Jacob Thorpe’s Pac-12 picks

PULLMAN – Yes, if Stanford or Utah wins the rest of its games, the Pac-12 will probably have a representative in the college football playoff.

But does either scenario seem likely right now? While Washington State gave a yeoman’s effort in its near upset of the Cardinal, Stanford did not exactly look ready for Notre Dame.

Utah somehow only has one loss, but the Utes aren’t even favored against a mediocre Washington team this weekend, and running off five consecutive wins to end the season is going to be a challenge.

That neither Stanford nor Utah were included in the top-10 of the first set of playoff rankings speaks to just how rough a year its been for the conference, whose two preseason favorites – Oregon and USC – aren’t even ranked.

Stanford (11) at Colorado, Stanford by 16: The Buffaloes continue to gain national acclaim for their ability to not lose by that much. Stanford 34-24

Arizona State at Washington State, WSU by 2.5: The WSU offense regains its footing and the Cougars don’t let this week’s game come down to a final field goal. WSU 38-28

UCLA (22) at Oregon State, UCLA by 17.5: The Beavers defense has quietly strung together five solid halves and the Bruins aren’t playing great right now. This one will be closer than you think. UCLA 31-24

Utah (12) at Washington, UW by 1.5: Jake Browning is improving but Utah’s not the kind of defense a freshman quarterback “turns the corner” against. Utah 28-17

California at Oregon, UO by 4.5: Jared Goff takes advantage of a susceptible Oregon secondary and the Golden Bears finally become bowl eligible. Cal 35-31

Arizona at USC, USC by 18: Good thing the Wildcats already escaped Colorado. A last place finish in the division would be on the table if they had to face the Buffaloes right now. USC 44-20

Last week: 5-1, 4-0-1 against the spread

Overall: 52-15, 35-21-1 against the spread