College Football 2007 Pac 10 Preview
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2007 PAC-10 Football Conference Preview
U.S.C.
USC opened in Vegas as the team to beat for the national title in 2007. Seventh-year head coach Pete Carroll's team is loaded, with 6 starters back on offense and 10 on defense. They are off a "rebuilding" 11-2 season, which gives Carroll a 64-12 record and two national titles. USC is 48-4 SU, and a sizzling 32-20 against the spread the last four! Almost everyone is back on a defense that allowed 15 points per game and 3.0 yards per rush.
The offense is very strong, as well, led by senior QB John David Booty. Booty stepped in for Matt Leinart and passed for 3,347 yards with 29 touchdowns and 9 picks as a first-year starter. The offense clicked for 30 points, 130.8 yards rushing and 261 yards passing per game. He loses his top targets in wide receivers Dwayne Jarrett and Steve Smith to the NFL, but there is ample talent to fill those shoes. Junior Patrick Turner caught 29 passes last year and teams with redshirt freshman David Ausberry, both of whom are 6-foot-5. How's that for targets!
There is depth, too, with 6-foot-3 sophomore Vidal Hazelton and speedy redshirt freshman Travon Patterson. 3 starters return to the offensive line. Senior Drew Radovich moves from guard to right tackle, while junior Jeff Byers steps in at guard and Nick Howell takes over at center. You may not recognize the running backs, but Carroll has loaded up with former Parade prep All-Americans. Freshman standout RB Joe McKnight anchors a deep backfield, along with freshman RB Marc Tyler.
The defense is loaded, with 10 starters back. They allowed over 20 points only once in their final 6 games (24 points to Notre Dame), while holding Michigan to 18 and holding Oregon and Cal to 10 and 9 points. Up front senior NT Sedrick Ellis and senior DE Lawrence Jackson return. They like 310-lb Walker Lee Ashley, too. LBs junior Kaluka Maiava and Rey's Maualuga anchor a deep linebacking corps along with LBs Dallas Sartz, junior Brian Cushing and senior LB Keith Rivers. Freshman linebacker Arthur Brown was heavily recruited and chose USC. The secondary is stacked with junior CBs Cary Harris and Kevin Thomas.
USC was 6-0 SU, 4-2 ATS at home in 2006 where the Trojans outscored opponents by a 30-15 average. USC is 26-0 SU, 18-8 ATS at home the last four seasons! The schedule is challenging, with a September 15th game at Nebraska (Game No. 2) and later road games at Notre Dame and at Cal. The Trojans are in good shape to be in the running for their third national title game in four years.
California
This is one great coaching staff at Cal, led by Golden Bears head coach Jeff Tedford. They had a great two-year run, going 10-2 in 2004, before rebuilding during an 8-4 campaign in 2005 and last season's 10-3 team. Tedford has a loaded team that should make a run at the Pac 10 title, with 7 starters back on offense and 5 on defense. Cal's offense averaged 32.8 points and 253 yards passing, and returns the nation's best receiving corps and QB Nate Longshore.
Sixth-year coach Tedford is an offensive wizard who turned around Cal, from 1-10 before he got there to surprising 7-5, 8-6, 10-2, 8-4 and 10-3 seasons with offenses that have tallied 35.6 points and 247 yards passing (in 2002), 32.6 points and 264 yards passing per game (2003), 37 points and 256 yards rushing/235 yards passing per game (2004), 33 ppg in 2005 and 32.8 ppg last season. Tedford coached record-setting offenses with the CFL's Calgary Stampeders along with Fresno State and Oregon.
Junior QB Nate Longshore, a former Parade All-American, leads this talented offense and passed for 3,021 yards, 60.2% completions with 24 TDs, 13 picks. The Golden Bears lost stellar running back RB Marshawn Lynch to the NFL and his 1,356 and 1,246 yards the last two seasons. Senior RB Justin Forsett returns after rushing for 626 yards, 5.3 yards per carry. He should do very well behind a talented offensive line and remember that in 2005 Forsett ran for 999 yards, 7.6 yards per carry when Cal ranked ninth nationally in rushing with 235 yards per game.
