Arrow-right Camera
The Spokesman-Review Newspaper
Spokane, Washington  Est. May 19, 1883

SportsLink

Thanks goodness Arizona has a bye

COLLEGE FOOTBALL

It's time for my Pac-10 picks.

They should be better this week, if only because Arizona has a bye and I won't be picking the Wildcats to win (bye is favored by 2 ½ points – but, even if the Cats were to lose, Jim Livengood would support coach Mike Stoops).

So I should do better than last week's 2-3 (darn Notre Dame) record.

Let's get to it …

USC struggles but wins a defensive battle over Oregon State: With the return of a healthy wide receivers Dwayne Jarrett (pictured; AP photo) and Steve Smith, the SC offense should perk up a little.

Arizona State wins at Washington: The Sun Devils might just win out (sorry Cougs).

Oregon defeats Portland State, but it is closer than most think: The PSU defense should keep it in the game – for a while at least.

Cougars edge UCLA: The injuries are piling up for WSU. If the two teams were both healthy, I would pick WSU in an easy win. But the Cougs injuries trump the Bruins' (quarterback Ben Olsen). Still, I'm putting my money on Karl Dorrell making his typical game-day mistake that costs the Bruins the game.



SportsLink is your portal into sports news around the Inland Northwest and beyond. You'll find updates, notes and opinions, and plenty of reader feedback.






Looking for a Grip on Sports?

Vince Grippi's daily take on all things regional sports has been moved to our main sports section online. You can find a collection of these columns here.