Jacob Thorpe’s Pac-12 Picks
PULLMAN − Remember how Steve Sarkisian always seemed to put a little extra into the games against USC in his first couple years at Washington, upsetting the Trojans in back-to-back seasons as Sarkisian sought to prove to his old friends in Troy that he belonged?
Well Sarkisian, now coaching the Trojans, is about to once again lead his new team against his old one for the second time and now he’ll have the more talented team. The Huskies, meanwhile, are one of several teams that hope to earn a signature win this week.
There is little Chris Petersen could do this year to endear himself to UW fans more than beating Sarkisian in their first matchup. California will try to prove its undefeated record isn’t a mirage on national television at Utah and the Cougars hope to take advantage of an undermanned Oregon team to get their first win over the Ducks in almost a decade.
The Huskies and Trojans will get the weekend started early with a 6 p.m. kickoff on Thursday. All other games are on Saturday. Gambling will make you go blind.
Washington at (17) USC (USC by 17): Steve Sarkisian seems to come up with about three truly excellent offensive game plans per year. Here’s betting he breaks one of them out on Thursday. USC 42-17
Oregon State at Arizona (UA by 9.5): With Anu Solomon likely to play, the Wildcats will have enough firepower to overcome Oregon State’s stout defense. UA 32-21
Washington State at Oregon (UO by 17): If WSU leads at halftime for a fifth consecutive game, it will be interesting to see if Vernon Adams’ finger feels better in time for the third quarter. Oregon 38-24.
Colorado at Arizona State (ASU by 15): Are the Sun Devils really back, or can an improved Colorado team keep it close against an ASU squad with no identity? Feels like this could go in a lot of directions. ASU 34-21
(23) California at (5) Utah (Utah by 7.5): With a bye week to prepare its ferocious defense for the Bear Raid and ESPN College Gameday on hand, it’s hard to see the Utes not getting up for this one. Utah 42-21
Last week: 3-1, 3-1 against the spread.
Overall: 34-10, 21-16 against the spread.