There is great speed and experience at wideout. Speedy junior WR DeSean Jackson led the team with 1,060 yards and 9 TDs. Jackson was a former Southern California's High School Player of the Year. Former JC transfer junior WR LaVelle Hawkins (originally enrolled at LSU) has great speed and busted out in 2006 with 705 yards and 5 TDs. Senior WR Robert Jordan is the elder statesman of Cal's group of receivers. Jordan was third on the team with 46 catches covering 571 yards with four touchdowns. Senior Sam DeSa, Noah Smith, junior LaReylle Cunningham add more speed and depth to the best receiving corps in the country. The offense should be very strong and balanced again.
The defense returns 5 starters to a solid unit that allowed 19 points and 3.8 yards per rush. They allowed too many passing yards (240 per game) and lose two key players, tackle Brandon Mebane and cornerback Daymeion Hughes. Senior DT Matt Malele anchors the middle, along with junior defensive end Rulon Davis. They like freshman Derrick Hill, senior linebacker Justin Moye is solid while the secondary works in sophomore Syd'Quan Thompson, and freshmen Michael Mohamed and Darian Hagan.
Junior linebacker Zack Follett was one of the 42 top defensive players in the nation to be named to the Lott Trophy watch list for the upcoming 2007 season. The only non-starter in the Pac-10 to earn all-conference honors as a sophomore, he recorded 62 tackles with a team-best 12.5 tackles for loss and was tied for the team-lead with 5.5 sacks. Follett also led the Pac-10 with four forced fumbles. Cal is 33-26 against the spread under Tedford and went 8-0 SU, 4-3 ATS at home last season. They open the season with a revenge game hosting Tennessee and have THE BIG ONE Nov. 10 at home against USC.
Oregon State
Mike Riley's Beavers enjoyed a strong bounce-back campaign, from 5-6 in 2005 to 10-4 SU, 8-5 ATS last season, including a thrilling 39-38 Sun bowl upset of Missouri. Oregon State extended coach Mike Riley's contract through the 2012 season. He will make a guaranteed base salary of $850,000, rising incrementally to $1.1 million in the final year. A new QB steps in, but overall eight starters return on defense, seven on offense, so another winning season is expected. Oregon State's offense averaged 27.8 points and 222 yards passing, while the defense was terrific allowing 20 points per game in Pac 10 play.
6-foot-4 sophomore quarterback Sean Canfield is likely to step in for efficient Matt Moore, who graduated. As a freshman, the lefty Canfield got to play a little and passed for 335 yards on 62% completions for the season, 2 TDs and 2 picks. He will have to battle JUCO transfer Lyle Moevao and the potential fallback is backup 6'-5" senior quarterback Ryan Gunderson. The ground game has talented RB Yvenson Bernard, who ran for 1,307 yards, 4.4 ypc, so there should be balance on offense. He even caught 43 passes for 276 yards. As a junior in 2005 Bernard busted out for 1,321 yards, 13 TDs and 4.4 ypc.
Third-year offensive coordinator Danny Langsdorf will try for balance to keep the pressure off the young QB. Oregon State's offense has 6-2 senior WR Brandon Powers (433), the third leading receiver, and they also return senior WR Anthony Brown (319 yards, 3 TDs). A blow was the loss of speedy senior WR Sammie Stroughter, who led the team with 1,293 receiving yards, 5 TDs. He led the Pac-10 last season but will take an indefinite leave of absence with personal issues. Tight ends John Reese, Joe Halahuni and Howard Croom look to replace big Joe Newton. There is experience and plenty of playmakers all over this offense.
The defense should be strong again with 8 starters back. Senior NT Curtis Coker is back to stuff the run, joined by junior linebacker Bryant Cornell and linebacker Eric Rider. The secondary is loaded, improving the pass defense that finished 117th in the nation in 2005 to just 213 yards per game last fall! Safety Al Afalava joins sophomore safety Bryan Payton and sophomore cornerback Keenan Lewis. Nickel-back James Dockery impressed coaches in the spring.
