Jacob Thorpe’s Pac-12 picks

The fact that Friday’s matchup between Stanford and Washington State has the lowest over/under (expected point total) of any Pac-12 game this weekend shows just how highly regarded the Cardinal defense is, and just how potent these West Coast offenses have become.

Last week, not a single Pac-12 home team won. If the Cougars can spring the upset on Friday, there’s a good chance that will be the case again this week, with every Saturday game expected to be close.

WSU at Stanford, Stan by 17: All the matchups in this one seem to favor WSU. Stanford’s QB is nursing an injury, its offense has been poor, especially in the red zone, and WSU’s offense has been humming lately. But Stanford still has overwhelming talent and will be extra focused coming off a loss. Stanford 38-31

Oregon at UCLA, UO by 2: Somehow, this battle of the Pac-12’s most mobile QBs could end up being the conference game with the most overall sacks. The Ducks take the first step toward getting back in the college football playoff picture. Oregon 43-31

Washington at California, Cal by 3.5: Both teams have young and shaky secondaries. Cal has a QB who can do something about it. Cal 38-24

USC at Arizona, USC by 2.5: Arizona has a lot of momentum and should have a wild crowd to greet it after the Wildcats won at Oregon and ascended to the Top 10. USC has already bounced back from one bad loss this season; doing so again will be a bigger challenge. Arizona 37-35

Last week: 0-6 straight up, 2-4 against the spread.

Overall: 34-14, 19-22.

Jacob Thorpe