Arizona Wildcats (2-1) vs. Oregon State Beavers (2-1)
Saturday, September 26, 4:35 PM PST
Las Vegas Favorite: Oregon State -3.0

Sam’s Take (20 – 7):

Both the Wildcats and Beavers are coming off of disappointing non-conference losses, and now the two schools will look to regain some momentum by starting the Pac-10 season with a win.

Arizona is making a quarterback switch this week in order to generate some much-needed production in the passing game. With Nick Foles taking over, Sonny Dykes should be able to run the same type of offense that Willie Tuitama thrived in.

Foles is certainly no Willie-T yet, but the UA coaches are confident that his big arm will allow the talented receivers to make some more plays. I think it is critical that Foles gets into a rhythm early because the OSU defense has been stout against the run (17th nationally) and it won’t be easy for Nic Grigsby to run wild.

Oregon State’s offensive game plan has been fairly easy to diagnose lately; get the ball to the Rodgers Brothers early and often. I expect more of the same this week, and it should be interesting to see how Jacquizz and James perform against a speedy UA defense. I believe Mark Stoops D will try everything possible to put the game in QB Sean Canfield’s hands, especially given the cover skills of the UA secondary.

I have gone back and fourth with this pick, and I think home-field advantage may be the difference. I’m going with the hometown Beavers in a tightly contested game that comes down to the final minutes of the fourth quarter.

Prediction: Oregon State 24 – Arizona 21

Arizona Player to Keep an Eye On: WR Delashaun Dean – Dean is a huge part of this offense, but he has struggled so far in 2009. Maybe the QB switch will get him going.

Oregon StatePlayer to Keep an Eye On: WR Darrell Catchings – He is getting healthy and could be the key playmaker besides the Rodgers brothers on Saturday.

Dave’s Take (20 – 7):

Both Arizona and Oregon State come into this game hoping to start off conference play 1-0 and avoid a two-game losing streak.

After a dreadfully bad performance in Iowa, Matt Scott has lost the starting job to Nick Foles. The Wildcats hope that this move will spark the passing game; I believe that it will, and it may be as soon as this week. The Beavers’ passing defense has not been strong this year, and if they continue to have trouble pass rushing, a pure passer like Foles could have a big day.

Defensively, the Wildcats will have to find a way to stop the Rodgers brothers. While it is never an easy task, I think Arizona’s defense might match up well here; they are a small but speedy unit, and Oregon State’s offense relies on a lot of speed.

I’d like to take the Beavers here; the idea of taking a quarterback making his first start in a hostile environment like Corvallis is crazy to me. But I’ve got this feeling that Nick Foles is going to provide the Wildcats’ offense with the spark it needs, which would also open up Nic Grigsby even more. I just haven’t seen enough in the line play and offense of Oregon State to pick them.

If the Beavers are going to win this football game, they not only need better play on both lines, but they also need to start stretching the field with some long throws, something we haven’t seen them do this season. Something tells me Arizona surprises a lot of people with a road win here.

Prediction: Arizona 24 – Oregon State 20