With that strong defense and balanced offense, note that the Beavers were 9-4 under the total. Oregon State also returns a key weapon in All-American placekicker senior Alexis Serna. The schedule starts off easy, but road games at Cal, USC and Oregon probably will keep them short of a Pac 10 title. Oregon State is 5-9 SU/ATS the last two years as a dog, and 6-13 ATS its last 19 as a dog. A bowl game is likely with all this returning talent and offensive balance.
Oregon
Hopes are high at Oregon for head coach Mike Bellotti, in his 13th season as coach. 13 starters return as the Ducks look to improve on last year's 7-6 season that ended with 4 straight losses. Bellotti shook up his coaching staff considerably. OC Gary Crowton left to take over the LSU offensive coordinator's job, so Oregon brings in Chip Kelly, who engineered high-scoring offensive attacks at the University of New Hampshire for the past eight seasons. It's not like this offense was bad, though, averaging 29 points, 182 yards rushing and 241 passing.
46-year-old Osborne takes over as special teams coach after spending the last six seasons as the assistant head coach. Long-time assistant head coach Neal Zoumboukos will assume the title of special assistant to the director of athletics, while Oregon offensive line coach Steve Greatwood has been promoted to associate head coach. Kelly had served as the UNH Wildcats' offensive coordinator since 1999, where his offenses have averaged better than 400 yards of total offense seven of the last eight years and more than 30 points a game each of the past four seasons.
There's plenty of talent for the coaches to work with. Senior QBs Dennis Dixon and Brady Leaf both return and will have a shot at the No. 1 job. Dixon completed 61% of his passes, but threw 14 picks and 12 TDs. Leaf passed for 917 yards with 6 TDs and 4 INTs. The passing game is expected to take center stage under the new OC, but the Ducks return junior RB Jonathan Stewart, who had 981 yards, 5.4 ypc, and 10 TDs. Oregon returns a strong offensive line, led by junior tackle Max Unger. They will still run the spread offense for the third straight year.
Junior WR Jaison Williams (984 yards) is six-foot-five and led the Ducks in yards, catches and TDs. Senior WR Jordan Kent is ALSO six-foot-five and was second with 491 receiving yards, and so is junior TE Ryan Keeling, giving the Oregon QB plenty of tall targets. Senior WR Cameron Colvin (18, 121 yards) adds depth to a team that averaged 239 yards passing in Pac 10 play. One concern is that Oregon's offense went cold late last season, scoring 10, 10, 28 and 8 points in its final four games (all losses). They had topped 30 points in 7 of the previous 9 games.
Defensively, the Ducks struggled against the run allowing 151 yards per game. Junior Rover Patrick Chung returns with senior DT David Faaeteete and junior DT Nick Reed stepping in. The secondary has senior cornerback Jackie Bates. Bellotti has tabbed his team's linebacker corps as well as the lack of depth at tight end as the areas of greatest concern. There is little doubt that Oregon was not happy with a 2006 season that ended with a 38-8 Las Vegas Bowl loss to BYU after starting the year with four straight wins. "I thought we lost our edge, and that edge can be a combination of confidence and mental toughness," Bellotti said. "We need to develop greater mental toughness." They appear good enough to make another run at a winning record and another bowl game.
UCLA
It was been an unusual two seasons for the Bruins and Head Coach Karl Dorrell, who begins his fifth season. UCLA went 10-2 in 2005, yet it was all offense and no defense. The defense allowed a ridiculous 235 yards rushing AND passing per game! In 2006 the Bruins (7-6 SU, 8-4 ATS) made it to a bowl game with a team that was all defense and little offense! UCLA allowed just 19.9 points and 2.8 yards per rush. New defensive coordinator in DeWayne Walker did a great job and helped fuel the 13-9 upset of USC, which muddled the national title race.
