1.) Utah (-7) at BYU - This one will be one of the most interesting games of the Pac 12. Utah won an uninspiring game last weekend. QB play was not as good as advertised and their RBs while plentiful, don't pack the same power of the late Ty Jordan. Defense was stout for sure, but they will get tested in Provo. BYU did not look very strong against Arizona or maybe Arizona is a lot better than we think. Either way, was not an impressive start to the season for BYU. QB took a massive dive for obvious reasons as it will be a decade+ before they get another QB the likes of Zach Wilson. Defensively, they had difficulty doing anything in pass coverage (surprisingly) to at times difficulty holding the line of scrimmage on defense. This is a game of 2 uninspiring performance teams coming together in a holy war. Not sure what to expect, but I'm guessing Utah will dominate late just by having the much brawnier lines and better special teams.
Utes - 24
BYU - 17
2.) SDSU at Arizona (-1) - SDSU, as always, is a team lead with a strong defense for a G5 team and a running game featuring a plethora of P5 quality running backs. As usual, they have a QB that isn't worth a darn. Same guy CU saw last year, Jordan Brookshire or whatever his name is. Decent runner but can't throw the ball at all. Big, tough, near P5 quality OL for SDSU so expect a lot of running with the Bell's. Arizona was running and gunning with Gunner Cruz. Michael Wiley provided some sanity to the madness with key runs against BYU. I see Arizona's offense struggling more with SDSU, even at home, than it did with BYU. SDSU is tough in the passing game. They will not give up yards so easily. Zona is still figuring it out on defense but SDSU is a 1 trick pony that is all about ball control and wearing you down late in a game. They have feasted on Pac 12 teams at times so they can never be taken lightly. This is about as big a pick'em as there is in the Pac 12 this week. I'm taking the home team just because Zona needs this after the close call with BYU.
Zona - 21
SDSU - 20
3.) Hawaii at Oregon State (-11.5) - Oregon State is a bit Jekyll and Hyde. Hard to really gauge what it is they do well after that 1st game. I was impressed with their defensive backfield full of guys who committed to CU but couldn't get in. They were really good. Their DL has some big, thumpers, on them that allow those tough inside LBs to fill. They had no trouble stopping the run for most of the game against Purdue. Offensively, I figured OSU would take a step down. Was intrigued with Noyer starting though because that gives them some athleticism at QB to work with. Not sure whether it's Noyer or Nolan but Gebbia is still out so their best passing QB will not be available. Even against Hawaii, Oregon State needs to pass the ball a lot better to be a decent team. Their defense will keep them in most games. They do not have the running game they did the past few years with those NFL RBs they had. It was bombs away against Purdue but I expect the all or nothing throws won't work very well going forward and will lead to a lot of 3 and outs. Hawaii is just not very good. They did manage to put up 49 against Portland State, but gave up 35. Can't imagine anyone felt good about that. Back in the states and no doubt exhausted, this will be a tough one for Hawaii. Oregon State likely finds their footing on offense in this game.
Oregon State - 35
Hawaii - 20
4.) Cal (+11.5) at TCU - Man did Cal stink against Nevada. Nevada has a good offense and we all knew that coming in with a QB in Strong who will be playing on Sundays, but how did the Nevada defense hold them for 3 quarters to just about nothing? Chase Garbers is in year 4 as a starter and couldn't lead them to squat after the first quarter where he looked like a potential all conference QB. Garbers is as inconsistent as any QB in the conference, maybe ever. Remember when he beat USC in LA? Yeah, that seems like such a long time ago now. TCU did whatever they wanted to in their first game. Man, I thought this was going to be a great game for the conference when this was scheduled. Big 12 might go 2-0 against the Pac 12 now. Damn, that wouldn't be good! Conference needs Cal to win badly. The conference's reputation is at stake here. Both KSU And TCU are left behind teams and we can't be losing to those guys. Cal needs to represent, but I just don't know what's wrong with them. Defensively, they should be top 4 in the league. Offensively, they should be just serviceable but that's all they needed to be with that defense. I haven't been a fan of Cal since before the season and now it looks like 0-2 to start the season as a high probability. I don't like Cal in this one at all but their defense will show up and keep things interesting.
