| 09 November 2011
Here we are once again Cougar Fans, with another addition of Football Friday on a Thursday. This time, it's Week Eleven Style.
Three weeks left in the season for our Cougs including this one, that features the Sun Devils heading north, after being upset in the Rose Bowl last week.
Not good news for our team, who seems to play the best team in the conference every week. I swear, I've heard that one from our coach in his weekly presser, after every one of our losses.
You can find our picks after the jump, but first, here's an update of our Pick Em Leagues.
In League One, St Pete Cougs still leads the way at 237 points, and is followed by The General at 234 and Cougar Country Fry Sauce at 228. Over in League Two, the leaders are unchanged, with Hawaiian Hentai holding down the top spot, and followed by CWhite, Selah Coug and Softy Makes Me Puke. Keep up the good works folks!
Lucas Likes:
Arizona 35 - Colorado 17: For once, we aren't the league doormat. Is that worth popping a bottle of champagne over? You know, kind of in celebration like the '72 Miami Dolphins do?!
USC 49 - UW 28: So I have bashed the Trojans all season long, but I think at this moment, they are the second best team in the Pac 12, behind Stanford. Sure, they lost at ASU a month or so ago, but they are playing really good football right now. I think they're not only gonna beat the Mutts this week, but I think they're gonna pull the stunner next week up in Eugene. Not to mention, they've lost two consecutive games to the Huskies. I am setting the over/under on Robert Woods receptions at 12, and he will eclipse that mark. Trufant is going to get abused, and then somebody will be quick to praise him when Barkley drops an INT in his hands.
California 31 - OSU 21:I can't believe Wulff had the stones to call Cal the most physical team in the league. Umm, Paul, didn't you coach a game against Stanford last month?
UCLA 34 - Utah 20: I told you last weekNeuheisal was plotting an evil come back, and the week before I mentioned his knack to get his team to rise from the dead when it doesn't really matter. Well, the Bruins have risen, and it does still matter. They currently hold the 1st Place tiebreaker over ASU due to the USC post-season ban. Utah is hurting, advantage UCLA.
Stanford 42 - Oregon 31: Stanford is playing for a shot at the National Title, and this is really their last road block. History will tell you that Oregon's offense is no match for big, physical teams. Look at their games against LSU, Auburn, and Ohio State the last year plus. Not to mention, the Ducks have been playing pretty uninspired football the last couple of weeks.
ASU 42 - WSU 17:We are just a bad football team. Our defense isn't improved. ASU is pissed after crapping the bed last week against UCLA. So in honor of another Wazzu beatdown and the passing of I-1183 yesterday, I chose the Lucas eyeing the booze picture from Wal Mart in Arizona. WSU fans being driven to drink, will drive up the value of Costco's stock. Buy low!
Longball's Locks:
Arizona 44 - Colorado 21: This is the least interesting football game in the world this weekend. I am seriously more interested in the Edmonton Eskimos vs the Calgary Roughriders in the CFL playoffs. Roughriders by 14.
USC 35 - UW 33: A lot has been made of the comments coming out of Montlake this week, but I don’t think they make as much of a difference as the media seems to want them to. USC had a coulda, shoulda, woulda against Sanford a couple weeks ago while UW was just blown out at home against the Ducks. But did it really feel like a blowout? Doesn’t matter. UW has shown that they are consistently poor on defense and USC is starting to hit its stride. I do think that the Dawgs will take some of the weight off Price’s shoulders and let Polk carry more of the load and that should give the USC D some problems of their own. Could be a shoot-out.
OSU 33 – Cal 28:Remember what happened to the Beavs and the Bruins after they beat us? They proceeded to go out the next week and demonstrate just how beatable they are. I think the trend continues and Maynard returns to his generous ways tossing at least 3 picks to the Beavs. Wulff will be shocked to see the best team in the conference upset by what he probably considers the 2nd or 3rd best team.
Utah 21 - UCLA 17:Potential to be ugly for fans of offensive football. Everyone is talking about Slick Rick’s rise from the ashes and UCLA controlling their own destiny in the Pac South. Other words, the table is set for a spectacular stretch run collapse!
Stanford 38 - Oregon 35:The most anticipated matchup of the year in the Pac-12. Oregon beat UW with defense last weekend, and that should give their future foes pause. We know they can score, but to see them go into Husky Stadium on an emotionally charged night and hold the Dawgs to 17 points was impressive. They forced some huge mistakes from Price and largely held Polk in check. Saturday in Palo Alto they will face a QB with a lot more experience and poise and a team that is all business and very little emotion. I cannot wait to see this game and I expect it to be a last team with the ball type of affair.
Finally, we have our own football season that officially hangs in the balance this Saturday. For weeks we have been referring to our games as “must wins”, but now we can actually say that a loss eliminates us from bowl contention and extends our post-season drought to an excruciating 8thstraight year. We have been on the road for a long time and with Dad’s weekend we should have a decent crowd despite the win loss record. I wouldn’t be surprised to see the team get off to a good start, a la the Stanford and Oregon games, but ASU had their wakeup call losing to UCLA last week and they won’t be lulled into laying an egg again this week. Looks like Apple Cup is our bowl game… again.
ASU 38 - WSU 24
Tim's Takes:
Pretty quiet week in college football huh? Who is ready to talk about actual games? I know I am!
'Zona 34 - Colorado 17The Buffs continue their limp toward the finish line and a much needed full offseason for their coaching staff. Nick Foles continues his starring role playing Falling Tree in the Proverbial Forest. He's really nailing it.
USC 35 - UW 21The world still awaits the Huskies' return to the big time. It's clear that while they are much improved, they aren't quite ready to compete with legitimately good teams. The question is whether or not USC is one of those teams. I think that they are. They may not have the depth that they used to, but they still have a dazzling array of top end talent. Very fitting for a team from LA, no? There's no doubt that Coach Sarkisian has had the Trojans' number, but I think they exact some revenge this year. Or the week that I finally don't expect the Huskies to put on a good performance against a good team, they finally do and I look stupid as usual.
Cal 24 - Oregon State 17If your an avid follower of Paul Wulff press conferences, you are well aware that this is a showdown between the conference's two best teams (or the teams that are tied for the best in the conference maybe). If you are not, you probably realize this game will be boring and sloppy...kinda like Paul Wulff press conferences! Ba-dum-bum. Tip your waitresses, folks.
Utah 14 - UCLA 7 Remember when I was excited to talk about actual games? I didn't mean this one.
Stanford 35 - Oregon 31 Now we're talking! I came away from last week awfully impressed with Oregon's defense, but the reason was speed. That's a strength that won't be quite as relevant against Stanford and their two tight end, three running back, smash mouth attack. Think anyone on the East Coast knows that's what Stanford is all about? I'm sure they picture Andrew Luck flinging the ball all over the place. The flip side is whether or not Stanford's defense will be able to keep up with all those speed merchants the Ducks have. I think they'll do everything they can to force Oregon to throw and capitalize on just enough mistakes as a result. I just have the sense that it's Stanford's year.
Now for the Cougs. There are several things working in our favor this week: honorary captain Steve Gleason, bitterly cold weather, a Dads' Weekend crowd, the team getting to play on their home field for the first time in what feels like forever. Those factors lead me to believe the ever ambiguous "coming out flat" problem should be mitigated. You know what won't be mitigated? The fact that this team just isn't good enough. The dispiriting letdown of a season trudges on as ASU wins 45-21. Bad times, Cougar Nation. Not good times. Bad times.
Go Cougs.
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