1. USC – Very strong defense and a decent offense
2. Oregon – Will be expected to win easily vs. Arizona
3. Washington State – A win vs. USC puts them back in BCS contention
4. Oregon State – O-Line couldn’t handle USC pass rush
5. California – Couldn’t hold on vs. WSU; UW game will be big test
6. Washington – Pickett is impressive but the running game and defense are not
7. Arizona State – Walter leads nation in pass rating
8. UCLA – Routed winless SDSU. OSU will be tougher
9. Arizona – Poor showing vs. North Texas
10. Stanford – Defense looked non-existent vs. ASU

OSU-USC Preview

None of the teams that USC has played so far had any type of passing game. Auburn threw 22 times out of 61 total plays for 140 yds. Colorado threw 13 times out of 52 total plays for only 24 yds., and Kansas State threw 22 times out of 72 total plays for 159 yds. (their qb ran it 23 times) All these teams run first and pass second.

Auburn had their star running back "Cadillac" Williams go down in the second half with cramps or they might have beaten USC. The Colorado game wasn't as big of a blowout as it seemed. USC scored three touchdowns in the fourth quarter after the outcome wasn't in doubt. Plus the Colorado starting quarterback was terrible. He threw nine passes, eight of them in the dirt.

I still don't see any proof of USC's offense getting that great. SEC last place team Mississippi St. had nearly as much offense against Auburn (323 yds.) as USC did (386 yds).

If it wasn't for two blown calls on the fumbles that gave USC the ball and got them back into the game, the K St. game would be considered a blowout. And if Colorado had their regular starter playing QB, USC's pass defense wouldn't be ranked so high.

USC got lucky with Auburn's RB getting hurt, with Colorado's QB(Ochs) getting hurt, and with calls by the refs to make the K St. game seem close.

This game will be just another bump in the road for the Beavers. They might not score so much on offense because USC has a good defensive front line, but USC won't get anything more against the Beaver defense than they did against Kansas State. The only way that USC wins this game is if they block a kick like they did last year and get some cheap points. I don't think that will happen.

Final score OSU 31, USC 10. USC does not have the offense to give OSU very many problems (they didn't get a touchdown against OSU last year until OT), and their pass defense rating is skewed because the poor passing teams they've played.

Derek Anderson has lived up to the expectations he has had since signing with Oregon State as one of the top high school quarterbacks in the country. Through only four games he has fifteen touchdown passes. He will almost certainly break the OSU single season record of 20 touchdowns thrown by Jonathan Smith in 2000, and he has a chance to take the Pac 10 single season record of 33 set by Ryan Leaf in 1997.

1. Oregon State – OSU has beaten the spread by an average of 22 points per game
2. USC – They played an underrated Kansas St. team down to the wire
3. Oregon – Schedule strength similar to OSU, but simply not as dominant
4. Washington State – All their hopes hang on Gesser’s shoulders
5. California – Air Force loss was tough, a rebound against WSU is possible
6. Washington – Looked average against Wyo, SJSU; loss to Michigan hurts
7. Arizona – A better showing against Wisconsin was expected
8. UCLA – They knew Colorado couldn’t pass, and they still didn’t stop the run
9. Stanford – The offense is strong, but the defense gives up a lot
10. Arizona State – They can be streaky, the Nebraska loss looks pretty poor

by Erik Huffman