Cal - 17
TCU - 21
5.) Washington (+7) at Michigan - This was a pick'em before the season. One of the games the league was highlighting to show off our strength as a conference on the rise. One of our best shots at a big win against a rival (along with UCLA at LSU which did come to fruition). This is a must win game for UW and the league. There will be much national attention on this game. Washington was in the top 20 before the enormous upset loss against Montana and Michigan which was terrible a year ago is on the comeback with a huge win over Western Michigan. They look like 2 ships crossing in the night with UW going the wrong direction. I don't believe UW can be that bad but I do wonder what they are going to do at QB. UW has one of the deepest running back rooms in the league along with ASU And CU. They should be able to run on anybody with that offensive line. Defensively, they are still stout even with the loss of 2 of their top stars. QB play was so horrendous a week ago, it was almost like, well, Michigan a year ago. No wonder they added that transfer from Colorado State. Damn, maybe he really was going to be the starter. Hard for me to pick Washington here with how bad they were at QB. I still am not convinced Michigan is anything though. Tough to give up on this one, but I'm guessing Michigan runs away with it late in the big house with UW still struggling to find its footing offensively.
Michigan - 27
Washington - 14
6.) Oregon at Ohio State (-14.5) - Oregon is ranked 11th and Ohio State ranked 3rd. Oregon did not look good against Fresno State. In fact, I'm not sure Fresno doesn't win that game if it's not played again. They had all sorts of trouble with Haener, the 2nd best QB in the MWC. Oregon did stop the run but Fresno's running backs are pretty slow and Fresno doesn't have the size on the line to blow open holes against Oregon. Offensively, Oregon ran the ball decently if not steady, but nothing spectacular until Anthony Brown's big TD gallop to win the game. I'm not a huge fan of Brown as a passer although he got it done against Fresno. He is only slightly better than Lewis and mostly due to experience. I'm not sure Oregon is a major threat with him at QB as their skill positions aren't really as dominant as they lead us all to believe. On the other side, Ohio State struggled with Minnesota. If not for big plays saving the day and a timely injury to the nation's top RB, they could have been 0-1 to start the season. Both teams weren't as good as advertised. Stroud looked good on the hoof but was very hesitant at times. He will be much better in game 2. Ohio State's skill position players though looked darn good. That little running back they had reminded me of the guy from Utah a year ago, Ty Jordan. Just a baby bulldozer with top end speed. Obviously they can dismantle you on the deep balls with Olave and Henderson. Oregon needs a really, really, huge game from Kayvon T. Hopefully he is at full strength this week. This game could be a blowout, but I think Oregon's D will keep them in it as well as a consistent rushing game.
Oregon - 21
Ohio State - 27
7.) Stanford at USC (-17) - Stanford is starting Tanner McKee this week thankfully for them. They will not rotate QBs either. Jack West is terrible and was terrible a year ago. Not sure what went into the thinking of starting West and then getting McKee series mixed in there. More than anything, Stanford needs Peat and Jones to come alive in the running game. This was the year for Stanford on the OL. Most everyone returns and they were stout a year ago. It just seems they have not figured out who they are on offense yet. I would put it on McKee's back and let him air it out to soften up USC's defense and then let the backs take over. McKee can sling it and is surprisingly athletic. On the other side, USC looks like a team that can and should win the South. Their WRs are solid and could get even better if Bru McCoy gets reinstated. His stay of execution was denied for now but we'll see what happens in the future for Bru. USC's running game is taking off this year with Texas transfer Ingram leading the charge and a reinvigorated Malepeai who might finally live up to expectations. Slovis though looked terrific. He was far and away the best QB in the Pac 12 that I saw and he looked like a guy playing for an NFL contract. His arm strength was back and he was tough in the pocket. Took big shots and kept on chucking the rock. Only negative for USC was those special teams from the Colorado transfer, LOL. Leave it to CU to screw up USC's chances at a Natty! USC should win big in this, but I don't think they will. I think Stanford finally gets it going on offense and poses a threat but USC will pull away in the 4th quarter.
Stanford - 24
USC - 35
8.) Portland St. at Washington State (-15) - Ho hum, another boring Pac 12 game. Well, I'm guessing WSU goes with De Laura at QB. Gaurantano is just bad. Not sure why they picked him up. De Laura gave that team life in the game against Utah State. He was crisp passing it and added an element in the running game. Kid's got game for sure. It was also the return of Max Borghi who showed that he still has the breakaway speed. Max and McIntosh should go off in the running game allowing De Laura to throw a lot of deep bombs and put away Portland state early. My only concern with the Cougs is their defense has taken a massive step back. Utah State ran at will and at times passed at will. The days of Leach and tough defenses are gone. I do think their offense will be a lot better this week with De Laura running the show.
