A look at how prognosticators from around the country view this week's games.

Tim Sullivan, New York Post: Texas keeps plodding along. Oklahoma is 0-2 in its only true tests. Yes, Sam Bradford is back, but that's not enough for the Sooners. Take the Longhorns and give the points in the Red River Rivalry.

Jon Wilner, San Jose Mercury News: Idaho can become bowl eligible with a victory against Hawaii. Don't worry about the points because the Vandals are going to cover with ease. In the Pacific 10, watch out for those Washington Huskies at Arizona State.

Mike Hlas, Cedar Rapids Gazette: Hlastradamus loves friendly Pete Carroll more than surly Charlie Weis, but business is business. Take Notre Dame and the points against USC.

Double D, Boston Herald: The conservative playcalling of Jim Tressel is to blame for Terrelle Pryor falling way short of expectations. Nonethless, Ohio State is overdue for an offensive explosion. Take the Buckeyes and lay the points at Purdue.

John Werner, Waco Tribune-Herald: Baylor's offense is still trying to find itself without Robert Griffin. Playing Iowa State should help. The Bears win, 27-24.

Chuck Carlton, Dallas Morning News: Texas Tech quarterback Steven Sheffield is mobile, just maybe not enough to avoid Ndamukong Suh. Nebraska wins, 41-36.

Phil Steele: The top 25 forecast calls for Virginia Tech to defeat Georgia Tech, 34-27. In Madison, look for Wisconsin to edge Iowa, 24-23.

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Despite an early touchdown drive where the offensive line opened up huge holes, the Trojans reverted back to the same recipe for disaster that annually costs them a game in Pac-10 play: Turnovers, Penalties and Questionable offensive play calls. It is very difficult to overcome these problems when you are playing the second of back-to-back road games and are without your starting QB Matt Barkley and All American Safety Taylor Mays.

The Trojans had the ball within or near the red zone six times and only walked away with 13 points and turned the ball over 3 times. They were a combined 0-11 on 3rd and 4th down and could only muster 110 yards passing, the lowest in the Pete Carroll era.

The offensive coaching staff botched an attempt to get a field goal off at the end of the first half by running the ball with no timeouts left and played not to lose at the end of the game instead of rolling Corp out and trying to attack the end zone.

(Potential offensive solutions after the jump)

The Trojans are playing the second of back-to-back road games and this game comes after a huge emotional win over Ohio State. The coaches and players have been battling a bit of the flu bug with McKnight missing the last two practices and the Trojans are most likely starting a new Quarterback this week and All-American Safety Taylor Mays is banged up.

Also, the Huskies are more talented than they get credit for and have possibly the most dynamic QB in the country in Junior Jake Locker. He is a step up from Ohio State coach Tyrelle Pryor. "Jake is one of the best players I've ever seen in this conference in all the years we've been here. He's the most extraordinary athlete at his position that we've seen. I saw that as a freshman. Said USC Head Coach Pete Carroll "So now with Sark's coaching and the scheme and everybody all pumped up around him, that makes him extremely dangerous."

Forget about last season's 0-12 record. Before Locker got hurt last year the Huskies were competitive (lost by 1 pt. to #15 BYU on a controversial celebration penalty) and the team gave up on lame duck coach Tyrone Willingham. Though Willingham was not the right coach for Washington, he did do a very good job of recruiting top skill position players.

