Pac-10 picks

One bad bounce cost Arizona a win, and cost us a winning week. My guess is the pain was a lot more intense in Tucson than here.

So now we have to decide which bounces back quicker, the Wildcats against Stanford or our record against the spread.

That one is a dead-solid lock. Bet the house, the car, the dog. Our record is never coming back.

As always, the listed line is for your entertainment purposes only.

California at UCLA (Cal by 3.5): Which Bears team will show up? The one that opened the season looking as if it were Rose Bowl-bound? Or the one that looked almost as bad against Oregon and USC as the Cougars? We’re thinking it will lean more toward the former. Cal 21-10.

Stanford at Arizona (UA by 5): What were we thinking? This isn’t the Cardinal’s year, unless they can prove they can win on the road. They aren’t going to this week. Arizona 24-21.

Washington at Arizona State (ASU by 6.5): The Sun Devils’ strength is their defensive front seven. The Huskies’ strength is their offense’s ability to compete. We’ll take the team with the better defense. ASU 17-14.

USC at Notre Dame (USC by 10): This just might be the most important game in Charlie Weis’ tenure. Lose and this season is a failure. Win and it is a success. Lots of pressure there. But not as much as the Trojans will put on Jimmy Clausen. USC 24-17.

Last week: 2-2 overall, 1-3 vs. spread. Season: 26-15 overall, 14-22 vs. spread.