Pac-12 Picks: Week Ten
#15 Stanford at Colorado
70 points. The Buffaloes had given up 70 points to Oregon by the end of the 3rd quarter. I don’t think Stanford plays fast enough on offense to score nearly that many, but at least 50 or so seems totally reasonable. Kind of a week off for the Cardinal, honestly, and Boulder is probably still really beautiful this time of year.
Stanford 52, Colorado 13
October 27, 2012; Stanford, CA, USA; Stanford Cardinal quarterback Josh Nunes (6) is sacked by Washington State Cougars linebacker Chester Su
Washington State at Utah
Another chance for Mike Leach’s team to attempt to prove progress has been made this year, but Utah hasn’t looked all that bad the last few weeks, and I’m thinking this may be a fairly decisive victory for the Utes, considering they have the Cougars in Provo. You can still bet on Jeff Tuel throwing for at least 300 yards, though, despite the 8+ sacks he will take due to his abysmal offensive line.
Utah 34, WSU 21
#2 Oregon at #18 USC
Early in the season, this looked like a possible Pac-12 game of the year. Now, with USC having lost twice, that just isn’t the case. Still, as Michael Castillo of Reign of Troy mentioned a few days ago, it would be so USC to randomly defeat Oregon right after a season-ruining loss. I don’t necessarily think that is going to happen, simply because the Ducks have dominated everyone they have played, including the Arizona team that just defeated the Trojans. It might be fairly close in that Barkley and the hyper-talented Marqise Lee will score, but Oregon will have their way with the near-broken USC defense.
Oregon 56, USC 34
October 27, 2012; Tempe, AZ, USA; Arizona State Sun Devils wide receiver Jamal Miles (32) runs for a first down in front of UCLA Bruins cornerback Aaron Hester (21) during the second half at Sun Devil Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Rick Scuteri-US PRESSWIRE
#24 Arizona at #25 UCLA
Forget about Oregon and USC, this is the game I’m most excited about this week. Both teams can score, both teams have fragile defenses, and both teams are increasingly in the thick of the Pac-12 South race. To make this parity more interesting, the fact that Matt Scott and the offense are absolutely on fire the past few weeks is balanced by the location of the game: the Rose Bowl. UCLA certainly has a fighting chance, but I believe Arizona’s offense, and specifically the spread attack led by Scott, will overwhelm a very poor group of UCLA defensive backs. Either way, count on an entertaining shootout. If you’re a fan of defense, watch something else.
Arizona 52, UCLA 38
Arizona State at #13 Oregon State
After a very tough loss to Washington on the road, I am counting on the Beavers to rally around Mike Riley and newly named starter Cody Vaz to take down the Sun Devils fairly easily. It isn’t that Arizona State is a bad team, they’re actually pretty dangerous. The Beavers will just be far too hyped up, knowing that the success of their season is now on the line, and that the magic of the undefeated run is over. Also, with the struggling Sean Mannion shelved, ASU won’t be able to count on reaping the benefits of multiple interceptions, a key element to the Husky win.
Oregon State 31, ASU 24