Portland St - 17
WSU - 42
9.) UNLV at ASU (-32.5) - ASU was CU sloppy last week. Their backs White, Trayanum, and Ngata were good. Similar to what CU's backs did. Daniels didn't do a whole lot but wasn't really trying to either. They were efficient if anything. Defensively, ASU is legit and showed it in that game. Got 3 picks including a pick 6 from Pierce's kid. ASU may win this game bigger than Utah State after UNLV's failed showing against Eastern Washington. UNLV cannot throw the football at all. Not even a little bit. They have 1 decent RB and that's about it for them offensively. Defensively they are terrible. FCS level on defense. This one will be ugly as ugly gets for the weekend. I expect ASU to cover sadly for UNLV. They have all that Fertita money going into their program, a new stadium, brand new facilities, and are as bad as they ever were (well, they did lose to Howard a few years ago so maybe not quite as bad as they were).
UNLV - 10
ASU - 63
10.) CU and A&M (-17.5) at Denver - I'll add this to the guess the score thread. This is a game I wish CU had Fillip and Johnson for. Both would have immense effect on this game. A&M has their big DE pass rusher back for this game. Watching our tackles and even TEs try to stop pass rushers in the UNC game was quite embarrassing. A&M's guys will be licking their chops. I mean, this could be nasty. Fillip in there with Wray gave us a shot at holding up in the pass game which would give us a shot offensively. I'm not sure we can keep A&M off the QB and with Lewis struggling to make quick reads, not sure this one isn't going to get ugly. If there is some way we can block their front line and force them to blitz us to get pressure, we have a chance if we can get Lewis to hit hot reads. This one is all about the offense for CU. Have to get this passing game going as A&M will show no respect to it. It will be bump and run coverage on the outside with 8 in the box and safeties playing wide to cover any sideline to sideline plays. They will have zero respect for CU's passing game and will pin their ears back in the pass rush. They will run blitz every gap and put CU in 2nd and 9's. CU needs to make a lot of use of the TE in the passing game and the RBs in the screen game. Defensively, A&M has a ton of speed everywhere along with a couple of really tall WRs that will try to out jump our guys for balls. A&M also has one of the best TEs in football. 2nd only to the guy at UCLA. They also have a freshman QB who is quick and has a gun on him. He is probably the reason this game won't get blown out of proportion as no doubt he will make a lot of mistakes that will keep this game from being a blowout. I have faith in that despite his immense skills. CU is definitely in trouble here unless it can play fast offensively and keep A&M off balance while somehow blocking A&M's front line pass rushers (something they struggled with against UNC-G). In the end, it will look like an inspired effort for CU but the pundits will only be talking about A&M and how they need to play better to win the SEC (blah blah).
CU - 24
A&M - 38
Utes - 24
BYU - 17
2.) SDSU at Arizona (-1) - SDSU, as always, is a team lead with a strong defense for a G5 team and a running game featuring a plethora of P5 quality running backs. As usual, they have a QB that isn't worth a darn. Same guy CU saw last year, Jordan Brookshire or whatever his name is. Decent runner but can't throw the ball at all. Big, tough, near P5 quality OL for SDSU so expect a lot of running with the Bell's. Arizona was running and gunning with Gunner Cruz. Michael Wiley provided some sanity to the madness with key runs against BYU. I see Arizona's offense struggling more with SDSU, even at home, than it did with BYU. SDSU is tough in the passing game. They will not give up yards so easily. Zona is still figuring it out on defense but SDSU is a 1 trick pony that is all about ball control and wearing you down late in a game. They have feasted on Pac 12 teams at times so they can never be taken lightly. This is about as big a pick'em as there is in the Pac 12 this week. I'm taking the home team just because Zona needs this after the close call with BYU.
Zona - 21
SDSU - 20
3.) Hawaii at Oregon State (-11.5) - Oregon State is a bit Jekyll and Hyde. Hard to really gauge what it is they do well after that 1st game. I was impressed with their defensive backfield full of guys who committed to CU but couldn't get in. They were really good. Their DL has some big, thumpers, on them that allow those tough inside LBs to fill. They had no trouble stopping the run for most of the game against Purdue. Offensively, I figured OSU would take a step down. Was intrigued with Noyer starting though because that gives them some athleticism at QB to work with. Not sure whether it's Noyer or Nolan but Gebbia is still out so their best passing QB will not be available. Even against Hawaii, Oregon State needs to pass the ball a lot better to be a decent team. Their defense will keep them in most games. They do not have the running game they did the past few years with those NFL RBs they had. It was bombs away against Purdue but I expect the all or nothing throws won't work very well going forward and will lead to a lot of 3 and outs. Hawaii is just not very good. They did manage to put up 49 against Portland State, but gave up 35. Can't imagine anyone felt good about that. Back in the states and no doubt exhausted, this will be a tough one for Hawaii. Oregon State likely finds their footing on offense in this game.
