Storyline: Eleven of the twelve teams in the Pac-12 play this week. The Cal Bears receive a much deserved week off after the long trip to Sydney (a 51-31 win over Hawaii).
Campusinsider.com
Expectations are high for PAC-12 teams this year. The opening weekend can set the groundwork for moving forward.
Here’s the weekend’s schedule.
Thursday Sept. 1st
Pac-12 Network: Southern Utah vs. Utah, 8 P.M. – No Line
BTN Network: Oregon St. vs. Minnesota, 9 P.M. – Oregon St. +13
Friday Sept. 2nd
ESPN: Colorado St. vs. Colorado, 8 P.M. – Colorado -8
FS1: Kansas St. vs. Stanford, 9 P.M. – Stanford -16
Saturday Sept. 3rd
ABC: USC vs. Alabama, 8 P.M. – USC + 10.
PAC-12 Network: Rutgers vs. Washington, 2 P.M. – Washington -26
CBS: UCLA vs. Texas A&M, 3:30 P.M. – UCLA + 3.
Pac-12 Network: UC-Davis vs. Oregon, 5 P.M. – No Line
Pac-12 Network: E. Washington vs. Washington St., 8 P.M. – No Line
FS1: Arizona vs. BYU, 10:30 P.M. – Arizona – 1
Pac-12 Network: North Arizona vs. Arizona St., 10:45PM – No Line
BYES: California
Let’s take a look at some of the major storylines heading into opening weekend.
Will Stanford Repeat Week 1 2015 Blues? Stanford comes into their opening week game at home against Kansas State with the sour taste from last season’s opening week upset loss against Northwestern in Evanston. I have a great deal of respect for legendary coach Bill Snyder and the Wildcats. In fact, he is one of the most underrated coaches in all of college football. But Stanford will be ready at home this year and won’t have an encore performance of week #1 last year.
Ranked PAC-12 teams vs. SEC. Many experts feel that the SEC is the best conference in football, but the PAC-12 would love to have a say in the conversation. UCLA (#16) and USC (#20) head east to take on Texas A&M and Alabama (neutral site), respectively. Now is time for the PAC-12 to gain national respect. Splitting these games would be a step in the right direction. The Bruins have a better chance then the Trojans.
PAC-12 vs. Big Sky. The PAC-12 is playing four games this weekend against the Big Sky conference, a league that’s arguably the best FCS conference in the country. TBS comes into this season with five teams ranked in the pre-season FCS Top 25. Three of these teams will be on display in Week #1. Eastern Washington (#17) travels to Pullman to play WSU. Northern Arizona (#18) takes on Arizona State. Southern Utah (#23) plays in-state foe, Utah. Eastern Washington has lodged upsets in the past, but I don’t think they have enough firepower to do it this week. Southern Utah won the Big Sky conference last year, but they lost many starters from last year’s team. Neither team will upset Pac-12 foes.
Biggest Game of the Week: USC vs. Alabama. The Trojans have the daunting task of taking on pre-season number one Alabama. Both teams will be starting a new quarterback this year, and will have to experience growing pains that come with that. It will come down to defense and coaching. Unfortunately for the PAC-12 I just put check marks in the Crimson Tide column.
Most Under the Radar Game of the Week. I’m going with Arizona v. BYU. Vegas has this game at Arizona -1. I think the Wildcats will go one way or the other this year. If Rich Rod can pull out a win against the Cougars they’ll have a very strong chance of coming out of the gates at 3-0. However, if the Wildcats drop this game against the Cougars, Rich Rod’s future at Arizona will be in doubt. My call: the Wildcats squeak it out by a field goal.
Upset of the Week : I don’t think any PAC-12 favorite is in serious danger of being upset this week, But if I had to pick one then it would be Arizona State. The Sun Devils have to break in a new quarterback and most of its offensive line. I’m reaching a little bit here, but Northern Arizona would love nothing more than to put a scare into a FBS, in-state foe. Make sure you are ready to play Sun Devils or this one could get hairy late.
Lock of the Week: I’m taking Minnesota on Friday night against the Beavers. Oregon State was bad last year, really bad, and there’s only one direction for them to move–and that’s up. They’re taking on a Gopher team that some experts feel can compete for a Big Ten West title. While having to travel east for a night game against a Big Ten sleeper team doesn’t seem to bode well on paper, I’m taking the Beavers at -13. I also think the Beavers will take baby steps towards improvement in Week #1. Prediction: Minnesota 34, OSU 24.