There are high hopes for 2007 with 10 starters back on both sides of the ball. A mostly conservative young offense rolled up 194 yards rushing and 240 yards passing in its bowl game loss to Florida State, so the Bruins can only hope that offensive showing carries over. 6-foot-5 junior QB Ben Olson (5 TDs, 5 picks) started the first five games before injuring his knee against Arizona. Junior QB Pat Cowan started the final eight games of the season. Cowan completed 52.5 percent of his passes, while Olson passed for 822 yards and five touchdowns, completing 63.7 percent of his passes. Cowhan finished with 1,782 yards, 11 TDs, 9 picks and passed for 240 yards in the Emerald bowl.
Offensively, UCLA averaged 330.1 yards -- 200.3 in the air and 129.8 on the ground a year ago. Seven offensive linemen with starting experience return, led by senior right guard Shannon Tevaga, who has started 31 straight overall; senior Chris Joseph, who started all 13 games at guard in 2006; senior Noah Sutherland, who has 16 career starts at tackle; and redshirt sophomore Aleksey Lanis, who started 12 games last season. Senior tackle Brian Abraham has started 10 times in his career, including nine in 2005.
Some of the key skill players returning include senior tailback Chris Markey, who led the Bruins in rushing (1,107 yards) and receiving (35 catches). Markey ran for 144 yards in the bowl game against Florida State. Senior WR Marcus Everett (31 catches, 450 yards) led the team in receiving yards, and they return junior tight end Logan Paulsen, senior WR Brandon Breazell and senior fullback Michael Pitre. In addition, senior wide receiver Joe Cowan returns after missing all of last year due to injury. He made 32 receptions in 2005.
In 2006, the defense limited its first five opponents to 300 or less yards on offense and held seven teams to less than 300 yards overall. UCLA concluded the season ranked 33rd nationally in total defense, allowing 304.83 yards, down from 468.1 in 2005. The Bruins ranked fifth in the nation in third-down conversion defense (28.4%). Among the 10 returning starters are All-America senior defensive end Bruce Davis (12.5 quarterback sacks), and hard-hitting senior strong safety Chris Horton, who led the Bruins with 95 tackles.
Senior middle linebacker Christian Taylor anchors the middle, while senior free safety Dennis Keyes was UCLA's third-leading tackler (79) in 2006. At linebacker, sophomore Reggie Carter is back and earned Freshman All-America honors in 2006. Junior John Hale, senior end Niokla Dragovich, junior tackle Chase Moline and junior end/tackle Kenneth Lombard anchor the line. Senior Trey Brown is one of the top cover corners in the nation, and teams with senior Rodney Van to give UCLA four returning starters in the secondary.
Also back are cornerbacks Alterraun Verner, a Freshman All-American in 2006, and junior Michael Norris, who missed last season due to injury. After going 7-4 and 10-2 "over" the total in 2004 and 2005, the revamped defense helped the Bruins go 10-3 "under" last fall! Road games against Oregon State and USC, plus home dates with Cal and Notre Dame, make it a challenging schedule.
Washington State
Washington State has been one tough team to figure out the last three seasons. In 2005, if you just looked at the stats, you'd think Washington State was terrific: The offense averaged 28 points in Pac 10 play, with 209 yards rushing and 277 passing per game! Yet, they were 4-7 overall and 1-7 in the Pac 10. Naturally, the defense was awful, allowing 31 points and was brutal in Pac 10 play, allowing 319 pass yards per conference contest. Last season the Cougars scored more points than their opponents and had a brilliant offense, with 259 yards passing per game. Yet, they were 6-6 and failed to make a bowl going 0-3 SU/ATS to end the season.
Cougar Head Coach Bill Doba probably is on the hot seat a bit. 14 starters return from last year, seven on offense, five on defense and two kickers. The offense averaged 24.6 points, 128 yards rushing and 259 passing. On the offensive side of the ball, WSU returns starting receivers Michael Bumpus and Brandon Gibson, linemen Bobby Byrd, Dan Rowlands and Kenny Alfred, quarterback Alex Brink and running back Dwight Tardy. Electric senior QB Alex Brink is the key, after throwing for 19 TDs, 10 INTs, 2,899 yards while completing 60% of his passes.
