The Pac-10 got off to a strong start as a whole last week, collecting six victories (two of which came against Pac-10 foes). The biggest victory of the week was UCLA's triumph over #18 Tennessee, in a game that was nearly impossible to watch in the first half.

This week, BYU rolls into Washington, Oregon State crosses the country to play Penn State, and Stanford takes on the Sun Devils in a battle of unbeaten squads. USC and UCLA have much-deserved off weeks after their victories in week 1.

On to the prognoses...

#15 BYU Cougars @ Washington Huskies. Saturday, September 6, 12:10 PM Pacific.

I was wrong last week when it came to my prediction about UCLA having "no chance" against Tennessee. Dead wrong. Tennessee was not nearly as good as I gave them credit for; it was probably all the SEC bias that gets tossed around on ESPN.

This week, I am willing to make another bold statement. Washington has no chance against BYU. QB Max Hall has looked phenomenal and will throw all over the Husky secondary.

UW QB Jake Locker gives Washington a change to keep this close, but if he falters at all, down they go, like a dogsled team falling into a frozen lake during the Iditarod.

Prediction: BYU 45, Washington 28

Oregon State Beavers @ #19 Penn State Nittany Lions. Saturday, September 6, 12:30 PM Pacific, ABC.

The Beavers take on the Nittany Lions in Beaver Stadium... in Pennsylvania. What a coincidence, huh? Penn State is implementing a new quarterback for 2008, junior Daryll Clark. He looked good against Coastal Carolina, going 11/14 for 146 yards and a touchdown before getting pulled in the blowout victory.

On the other side of the coin is the OSU attack. Led by QB Lyle Moevao and WR Sammie Stroughter, the air game picked up 404 yards against Stanford in week 1's losing effort. The interceptions Moevao threw were backbreakers, and ended up being the difference between victory and defeat.

I can't help but wish for a huge upset, seeing as I think Penn State is perpetually overvalued, but in reality it just won't happen. Oregon State is known for being awful at the start of the year, and they won't go into one of the most hostile stadiums in the country and walk away with a win.

Prediction: Penn State 42, Oregon State 17

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Fresh from the Stanford/ASU preview on ESPN Insider, which is penned by "Scouts, Inc."

Thomas Weber will handle all three phases of the kicking game for the Sun Devils. Weber is a finalist for the Lou Groza award, which is given the nation's best kicker, and he turned in a solid overall performance Saturday. 

A finalist? Really? What about that part where he actually won the Lou Groza?

Not a good sign, especially if you are looking for insightful analysis.

Anyway, here's what they have..

Just wanted to point out that apparently, a coach with a career record of 5-8 in Division 1-A is better than a coach that has gone 152-62-1 in Division 1-A play with 2 National Championships and 3 Pac-10 Coach of the Year awards.

Who wrote this analysis, Mike Stoops?

Thanks to Pollspeak and their "Voter analysis report", we have this gem of data from an AP pollster.

Glenn Guilbeau of the Gannett Louisiana News Service (how does this man have an AP vote?) has decided we were unworthy of rank.

Florida State at #20? Clemson still ranked? Wake freakin' Forest?

Come on Glenn! You were the only one to leave us unranked in the entire AP poll. Doesn't that make you a certifiable idiot? Yes.

Stanford Cardinal @ Arizona St. Sun Devils

September 6, 2008

7:00 PM Pacific

News flash: Stanford is #1 in the Pac-10!

Okay, so it's only the first week of the season.

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Lets do some quick hits for the game +/- style.

PLUSSSES +

• Rudy Carpenter:  Who cares that this was against NAU? Rudy came out strong with a 22/28 (~79%), 388 yard, 1 TD, 0 INT performance.  That was good for a 206.76 QB Rating. The spread offense is coming to fruition.  Rudy also scrambled 5 times for 40 yards. Rudy tied a school record in the first half completing 13 straight passes.
• The O-Line's Pass Blocking: The young, inexperienced line which was so maligned last season only allowed 1 sack on the day, and according to most people, it was not because of any sort of physical failing but a mental mistake. Whether this matters is up for debate, but the line protected Rudy.  It was NAU though.
• Mike Jones: ASU's #1 receiver came through with a big game against a lesser opponent, something you look for in college stars. 6 receptions for 162 yards (career high) and an average of 27 yards per reception.  He had  receptions of 52, 49, and a near-TD where Jones reached out for the endzone and fumbled into the endzone for a touchback.
• ASU's 1st Team Defense: Stoutly shut out the lumberjacks for 3 quarters, held the rush to 3.3 yards a carry, and harassed the NAU quarterbacks all night long.
• Fantastic Freshmen: 8 true freshmen suited up and got into the game for the Sun Devils, a good sign for the depth and for the future of the program.
• Special Teams: Weber averaged 44 yards per punt, hit all 3 field goals, and the coverage units held the 'Jacks to averages of 17 yards on kick returns and 8 on punt returns. Good stuff.

