ESPN College Football

A bad start stinks. It can be overcome -- see Oregon's implosion at Boise State in 2009 -- but it still stinks.

Every Pac-10 team carried optimism into the summer because that's what teams do. But it is more than likely that after the season's opening weekend at least one team will be 0-1 and just a bit less optimistic.

Which teams are at risk for 0-1? Here's a ranking of first-weekend danger.

1. Washington State at Oklahoma State: Both teams are rebuilding. But the Cougars are rebuilding a program that has been 3-22 over the past two seasons, while the Cowboys are transitioning from a team that has been 18-8 during the same span. Oh, and the Cougars haven't won on the road since 2007.

2. Oregon State vs. TCU (Cowboys Stadium, Arlington, Texas): The Horned Frogs welcome 18 starters back from a team that went 12-1. They almost certainly will be ranked in the preseason top 10. And this one functions as a road game-plus for the Beavers. If the game were played at TCU, then the Beavers would face just 44,000 hostile fans. At Cowboys Stadium, they'll see 80,000. Beyond all this, Oregon State has been a notoriously slow-starting team over the past few seasons, last posting a 3-0 start in 2002.

3. Washington at BYU: BYU is rebuilding, while Washington welcomes back 18 starters, including Jake Locker. Still, this is a road game at a tough venue. Moreover, the Huskies haven't posted a winning season since 2002, while the Cougars have won 43 games over the past four seasons. And, by the way, the Huskies haven't won on the road since 2007 at Stanford.

4. UCLA at Kansas State: UCLA didn't have much trouble with the Wildcats in 2009, winning 23-9, but it's never easy to win on the road. And here's a hunch that Bill Snyder, in the second year of his second tenure in Manhattan, will have a much saltier team in 2010.

5. Arizona at Toledo: Sure, Toledo is a MAC program that welcomes back only 13 starters from a 5-7 team. But the Rockets beat Colorado in the Glass Bowl last year 54-38, and the players figure to be a bit more comfortable with second-year coach Tim Beckman. Moreover, this will be the first test of a rebuilt Wildcats defense.

6. USC at Hawaii: Hawaii has 15 starters back from a 6-7 team, but the Warriors' only chance is if the Trojans spend too much time at a luau on Sept. 1. USC hasn't lost a nonconference road game since 2002.

7. New Mexico at Oregon: New Mexico welcomes back 10 starters from a 1-11 team. Oregon welcomes back 18 from the defending Pac-10 champions, though running back LaMichael James will sit this one out because of an offseason legal scrape. Ducks will win.

8. Northern Arizona at Arizona State: The Lumberjacks are an FCS team that went 5-6 last year. If the Sun Devils lose, the ASU campus in Tempe will be relocated here.

9. UC Davis at California: UC Davis. I C Davis. We all C Davis! But U won't C a Davis win.

10. Sacramento State at Stanford: Not to sound like a know-it-all, but Sacramento isn't a state. Unless you're in a Sacramento state of mind, which might look something like this.

These picks will take us up to the Rose Bowl presented by Citi on Jan. 1.

Went 2-1 with the early bowls -- Cal, drrrrr! -- which leaves the season record at 57-20.

EagleBank Bowl, Tuesday, 4:30 p.m. (ET) ESPN

UCLA 24, Temple 17: Though the Bruins' defense wasn't great against the run, it should have enough to slow down Temple's tough rushing attack, while the struggling offense should have enough to provide the winning margin. While the Owls, playing in their first bowl game in 30 years, figure to show up with plenty of passion, it's hard to get past their 35-17 loss to Ohio in the season finale that knocked them out of the MAC championship game.

Pacific Life Holiday Bowl, Wednesday, 8 p.m. (ET) ESPN

Arizona 23, Nebraska 20: Arizona quarterback Nick Foles gets rid of the ball quickly, which will be critical against Ndamukong Suh and a tough Nebraska defense. The bigger question might be whether the Cornhuskers will be able to run the ball against the Wildcats. The Wildcats would love to force quarterback Zac Lee to beat them. Arizona looks to have a slight advantage in both areas.

Brut Sun Bowl, Thursday, 2 p.m. (ET) CBS

Oklahoma 30, Stanford 21: Even if Andrew Luck is able to play with a surgically repaired finger, he won't be 100 percent, and that means the Sooners' outstanding defense will gang up on Toby Gerhart. Moreover, the Sooners have enough speed at the offensive skill positions to exploit a middling Stanford defense that lacks overall athleticism.

UCLA will play Temple in the EagleBank Bowl on Dec. 29 in Washington, D.C.’s RFK Stadium on ESPN (4:30 p.m. ET).

That is unless Army beats Navy on Saturday. In that case, Army replaces UCLA (6-6) and the Bruins will stay home for the bowl season.

Temple (9-3) received an at-large invitation to the bowl and will be playing in its first bowl game in 30 years. The Owls have experienced a football resurgence under fourth-year head coach Al Golden, tying for first-place in the Mid-American Conference.