Below is the Week 2 rooting guide. We will rank the games in order of importance to Bruin fans – from least important to game of the week.
Oregon v Nevada
Oregon just ran out gas last week versus one of the toughest SEC teams. Let’s hope they bounce back vs Cinderella Nevada this week. They’re not on our schedule, so they’re the least important game for this week.
Arizona St vs Sacramento St
The Sundevils struggled against a new look Sac State team last night. While they didn’t cover, it is fine given they won and have plenty of time build their resume up before we play them, especially next week when they go to East Lansing to take on Michigan State.
Oregon State at Hawaii
This win here is key. We can’t keep having the MWC showing up against Pac 12 teams and that was a narrative bubbling last week. Also, if Oregon St beats Hawaii, hopefully it’ll help push them above Arizona in the Pac 12 rankings.
Washington St vs N. Colorado
The Cougars are favored by more than 5 touchdowns against N. Colorado and we think they will easily cover. This is obviously in our interest. This one will actually be showing during the UCLA game, so it’s most likely the game you won’t watch this week.
Arizona vs N Arizona
Two weeks after a nail-biting loss to Hawaii, Tate and company are eager to get a W and we want them to bounce back with a huge game against their regional opponent Northern Arizona.
Utah vs N. Illinois
The Utes leaped Washington in the AP Poll and we would like it to stay that way to give the South some respect. We want to Utes to cover big here.
Cal at Washington
As I mentioned in the preseason guide, we want Washington to lose big this year with Oregon winning big. That’s still the case with the Auburn loss. Let’s hope the Bears can play better than they did last week against the Aggies. We’re rooting for the Bears to get it done in Husky stadium.
Colorado vs Nebraska
Win win win against Frost. The most important matchup for the conference this week as Colorado has a chance to not only get a big win against the trendy Huskers, they also get a Top 25 win on their schedule. Go Buffs!
Cincinnati at Ohio State
Rooting for them to beat Ohio State by more than 10 points. Many benefits to this with one giving Cincy a top 5 win which would launch them in the AP Poll Top 25 and other being the SoCal recruits we are targeting starting to wonder if the Buckeye train will keep rolling under Coach Day.
Oklahoma vs South Dakota (scouting game)
The Sooners should end this one by the middle of the 2nd quarter, but we hope they do so they won’t lose any luster on their Top 5 ranking. Last week’s rally by Houston has some media pundits worried about Oklahoma’s D. This game is important for Bruins to see if they’re any new wrinkles that Riley pulls out for the first half or any injuries. However, this game won’t give us much indication of what we will see in the Rose Bowl next week.
Game of the Week: Stanford @ USC
Game of the week includes our two biggest football enemies in the conference beating each other up in their early rival brawl. Two back up QBs going against each other in a Pac 12 after dark classic-in-the-making. We’re obviously rooting for the Trees here to take down the Trojans in the Coliseum and hold onto their top 25 ranking. But we need them to win by at least 10 to keep AP voters satisfied.
Order of the games (PST)
1. Stanford @ USC – ESPN at 7:30 PM
2. Oklahoma vs South Dakota – 4 PM
3. Cincinnati at Ohio State – FOX at 9 AM
4. Colorado vs Nebraska – FOX at 12:30 PM
5. Cal at Washington – FS1 at 7:30 PM
6. Utah vs N Illinois – P12N at 10 AM
7. Arizona vs N Arizona – P12N at 7:45 PM
8. Washington St vs N Colorado – P12N (Washington Regional) at 2 PM
9. Oregon St vs Hawaii – 8:59 PM
10. Oregon vs Nevada – P12N at 4:30 PM
*Arizona State vs Sac State played last night
bruinsource.com 