Oregon State - 35
Hawaii - 20
4.) Cal (+11.5) at TCU - Man did Cal stink against Nevada. Nevada has a good offense and we all knew that coming in with a QB in Strong who will be playing on Sundays, but how did the Nevada defense hold them for 3 quarters to just about nothing? Chase Garbers is in year 4 as a starter and couldn't lead them to squat after the first quarter where he looked like a potential all conference QB. Garbers is as inconsistent as any QB in the conference, maybe ever. Remember when he beat USC in LA? Yeah, that seems like such a long time ago now. TCU did whatever they wanted to in their first game. Man, I thought this was going to be a great game for the conference when this was scheduled. Big 12 might go 2-0 against the Pac 12 now. Damn, that wouldn't be good! Conference needs Cal to win badly. The conference's reputation is at stake here. Both KSU And TCU are left behind teams and we can't be losing to those guys. Cal needs to represent, but I just don't know what's wrong with them. Defensively, they should be top 4 in the league. Offensively, they should be just serviceable but that's all they needed to be with that defense. I haven't been a fan of Cal since before the season and now it looks like 0-2 to start the season as a high probability. I don't like Cal in this one at all but their defense will show up and keep things interesting.
Cal - 17
TCU - 21
5.) Washington (+7) at Michigan - This was a pick'em before the season. One of the games the league was highlighting to show off our strength as a conference on the rise. One of our best shots at a big win against a rival (along with UCLA at LSU which did come to fruition). This is a must win game for UW and the league. There will be much national attention on this game. Washington was in the top 20 before the enormous upset loss against Montana and Michigan which was terrible a year ago is on the comeback with a huge win over Western Michigan. They look like 2 ships crossing in the night with UW going the wrong direction. I don't believe UW can be that bad but I do wonder what they are going to do at QB. UW has one of the deepest running back rooms in the league along with ASU And CU. They should be able to run on anybody with that offensive line. Defensively, they are still stout even with the loss of 2 of their top stars. QB play was so horrendous a week ago, it was almost like, well, Michigan a year ago. No wonder they added that transfer from Colorado State. Damn, maybe he really was going to be the starter. Hard for me to pick Washington here with how bad they were at QB. I still am not convinced Michigan is anything though. Tough to give up on this one, but I'm guessing Michigan runs away with it late in the big house with UW still struggling to find its footing offensively.
Michigan - 27
Washington - 14
6.) Oregon at Ohio State (-14.5) - Oregon is ranked 11th and Ohio State ranked 3rd. Oregon did not look good against Fresno State. In fact, I'm not sure Fresno doesn't win that game if it's not played again. They had all sorts of trouble with Haener, the 2nd best QB in the MWC. Oregon did stop the run but Fresno's running backs are pretty slow and Fresno doesn't have the size on the line to blow open holes against Oregon. Offensively, Oregon ran the ball decently if not steady, but nothing spectacular until Anthony Brown's big TD gallop to win the game. I'm not a huge fan of Brown as a passer although he got it done against Fresno. He is only slightly better than Lewis and mostly due to experience. I'm not sure Oregon is a major threat with him at QB as their skill positions aren't really as dominant as they lead us all to believe. On the other side, Ohio State struggled with Minnesota. If not for big plays saving the day and a timely injury to the nation's top RB, they could have been 0-1 to start the season. Both teams weren't as good as advertised. Stroud looked good on the hoof but was very hesitant at times. He will be much better in game 2. Ohio State's skill position players though looked darn good. That little running back they had reminded me of the guy from Utah a year ago, Ty Jordan. Just a baby bulldozer with top end speed. Obviously they can dismantle you on the deep balls with Olave and Henderson. Oregon needs a really, really, huge game from Kayvon T. Hopefully he is at full strength this week. This game could be a blowout, but I think Oregon's D will keep them in it as well as a consistent rushing game.