1. Barkley on a big stage: USC's freshman quarterback passed his first test against San Jose State, but things will be much tougher for Matt Barkley at Ohio State. It's hard to imagine he won't struggle, but if he shines and leads the Trojans into the national title chase, buckle up for the hype that will commence.
2. Prince of Rocky Top: Speaking of young quarterbacks, UCLA's redshirt freshman Kevin Prince is not as young as Barkley but his supporting casts is much younger, and Neyland Stadium at Tennessee is just as tough as the Horseshoe, even if the Volunteers are a step or two behind the Buckeyes. How will Prince and the Bruins O-line perform on the road, where UCLA traditionally struggles?
3. Take three on young QBs: Not to establish a theme or anything, but redshirt freshman Andrew Luck leads Stanford across the country for an early PDT kickoff at Wake Forest with a chance for the Cardinal to announce to the college football world that they are again a contender not to be trifled with.
4. Ducks Blounted: Oregon needs to beat Purdue to salvage its season. That sounds extreme, but the Ducks are back at home and they are a vastly superior team. If they don't prevail, it won't be because the better team won. It will be because the Ducks suffered a Boise State hangover that could well last the entire season. If Oregon wins, they likely will be able to look at the schedule ahead and know they have a lot to play for. Shoot, a victory over Utah on Sept. 19 should get them back into the top-25.
5. Secondary test for Beavers: The first order of business is can Oregon State's rebuilt secondary thwart a strong UNLV receiving corps -- Ryan Wolfe and Phillip Payne are a Pac-10-worthy combination. The second is can the Beavers win an early-season nonconference game on the road? Their recent track record -- LSU, Boise State, Louisville, Cincinnati, Penn State, Utah -- isn't good. If Oregon State does prevail, it will be 2-0 and a long way toward not repeating a 2-3 start for the fourth consecutive year.
6. Huskies winning streak: It might not last long -- USC comes to town on Sept. 19 -- but Washington should be on a one-game winning streak by Saturday afternoon with Idaho coming to town. That winning streak, obviously, will end a 15-game losing streak. It will be interesting to see if the Huskies pounce with a relentless hunger to win or if they are flat after the emotional effort vs. LSU.
7. Cougars offense steps up: Hawaii needed a fourth-quarter comeback to beat Central-Arkansas, an FCS program. The Warriors only have two starters back on defense. They are projected to finish in the bottom half of the WAC. This is a prime time for the Cougars to get a win. It would be a particularly good time for the offense, which showed some life against Stanford, to put up some numbers -- and points, which might mean either Kevin Lopina or Marshall Lobbestael would establish himself as the starter.
8. Best 200 before the half?: Cal didn't need Jahvid Best in the second half of its blowout win over Maryland. But if his Heisman Trophy candidacy is going to pick up steam, he might want to post some fancy numbers against FCS team Eastern Washington. Or maybe coach Jeff Tedford wants to rest him before the Bears head to Minnesota.
9. Passing Wildcats: Arizona is going to beat Northern Arizona, but the Wildcats night won't be a success unless they walk into the post-game locker room feeling good about their quarterback situation before heading to Iowa. That means a quality, confidence-building outing for Matt Scott and some good reps for backup Nick Foles.
10. Nonconference tests: When the smoke clears Saturday, how will the Pac-10 stand up to against a tough nonconference schedule? There are six games here that are "losable." If USC goes down, the conference won't have much say in the national championship race, unless Cal surges. If UCLA gets whipped at Tennessee, the SEC folks will howl with delight. If Stanford goes down at Wake Forest, it will be played as "the Pac-10 lacks depth." If Oregon loses to Purdue, the Chip Kelly doubters will be out in force. If the Huskies lose to Idaho, all the goodwill from the LSU game will go splat. If Oregon Sate loses at UNLV, the Mountain West will start crowing again. If the Cougars lose to Hawaii, the specter of a winless season will appear. There's lots at stake this weekend.

