Pac-12 Picks: Week Five Results
Sep 28, 2013; Eugene, OR, USA; Oregon Ducks running back Thomas Tyner (24) runs the ball in the second half against the California Golden Bears at Autzen Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Scott Olmos-USA TODAY Sports
This was definitely one of those weeks where I was perfect with my picks, but with a big fat asterisk indicating just how off I was on my score predictions. I certainly did not win against the spread, mainly due to thinking the various losing teams would put up a lot more fruitless points than they actually did.
Colorado at Oregon State
My Pick: OSU 45, Colorado 31
Actual Score: OSU 44, Colorado 17
The Buffaloes got slaughtered. Mannion and Cooks shredded like we knew they’d shred, but the Colorado offense failed to answer. A reality check for any Colorado fans that had unrealistically high hopes, but losing on the road to a conference foe doesn’t undo the progress that has been made in Boulder.
#5 Stanford at Washington State
My Pick: Stanford 31, WSU 17
Actual Score: Stanford 55, WSU 17
Stanford controlled the game and shut down the Washington State offense, which is not all that surprising, especially considering the heavy rain’s impact on Leach’s pass-first attack. The Cardinal ringing up over 50 points on the previously stingy Coug defense was less expected, and should serve as fair warning for Huskies, who play Stanford this Saturday, that Coach Shaw and his offense are capable of executing powerfully on the offensive side of the ball.
USC at Arizona State
My Pick: ASU 24, USC 13
Actual Score: ASU 62, USC 41
Super ugly game that featured far, far more points than I anticipated. The 62 ASU points buried Coach Kiffin, but the 41 points scored by the Trojan offense adds an odd element of unpredictability for USC moving forward. Meanwhile, the big win looks almost as good for Stanford, who recently smacked the Sun Devils in Palo Alto, as it does for ASU.
California at #2 Oregon
My Pick: Oregon 49, Cal 30
Actual Score: Oregon 55, Cal 16
Just about what you would expect from the rebuilding Bears, who now firmly occupy the basement of the Pac-12 North. Foolish of me to expect freshman quarterback Jared Goff to score points in Eugene like he was scoring them in Berkeley.
My Record This Week: 5-0 (Counting UW Game)
My Total Record: 38-3 (Counting All UW Games)