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November 17, 2005

Andrew Joyner
Rivals.com College Football Editor

Rivalry games take center stage this week in the Pac-10 as Washington State travels to Washington; Oregon hosts Oregon State and California visits Stanford. For Oregon, the Civil War game stands between it and a 10-1 season and possible BCS bowl berth. As for the other two ? the Apple Cup and the Big Game, respectively -- they should also provide drama but not the national importance of the contest in Eugene. In the week's other game, No. 1 Southern Cal hosts No. 16 Fresno State in what should be the Trojans biggest test in a few weeks.

Washington State (3-7, 0-7 Pac-10) at Washington (2-8, 1-6)
Saturday, 12:15 p.m.
The Daily Line: Washington State -2.5

Washington State player to watch: Jerome Harrison leads the nation in rushing at 169.3 yards per game. With 143 yards last week against Oregon, Harrison extended his season total to a WSU-record 1,693 yards. Harrison has also rushed for 100 yards or more in 13 straight games, a Pac-10 record.
Washington players to watch: James Sims was a workhorse in the win at Arizona last Saturday. Sims rushed for a career-high 200 yards on 30 carries and had a touchdown.
The inside scoop: This game seemed destined to be a matchup between two teams without a Pac-10 victory, but the Huskies "upset" Arizona last week to avoid that. The Cougars have to be the most snake-bitten team in the nation. Washington State fell to Oregon 34-31 last week to mark the fifth time this season it has lost a Pac-10 game by four points or fewer.
Washington will win if ? it continues to run the ball successfully. Washington State ranks near the bottom 10 in Division I-A in terms of total defense and last week the Huskies racked up 333 yards on the ground. Running well against a porous defense is the perfect ingredient for success.
Washington State will win if ? simply it finally gets a nod from the football gods this weekend.
Note: Washington has won the last three at home with the last Washington State victory at Husky Stadium coming in 1997.
The pick: Washington State 27, Washington 24.

Oregon State (5-5, 3-4) at No. 10 Oregon (9-1, 6-1)
Saturday, 3:45 p.m.
The Daily Line: Oregon -13.5

Oregon State players to watch: Ryan Gunderson will replace the injured Matt Moore at quarterback, and that will certainly be something to keep and eye on. Mike Hass leads the nation in receiving yards per game at 142.5 yards per game. He has moved into second place on the Pac-10 career receiving yards chart with 3,817, just 230 yards behind former Stanford standout Troy Walters. With 1,425 receiving yards this season, Hass is just 95 yards short of the Pac-10 single-season record of 1,520 by Johnnie Morton of USC in 1993.
Oregon players to watch: The focus is still on Dennis Dixon and Brady Leaf as they continue to swap time at quarterback. Last week in the win over Washington State, the duo combined to complete 28 of 39 passes for 296 yards, two touchdowns and one interception. It's still, however, a fragile balance, and offensive coordinator Gary Crowton will need to hold it together.
The inside scoop: It is a cliché but the intensity of this rivalry makes the records coming in irrelevant. Oregon needs a win to have any chance of slipping into BCS consideration, while the Beavers need a win to become bowl eligible. The quarterback situation with Oregon is still tenuous, but Oregon State's defense may not be able to expose that and therein is perhaps the key to the game.
Oregon State will win if ? it can rattle the young QBs of Oregon, find Hass enough holes in the defense and play as if it needs this game more than the Ducks.
Oregon will win if ? Dixon and Leaf stay steady and the Ducks are driven by the possible lure of a BCS games.
Note: This will be the 109th meeting of the Civil War, which is the longest college football series on the West Coast. The teams first met in 1894.
The pick: Oregon 31, Oregon State 17.

California (6-4, 3-4) at Stanford (5-4, 4-3)
Saturday, 4 p.m., ABC
The Daily Line: California -4

California players to watch: Cal coach Jeff Tedford was considering a change at quarterback all week. Either starter Joe Ayoob or backup Steve Levy will get the nod. Marshawn Lynch with 929 yards and Justin Forsett with 912 could both crack the 1,000-yard rushing barrier. If that happens, it would be just the third time in Pac-10 history a team had a pair of 1,000-yard rushers. Cal did it once before in 1990 with Anthony Wallace and Russell White while the USC duo of Reggie Bush and LenDale White has done it this year.
Stanford player to watch: The Cardinal made changes at the wide receiver position a few weeks back, and it's starting to pay dividends. Justin McCullum has picked up the slack with 16 catches for 257 yards and three touchdowns the last two games.
The inside scoop: The Big Game might be the most intriguing one of all the rivalry games this weekend. Teams are evenly matched and both have had very up-and-down seasons. A Stanford win would mean a bowl berth, and nothing would endear new coach Walt Harris to his fans more than getting the bowl-qualifying win against Cal.
California will win if ? Lynch and Forsett can eat up yards on the ground and control the game. Despite the great rushing attack, the Bears have had serious problems establishing that ground game in crucial games.
Stanford will win if ? it gets a lift from the crowd and Trent Edwards provides a final great performance for his up-and-down career.
Note: This will be the 108th meeting between the two schools.
The pick: Stanford 27, California 23.

No. 16 Fresno State (8-1) at No.1 USC (10-0)
Saturday, 7:15 p.m., FSN
The Daily Line: USC -23.5

Fresno State player to watch: Senior quarterback Paul Pinegar has a 30-9 record ? including 3-0 in bowl games ? as a starter for the Bulldogs. Pinegar has moved up the career charts in passing yards, total offense and touchdown passes. For his career, Pinegar has 8,843 passing yards and 72 career touchdown passes.
USC players to watch: USC may have the best pair of wide receivers in the land in Steve Smith (47 receptions, 858 yards, 18.3 per catch and 4 TDs) and sophomore Dwayne Jarrett (70 receptions, 1,033 yards, 14.8 per catch and 14 TDs). They are on pace to become USC's second pair of receivers with 1,000 yards receiving each.
The inside scoop: Fresno State will present the toughest challenge for the Trojans in several weeks. The Bulldogs have both a capable offense and a stingy defense. While nobody has beaten USC in the last 32 games, certainly Fresno State's combination a good offense and solid defense are ingredients you would need to pull the upset. The Trojans, however, seem to be tightening their focus recently and when they do that, they are next to unbeatable. In fact, they are unbeatable.
Fresno State will win if ? Pinegar and the Bulldogs can manage to keep the Trojans' offense on the sidelines while also scoring points. That's the gameplan to beat the Trojans, but the last 32 opponents have failed to do that.
USC will win if ? it doesn't look ahead to the showdown with UCLA and plays as if it is a little miffed with all the attention Texas has received of late. The Trojans may want to make their own statement Saturday night.
Note: This will be the first meeting between the two schools since the 1992 Freedom Bowl.
The pick: USC 44, Fresno State 20.



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