1. Kelly green or blue: Chip Kelly makes his debut as Oregon's head coach at Boise State in a matchup of ranked teams on ESPN. If the Ducks look well-prepared and poised and -- most important -- win, the majority of questions about whether Kelly was ready to take over for Mike Bellotti will go away. If they are sloppy and lose, well, Kelly will experience his first heat since making a huge splash as the offensive coordinator in 2007.
2. Can Sarkisian's Huskies compete? Some folks have been, curiously, touting Washington's capability to upset visiting LSU. Hmm. While there's a strong sense that the Huskies, particularly with the return of a healthy Jake Locker at quarterback, are significantly better than their 0-12 record from 2008 would indicate, being significantly better than winless means only a couple of wins, not an upset of an SEC superpower. The big picture matters here, even more than how Locker looks as a pro-style quarterback: Will the Huskies fight and claw for four quarters and keep this one respectable?
3. Best for first: Perhaps California running back Jahvid Best's worst memory from 2008 was his performance at Maryland. Not only did he have only 25 yards on 10 carries, he also got smashed on a pass play and threw up while the TV cameras were on him. Well, the Terrapins are coming to Memorial Stadium with a rebuilding defense, and Best is supposed to be the West Coast's leading Heisman Trophy candidate. Good time for him to break out a few highlight-reel runs so his post-game film and YouTube clips are better this time.
4. Can Wulff's Cougars compete? Much like its hated cross-state rivals, Washington State is trying to return to the realm of respectability after a dismal 2-11 finish last season, which included a 58-0 pasting at Stanford. While the Cougars will tell you they are going for the upset, the real mission here is to keep the score respectable and fight for four quarters. If the Cardinal again run over the Cougars -- this time in front of a Martin Stadium crowd -- the heat might turn up on Wulff, whether that is fair or not.
5. Says Barkley, "Hello world!" While the game might not be terribly thrilling, USC's matchup with San Jose State will be the debut of super-frosh quarterback Matt Barkley, who takes over the premier position in college football as an 18-year-old. If Barkley is lights-out, then Heisman talk will begin and the hype before the Trojans visit Ohio State will be epic. If Barkley struggles, then the hand-wringing and second-guessing will begin and the hype before the Trojans visit Ohio State will be epic.
6. Who the heck is Arizona's quarterback? Perhaps Arizona coach Mike Stoops will send out a quarterback against Central Michigan with a mask on and a "?" for his number. While most signs point to Matt Scott getting the start and Nick Foles seeing some action, Stoops has refused to reveal who will take the first snap. His most definitive statement is both will play. Maybe. The Chippewas are not a team to take lightly, so the hope is whoever is at quarterback will capably lead the offense. The guess here is Stoops and offensive coordinator Sonny Dykes would like to have a true starter before the trip to Iowa on Sept. 19.
7. Prince or pauper on offense? UCLA's redshirt freshman quarterback Kevin Prince makes his debut against San Diego State -- L.A. fires permitting -- and Bruins fans are hoping last year's horrible offensive showing will be rendered a distant memory as Prince and a youthful offensive line dominate the action. The reality figures to fall short of that as Prince likely will only be as good as his line, which may struggle with three first-time starters going against a peculiar 3-3-5 scheme. If the Bruins can't block the Aztecs, then it won't have much hope against Pac-10 defenses.
8. Secondary test: Portland State won't beat Oregon State, but its high-flying passing attack might test the Beavers' rebuilt secondary. At least a little. In any event, an FCS foe means the Beavers will start 1-0, which is 100 percent better than 2008.
9. Suspended sentence: Arizona State will be missing six or seven suspended players -- coach Dennis Erickson wouldn't be specific -- against Idaho State. And there are injury issues. A good way to get fans' minds off the recent bad news is for the Sun Devils rebuilding offense to push Idaho State around and for new quarterback Danny Sullivan to put up big numbers before yielding to true freshman backup Brock Osweiler in the third quarter.
10. Quarterbacks and offensive lines: Every Pac-10 team has preseason questions either at quarterback or on the offensive line. A few have questions with both. While one weekend won't provide complete answers, it should reveal which teams are going to be OK fairly soon and which teams need work. And who might be in big trouble. If the Pac-10 is going to thrive when the meat of the nonconference schedule hits during the next couple of weeks, it's going to need quarterbacks and O-lines to grow up quickly.

News and notes around the Pac-10 as preseason camps transition toward game week.

