Cal should be able to handle the ‘empty corpses’

This week’s picks are as follows:

CAL over WASHINGTON STATE … now that Cougar head coach Mike Leach has called some of his seniors “empty corpses,” Wazzu is almost certain to continue its downward spiral. A win here and the Bears might start building some serious momentum as they attempt to right their once-sinking ship.

UCLA over UTAH … the Bruins pick up the pieces after last week’s disaster in Berkeley.

NEVADA over UNLV … one of Chris Ault’s better teams is taking shape in Reno.

OREGON STATE over BRIGHAM YOUNG … despite the unsettling loss of standout quarterback Sean Mannion, the Beavers are up for the challenge.

BOISE STATE over FRESNO STATE … the Bronco offense is a shadow of its former self, so the defense saves the day.

USC over WASHINGTON … the Huskies always seem to give the Trojans fits. Not this time.

SOUTH CAROLINA over LSU … the Ol’ Ball Coach still has a few wins up his sleeve.

OKLAHOMA over TEXAS … the Sooners tune up for the stretch run.

UPSET OF THE WEEK: Stanford over Notre Dame … the Cardinal proved what it’s made of last week in a dramatic comeback win over Arizona. The unbeaten Irish are ripe for the picking. (Upset record: 2-4)

ROUT OF THE WEEK: Florida State over Boston College … the Seminoles, now clearly out of the national title picture, take out their frustrations in a big way. (Rout record: 6-0).

DON’T BET ON IT, BUT: Florida over Vanderbilt … those Commodores are much, much better than people give them credit for. (Don’t bet record: 5-1).

FIVE EASY PICKS: This week’s sure-to-please winners are Cincinnati (over Fordham), Ohio U. (over Akron), Alabama (over Missouri), Michigan (over Illinois) and Ohio State (over Indiana). (FEP record: 30-0).

AGGIES over IDAHO STATE … if there’s a weak sister in the Big Sky, she resides in Pocatello. You can stick a fork in these Idaho potatoes — they’re done. Take the Ags by 35.

OTHER GAMES: Louisville over Pittsburgh, Kansas State over Iowa State, Rutgers over Syracuse, Michigan State over Iowa, Northwestern over Minnesota, Houston over Alabama-Birmingham, Wisconsin over Purdue, Virginia Tech over Duke, Toledo over Eastern Michigan, SMU over Tulane, West Virginia over Texas Tech, Oklahoma State over Kansas, East Carolina over Memphis, Arkansas over Kentucky, Baylor over TCU, North Dakota State over Indiana State, Arkansas State over South Alabama, Air Force over Wyoming, Louisiana-Monroe over Florida Atlantic, Texas A&M over Louisiana Tech, San Diego State over Colorado State, and Utah State over San Jose State.

Last week: 25-12, season: 207-45, percentage: .822.

— Reach Bob Dunning at bdunning@davisenterprise.net