This week’s Pac-12 picks

If there was a lesson we could learn from last week’s games, it was simply this: If you have a winner, collect immediately; a loser, wait awhile, the result might change. That’s what I did. As always, the listed line is for your entertainment purposes only. All games Saturday. Colorado vs. Colorado State in Denver (Colorado by 7.5): Rivalry Game I. Always assume these games will be close. Especially when both teams are down and out. Colorado 45-38. Missouri State at Oregon (no line): A nice little respite for the Ducks. They rarely take a respite from scoring, though. Oregon, 63-14. Texas at UCLA (Texas by 3.5): The Bruins could actually pull an upset here. Could, but they won’t. Texas, 24-14. Washington at Nebraska (Nebraska by 16.5): Defensive coordinator Nick Holt earned his money in the Holiday Bowl. He will again, but it’s not enough. Nebraska, 17-14. Presbyterian at California (no line): Wouldn’t it be nice if the Bears could play Catholic next week? California, 54-17. Arizona State at Illinois (Illinois by 1.5): I’m not sold on these Sun Devils as of yet. Illinois, 24-21. Syracuse at USC (USC by 16.5): I’m not sold on the Trojans’ offense yet either. USC, 17-13 Utah at BYU (BYU by 4): Rivalry Game II. Just figuring the Cougars will get the better quarterback play. BYU, 31-28. Stanford at Arizona (Stanford by 10): The Wildcats just aren’t getting the pressure up front they did last season. Without that, the Cardinal dominate. Stanford, 35-21. Washington State at San Diego State (SDSU by 5.5): Went over and over this. The biggest question I have is how a young Cougar defense will handle the road. Finally decided it would do OK. WSU, 31-24. Last week: 9-1 overall, 6-4 vs. spread; Season: 18-4 overall, 10-7 vs. spread.