• Arizona: The plot thickens at quarterback after Nick Foles outplayed Matt Scott in Saturday's scrimmage, just as it appeared Scott was going to be named the starter. Offensive coordinator Sonny Dykes told me last week that he'd likely make a call by Monday or Tuesday, but we shall see.
• Arizona State: Coach Dennis Erickson confirmed quarterback Danny Sullivan will start the season-opener against Idaho State, but the defense dominated the weekend scrimmage, with true freshman linebacker Vontaze Burfict continuing to make plays. True freshman Brock Osweiler may be Sullivan's backup because Samson Szakacsy is nursing tendonitis in his right elbow.
• California: There is no reason to believe Kevin Riley won't be Cal's starting quarterback against Maryland, and that announcement is expected on Wednesday. In fact, coach Jeff Tedford seems so confident about the Bears' roster, preseason camp is on the cusp of transitioning into game preparation after a day off. One thing that as of yet is unclear is who will be the fourth starting linebacker.
• Oregon: If you're wondering how Oregon's offense might change this fall, look at how well the receivers are catching the ball. The Ducks, with quarterback Jeremiah Masoli owning a deeper understanding of the offense -- and the offensive line not as powerful as 2008 -- figure to throw downfield a lot more. But the story of camp might be how well the defense is playing.
• Oregon State: It appears that both Rodgers brothers, James and Jacquizz, will be good to go for the opener, but quarterback Lyle Moevao is still a ways away, meaning Sean Canfield likely will have to lose the starting job this season. As far as team concerns, it appears the defense is going to be OK -- more than OK -- but the offensive line is young and thin.
• Stanford: Redshirt freshman Andrew Luck only increased his lead over senior Tavita Pritchard during preseason practices, and Luck will have a much deeper receiving corps to work with this fall. It appears the offensive line will feature two redshirt freshmen starters.
• UCLA: Things are going according to expectation. The defense looks very good but there hasn't been much consistency at quarterback and along the offensive line. Tailback Christian Ramirez has struggled with injuries.
• USC: While the quarterback competition has garnered the most headlines -- Aaron Corp must return to practice by Tuesday if he wants to beat out freshman Matt Barkley for the opener vs. San Jose State -- the Trojans' defensive line might be down two starters when it plays at Ohio State on Sept. 12, with end Armond Armstead (broken foot, out) and tackle Averell Spicer (ankle, questionable) hurting. Nonetheless, the defense has mostly controlled things during the preseason.
• Washington: Johri Fogerson's switch from safety to running back looks like a success -- he could share snaps with Chris Polk. There has been an apparent shakeup in the receiving pecking order, with true freshman James Johnson and Jordan Polk and Devin Aguilar running with the first unit, ahead of D'Andre Goodwin and Jermaine Kearse.
• Washington State:  The quarterback competition between Kevin Lopina and Marshall Lobbestael is on-going, though Lopina has seemed to be ahead while Lobbestael tries to regain his form after knee surgery. There also is uncertainty due to injuries at receiver and left tackle, where sophomore Steven Ayers, freshman Tyson Pencer and junior Joe Eppele are competing.

Sunday, Oct. 25: Cardinal and Gold game (exhibition)
Saturday, Nov. 7: TBA (exhibition)
Tuesday, Nov. 17: vs. UC Riverside
Saturday, Nov. 21: vs. Loyola Marymount
Friday, Nov. 27: vs. Coppin State
Sunday, Nov. 29: vs. Nebraska
Thursday, Dec. 3: at Texas
Saturday, Dec. 5: at Georgia Tech
Tuesday, Dec. 8: vs. Sacramento State
Friday, Dec. 11: vs. Idaho State
Saturday, Dec. 19: vs. Tennessee
Tue.-Fri., Dec. 22-25: Diamond Head Classic at Honolulu
Thursday, Dec. 31: vs. Arizona State
Saturday, Jan. 2: vs. Arizona
Thursday, Jan. 7: at Cal
Saturday, Jan. 9: at Stanford
Saturday, Jan. 16: at UCLA
Thursday, Jan. 21: vs. Washington State
Saturday, Jan. 23: vs. Washington
Thursday, Jan. 28: at Oregon State
Saturday, Jan. 30: at Oregon
Thursday, Feb. 4: vs. Stanford
Saturday, Feb. 6: vs. Cal
Saturday, Feb. 13: vs. UCLA
Thursday, Feb. 18: at Washington
Saturday, Feb. 20: at Washington State
Thursday, Feb. 25: vs. Oregon
Saturday, Feb. 27: vs. Oregon State
Thursday, March 4: at Arizona
Saturday, March 6: at Arizona State
Wed.-Sat., March 10-13: Pac-10 Tournament at Staples Center

No. 5

O'Dowd

Kristofer O'Dowd, C, USC: What's the deal with the Pac-10 and centers of late? California's Alex Mack and Oregon's Max Unger likely will be selected in the first two rounds of this month's NFL draft, and O'Dowd may shortly join them -- he projects as being the first center selected in the 2010 NFL draft if he opts to bypass his senior season. He also joined them as a member of the first-team All-Pac-10 offensive line last year as a true sophomore. The 6-foot-5, 300-pound Tucson, Ariz., native -- a former Parade All-American -- will be the anchor of what will be one of the nation's best offensive lines this fall, though he is sitting out spring practices after shoulder surgery. O'Dowd has physical skills. In the 2007 opener vs. Idaho, he became the first USC true freshman to start at center and just the third Trojan freshman to start on the offensive line in a season opener, post-World War II. He's also smart, which helps when you're calling the line signals for the Trojans' complicated offense. He's the total package, almost a sure thing to earn All-American honors, barring injury.