Oregon - 21
Ohio State - 27
7.) Stanford at USC (-17) - Stanford is starting Tanner McKee this week thankfully for them. They will not rotate QBs either. Jack West is terrible and was terrible a year ago. Not sure what went into the thinking of starting West and then getting McKee series mixed in there. More than anything, Stanford needs Peat and Jones to come alive in the running game. This was the year for Stanford on the OL. Most everyone returns and they were stout a year ago. It just seems they have not figured out who they are on offense yet. I would put it on McKee's back and let him air it out to soften up USC's defense and then let the backs take over. McKee can sling it and is surprisingly athletic. On the other side, USC looks like a team that can and should win the South. Their WRs are solid and could get even better if Bru McCoy gets reinstated. His stay of execution was denied for now but we'll see what happens in the future for Bru. USC's running game is taking off this year with Texas transfer Ingram leading the charge and a reinvigorated Malepeai who might finally live up to expectations. Slovis though looked terrific. He was far and away the best QB in the Pac 12 that I saw and he looked like a guy playing for an NFL contract. His arm strength was back and he was tough in the pocket. Took big shots and kept on chucking the rock. Only negative for USC was those special teams from the Colorado transfer, LOL. Leave it to CU to screw up USC's chances at a Natty! USC should win big in this, but I don't think they will. I think Stanford finally gets it going on offense and poses a threat but USC will pull away in the 4th quarter.
Stanford - 24
USC - 35
8.) Portland St. at Washington State (-15) - Ho hum, another boring Pac 12 game. Well, I'm guessing WSU goes with De Laura at QB. Gaurantano is just bad. Not sure why they picked him up. De Laura gave that team life in the game against Utah State. He was crisp passing it and added an element in the running game. Kid's got game for sure. It was also the return of Max Borghi who showed that he still has the breakaway speed. Max and McIntosh should go off in the running game allowing De Laura to throw a lot of deep bombs and put away Portland state early. My only concern with the Cougs is their defense has taken a massive step back. Utah State ran at will and at times passed at will. The days of Leach and tough defenses are gone. I do think their offense will be a lot better this week with De Laura running the show.
Portland St - 17
WSU - 42
9.) UNLV at ASU (-32.5) - ASU was CU sloppy last week. Their backs White, Trayanum, and Ngata were good. Similar to what CU's backs did. Daniels didn't do a whole lot but wasn't really trying to either. They were efficient if anything. Defensively, ASU is legit and showed it in that game. Got 3 picks including a pick 6 from Pierce's kid. ASU may win this game bigger than Utah State after UNLV's failed showing against Eastern Washington. UNLV cannot throw the football at all. Not even a little bit. They have 1 decent RB and that's about it for them offensively. Defensively they are terrible. FCS level on defense. This one will be ugly as ugly gets for the weekend. I expect ASU to cover sadly for UNLV. They have all that Fertita money going into their program, a new stadium, brand new facilities, and are as bad as they ever were (well, they did lose to Howard a few years ago so maybe not quite as bad as they were).
UNLV - 10
ASU - 63
10.) CU and A&M (-17.5) at Denver - I'll add this to the guess the score thread. This is a game I wish CU had Fillip and Johnson for. Both would have immense effect on this game. A&M has their big DE pass rusher back for this game. Watching our tackles and even TEs try to stop pass rushers in the UNC game was quite embarrassing. A&M's guys will be licking their chops. I mean, this could be nasty. Fillip in there with Wray gave us a shot at holding up in the pass game which would give us a shot offensively. I'm not sure we can keep A&M off the QB and with Lewis struggling to make quick reads, not sure this one isn't going to get ugly. If there is some way we can block their front line and force them to blitz us to get pressure, we have a chance if we can get Lewis to hit hot reads. This one is all about the offense for CU. Have to get this passing game going as A&M will show no respect to it. It will be bump and run coverage on the outside with 8 in the box and safeties playing wide to cover any sideline to sideline plays. They will have zero respect for CU's passing game and will pin their ears back in the pass rush. They will run blitz every gap and put CU in 2nd and 9's. CU needs to make a lot of use of the TE in the passing game and the RBs in the screen game. Defensively, A&M has a ton of speed everywhere along with a couple of really tall WRs that will try to out jump our guys for balls. A&M also has one of the best TEs in football. 2nd only to the guy at UCLA. They also have a freshman QB who is quick and has a gun on him. He is probably the reason this game won't get blown out of proportion as no doubt he will make a lot of mistakes that will keep this game from being a blowout. I have faith in that despite his immense skills. CU is definitely in trouble here unless it can play fast offensively and keep A&M off balance while somehow blocking A&M's front line pass rushers (something they struggled with against UNC-G). In the end, it will look like an inspired effort for CU but the pundits will only be talking about A&M and how they need to play better to win the SEC (blah blah).
CU - 24
A&M - 38
