Pac-12 Picks: Week Nine Results

Oct 26, 2013; Boulder, CO, USA; Arizona Wildcats running back Daniel Jenkins (3) runs with the ball in the fourth quarter against the Colorado Buffaloes at Folsom Field. The Wildcats defeated the Buffaloes 44-20. Mandatory Credit: Ron Chenoy-USA TODAY Sports

Utah at USC

My Pick: Utah 31, USC 20

Actual Score: USC 19, Utah 3

Underestimated the USC defense and overestimated the Utah offense, especially Travis Wilson’s ability to perform on the road. Simple as that.

#12 UCLA at #2 Oregon

My Pick: Oregon 52, UCLA 21

Actual Score: Oregon 42, UCLA 14

Didn’t expect to see UCLA ties up with the Ducks 14-14 halfway through the 3rd quarter, but did expect the final score. Oregon faced a real challenge in the UCLA defense holding them to only two first half scores, but Coach Helfrich’s team responded by finishing with zero mercy.

Arizona at Colorado:

My Pick: Arizona 31, Colorado 21

Actual Score: Arizona 44, Colorado 20

I’m really curious to see where Colorado is at this time next year. The team has made huge progress from cupcake status at the end of last year to somewhere closer to mediocrity. That might sound a bit negative, but it really is progress in Coach MacIntyre’s first season. Bad has become mediocre, an in a year or two medicore could become good. Unfortunately that change couldn’t come soon enough for a win over Arizona, a team that has is just good enough to lay a beating on the lower-tier Pac-12 schools like Colorado and Cal.

#6 Stanford at #25 Oregon State

My Pick: Oregon State 27, Stanford 24

Actual Score: Stanford 20, Oregon State 12

It was said before the game that a win here would suggest that Stanford’s defeat at Utah really was a one-time slip up, a mistake to be learned from so as not to be repeated. That does seem to be the case. I didn’t think Stanford was good enough, but they were. Sean Mannion has been prolific for the entire season. Only against San Diego State had he previously been held under 400 yards passing, and even then he had 367 yards. Yet at home against the Cardinal Mannion three for 271 yards despite throwing the ball 57 times. He even completed 42 of them, but was held to an average of less than five yards per pass. He threw for one touchdown and avoided throwing any picks, but considering that the entire OSU defense runs through the QB, that simply wasn’t good enough. It was a quintessential Stanford win. Kevin Hogan only completed 8/18 passes for 88 yards, but Coach Shaw relied on his resilient defense and the relentless ground attack of Tyler Gafney, who rumbled for 145 yards and three scores on 22 carries.

California at Washington

My Pick: Washington 35, Cal 17

Actual Score: Washington 41, Cal 17

Pretty much as expected. The offense went nuts on Cal’s injury-ridden, downtrodden defense while the Husky pass rushers and defensive backs kept Jared Goff in check.

Record This Week: 3-2

Total Record This Year: 54-10