Pac-12 Picks: Week Twelve
Washington State (2-8) at Arizona State (5-5)
WSU winning on the road? No way. They’re struggling to even function as a team right now with all that drama.
ASU 41, WSU 17
#21 USC (7-3) at #17 UCLA (8-2)
The level of trash talk has been frightening, and the build up isn’t even over. By the time this game actually takes place, the intensity will be outrageously high, and both teams will understand the stakes. There is certainly more on the line for Kiffin and the Trojans, who can’t afford to lose a 4th game, but considering that this game will be played at the Rose Bowl, and that the Bruins have clearly been the superior team so far, I think UCLA will win. I’m sure it will be a bit of a shootout, and Marqise Lee will have a field day against the UCLA defensive backs, but USC can’t stop anyone, especially not Brett Hundley and Johnathan Franklin.
UCLA 38, USC 31
#14 Stanford (8-2) at #1 Oregon (10-0)
Stanford has proven to be a resilient team. They lost a tough one to Washington on the road, and then lost on the road, in overtime, to undefeated Notre Dame. There is no shame in either of those defeats, and in the other eight games, Stanford hasn’t let one slip through their fingers. They have taken care of business. But now they play Oregon, the number one team in the country, and there will be no shame in that loss either.
Oregon 41, Stanford 21
Arizona (6-4) at Utah (4-6)
I wouldn’t be shocked to see this game end up very close. I also wouldn’t be shocked to see Arizona absolutely rock Utah. It’s tough to tell, as Utah looked to be on the upswing until their loss to Washington last week, and Arizona was red hot for several weeks until they were destroyed by UCLA. I could be wrong, but I’m thinking Arizona will bounce back with an explosive offensive performance on the road.
Arizona 45, Utah 27
Nov 10, 2012; Palo Alto, CA, USA; Stanford Cardinal head coach David Shaw and Oregon State Beavers head coach Mike Riley shake hands after the game at Stanford Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Ed Szczepanski-US PRESSWIRE
California (3-8) at #15 Oregon State (7-2)
Looks like Sean Mannion will be starting against Cal, so there’s always the chance he has the sort of terrible performance he had against Washington, but with Tedford probably on the way out and his team totally listless, I am willing to assume OSU will dispatch the Bears without much trouble.
OSU 31, Cal 17