He had a surprising sophomore season in 2005 that saw him throw 24 TDs, 13 INTs and 2,891 yards. His favorite target is WR Brandon Gibson (731 yards, 4 TDs). Versatile senior Michael Bumpus often runs from the backfield, and caught 60 passes for 558 yards. There is depth with senior tight end Jed Collins. Several players will be seeing the Cougar football field for the first time, including junior tight end Devin Frischknecht, a transfer from Snow College, and junior offensive lineman Vaughn Lesuma, who transferred from Mt. San Jacinto College.
The running game has junior running back Dwight Tardy (667 yards) and 5-foot-8 junior RB DeMaundray Woolridge (330 yards, 4.2 ypc). Senior RB Kevin McCall adds depth. The defense was terrible, finishing 115th in the nation in pass defense in 2005 and allowing 250 passing yards per contest last fall. WSU Head coach Bill Doba is moving back to the defensive side of the field and will actively coach the Cougar linebackers and serve as the defensive coordinator, a position he held for nine seasons before being named head coach at the end of the 2002 season. Washington State was 8-4 over the total last fall with that strong offense and weak defense.
Defensively, the five returning starters are tackles Ropati Pitoitua and Aaron Johnson, end Lance Broadus, linebacker Greg Trent and safety Husain Abdullah. Also back is A'i Ahmu, who started three games last fall while battling a foot injury and also had 11 starts in 2005. Freshman defensive back Cornorris Atkins can help the secondary. Several redshirts unable to play last year return to action, including linebackers Chris Baltzer (knee) and Jason Stripling (shoulder) and defensive end Matt Mullennix (knee). The Pac 10 schedule is tough, with road games at USC, Cal and Oregon, so a winning season and a bowl will have to be earned.
Arizona State
Sixth-year Head Coach Dirk Koetter didn't make it to Year 7. Arizona State went 7-6 last season, but Koetter got the axe. What's amazing is that the Sun Devils have three straight winning seasons of 9-3, 7-5 and 7-6. Even more amazing is the replacement: Dennis Erickson. Erickson split after one year at Idaho. Erickson hasn't impressed in any recent coaching positions, and hasn't had much success since his national championship Miami teams in 1989 and 1991.
What is certain is that he will change the offense significantly. Arizona State was pass-happy under Koetter, but Erickson likes a pro-style spread attack mixed in with some ball control/short passing West Coast offense. Teamed with offensive coordinator Rich Olson, there should be enough talent on this offense of 9 returning starters to be productive.
The offense was a big disappointment passing, but the ground game was a huge plus in 2006, averaging 157 yards per game. The driving force of the 2007 ASU offense is its incredible stable of running backs, highlighted by the dangerous combination of senior Ryan Torain (1,229 yards, 5.5 ypc) and junior Keegan Herring (549, 5.8 ypc). The Sun Devil offensive line features five seniors, including standouts Zach Krula, Mike Pollak and Brandon Rodd.
Erickson will try and get more consistency from junior quarterback Rudy Carpenter, who has started 18 consecutive games for the Sun Devils. After the freshman Carpenter stepped in and threw 17 TDs, 2 picks and 2,273 yards in 2005, he struggled last fall early before finishing with 2,523 yards, 23 TDs and 14 picks. Senior wide receiver Rudy Burgess, senior WR Michael Jones (318 yards) and senior tight end Brent Miller (484) round out a deep set of skill position athletes. Arizona State was 8-4 under the total in 2006, with an up and down offense but a surprisingly strong defense.
The Sun Devils defense was decent, allowing 25 points, 113 rush yards and 190 yards passing per contest. Senior safety Josh Barrett, one of the best in the nation at his position, guides the Sun Devil defense. Sophomore defensive end Dexter Davis, senior defensive tackle Michael Marquardt and senior cornerback Justin Tryon enjoyed excellent seasons in 2006.
