There are some intriguing matchups this week in the Pac-10 and many of them look like they should be good games. Arizona, Stanford, and Oregon State can all get that all-important sixth win to become bowl-eligible this week (Oregon, USC, and Cal are already there).
Time - Game - Channel
12:30 - #7 Oregon @ Stanford - Fox Sports NW
12:30 - Washington State @ #21 Arizona - FCS (channel 300 on Verizon, not sure on other carriers)
12:30 - Washington @ UCLA - No TV?
4 - #34 Oregon State @ #23 California - Fox Sports NW
5 - #12 USC @ Arizona State - ABC
Friday - #5 Boise State @ Louisiana Tech - ESPN360.com
(Rankings are AP.)
Wow...once again I'm shocked at the idiocy of the TV planning. The 12:30 time slot on ABC has a Pac-10 game in it every week, but apparently not this one. This week it's a Big 10 special with Ohio State going to Penn State. I guess it might be a good game, but how many people on the West Coast would rather watch that? I'm gonna go with none, outside of Buckeye and Nittany Lion alums.
There are three of those FCS (Fox College Sports) channels (300, 301, 302 on Verizon) and at 12:30 on the 302 channel a college football game is slated, but as of now it's still TBA. However, according to the Huskies' own website, the game WILL be on TV on FCS - maybe it will be that 302 channel. So maybe. Tune in to be sure, if you would rather watch that game. Who knows?
I'll Be Watching: This week it will probably be just the Oregon game followed by the Oregon State game for me. I may check in on the other games from time to time - via internet from my phone probably - but they aren't even remotely good enough games to tear me away from Ducks and Beavers. Time permitting I may watch the end of the SC game.
Predictions: Stanford is a solid team, but they cannot keep up with a high octane offense. You won't stop Oregon, so you do have to outscore them. Ducks will take this one...I'm going to start not even mentioning Washington State - it's not even worth it. Zona will win by three touchdowns...Washington and UCLA may be one of the better matchups of the day, surprisingly enough. The Bruins are talented, they just either don't seem to realize it or it takes them forever to get into a game. That almost got them a win last week in Corvallis when the Beavers let their guard down for a few minutes, so the Huskies better be careful - if they can somehow get a lead in the first place. I'll take UCLA this week...OSU and Cal should be a fantastic matchup - who doesn't want to see Jahvid Best and Jacquizz Rodgers? I think the Beaver defense is finally coming into it's own and I think the Bears have been given too much benefit of the doubt in the polls - I'll take Oregon State in the upset...The Sun Devils don't have the horses to hang with USC, even on a down year for the Trojans - I'll take SC...Boise State - like it would be the other team.
11/06/2009
Late Night on Hawthorne
There is a pod of food carts at the corner of SE 12th and Hawthorne that I have written about before a tiny bit. A couple months ago Wifey and I hit up Whiffie's for a fried pie after a great dinner at Biwa and left not all that impressed.
But, we've been meaning to go back. Wifey has had a hankering for something called poutine from a cart called Potato Champion. Now, I had no idea what poutine was, but apparently it's a mixture of french fries, cheese curds, and onion covered in gravy. And guess what? It's Canadian food! Who knew there was such a thing?! It originated in Quebec, I hear, so it's not French - just has a French name since it came from French Canada.
We've been meaning to get back to this pod for awhile, but were limited by the fact most of the carts there - including Potato Champion - don't open until 8pm. To be real honest, we just aren't out that late too often. And we have this rule about not eating past 9, so that kind of limits the opportunities. The other day we said screw it, we have to go.
Parking in that area isn't ideal, at all. There is street parking, but we tend to park across Hawthorne, which means navigating four lanes of traffic in the dark with no crosswalks. Okay, I lie - there is a light about a block away, but jaywalking is so much easier. And I'm probably exaggerating; traffic there at that time of night isn't that bad. Still, it's not great.
We got there a little after 9pm. The pod has a nice covered area to sit and eat - nice when it's raining - and it's quite the hangout spot. There were a decent amount of people there, but thankfully no line for us.
