***Macwesties Sat. Oct. 18, 2014 (Week #8) NCAAF College Plays***

(45-25-1) * (64.30%) * ATS * YTD 2014 

Week #8 * (1-1) * Tues. & Thurs. so far

UCLA Bruins @ California Golden Bears +7.0 *cts *3:30 PM *ABC

Bruins may or may not win but Home dog Covers *woof! woof!

Cal received some devastating news earlier in the week when it was announced that safety Griffin Piatt will miss the rest of the season with a knee injury. It is a terrible loss for the Golden Bears, as Piatt is tied for the Pac-12 lead in interceptions (three) and ranks second in passes defended (nine). He is also the team-leader in tackles (32.5). The news is even worse considering the Golden Bears rank last in the conference in total defense (518.2 ypg). 

It may be time to hit the panic button for Jim Mora's squad, as the Bruins are treading water in the Pac-12 title race. They absolutely need to win this weekend and that motivation could prove to be beneficial. Cal has been an entertaining and surprising team this season, but clearly has to improve on defense, a task that will be difficult without Piatt. 

GOOD LUCK EVERYONE >>>> 

Stanford Cardinals @ Arizona State Sun Devils +3.5 *cts *10:30 PM *ESPN

It's all about adjustments either way I'll take the Home dog *woof! woof!

Excerpt taken from Sportsnetwork.com:

"Any team in this league can win; the key is focusing on the components and getting better," Arizona State head coach Todd Graham said. "It is so hard to sustain that throughout the whole season. That is why it takes such an enormous amount of energy, focus and discipline."

Arizona State had one of the better defensive units in the Pac-12 last season, but that has not carried over into the 2014 campaign. The Sun Devils are letting up 31.4 points and more than 450 yards per game, ranking in the bottom half of the league in each category.

There's no doubt this game has been circled on Arizona State's calendar for some time. The Sun Devils are still the same potent offensive team, but they have taken a step back defensively. Stanford's punishing defence should be able to slow the Sun Devils, but the key will be whether or not the Cardinal can be more productive when it has the ball.