. Oregon has a fast and physical defense which has been solid all season (209 points allowed). The Wildcats offense must be firing on all cylinders if they want to defeat the Ducks.
Like Oregon, Arizona’s offense is built on the back of a powerful rushing attack. The Wildcats are ranked 27th in the nation in rushing and backs Nic Grisby and Keola Antolin have scored eight touchdowns between them. Promising sophomore QB Nick Foles has thrown for 13 TD’s but has been inconsistent. Foles has not thrown for more than 250 yards in three straight games after doing so in the three previous contests. The Arizona defense is ranked 18th in the country, recording 26 sacks and allowing only 108.4 yards per game. These numbers are somewhat deceiving however, as the Wildcats have struggled against dangerous backs like Stanford’s Toby Gerhart. Defensive standouts Ricky Elmore and Xavier Kelley must prevent James and Masoli from getting into the open field to give their team a chance.
Oregon-Arizona will be a close game, as neither team has a defense that can absolutely shut down the other. However, Arizona is not playing at their best right now. Their defense continues to struggle against talented running backs, and the Wildcats offense just posted their lowest points total of the season in a loss to Cal. Even though Arizona is undefeated at home with a 5-0 record, I believe they will be unable to stop the Ducks rushing attack and that Foles will struggle somewhat against an athletic defense. The game will be tight, but Oregon will go on to win by a score of 34-27.
California (-8) at Stanford- After Stanford’s victory against USC, the Cardinal have proven they’re for real. But the Cardinal still only have a small shot at the Pac-10 title and need to win their remaining games to do so. Cal has been up and down all season but proved with their 24-16 win over Arizona last weekend that when on, they’re as good as any team in the conference. The “Big Game” is a great rivalry, but this year it should actually live up to its moniker.
Stanford’s offense can only be described as unstoppable at the moment. The Cardinal are 10th in the nation in points scored per game. RB Toby Gerhart has rushed for 401 combined yards against Oregon and USC the last two weeks. Freshman QB Andrew Luck has been excellent, throwing only one INT in his last seven starts. Stanford has scored 106 points the last two weeks, and no factors indicate Cal will be able to slow them down.
Although the Golden Bears offense is not quite at the Cardinal’s level, Cal also has the personal to be explosive. Star RB Jahvid Best is again out with a concussion but backup Shane Vereen is a very capable replacement, as he is averaging 5.2 yards a carry. QB Kevin Riley has only thrown five INT, but three have come in his last two starts. The Golden Bears defense has given up 224 points and struggled against powerful offenses such as Oregon .F acing Stanford will certainly be a challenge.
It is possible that Cal could win this game. They have talent and some momentum after a big win against Arizona. But they are running into a buzz saw in the Cardinal. Stanford demolished USC at home last weekend and os playing better than any team in the country. The Golden Bears will not be able to stop the Cardinal offense. The “Big Game” could get ugly. Stanford 44-21
Danny Atkinson
