Cal at Oregon
Cal is a solid 3-1 on the season, but have not faced anyone as good as Oregon. Oregon is also 3-1, but their lone loss is to No. 1 LSU. Supposedly the Ducks are going with a “throwback” jersey, but with their 4,345,267,195 uniform combinations, it could be a throwback to the last quarter. The Swoosh have had some scares Thursday in October, but this wont be one.
Oregon 48, Cal 24

Arizona State at Utah
I really don’t believe ASU is that great and looked ordinary in a road loss to Illinois. Utah is never an easy place to play, but if Washington can win there, so can the Poseidons. Then again, can anyone trust Brock Osweiler on the road? I keep going back and forth on this one, and can make a good argument with both.
Arizona State 33, Utah 28

Colorado at Stanford
Colorado went to Ohio State and were thumped. Palo Alto is not as tough an environment as Columbus, but the Cardinal are much better than the Buckeyes.
Stanford 45, Colorado 10

Washington State at UCLA
Washington State has played well, but a lot of that is due to the schedule. The Cougs have only played one team with a winning record, and that team, San Diego State, beat them 42-24. They did just earn a really nice road win at a mediocre Colorado team and although UCLA is a little bit better, they aren’t that superior to the Buffs. UCLA has two wins, but those two teams are a combined 2-7.
WSU 27, UCLA 20

Arizona at Oregon State
Arizona has played awful against really good teams, while Oregon State has just played awful. Oregon State usually plays better in October, but will it be enough? I think the Cats get the win, but it will be ugly.
Arizona 41, Oregon State 34

On a related note:
Arizona missed tackles 56, Arizona Points 41

Last Week: 4-1
Season: 36-5

So I had a winning record last week, but 3-2 is just not going to cut it. Who would have known that the LA team to get a road win last week would have been the one with the gold helmets, not the ones with the maroon helmets and the fight song that never ends?

I vow to do better this week.

Washington State at Colorado
The Cougs don’t suck. I mean they aren’t “good” but they do not suck. Their road loss to San Diego State stings as the Aztecs are not a top-25 team, but before that they were 2-0 with lopsided wins over awful football teams. Colorado may indeed suck. Certainly they are not good and could be awful. Somehow they lost to Hawaii by the same score as they did to Ohio State (that may not bode well Buckeye fans). Colorado is better at home, but it is not enough.
Washington State 28, Colorado 24

Washington at Utah
Washington is feisty, while Utah may actually be pretty good. I think these two teams are fairly even, so I’ll take the home team.
Utah 24, Washington 21

Oregon State at Arizona State
I know Oregon State gets better in October, but they are playing like Jerry Pettibone is their coach. I still don’t think ASU is great, but they are proving to be solid and capable. Arizona State wore black helmets when Mizzou game to town, maroon helmets when USC came to town, does this mean they go back to the black this week? Regardless, the Poseidons  move to 4-1 after this one.
ASU 31, Oregon State 20.

UCLA at Stanford
I have nothing to say about this game. At least the Bruins have the better looking uniforms and slightly more time for social lives.
Stanford 45, UCLA 14

Arizona at USC
USC is clearly a step down in competition after the gauntlet of Oklahoma State, Stanford and Oregon. However, they are still better than the Wildcats. Expect this one to be like the last three or four, close but the better team making enough plays for the win.
USC 27, Arizona 20

Last Week: 3-2
Season: 32-5

Colorado State @ Colorado:
This used to be a pretty good rivalry, but now both teams kind of suck. The bad news for both squads is the best team in the state resides in Colorado Springs and is a service academy.
Colorado 31, CSU 14

(24) Texas @ UCLA:
Last year UCLA stunned Texas in Austin, so you know the Longhorns want revenge. Texas is still not a top-10 team, but they will beat the Bruins.
Texas 24, UCLA 10

Washington @ (10) Nebraska:
To paraphrase Rick Pitino: Jake Locker is not walking in through that door. Let’s re-cap. Nebraska went to Seattle and dismantled the Huskies. A few months later the Huskies blew out the Huskers in the Holiday Bowl rematch. Take the home Huskers in this one.
Nebraska 44, Washington 20

(more…)

I hate Colorado. Not the team, but how they play. I have incorrectly picked 13 games this season and four have involved the Buffs when I expanded this column to include the two new teams in the Pac-12. I can’t prove it, but I have reason to believe this fact was one of the reasons that Dan Hawkins was fired.

Washington State at Oregon State

Did you know that Washington State has much better academics than Oregon State? In fact, Oregon State is the only team in the Pac-12 not to be a Tier 1 school according to U.S. News and World Report. That is the only advantage the Cougars have over the Beavers. Oregon State 38, Washington State 13

Stanford at Arizona State

Thanks to two games against Big Sky opponents, the Sun Devils have to win seven games to be bowl eligible. That means they have to win out to make the postseason. Stanford is still playing for the BCS. The Cardinal’s dream is still alive after this one, the Devils, not so much. Stanford 45, ASU 20

Oregon at Cal

Cal is a much, much better team at home. They are 4-0 in Berkeley and have scored 50 points in three of the four games. That won’t help today. Oh, the Bears will play the Ducks tough for a few quarters. Maybe even lead at the half, but in the end it will be too much Gang Green. Oregon 48, Cal 38

Utah at Notre Dame

If this was 1990, the thought of a Mountain West team heading to South Bend and being a favorite would have seem unfathomable. Of course in 1990 there was no Mountain West, but you know what I mean. Utah’s loss to TCU last week ended the hopes of a Oregon vs. Utah Pac-12 National Championship game, but they are still a very good team. Utah 31, Notre Dame 21

Note: I began writing this after Colorado kicked off against Iowa State and did not include it with the picks. For the record, I would have taken the Cyclones, which pains me because both teams are bad.

USC at Arizona

Both teams have good QBs and suspect secondaries. Both teams have talented running backs but can’t always establish the run. I think this one is very even, but if I was a betting man I’d take the over. Arizona 44, USC 41

Last Week: 4-3

Season 43-13