Pac-12 picks: For USC and Stanford, battle of the backup QBs could take center stage
Spokesman-Review Washington State beat writer Theo Lawson picks week two of the Pac-12 college football season.
Sacramento St. at Arizona St.
No line: Another opportunity for Jayden Daniels to build confidence before a week-three clash with Michigan State that could do the exact opposite for Arizona State’s true freshman quarterback. The pick: ASU 48, Sacramento State 17.
Northern Illinois at Utah
Utah by 22 1/2: The eye test? Utah passed it by easily covering the spread in a 30-12 win over BYU. Quarterback Tyler Huntley passed the postgame press conference test when asked about the rivalry with the Cougars. “We ain’t never going to lose to them,” Huntley said. “They poo-poo.” Roll on, Utes. The pick: Utah 45, Northern Illinois 7.
Nebraska at Colorado
Nebraska by 5: If the Cornhuskers are as good as their preseason Top 25 position, this game won’t be as close – or entertaining – as last year’s. But it’s hard to get a bead on Nebraska after a 35-21 win over South Alabama, and Colorado probably surprised a few people with a 52-31 blowout of Colorado State. The Huskers pull it out, but not without some tense fourth-quarter moments. The pick: Nebraska 38, Colorado 37.
San Diego State at UCLA
UCLA by 7: The Aztecs posted a 6-0 shutout of Weber State, so UCLA’s offense shouldn’t expect to cruise. But as long as Dorian Thompson-Robinson has learned a few lessons in ball security this week, the Bruins should win. If not? It could easily be an 0-4 start for Chip Kelly and Co., with Oklahoma and Washington State on deck. The pick: UCLA 24, SDSU 10.
Northern Colorado at Washington St.
No line: Anthony Gordon’s QBR of 230.8 leads the Pac-12; I suspect that won’t change over the course of the week. Another guess? The redshirt senior is tops in the country in passing yards by the time our next picks come out. The pick: Will be in Saturday’s paper.
Nevada at Oregon
Oregon by 22: Nevada isn’t Auburn, but Oregon should treat the Wolf Pack as if they are. One loss doesn’t take the Ducks out of the College Football Playoff picture, but a second would – not to mention the tension it would cause between UO fans and coach Mario Cristobal, whose staff is already taking enough heat for mismanaging timeouts against Auburn. The pick: Oregon 38, Nevada 24.
Cal at Washington
Washington by 14: With a quarterback like Jacob Eason, Cal might be a Pac-12 North favorite. The Golden Bears could be better equipped on defense than the Huskies, but that gap is much smaller than the one between Beau Baldwin’s offense and Bush Hamdan’s, which makes this an easy choice. The pick: Washington 31, Cal 14.
Stanford at USC
USC by 3: I was leaning toward USC when KJ Costello left Saturday’s game against Northwestern with what appeared to be a serious injury. But the one suffered by Trojans quarterback JT Daniels is much more severe. If the California rivals are both using backups, I like the Cardinal by a smidge. If Costello suits up, Stanford could win by two or more scores. For now, we’ll meet in the middle. The pick: Stanford 28, USC 17.
Northern Arizona at Arizona
No line: Time for Kevin Sumlin and the Wildcats to work out their offensive kinks before squaring off against Texas Tech next week. That is to say, running back J.J. Taylor needs to touch the ball more than 15 times in a game. The pick: Arizona 55, NAU 17.
Oregon St. at Hawaii
Hawaii by 5 1/2: The Rainbow Warriors improve to 2-0 this season against the Pac-12. If Hawaii can pull off a miracle against Washington a week later, Nick Rolovich’s bunch might as well be fitted for their Pac-12 championship rings afterward. The pick: Hawaii 41, Oregon State 28.
Theo Lawson’s records
Last week and overall: 9-2 straight up; 6-5 against the spread.