Pac-12 Picks: Week Six Results
Oct 5, 2013; Berkeley, CA, USA; General view of the line of scrimmage as Washington State Cougars long snapper Alex Den Bleyker (65) snaps the ball against the California Golden Bears at Memorial Stadium. Washington State defeated California 44-22. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports
#12 UCLA at Utah
My Pick: UCLA 38, Utah 17
Actual Score: UCLA 34, Utah 27
Utah proved much more resilient than most people, including myself, realized. Really less a bad game for UCLA and more a statement of Pac-12 depth. The Bruins still seem to be members of a 2nd tier of conference teams alongside the Huskies. That will remain so until Mora and Co can defeat either Stanford or Oregon, but in the meantime, they continue to look like a possible top-10 team.
WSU at Cal
My Pick: WSU 31, Cal 16
Actual Score: WSU 44, Cal 22
Pretty much went as expected. The Cougars are a pretty solid team, and Cal is racked with injuries and still far from finished with rebuilding in the first year under Coach Dykes. Well over 500 yards for Connor Halliday, along with three scores, but it’s notable that the junior QB has still thrown an interception in every game this season, for a TD to INT ratio of 13 to 10.
#2 Oregon at Colorado
My Pick: Oregon 59, Colorado 13
Actual Score: Oregon 57, Colorado 16
Move along, move along, not much to see here. Colorado is making progress this season, but it will likely be at least two or three years before the Buffaloes are ready to play Oregon close, and only if the rebuilding project continues to go smoothly.
#22 Arizona State at Notre Dame
My Pick: ASU 31, Notre Dame 20
Actual Score: Notre Dame 37, ASU 34
Surprised and a little disappointed in the Sun Devils. Losing at Notre Dame isn’t something to be embarrassed about, even in a down year for the Fighting Irish, but it’s the sort of game Pac-12 South competitor UCLA would likely have won. It could have been ASU’s version of UCLA’s stomping of Nebraska, a statement road victory. Instead the job of overtaking the Bruins just got that much more difficult.
Record This Week: 4-1
Total Record: 42-4 (Counting UW Games)