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Game of the Week
#16 Oregon at #14 Boise State Thursday, September 3rd (10:15 PM EST, ESPN)
 QB Jeremiah Masoli; AP Greg Wahl When Boise State has the ball: Sophomore QB Kellen Moore returns under center after a sensational freshman campaign that earned him WAC Freshman of the Year honors. One of his finest performances in 2008 was against the Oregon Ducks in a 37-32 victory in Eugene. The bad news for the Ducks is that he's even better at home...a staggering 178.1 quarterback rating (with 11 TD and just 2 INT) in 2008 when on the blue turf. Oregon has lost several key players on defense, including S Patrick Chung and CB Jairus Byrd, but the pass defense was a major focus in the offseason and should be greatly improved this year. The Ducks have tremendous size up front and will look to expose a questionable Broncos' offensive line and put pressure on Moore.
Intangibles: It may not be one of the largest stadiums, but Bronco Stadium is one of the toughest places in the nation for opponents to come away with a win. The Broncos have a 64-2 record at home the past decade including a current streak of 44 consecutive wins. The pesky Broncos have been preparing for this matchup all offseason because it's the toughest and most important game of the year...right from the start. Despite all of these intangibles, the Ducks are simply more talented at nearly all positions, and are seeking vengeance for their loss to Boise last season, so the potential for a Ducks victory is very real. This should be an exciting game.
Prediction: It will come down to the wire, but the Broncos will hold on for a narrow victory. The difference in the game will be the play of the Boise State special teams that will come through with at least two momentous plays.
My pick: Boise State
Keep an eye on: The Boise State offensive line. If they can give Kellen Moore enough time to throw, he will pick the Oregon secondary apart with short to intermediate passes. Upset Alert
Maryland at #12 California
California really shouldn't lose this game. They have more talent on both sides of the football and a huge advantage on special teams. But Maryland has been known to surprise a few teams. In fact, in 2008 they defeated this same Cal team (albeit on their own turf) 35-27. While Cal will lean heavily on Heisman-candidate RB Jahvid Best, there are still question marks at the quarterback position and if Kevin Riley can't find some consistency it will keep the Terps in this game.
About to go Nuclear RB Toby Gerhart; AP Paul Sakuma
Stanford RB Toby Gerhart
Gerhart is one of the most talented, and underrated, backs in the Pac-10 and he must be salivating this week in anticipation of facing the Washington State Cougars. Gerhart and company tallied 344 yards and 7 rushing touchdowns against the Cougars' 119th-ranked defense a year ago. Expect more of the same on Saturday. Numerical analysis
5-0
The bowl record for the Pac-10 last season, including three victories over higher-ranked opponents. Many professional analysts called 2008 a “down year” for the conference on the west coast, but the Pac-10 showed that they can still dominate out-of-conference foes when it really counts.
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