MINUSES -

• The Run Game: Sans Keegan Herring, and not counting Rudy Carpenter's scrambles, the Sun Devils rushing offense managed 54 yards on 18 carries, good for a 3 yard per carry average. Herring could have played Erickson said, but they opted to rest him for the Stanford game.  Nance, the supposed "Thunder", managed only 30 yards on 11 carries, but did manage to punch in two TDs in short yardage situations. Woods and Bass had 7 carries for 24 yards. Weak. This needs to improve, especially since this was just NAU. Maybe you can see the theme of this game.
• The O-Line's Run Blocking: Obviously in a spread offensive scheme, running is going to be a tad deemphasized,but the line clearly needs to work on their run blocking, and how to create better holes for the running backs.
• Letting Up a Tad: The Devils clearly let off the gas after going up 27-0 at halftime, and 30 to 0 in the third. After that the team got sloppy, the second unit defense looked soft, and Danny Sullivan looked like he forgot he played well in the Holiday Bowl.

All in all, a solid opening effort for the Sun Devils, with some key areas that need improvement.  Stanford will be a good test this week at home, especially after the upset over Oregon State.

After demolishing Idaho 70-0 on Saturday, Wildcat fans have found it difficult to contain their excitement.

Heck, I can't blame them. After years and years and years and years of mediocrity, they actually hung 70 points on a Division 1-A school! UNFURL THE BANNERS! BCS HERE WE COME!

Over at RauRaur, we are given this nugget of information..

Regardless, the program just took a big step towards erasing the stigma that “Stoops loses to teams that he shouldn’t lose to.” Some might argue that he’ll face five such foes in the coming weeks. Jury’s still out, etc. But Arizona has the nation’s highest scoring offense and is tied for first in scoring defense. History will show that Arizona scored more points than any football team — professional or otherwise — in the month of August 2008 (sorry, I don’t see Kentucky, Louisville, Colorado, or Colorado St. — all of whom play today — hanging 70 points on the board). I imagine even USC fans lifted an eyebrow upon seeing the ‘Cats box score in their morning paper.

Seventy. Zero. Covered by 43. Let’s enjoy this for a while…

The statistics are all correct in this quote. Of course, it's because they pitched a shutout and at the same time dropped 70, but at the end of the year I imagine they will look more like this, averaging 28 or so points while allowing 27 (this number pushed down by the shutout against Idaho and a really tough matchup against Toledo).

I can't possibly allow Arizona to enjoy their win this much. It pains me to realize that they could, based on their weak schedule, go 6-0 before reality strikes. However, I have faith in Mike Stoops and his idiocy, and I have a feeling that UCLA and Stanford will break the Wildcat spirit.

Until then, we will have to deal with chants of "this is our year!" from Tucson. Or, if you're so inclined, "éste es nuestro año!"

The student section was rowdy and ready for another season of college football. After taking a beating in the Holiday Bowl at the hands of Texas, Rudy Carpenter and the boys looked prepared to show their fans that they are a legitimate Pac-10 contender.

The first thing I noticed was the inexperience of the offensive line really shining through. While statistically looking good on paper, Rudy was flushed out quite often. He showed his mettle and got rid of the ball when he needed to, rather than taking those sacks he was so familiar with.

To be fair to the line, they look promising. There are no guarantees in college football, but if they can give Carpenter 4 seconds to find a receiver, there will be hell to pay.

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C.W. went to Las Vegas on Thursday, and lost some of his coin. He has returned just in time to head out to Sun Devil Stadium to see the Sun Devils host the Lumberjacks of Northern Arizona University.

Game time is 7:22 PM Pacific time. Go Devils!

NAU QB Lance Krieisen was kind enough to answer a few quick questions for me in the lead-up to the season opener.

Has the quarterback competition made you a better player?

Krieisen: Competition is always good for every player. We have more depth and quality at more positions than I've ever seen since I've been here.

Personally, its reminded me (every day) that you can't take plays off and that if you arent willing to do your job 110%, someone else will.

What is the most exciting aspect of playing ASU?

Krieisen: ASU is just another game to me, honestly. I'm not from AZ so I don't care if it may or may not be an in-state rival to most.

I look at this game as an exciting opportunity to showcase NAU on a national stage against a solid opponent.

ASU has a good team. A win against a team of this caliber would really start our season off right. Playing in front of 60,000+ people is nice as well.

Thanks again Lance! Best of luck this season.