Oregon Magazine

Cover

Pigskin Pete

Picking Full Slate
For Pac10 Windup

By Fred Delkin

Last week Pigskin went 3-1 on an abbreviated slate, with only Stanford failing to Iive up to our expectations vs. California's Golden Bears. Now we present our forecast for a total of seven clashes that will close the Pac10 regular season.

No game in more than a century of Oregon/Oregon State football contests has ever rivaled the white heat to be generated in Autzen stadium on December 3. This one is for the Pac10 title and a Rose Bowl berth vs. Ohio State on January 1. A national television audience will witness this epic and we would expect it to be a doozer. However, can any collegiate clash match the show put on in Tucson last week between Arizona and Oregon? That one went two overtimes and included every incident possible in gridiron play. That Oregon finally won may portend a post-Thanksgiving Duck success, but don't bet the farm on it!

Oregon coach Chip Kelly has been able to focus his charges on a philosophy of 'one game at a time' , but now they meet their in-state rivals for all the marbles and both opponents will let it all hang out. We believe both foes have contributed to their league showing a top-to bottom strength excelling any other conference in the land this season. We expect a Webfoot victory based upon a deeper squad and a spectacular offense, but this opinion is tempered by the OSU defensive heroics in recent games and the offensive feats of the Rogers brothers, Jaquizz & James. Another factor is the noise caldron of Autzen, famed for disconcerting visitors. Duck bad boy LeGarrette Blount, has been restored to his squad, but has yet to play. With a recess
allowing some tinkering, we expect Kelly to come up with a new wrinkle...a two running back lineup featuring both Blount for power and the very elusive LaMichael James. OREGON by 3.

The all-Oregon spectacle will be preceded by four intra-league clashes on Nov. 28th. USC and UCLA meet in the L.A. Coliseum, with the Trojans expected to recover some of their unexpectedly lost mojo. SOUTHERN CAL by 21.

The Arizona schools battle each other at Arizona State and the home field may be the difference. However, Arizona has thae edge in talent, particularly at QB. ARIZONA by 3.

Stanford, still smarting from their upset by Cal in the annual Bay area Big Game, travels to South Bend to visit Notre Dame. Irish mentor Charlie Weiss is expected to be fired at season's end, but if his kids have any respect left for him, they may send him off with a win...but a Cardinal offense based upon the awesome talents of rusher Toby Gerhart and QB Andrew Luck may beg to differ. STANFORD by 3.

The Pac10's only weak sister, the pussies from the Palouse, travel to Husky stadium and their hosts can be expected to significantly add to the Cougars' travails. WASHINGTON by 28.

Following this weekend's battles are followed by two December 5 clashes...California at Washington and Arizona at USC. We believe the Cal Bears have enough growl left to turn back a thin Husky group. CALIFORNIA by 7. Arizona won't dampen the major bowl desires of USC on the latter's home turf. SOUTHERN CAL by 6.