Potato Champion specializes in one thing: french fries. Their menu is small and they put a lot of focus on what you dip your fries in. A lot of the sauces look intriuging (ketchup and truffle?), but the star is the poutine. Wifey and I ordered a single order ($4.50) with extra gravy (+ $.50) - the extra gravy came at the recommendation of people sharing online.
I'll be honest here - that's plenty for us to share, let alone one person. There were a decent amount of fries, big chunks of cheese curds, large cuts of onion (but not too much), and all of it smothered with a very good gravy with plenty of flavor (not a typical brown beef gravy, like the picture on the Wikipedia link above). It was fantastic. All the flavors melded nicely. I'm not entirely sure we needed the extra gravy, but it was hardly bad.
We highly recommend this place and we'll be going back, to try the other fries and for more poutine. Maybe not at the same time.
Since we get to this area at this time so rarely, we decided to try another place that's been on the list for awhile too: Perierra Creperie (no website, but they are on Twitter and have good reviews on Yelp).
Now, I've had crepes before and I love them. The light wrap filled with sweet or savory is quite the tasty treat. However, I've never had them like Perierra does them. They make the typical crepe slightly crunchier than I've had it, but for good reason. After cooking the crepe they fill half of it with the desired filling (there are at least 10 each options for sweet or savory), then it gets folded in half and then thirds before being slid into a handy wrap so it can be eaten on the go.
After the poutine we elected to go sweet, so went with the S'mores crepe (it was $5 or $6 - can't recall which, it being two days ago and all). I believe the chocolate was Nestle chocolate chips (I think, that's what it tasted like to me...) and all folded together fresh and hot inside the wrap it was a fantastic dessert - nice and tasty. We'd definitely go back to try some of the other flavors - and they also do shakes and smoothies.
Two carts, two thumbs up - both are worth your time.
But, we've been meaning to go back. Wifey has had a hankering for something called poutine from a cart called Potato Champion. Now, I had no idea what poutine was, but apparently it's a mixture of french fries, cheese curds, and onion covered in gravy. And guess what? It's Canadian food! Who knew there was such a thing?! It originated in Quebec, I hear, so it's not French - just has a French name since it came from French Canada.
We've been meaning to get back to this pod for awhile, but were limited by the fact most of the carts there - including Potato Champion - don't open until 8pm. To be real honest, we just aren't out that late too often. And we have this rule about not eating past 9, so that kind of limits the opportunities. The other day we said screw it, we have to go.
Parking in that area isn't ideal, at all. There is street parking, but we tend to park across Hawthorne, which means navigating four lanes of traffic in the dark with no crosswalks. Okay, I lie - there is a light about a block away, but jaywalking is so much easier. And I'm probably exaggerating; traffic there at that time of night isn't that bad. Still, it's not great.
We got there a little after 9pm. The pod has a nice covered area to sit and eat - nice when it's raining - and it's quite the hangout spot. There were a decent amount of people there, but thankfully no line for us.
Potato Champion specializes in one thing: french fries. Their menu is small and they put a lot of focus on what you dip your fries in. A lot of the sauces look intriuging (ketchup and truffle?), but the star is the poutine. Wifey and I ordered a single order ($4.50) with extra gravy (+ $.50) - the extra gravy came at the recommendation of people sharing online.
I'll be honest here - that's plenty for us to share, let alone one person. There were a decent amount of fries, big chunks of cheese curds, large cuts of onion (but not too much), and all of it smothered with a very good gravy with plenty of flavor (not a typical brown beef gravy, like the picture on the Wikipedia link above). It was fantastic. All the flavors melded nicely. I'm not entirely sure we needed the extra gravy, but it was hardly bad.
We highly recommend this place and we'll be going back, to try the other fries and for more poutine. Maybe not at the same time.
Since we get to this area at this time so rarely, we decided to try another place that's been on the list for awhile too: Perierra Creperie (no website, but they are on Twitter and have good reviews on Yelp).
Now, I've had crepes before and I love them. The light wrap filled with sweet or savory is quite the tasty treat. However, I've never had them like Perierra does them. They make the typical crepe slightly crunchier than I've had it, but for good reason. After cooking the crepe they fill half of it with the desired filling (there are at least 10 each options for sweet or savory), then it gets folded in half and then thirds before being slid into a handy wrap so it can be eaten on the go.