6. Brian Price, DT, UCLA
7. Damian Williams, WR, USC
8. Syd'Quan Thompson, CB, California
9. Jeremiah Masoli, QB, Oregon
10. Walter Thurmond, CB, Oregon
11. Jake Locker, QB, Washington
12. Joe McKnight, RB, USC
13. Dexter Davis, DE, Arizona State
14. LeGarrette Blount, RB, Oregon
15. Alterraun Verner, CB, UCLA
16. Ed Dickson, TE, Oregon
17. Charles Brown, OT, USC
18. Will Tukuafu, DE, Oregon
19. Josh Pinkard, DB, USC
20. Reggie Carter, LB, UCLA
21. Stafon Johnson, RB, USC
22. James Rodgers, WR, Oregon State
23. Daniel Te'o-Nesheim, DE, Washington
24. Lawrence Guy, DT, Arizona State; Stephen Paea, DT, Oregon State
25. Toby Gerhart, RB, Stanford
26. Tyson Alualu, DE, California
27. Devin Ross, CB, Arizona
28. Keaton Kristick, LB, Oregon State
29. Brooks Reed, DE, Arizona
30. Everson Griffen, DE, USC

Washington will announce its new defensive coordinator today at 3 p.m. (PDT), but multiple reports said that Steve Sarkisian has convinced USC defensive coordinator Nick Holt to follow him to Seattle.

Here's a short story on why Holt might take a pay cut to leave the Trojans.

The "why" is simple: Holt wasn't widely viewed as the guy running USC's touted defense -- that was Pete Carroll.

If Holt wants another shot at a head coaching job -- something other than a dead end like Idaho -- he needs to earn more kudos for his Xs and Os talents.

Plus, if he helps lead Washington out of the dregs that will be a huge resume highlight.

You probably know him as Flea, the bassist for the Red Hot Chili Peppers. The legendary group has sold over 50 million albums, won six Grammy Awards, and topped the Modern Rock charts a record eleven times.

The 45-year-old is listed as an "undergraduate visitor" in USC's Thornton School of Music. Balzary probably has a leg up on most of his classmates, considering he founded the Silverlake Conservatory of Music and, oh, yeah ... is a rock icon. While he's on campus several times per week, don't expect any dorm sightings -- Flea's a commuter student.

Besides collaborating with legendary artists like Jane's Addiction, Nirvana, and Alanis Morisette, Balzary has appeared in The Big Lebowski, My Own Private Idaho, and one of the Back to the Future movies. His latest "appearance" was at USC's football practice -- he stopped by after class because he heard a commotion. The Trojans were playing simulated crowd noise to mimic their upcoming road trip to Oregon State, and the practice field is adjacent to the music school.

You may know that Balzary is a huge sports fan and blogs about his beloved Lakers on NBA.com.

No word if the team will try a flea flicker this season in his honor.

Of course, Balzary isn't the only music celebrity starting his undergraduate studies at USC this year. Percy Miller, better known in his rap career as Romeo (a.k.a. Lil' Romeo), is on scholarship to play basketball for the Trojans.

-- Adam Rose
Photo by Kristian Dowling/Getty Images

For entertainment purposes only. And if I'm wrong, I'm guessing you'll be entertained.

Oregon State 24, Stanford 20: This smelled like a potential Stanford upset, but then the Cardinal got hit with a couple of injuries on the OL and at WR, so the Beavers get the nod in a game that figures to be low scoring. Oregon State's biggest edge is at the skill positions, and here's a guess that QB Lyle Moevao will be much smoother this season distributing the ball.

