Jacob Thorpe’s Pac-12 picks
PULLMAN – Up here in the Pac-12 North, we’re having a prime-time showdown between the division’s top two teams to determine front-runner status, just like the football gods intended.
But down south, they’re likely to finish this weekend no closer to determining who will represent the division in the title game. Utah leads the division, but it is no longer untouchable after last weekend’s loss to USC. After the Utes, three teams are tied for second place. Even more aggravating, none of those top four teams are playing each other this weekend, and each is favored in its respective matchup.
The action gets started on Thursday night when Oregon travels to Arizona State. All other games are Saturday.
Oregon at Arizona State, ASU by 2.5: The Sun Devils might bring the heaviest blitz Vernon Adams has ever faced. I bet he’ll handle it OK. Oregon 38-27
USC at California, USC by 6: The week’s safest bet is that none of Cal’s defensive backs will say a word to USC receiver Juju Schuster-Smith after seeing what he did to trash-talking Dominique Hatfield last week. USC 38, Cal 24.
Oregon State at (13) Utah, Utah by 24: While 24 points may seem a tad high for Utah’s offense, remember that the Utes are likely to score on defense and special teams against the Beavers. Utah 42-20
(8) Stanford at Washington State, Stanford by 11: The Pac-12’s two hottest teams collide on a cold, rainy Halloween night in Pullman. For the fourth consecutive week, the Cougars have just enough tricks up their sleeves to get the win. WSU 28-27
Arizona at Washington, no line: Hard to project without knowing whether Jake Browning will play. But that won’t matter if Arizona’s fifth-string linebackers can’t stop Myles Gaskin. UW 20-17
Colorado at (24) UCLA, UCLA by 21: Figuring out which UCLA team we’ll see on a given week is as futile as trying to predict coach Jim Mora’s mood on the Pac-12 teleconference. He seemed pretty chipper this week. UCLA 48-28
Last week: 3-2, 3-1 against the spread
Overall: 47-14, 31-21 against the spread.