After the poutine we elected to go sweet, so went with the S'mores crepe (it was $5 or $6 - can't recall which, it being two days ago and all). I believe the chocolate was Nestle chocolate chips (I think, that's what it tasted like to me...) and all folded together fresh and hot inside the wrap it was a fantastic dessert - nice and tasty. We'd definitely go back to try some of the other flavors - and they also do shakes and smoothies.
Two carts, two thumbs up - both are worth your time.
11/04/2009
Taking a Hop Trip
I'm not a huge fan of beers that feature a lot of hops. I don't mind hops, but I got really turned off to them by a couple Indian Pale Ales that, to me, were just over the top. I used to not know what made it an IPA but when I found out it meant double hops (supposedly for British sailors going to India way back when, to keep the flavor balanced during the long water trip), I then assumed that anything claiming to be hoppy or be featuring hops I wouldn't really like.
So, I've been avoiding those for awhile. But you know what? That's kind of silly. I mean, all ales have hops, and I went through college pounding ales like crazy. (Mom, I'm kidding - I never had more than one or two at a time.) For me to decide hops are bad just didn't make a ton of sense when you look at it that way.
Still, I'm wary.
Of course, living in Oregon where some of the best hops in the world are supposedly grown, all the top local breweries like to celebrate the harvest with special brews. I've been reading reviews of these brews online and all these experts are claiming this beer or that beer is excellent because of the hops. I figured what the hell. When Deschutes Brewery - rapidly becoming my go-to - issued their annual Hop Trip from their Bond Street Series of beers, their annual homage to the hops harvest, I decided to give it a whirl.
It's not horribly cheap - I think I paid $5.99 for the 22 ounce bottle - and is only available from October to December every year, using the first hops of the season.
I wasn't sure what to expect, but again, they haven't steered me wrong so far...
And you know what? This was very good. It is a clean, crisp amber ale. You can just about taste the freshness of the hops and the flavor is delicate while still being a tad sharp; hoppy, but not overly so. I was definitely pleasantly surprised. If you like ales you should like this - I'll be getting more.
By the way - their Abyss released on Tuesday and yes, it's absolutely on my shopping list.
So, I've been avoiding those for awhile. But you know what? That's kind of silly. I mean, all ales have hops, and I went through college pounding ales like crazy. (Mom, I'm kidding - I never had more than one or two at a time.) For me to decide hops are bad just didn't make a ton of sense when you look at it that way.
Still, I'm wary.
Of course, living in Oregon where some of the best hops in the world are supposedly grown, all the top local breweries like to celebrate the harvest with special brews. I've been reading reviews of these brews online and all these experts are claiming this beer or that beer is excellent because of the hops. I figured what the hell. When Deschutes Brewery - rapidly becoming my go-to - issued their annual Hop Trip from their Bond Street Series of beers, their annual homage to the hops harvest, I decided to give it a whirl.
It's not horribly cheap - I think I paid $5.99 for the 22 ounce bottle - and is only available from October to December every year, using the first hops of the season.
I wasn't sure what to expect, but again, they haven't steered me wrong so far...
And you know what? This was very good. It is a clean, crisp amber ale. You can just about taste the freshness of the hops and the flavor is delicate while still being a tad sharp; hoppy, but not overly so. I was definitely pleasantly surprised. If you like ales you should like this - I'll be getting more.
By the way - their Abyss released on Tuesday and yes, it's absolutely on my shopping list.