Oklahoma State 38, Washington State 24: The Cougars were hit hard by bad news this week with DT Andy Roof being kicked out of school and OT Dan Rowlands retiring due to recurring shoulder problems. The Cougars are thin on both lines. Meanwhile, the Cowboys' offensive line boasts 89 career starts, which makes this a mismatch up front.

USC 42, Virginia 10: The biggest point of interest here is how well USC QB Mark Sanchez plays after his rapid recovery from a dislocated knee. It's also worth watching to see how Pete Carroll distributes the ball among his six tailbacks. And you might want to catch the nation's best defense. Virginia is rebuilding, with just 11 starters back, and the Trojans don't do that. 

California 28, Michigan State 24: This might be the best matchup of the weekend. Kevin Riley surged late to win the Bears QB job over Nate Longshore, but Longshore is expected to see some action. Will TB Jahvid Best put on a show? Speaking of shows, Spartans tailback Javon Ringer and a huge OL will test the Bears' new 3-4 look.

Oregon 35, Washington 24: Justin Roper takes over Oregon's spread-option offense after Nate Costa went down with a knee injury, and his strong performance in the Sun Bowl suggests he is fully capable. He'll get a lot of help from Jeremiah Johnson and LeGarrette Blount in the backfield and an offensive line that should have its way with the young Huskies front. A Washington upset will require a spectacular performance from QB Jake Locker, which is not beyond the realm of possibility.

Arizona 44, Idaho 20: Arizona needs a fast start and it will get it here. The veteran Wildcats offense should look good out of the gate, even without outstanding TE Rob Gronkowski. Moreover, the young defense probably will build up its confidence against an overmatched Idaho offense.

Arizona State 48, Northern Arizona 17: The Sun Devils get a preseason game. They might want to recall Appalachian State at Michigan a year ago and remember to show up.

Tennessee 27, UCLA 17: New UCLA coach Rick Neuheisel's debut is a tough one, with an SEC power coming to town. The UCLA defense and special teams could keep this one close, but the offense  -- even with guru Norm Chow calling the shots -- figures to struggle mightily against a tough Vols DL.   

For Cushing, playing a full season in 2008 is vital because he wants to be a first-round pick in the NFL draft. Some mock drafts list him as a potential first-rounder, if he can stay healthy.

"That would be helpful, because he has been banged up," USC coach Pete Carroll said. "This year will have something to say about his status if he missed a number of games."

Cushing said missing nearly 33 percent of two seasons is impossible to ignore, so he knows the NFL will inquire about it.

"I'm sure the NFL will ask, they're always looking for things," he said. "But I'm in my best shape and playing my best football ever right now. Mentally, I've never been close

to what I am now."

 

Durability is key in the NFL so Cushing needs to keep on playing his heart out and not get bit by the injury bug.

While he toyed with leaving for the NFL after last season his coming back for his senior season will go a long way to building his stock up with NFL scouts of course the key will be to stay healthy.

Although Cushing missed four games last season, he said he considered coming out early but spoke to Carroll and former USC linebacker Keith Rivers, who returned for his senior season and increased his stock.

"I knew it was the best thing to come back," Cushing said.

The temptation was there for Cushing, who earned All-American honors despite recording just 25 tackles. Some of his hits are so memorable, however, he probably gets more mileage out of his tackles than most players, except maybe middle linebacker Rey Maualuga. Cushing's potential always intrigued NFL teams, and he admitted even in April he wondered about his status.

"After watching the draft, I asked a lot of questions where I stood," Cushing said. "I wondered what teams thought of me. Next year, who knows what position they will want me to play?

It would have been weird not to have Cushing around this season when you consider that he and Rey have been practically joined at the hip since the arrived at USC. It definitely would not have felt right.

Cushing overcame a lot coming all the way from NJ. I was fortunate enough to see him play as senior. He was cocky and brash then but I could see why it was hasrd not to be. He was heading to USC a school who had just won a BCS title and who had put together one of the best defenses in nation and probably one of the most explosive offenses in the history of college football. Cush had his moments of being home hick but he quickly got into the groove in L.A. and when he has been on the field he has had some great moments.

He has turned into a leader and there is a good chance that he could be named co-team captain this week. That would be a good move as his vocal demeanor will go a long way to to setting the tone on defense.

He has been fun to watch while he has been here at USC, but it is not over yet and this season is for all the marbles.