Stanford looks to spoil Oregon's perfect season. Can the Ducks survive?
(AP Photo/Chris Pietsch)
Article by WestCoastCFB
USC at Colorado
Betting Line: USC -7.5
USC finds themselves in a must win situation after an embarrassing blow out loss to Oregon State. The Trojans will face the Pac-12's worst offense in Boulder this weekend and should be able to secure an easy win. If USC can't win this one, then reaching a Bowl is suddenly in jeopardy.
Prediction: USC 30 vs Colorado 17
#3 Oregon at Stanford
Betting Line: Oregon -8
Oregon and Stanford have played a handful of classics in recent years and this has often been a competitive matchup. Since 2009, Stanford is 6-6 against the Ducks and will look to spoil another Oregon season this Saturday in Palo Alto. Oregon has a stout run defense, so Stanford will need to win this game through the air where the Ducks are vulnerable.
Prediction: Oregon 31 vs Stanford 28
WSU at Cal
Betting Line: Cal -7.5
The Cougs continued their trend of blowing leads in the 2nd half last weekend against Utah after surrendering 14 points in the final minutes to fall to 1-3 on the season. Rolovich desperately needs a win here to to cool off his hot seat but Cal has been sneaky good this year. The Golden Bears have the 2nd ranked offense in the conference while WSU has the 10th ranked defense. Expect the Bears to roll in this one.
Prediction: Cal 34 vs WSU 20
Washington at OSU
Betting Line: OSU -1
Not many are giving the Huskies a chance here, but football is often about matchups and Jimmy Lake has historically owned Jonathan Smith. While both were at Washington, Smith's offense often struggled to move the ball and score points against Lake's defense in practice. Then, Smith made the move to becoming the Oregon State head coach and his offense hasn't fared any better. In 3 matchups against the Huskies, Smith's offense has averaged 244.7 yards per game. This will be a close game, but the Huskies pull it out.
Prediction: Washington 28 vs Oregon State 27
ASU at #20 UCLA
Betting Line: UCLA -3
A pivotal Pac-12 South matchup will take place in the Rose Bowl and the winner of this one will have a serious leg up in the division after Utah and USC got off to disappointing starts to the season. These teams are fairly similar in that they both try to establish themselves on the ground and then get chunk plays through the air. The biggest difference between the two, is the ASU defense has been much more dominant thus far.
Prediction: ASU 27 vs UCLA 24
#13 BYU at Utah State
Betting Line: BYU -9.5
The Cougars will look to preserve their perfect season against a sneaky good Utah State squad, who upset WSU earlier this season. In-State rivalries are always fun and this game will feature a lot of passion on both sides but BYU just has too much talent.
Prediction: BYU 38 vs Utah State 16