11/02/2009
Pac-10 Football: 10/31 Aftermath
Wins: California, Oregon, Oregon State
Losses: Arizona State, USC, UCLA, Washington State
Prediction Results: 5-0
Season to Date: 31-9
Disappointments: USC is a huge disappointment. It's not they are playing badly, but they aren't holding up their end in the legacy department. They have lost to Washington and Oregon, should have lost to Oregon State, and almost handed a game away to Notre Dame. Who are these guys?! I gotta say, I am really impressed with Matt Barkley as a quarterback - he is going to be very, very good next year and the year after for sure. Heck, he's been good this year. But, what I think the SC offense is missing is leadership from the QB. It's not that he's not leading or that his guys aren't listening, I just think it's part of being a true freshman in this situation. I also have a feeling Pete Carroll knew this when he made Barkley the starter. You may laugh, but a season like this is what passes for rebuilding for the USC Trojans. Next year, again, watch out. I think SC loses at least one more game this year (Dec 5 @ Arizona?) - and some mid-level bowl like the Sun or the Las Vegas is going to be ecstatic at what falls into their laps.
I'm also a bit disappointed in Oregon State. For the second week in a row they had way too many miscues and they almost handed that game over to the UCLA Bruins in the fourth quarter. We were listening to the fourth quarter on the radio while watching the first quarter (because of the ridiculous tape delay) and each time UCLA pulled down a TD and scored a two-point conversion the tension got thicker. Given the way the Bruins were having their way with Oregon State in that quarter we couldn't even get too excited when James Rodgers scored the game-winning touchdown, thinking that maybe they still had left too much time on the clock. It's a silly thing to wonder when you just scored seven, but that's how scary the UCLA offense was looking (sounding?) at the time. The Bruins aren't a good team, but they are talented and dangerous enough they are bound to eventually take advantage of opportunities if you give them enough of them. I almost get the feeling the Beavers aren't concious themselves of just how good they could be. If they can shore up the miscues to win this week at California, perhaps that wakes them up. This team could end up third in the league, and they could still have a huge impact on the seasons of Oregon and Cal.
Speaking of the Beavers, I just have to say it's about time Jacquizz Rodgers threw a pass from the Wildcat formation. Now every time he lines up the defense has to be aware Quizz is capable of making that throw. Now I want to see him throw a TD to his brother James. And then in the same game have James come around on the fly sweep, pull back, and throw a bomb to Quizz for another touchdown. How sweet would that be?!
Surprises: I have to say, while I'm not surprised Oregon beat USC - that shouldn't be a surprise to anyone who has followed the Pac-10 this season - I am surprised by how they dominated the line of scrimmage. And how USC allowed themselves to be dominated. SC didn't fill the holes and left huge running lanes open, and they couldn't catch a quarterback still recovering from a knee injury. Jeremiah Masoli did look better this past weekend than he did the week before at Washington, but he's still not 100%. The SC linebackers looked slow and out of position, something we are absolutely not used to seeing from the Trojans.
And perhaps this shouldn't qualify as a surprise, but I know how the national media will spin the results of this game. They may say nice things about Oregon, but no matter what the net public perception will be USC isn't as good this year and so their conference losses mean the entire Pac-10 isn't good. They won't consider the fact that perhaps other teams winning - Oregon, Oregon State, Arizona, Stanford - is a product of those teams actually being better than USC. When it comes to our league it's always been USC and everyone else. This year will be no different. Perhaps it really doesn't matter, since in the end the only thing any of those rankings really help determine is the BCS standings, and I don't think any Pac-10 team is national champion material at this point. The standings determine all the rest of the bowls the Pac-10 is tied to (which are a whole other story I'll get to later in the season). Perhaps us Pac-10 fans will just have to accept the reality we have to hear the denigration in the national media. And continue to gloat when we win all those non-conference games.
AP, USA Today, BCS Rankings
Oregon - 7, 8, 8
USC - 12, 13, 12
Arizona - 21, 19, 18
California - 23, 23, 20
Oregon State - NR, 33, NR
Boise State - 5, 5, 7
Thoughts?
The computers seem to recognize the strength of the Pac-10, as evidenced by the fact they rank Arizona and Cal higher than the actual voters. They also have Boise State lower. I'm not a big fan of the BCS at all - a playoff system should be put in place - but this year it's hard to disagree with the way the Pac-10 teams have been ranked, generally. I still think the conference gets unfairly dinged as weaker as a whole than it should be, but part of that is a product of the fact the teams tend to beat up on each other - and then dominate non-conference games.
