Stanford at Arizona
Every time I think of Stanford athletics I think of that goofy tree of a mascot. I mean, for real? A freaking tree? Singular? Run a Google image search of “”Stanford tree”” real quick. Pretty hard to take that seriously, huh? That being said, these trees are no pushovers and the Wildcats will have their hands full Saturday evening. Still, these ‘Cats are motivated and should get the W. Plus, cats can climb trees pretty darn well.
Arizona 31, Stanford 17
No. 3 Texas vs. No. 20 Oklahoma
Disclaimer: I’m an OU fan. Now that that’s out of the way, there’s some explaining to do. The last two times I picked the Sooners they lost and that sucked. Time for some reverse psychology. Texas is favored and the Longhorns have a good quarterback in Colt McCoy and everybody loves his name. Too bad his real name is Daniel — go ahead and Google that, too — AND he lives in a single, small room with another dude. Nice, Daniel.
Texas 34, Oklahoma 31
No. 6 USC at No. 25 Notre Dame
Notre Dame head coach Charlie Weis said this was the first team during his tenure that really believes it can beat USC. Basically, he just admitted that the past few seasons the “”Fighting”” Irish knew they were going to get their brains bashed in by the Trojans. No wonder why fans want Weis out of South Bend. He can’t even get his team to think they can win against their biggest rival. Believe all you want, Notre Dame. This one is all USC. Again.
USC 36, Notre Dame 10
— Brian Kimball
Stanford at Arizona
Coming off a tough loss last weekend in Seattle, UA can look forward to what will surely be a raucous Family Weekend crowd at Arizona Stadium. Wildcat parents will get to see one of the more underrated Pac-10 matchups this week, with both teams featuring offensive weapons, namely, Stanford running back Toby Gerhart. Recruited by USC to play linebacker, the 6-foot-1, 235 pound senior is a beast in the backfield, but I see the Arizona defense being able to contain him enough to seal a victory at home.
Arizona 34, Stanford 24
No. 6 USC vs. No. 25 Notre Dame
At the beginning of the year, Notre Dame quarterback Jimmy Clausen claimed that head coach Charlie Weis wouldn’t get fired because of his play. Clausen has backed up his words so far this year by lighting up the stat sheet, but will face a reality check this week when he gets to see safety Taylor Mays again. Matt Barkley, who will be reminiscing about his late night In and Out runs with Clausen when both were phenoms in Los Angeles, will be forced to throw the ball in this game if Weis wants a chance to win. Despite not having beaten a team with a winning record yet this year Notre Dame is ranked 25th. I do think they can score, but not enough to pull out the upset.
USC 30, Notre Dame 23
No. 20 Oklahoma vs. No. 3 Texas
The game doesn’t have the national championship implications it had at the beginning of the year, but will be fun to watch with these two high-octane offenses. If there is a better name for a quarterback than Colt McCoy, I want to know. Colt’s Longhorns are favored in this game, and a win would help smooth the way to the BCS title game, which eluded them last year. Ironically, Texas had to sit at home and watch Oklahoma, a team they beat in last year’s Red-River Shootout, lose to Florida in the title game. There’s a lot of talk about the Longhorns seeking revenge against the Sooners in this year’s game for that reason, but it won’t be easy with Sam Bradford back for Oklahoma. Expect a lot of points in this game, which could end up going to whichever team has the ball last.
Oklahoma 42, Texas 39
— Michael Fitzsimmons
Stanford vs. Arizona
The ball hit the ground! The referees blew the game like the water out of a blue whale last weekend, and because of that wrong call in Seattle, the Washington Huskies were able to squeeze in a win against Arizona. This weekend the Wildcats are going to make sure the game isn’t tight enough to have a blown call decide the game. The only thing clearly hitting the ground that nobody notices this game will be the Stanford Tree.
Arizona 31, Stanford 21
No. 6 USC vs. No. 25 Notre Dame
I’ve got a grizzly-faced buddy named Randy, who is a die-hard Notre Dame football fan, though he attends the UA. When I correctly predicted the Fighting Irish would lose to Michigan last month, Randy said he was going to stab me. Well, I think I’m going to need a suit of armor this weekend, because Randy isn’t going to be happy. USC QB Matt Barkley and Co. are going to make Randy angry.
USC 27, Notre Dame 17
No. 20 Oklahoma vs. No. 3 Texas
I love the rivalry Arizona has with ASU, but the clash between Oklahoma and Texas is truly amazing. With Sam Bradford and Colt McCoy suiting up, this game has two of the top three QBs in all of college football in one game. McCoy is the only one of the top three not to sustain a serious injury this season, and I don’t like to wish ill fate on anyone, but I think he’s due. He’ll suffer a broken heart, at least.
Oklahoma 33, Texas 27
