Pac Ten Picks enjoys Top Dog

USC (-4.5) 24, Cal 10
It was supposed to be the game of the year in the Pac-10. Now the Trojans are fighting for a mere BCS bid, while the Golden Bears are looking for traction as a promising season has gone to naught.

But there are still plenty of compelling plots as these two meet Saturday at Memorial Stadium. Standout defensive tackles Sedrick Ellis and Fili Moala will both get chances to battle Cal junior center Alex Mack.

For Moala, the battle in the trenches is a throwback to battles past.

"I really remember ‘04 when [Shaun] Cody and [Mike] Patterson and Manny [Wright] was here and they had a great O-line with the center Marvin Phillip," he said. "This match up historically has always had a great group of guys in the trenches on both sides of the ball. Personally, I take it upon myself to go out here and give it to these guys. "

Golden Bears quarterback Nate Longshore is still hobbled by a sprained ankle. Quite simply, Cal cannot win if he can't move. USC's pass rush was relentless against Oregon State and could tee off on the junior if he can't move in the pocket.

Running back Justin Forsett (111.33 yards per game) is a good one and will be playing his last home game on Senior Day.

"Man, he comes with his own little bag of tricks," Moala said. "He can do it all – run the draws, catch the screen out of the backfield, hit it up in between the tackles, he can get it outside and bounce it. I kind of want to relate him to Maurice Drew, just in the sense of what they can do. Forsett is more than capable of doing the job. If we don’t cover him, he’s going to burn us."

The Trojans will ride their defense and rushing attack to a methodical win, setting up a BCS busting battle with the Sun Devils on Thanksgiving.

Arizona State (-7) 28, UCLA 20
Which Bruins team shows up? Would a win save coach Karl Dorrell's job? Why am I asking so many questions?

The bad one, who gave Notre Dame its only win. No chance in hell. I don't know.

Washington (+5) 24, Oregon State 21
Freshman quarterback Jake Locker is playing better, but that hasn't translated into many wins for the Huskies. Against the injury-riddled Beavers, who still possess a powerful rush defense, he'll avoid interceptions and carry the day.

Stanford (+11) 20, Washington State 17
Year one under Jim Harbaugh has stagnated after the upset win over USC, but the Cougars will cure what ails the Cardinal.