Just one year I'd love to see the Pac-10 set up a one day challenge in September with the SEC or the Big 12. One team from each conference plays it's counterpart in the standings (given how far out they schedule, it would probably end up being four-year-old standings, but I'll take it), all on a single day. Some of the games in Pac-10 country, some not. Wouldn't this be a ratings bonanza? Couldn't we schedule them so every single one would be on TV? I mean, ESPN has three channels they show games on, so we could have it happen.
Why do all these? For respect. Apparently it's not enough the Pac-10 kicks ass in bowl games every year. Well, that, and Florida and Alabama like to schedule cupcakes to they can pad their records. And, before you SEC fans get crazy, consider this: Oregon played Boise State, Utah, and Purdue; Oregon State played Cincinnati, UNLV, and Portland State; Florida played (or plays) Charleston Southern, Troy State, Florida International, and Florida State; and Alabama played (or plays) Virginia Tech, Florida International, North Texas, and Chattanooga.
Hmmm...I count one quality non-conference opponent each for Florida and Bama, two for Oregon State, and three for Oregon. So who plays a tougher schedule?
Pac-10 Standings
*Oregon - 5-0, 7-1
Arizona - 3-1, 5-2
Stanford - 4-2, 5-3
*USC - 3-2, 6-2
*California - 3-2, 6-2
Oregon State - 3-2, 5-3
Arizona State - 2-3, 4-4
Washington - 2-3, 3-5
UCLA - 0-5, 3-5
Washington State - 0-5, 1-7
* Bowl Eligible
Cal became bowl-eligible with a win this past weekend.
Hey Oregon fans, before you get too excited, it should be noted that Arizona is pretty damn good. We are going to find out a lot about Zona in the next two weeks. They host Washington State then go on the road to Cal. If they manage to win in Berkeley, and if the Ducks win at Stanford and then home against ASU, that matchup between UO and UA on 11/21 could determine who goes to the Rose Bowl. And if Arizona wins that game - it's in Tucson - Oregon State would be more than happy to sweep away Rose Bowl dreams the next week in the Civil War. Actually, if Oregon wins their remaining games except for a loss to Zona, and Zona wins out, Zona goes to the Rose Bowl. Both teams would finish 8-1 in conference and Zona would hold the tie-breaker with the head-to-head win.
There are no easy games in the Pac-10...unless you get Washington State.
Losses: Arizona State, USC, UCLA, Washington State
Prediction Results: 5-0
Season to Date: 31-9
Disappointments: USC is a huge disappointment. It's not they are playing badly, but they aren't holding up their end in the legacy department. They have lost to Washington and Oregon, should have lost to Oregon State, and almost handed a game away to Notre Dame. Who are these guys?! I gotta say, I am really impressed with Matt Barkley as a quarterback - he is going to be very, very good next year and the year after for sure. Heck, he's been good this year. But, what I think the SC offense is missing is leadership from the QB. It's not that he's not leading or that his guys aren't listening, I just think it's part of being a true freshman in this situation. I also have a feeling Pete Carroll knew this when he made Barkley the starter. You may laugh, but a season like this is what passes for rebuilding for the USC Trojans. Next year, again, watch out. I think SC loses at least one more game this year (Dec 5 @ Arizona?) - and some mid-level bowl like the Sun or the Las Vegas is going to be ecstatic at what falls into their laps.
I'm also a bit disappointed in Oregon State. For the second week in a row they had way too many miscues and they almost handed that game over to the UCLA Bruins in the fourth quarter. We were listening to the fourth quarter on the radio while watching the first quarter (because of the ridiculous tape delay) and each time UCLA pulled down a TD and scored a two-point conversion the tension got thicker. Given the way the Bruins were having their way with Oregon State in that quarter we couldn't even get too excited when James Rodgers scored the game-winning touchdown, thinking that maybe they still had left too much time on the clock. It's a silly thing to wonder when you just scored seven, but that's how scary the UCLA offense was looking (sounding?) at the time. The Bruins aren't a good team, but they are talented and dangerous enough they are bound to eventually take advantage of opportunities if you give them enough of them. I almost get the feeling the Beavers aren't concious themselves of just how good they could be. If they can shore up the miscues to win this week at California, perhaps that wakes them up. This team could end up third in the league, and they could still have a huge impact on the seasons of Oregon and Cal.