Arizona State has been a far better home team the last four seasons. They were 4-2 SU at home in 2003 outscoring opponents 31-23, and in 2004 year were 6-0 SU, 4-2 ATS at home outscoring opponents by a 40-22 average. In 2005 they were 4-3 SU/ATS at home, 3-2/2-3 ATS on the road, and last season 4-2 at home. The Sun Devils are 10-13 SU/9-14 ATS on the road the last four seasons. The schedule is favorable, with 8 home games, 4 road games. Road games at Oregon and UCLA are the only tough ones, as they get Cal, USC, Washington and Arizona at home. But is Erickson an improvement?
Arizona
Fourth-year Head Coach Mike Stoops continues his rebuilding job at Arizona. Stoops has a long resume of success as an assistant, most recently with Oklahoma under his brother Bob Stoops. Mike ran the defense during Oklahoma's 2000 National Championship season. His specialty is defense. Arizona did get tougher on defense in 2004, allowing 25 points and 123 rush yards per game, just 3.3 yards per carry, but allowed 183 yards rushing and 225 passing in 2005. Last fall Arizona (5-6) allowed just 18 ppg in Pac 10 play. Younger brother Mark Stoops runs the defense and with 10 starters back, the defense should be tough again.
Arizona returns 7 starters on offense and 10 on defense. As good as the defense was, the offense was positively brutal last year, averaging 16.6 points, 68 yards rushing and 171 passing. The Cats were 105th in I-A in scoring at 16.6 points per game, while holding opponents to 19.6. They found a quarterback in junior Willie Tuitama (7 TDs, 6 INTs). He's a very good runner, and came on late in his freshman season, passing for 1,105 yards, leading the team to upset wins over Oregon State and UCLA (52-14). Thirteen completions in 22 attempts for 336 yards and two scores as Arizona won at Oregon State, 29-27 as a +13 dog. In 2006 he had to do it all as they had no running game.
The running game has averaged only 3.5 and 3.9 yards per carry the last two seasons. They actually had a potential strong ground with 233-pound RB Chris Henry, but he jumped early to the NFL. New OC Sonny Dykes brings a spread offense to the Wildcats for 2007 - and it's about time! There is experience at wideout with junior WR Mike Thomas (771 and 597 yards the last two years), who made his mark in 2005, earning Freshman All-America honors. Senior Anthony Johnson had 26 grabs for 312 yards while junior WR Mike Thomas has 102 career receptions and he'll be a talented focal point.
Junior WRs B.J. Dennard and Bobby McCoy, sophomore Terrell Turner and redshirt freshmen Terrell Reese and Delashaun Dean all have the skills to help UA's corps spread the field. Tight end veterans include junior Travis Bell and senior Brandyn McCall, with redshirt freshman A.J. Simmons ready to contend. The H-back spot is solid with sophomore Earl Mitchell, junior Brandon Lopez and redshirt freshman Brooks Reed.
The offensive line returns intact behind senior left tackle Peter Graniello, juniors Bill Wacholz (G) and Eddie Rollmann (C/G) and sophomore Joe Barresi (G) adds depth. The Wildcat front five was poor in pass protection and didn't do much to open up holes for Henry. Fullback junior Brandon Lopez adds experience to the backfield. The Cats are equipped with a pair of veteran tailbacks in senior Chris Jennings and sophomore Xavier Smith, plus had soph Terry Longbons and redshirt freshman Glyndon Bolasky. Jennings was good enough to unseat junior Chris Henry for six starts in 2006, and good enough to gain 451 yards - 201 of those in one game.
Arizona runs a 4-3 defense. The defensive side has senior All-American candidates on each unit - cornerback Antoine Cason in the secondary, linebacker Spencer Larsen and defensive end Louis Holmes. They are returning starters in senior cornerback Wilrey Fontenot, senior defensive tackle Lionel Dotson and linebacker Dane Krogstad, plus three-year lettermen in defensive end Jason Parker. The team had 15 sacks in 2006, its lowest in Stoops' three years. Arizona is 10-5 ATS its last 15 as an underdog and they were 5-0 UNDER the total at home last fall.