Speaking of the Beavers, I just have to say it's about time Jacquizz Rodgers threw a pass from the Wildcat formation. Now every time he lines up the defense has to be aware Quizz is capable of making that throw. Now I want to see him throw a TD to his brother James. And then in the same game have James come around on the fly sweep, pull back, and throw a bomb to Quizz for another touchdown. How sweet would that be?!
Surprises: I have to say, while I'm not surprised Oregon beat USC - that shouldn't be a surprise to anyone who has followed the Pac-10 this season - I am surprised by how they dominated the line of scrimmage. And how USC allowed themselves to be dominated. SC didn't fill the holes and left huge running lanes open, and they couldn't catch a quarterback still recovering from a knee injury. Jeremiah Masoli did look better this past weekend than he did the week before at Washington, but he's still not 100%. The SC linebackers looked slow and out of position, something we are absolutely not used to seeing from the Trojans.
And perhaps this shouldn't qualify as a surprise, but I know how the national media will spin the results of this game. They may say nice things about Oregon, but no matter what the net public perception will be USC isn't as good this year and so their conference losses mean the entire Pac-10 isn't good. They won't consider the fact that perhaps other teams winning - Oregon, Oregon State, Arizona, Stanford - is a product of those teams actually being better than USC. When it comes to our league it's always been USC and everyone else. This year will be no different. Perhaps it really doesn't matter, since in the end the only thing any of those rankings really help determine is the BCS standings, and I don't think any Pac-10 team is national champion material at this point. The standings determine all the rest of the bowls the Pac-10 is tied to (which are a whole other story I'll get to later in the season). Perhaps us Pac-10 fans will just have to accept the reality we have to hear the denigration in the national media. And continue to gloat when we win all those non-conference games.
AP, USA Today, BCS Rankings
Oregon - 7, 8, 8
USC - 12, 13, 12
Arizona - 21, 19, 18
California - 23, 23, 20
Oregon State - NR, 33, NR
Boise State - 5, 5, 7
Thoughts?
The computers seem to recognize the strength of the Pac-10, as evidenced by the fact they rank Arizona and Cal higher than the actual voters. They also have Boise State lower. I'm not a big fan of the BCS at all - a playoff system should be put in place - but this year it's hard to disagree with the way the Pac-10 teams have been ranked, generally. I still think the conference gets unfairly dinged as weaker as a whole than it should be, but part of that is a product of the fact the teams tend to beat up on each other - and then dominate non-conference games.
Just one year I'd love to see the Pac-10 set up a one day challenge in September with the SEC or the Big 12. One team from each conference plays it's counterpart in the standings (given how far out they schedule, it would probably end up being four-year-old standings, but I'll take it), all on a single day. Some of the games in Pac-10 country, some not. Wouldn't this be a ratings bonanza? Couldn't we schedule them so every single one would be on TV? I mean, ESPN has three channels they show games on, so we could have it happen.
Why do all these? For respect. Apparently it's not enough the Pac-10 kicks ass in bowl games every year. Well, that, and Florida and Alabama like to schedule cupcakes to they can pad their records. And, before you SEC fans get crazy, consider this: Oregon played Boise State, Utah, and Purdue; Oregon State played Cincinnati, UNLV, and Portland State; Florida played (or plays) Charleston Southern, Troy State, Florida International, and Florida State; and Alabama played (or plays) Virginia Tech, Florida International, North Texas, and Chattanooga.
Hmmm...I count one quality non-conference opponent each for Florida and Bama, two for Oregon State, and three for Oregon. So who plays a tougher schedule?
Pac-10 Standings
*Oregon - 5-0, 7-1
Arizona - 3-1, 5-2
Stanford - 4-2, 5-3
*USC - 3-2, 6-2
*California - 3-2, 6-2
Oregon State - 3-2, 5-3
Arizona State - 2-3, 4-4
Washington - 2-3, 3-5
UCLA - 0-5, 3-5
Washington State - 0-5, 1-7
* Bowl Eligible
Cal became bowl-eligible with a win this past weekend.
Hey Oregon fans, before you get too excited, it should be noted that Arizona is pretty damn good. We are going to find out a lot about Zona in the next two weeks. They host Washington State then go on the road to Cal. If they manage to win in Berkeley, and if the Ducks win at Stanford and then home against ASU, that matchup between UO and UA on 11/21 could determine who goes to the Rose Bowl. And if Arizona wins that game - it's in Tucson - Oregon State would be more than happy to sweep away Rose Bowl dreams the next week in the Civil War. Actually, if Oregon wins their remaining games except for a loss to Zona, and Zona wins out, Zona goes to the Rose Bowl. Both teams would finish 8-1 in conference and Zona would hold the tie-breaker with the head-to-head win.
There are no easy games in the Pac-10...unless you get Washington State.
10/30/2009
Pac-10 Football: 10/31 Games
Not sure if you have heard yet, but Oregon is hosting USC this weekend. For some reason, people think it's a big game or something.
Gotta say, it's sad to hear OSU quarterback Lyle Moevao's senior season is over before it began. Coming off shoulder surgery he played one snap so far I can recall (overthrowing someone in the end zone while Sean Canfield got some blood taken care of), and then this week a lineman fell on his foot in practice. Lyle is having surgery soon (today, maybe?) for injured ligaments in the foot, so his college career is over if a desperate plea to the NCAA for more eligibility doesn't work (and they rarely do.)
Time - Game - Channel
12:30 - #28 California @ Arizona State - ABC
1 - UCLA @ Oregon State - Fox Sports NW*
4:30 - Washington State @ #25 Notre Dame - NBC
5 - #4 USC @ #10 Oregon - ABC
Noon - San Jose State @ #6 Boise State - ESPN360.com
Notice that asterisk? You won't be able to watch the OSU game at 1 - it's being tape delayed on Fox Sports Northwest at 3:30pm. Fox wanted the game then, but OSU wanted it at 1 because of homecoming activities and so families could get home after the game for Halloween. How nice. Fox didn't want to televise the game at one, so apparently this is the compromise.
So want to know what's so important that Fox Sports Northwest can't just show the game at 1pm, live?
Well, at 10:30 am they are showing the Missouri at Colorado game. That's all well and good, but I thought the whole idea of regional networks for Fox was that the people in a certain region would get their local games - am I wrong on this? FSNW covers Oregon, Washington, and Idaho (sometimes we jokingly call it Fox Sports Seattle), and there is another network that would cover Colorado (Fox Sports Rocky Mountain) and another one for Missouri (Fox Sports Kansas City or Fox Sports Midwest).
Sure there might be Missouri or Colorado fans in the NW, but the vast majority would probably rather see the UCLA-Oregon State game live.
And Fox Sports is already sending a crew to record and commentate the game (otherwise they wouldn't show it all), so really, what the hell guys?
Ooh, before I forget, you have to hear what comes on after that so important to the Northwest Big 12 game: Washington State Cougars All Access at 2, Running With the Pac (interviews and highlights) at 2:30, and Seahawks All Access at 3. All three of these shows are replayed multiple times a week and, frankly, aren't very good even when they premiere. None of them would draw near the ratings as a live college football telecast from the NW market.
Maybe I'm missing something here, but it seems like someone isn't seeing the big picture here.
I'll Be Watching: I'll have the ASU-Cal game on TV with the sound off starting at 1, when the OSU game will be on the radio. At 3:30 we'll switch to the telecast of the OSU game and watch that, flipping to the Oregon game when that's over. Unfortunately it looks like we'll be missing Wazzu-Notre Dame this week. That's too bad. I mean, who doesn't drop everything to watch ND, right? And that Wazzu...they are amazing. Who am I kidding? This game will be horrible anyway.