Washington
This is a key season for Washington and coach Ty Willingham. 6 starters return on both sides of the ball and the recruiting classes have been very strong. They upset Fresno, UCLA and Arizona in September of 2006 to go 4-1, but then lost a ton of close games to finish 5-7. Is this their breakout/bowl year? "We have got to get to a bowl game, and the time is now," coach Tyrone Willingham said in the spring.
The offense isn't that bad, averaging 128 yards rushing, 21.8 points and 193 passing. 6 starters return on offense, but they need a new quarterback. The kid to watch is talented sophomore QB Jake Locker, a blue-chipper. Willingham has made it known how highly the coaching staff regards the blue-chip talent from Ferndale, Wash. Locker has move to the top of the depth chart at quarterback partly because of offseason shoulder surgery to senior QB Carl Bonnell, the Huskies starter for the final five games last season.
Washington has just two tailbacks on its roster -- senior Louis Rankin and junior J.R. Hasty. Rankin led Washington with 666 yards rushing and had four rushing touchdowns last year, while Hasty has yet to run the ball in college, hampered for one year by academic problems. Juan Garcia, Ben Ossai and Chad Macklin return along the offensive line, but Washington lost both starting guards. Competing for one of those spots will be 6-foot-8, 375-pound junior Morgan Rosborough.
The defense has 6 starters back and was awful against the pass allowing 240 yards in the air each game. The defensive line returns all four starters. Behind the defensive line is another area of transition. Gone at linebacker are Scott White and Tahj Bomar, with Dan Howell the only starter back. Half the secondary returns, but the Huskies lost two of their most talented defensive players in safety C.J. Wallace and cornerback Dashon Goldson.
The schedule is not easy, with a home schedule of Boise State (Sept. 8), Ohio State (Sept. 15), USC (Sept. 29), Oregon (Oct. 20), Arizona (Oct. 27), California (Nov. 17) and Washington State (Nov. 24). Washington is just 4-13 SU/8-11 ATS on the road the last four seasons! "We were close to being a bowl team last year. Obviously we did not make it, but our goal does not change," Willingham said. While many expect a breakout season, we expect the Huskies to fall short of a winning season with the kid QB and a tough schedule.
Stanford
There's no doubt Stanford was snakebitten last fall, with an endless array of injuries in a 1-11 SU, 3-9 ATS campaign. It cost head coach Walt Harris his job, so Stanford brings in rising coaching star Jim Harbaugh. He was outstanding in Division-1AA, going 29-6 at San Diego over the last three years highlighted by an 11-1 2006 campaign. Harbaugh's specialty is offense as San Diego led Division-1AA in total offense (494 yards per game), passing offense (293 yards per game) and scoring (42.8 points per game). He likes a balanced attack.
It will take some time. Senior quarterback T.C. Ostrander will likely be handed the job after passing for 915 yards, 3 TDs and 5 picks. He only completed 45% of his passes, so it's possible that junior QB Tavita Pritchard or star recruits Kellin Kiilsgaard or L.D. Crow get the nod. Junior RB Anthony Kimble is back and led the Cardinal with 470 yards rushing, a respectable 4.1 ypc on a bad team. 6-3 junior WR Richard Sherman was impressive as a sophomore leading the team with 581 receiving yards, 17.1 yard per catch, along with senior WR Evan Moore.
Harbaugh had dominating defenses at San Diego. Spring workouts began with a defensive dominated "Oklahoma Drill" featuring one-on-one blocking competitions between the offensive and defensive lines, the wide receivers and the defensive backs and the linebackers against the tight ends. The defense played well in spring drills, and 7 starters return, led by soph LB Will Powers and senior linebacker Brandon Willetts. Senior NT Gustev Rystedt returns up front. The secondary returns junior cornerback Wopamo Osaisai, and Carlos McFall and Eric Lorig.
Stanford carries a 10-0 run UNDER the total into the new season! They open the year with 4 straight home games, including the opener against UCLA, which coaches and players have been talking about since spring. Playing 3 of 4 road games in October is brutal, plus season ending games against Cal and Notre Dame. They won't have a winning season, but keep a close eye on the new attitude brought in by coach Harbaugh, who built a Division 1AA school into a powerhouse.
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