Predictions: Leaving the big game pick for last...Boise State has another home game against a pansy WAC opponent, so I'll take the Broncos...Washington State sucks, so ND is the pick here...UCLA is a team that is a complete mess with a porous defense and bad offense - Oregon State should rip them to shreds...Will Cal get back on track this week, or will Arizona State knock them around? I'm going to take a risk here - I think Jahvid Best has a big game. Cal...Oregon and USC should be a good game, but as I've been saying all season these Trojans are not as good as teams past. They don't dominate as much, they let teams back into games, and they don't have a killer instinct. Oregon is my pick. However, please don't let anyone tell you Jeremiah Masoli's running from the quarterback position will have anything to do with it. He couldn't move laterally at all last week, so unless something magic happened, he's not much of a threat.
Gotta say, it's sad to hear OSU quarterback Lyle Moevao's senior season is over before it began. Coming off shoulder surgery he played one snap so far I can recall (overthrowing someone in the end zone while Sean Canfield got some blood taken care of), and then this week a lineman fell on his foot in practice. Lyle is having surgery soon (today, maybe?) for injured ligaments in the foot, so his college career is over if a desperate plea to the NCAA for more eligibility doesn't work (and they rarely do.)
Time - Game - Channel
12:30 - #28 California @ Arizona State - ABC
1 - UCLA @ Oregon State - Fox Sports NW*
4:30 - Washington State @ #25 Notre Dame - NBC
5 - #4 USC @ #10 Oregon - ABC
Noon - San Jose State @ #6 Boise State - ESPN360.com
Notice that asterisk? You won't be able to watch the OSU game at 1 - it's being tape delayed on Fox Sports Northwest at 3:30pm. Fox wanted the game then, but OSU wanted it at 1 because of homecoming activities and so families could get home after the game for Halloween. How nice. Fox didn't want to televise the game at one, so apparently this is the compromise.
So want to know what's so important that Fox Sports Northwest can't just show the game at 1pm, live?
Well, at 10:30 am they are showing the Missouri at Colorado game. That's all well and good, but I thought the whole idea of regional networks for Fox was that the people in a certain region would get their local games - am I wrong on this? FSNW covers Oregon, Washington, and Idaho (sometimes we jokingly call it Fox Sports Seattle), and there is another network that would cover Colorado (Fox Sports Rocky Mountain) and another one for Missouri (Fox Sports Kansas City or Fox Sports Midwest).
Sure there might be Missouri or Colorado fans in the NW, but the vast majority would probably rather see the UCLA-Oregon State game live.
And Fox Sports is already sending a crew to record and commentate the game (otherwise they wouldn't show it all), so really, what the hell guys?
Ooh, before I forget, you have to hear what comes on after that so important to the Northwest Big 12 game: Washington State Cougars All Access at 2, Running With the Pac (interviews and highlights) at 2:30, and Seahawks All Access at 3. All three of these shows are replayed multiple times a week and, frankly, aren't very good even when they premiere. None of them would draw near the ratings as a live college football telecast from the NW market.
Maybe I'm missing something here, but it seems like someone isn't seeing the big picture here.
I'll Be Watching: I'll have the ASU-Cal game on TV with the sound off starting at 1, when the OSU game will be on the radio. At 3:30 we'll switch to the telecast of the OSU game and watch that, flipping to the Oregon game when that's over. Unfortunately it looks like we'll be missing Wazzu-Notre Dame this week. That's too bad. I mean, who doesn't drop everything to watch ND, right? And that Wazzu...they are amazing. Who am I kidding? This game will be horrible anyway.
Predictions: Leaving the big game pick for last...Boise State has another home game against a pansy WAC opponent, so I'll take the Broncos...Washington State sucks, so ND is the pick here...UCLA is a team that is a complete mess with a porous defense and bad offense - Oregon State should rip them to shreds...Will Cal get back on track this week, or will Arizona State knock them around? I'm going to take a risk here - I think Jahvid Best has a big game. Cal...Oregon and USC should be a good game, but as I've been saying all season these Trojans are not as good as teams past. They don't dominate as much, they let teams back into games, and they don't have a killer instinct. Oregon is my pick. However, please don't let anyone tell you Jeremiah Masoli's running from the quarterback position will have anything to do with it. He couldn't move laterally at all last week, so unless something magic happened, he's not much of a threat.
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