Picking the Pac: Weekly Predictions and Betting Odds

Saturdays across the NCAA are wild, and the Pac-12 once again had a huge hand in shaking things up this past week. From an upset win for Oregon to Stanford’s stunning defeat of the Trojans, the chaos of college football is back. Here’s a breakdown of this week’s Pac-12 slate and what to expect from each.

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Minnesota @ Colorado – 10:00am

Neither of these teams may be ranked, but it’s still going to be nothing short of a great game. Minnesota (1-1) comes into the contest with a loss to Ohio State in the opening week of the season, while Colorado (1-1) dropped a close one at the end of last week’s game against #7 Texas A&M. Historically, the teams have met three times in the past with Colorado taking all three. Expect this to be a highly defensive game between the two squads, with neither team putting up a ton of points. 

Britt’s Picks: Colorado     

Spread: Colorado -3    

Total:     N/A

Moneyline:   N/A

Idaho @ Oregon State – 12:30pm

Oregon State should be able to take home this win easily and move to to 2-1 on the season for the first time since 2015. Oregon State made a change at quarterback in Week 1 against Purdue, putting in Chance Nolan to close out the game. Nolan came out as the starter in Week 2, where he completed 21-of-29 passes for 302 yards to lift the Beavers to a victory over the Rainbow Warriors. Meanwhile, Idaho is 0-5 against FBS teams since moving back to the FCS in 2018. 

Britt’s Picks:  Oregon State    

Spread:     N/A

Total:     N/A

Moneyline:   N/A

USC @ Washington State – 12:30pm

Falling from grace last week and hitting the ground hard were the USC Trojans (1-1). Going into the game against Stanford, USC was ranked No.14 in the AP Top-25. After Stanford’s opening game against K-State, it seemed as if the Trojans should have been able to sleep walk to the victory. Instead, Stanford was able to manhandle the Trojans, defeating them 42-28. The loss resulted in USC firing Clay Helton, something fans have been pushing towards for years, and naming Associate Head Coach Donte Williams as the new Interim Coach. Meanwhile the Cougars (1-1) are up against their toughest test to date as they’ll look to shutdown USC’s normally explosive offense. 

Britt’s Picks: USC   

Spread: USC -8

Total: 62.5    

Moneyline: USC -340/Washington State +260   

Sacramento State @ Cal – 1:00

While Cal has struggled to start the season, there’s no reason the Golden Bears shouldn’t break into the win column this weekend. Sacramento State is 1-1 going into the game, which looks better than Cal on paper, but Cal’s losses were both less than a touchdown to bigger and more notable FBS programs. After getting back out there and into the swing of things, Cal should be starting to turn a corner moving forward. 

Britt’s Picks: Cal     

Spread: N/A    

Total:  N/A   

Moneyline:   N/A

Arkansas State @ Washington – 1:15pm

It will be the first-ever meeting for these teams, and a victory Washington should be able to secure. However, the outlook surrounding the program from the outside looking in is bleak. After the Huskies dropped their season opener to Montana, becoming only the fifth ranked FBS team in history to lose to an FCS team since 2007, they also blew their shot at redemption last week on the road at Michigan. While the dawgs more than likely take this one, it’s going to be a tumultuous season for a lot of UW fans. 

Britt’s Picks:  Washington    

Spread:  Washington -16   

Total:  57.5   

Moneyline:  Arkansas State +550/Washington -800 

Utah @ San Diego State – 4:00

Utah fell out of the national rankings this week after a loss to BYU on the road. The Utes were stunned early by the Cougars, and despite a rally, it was too little too late. They’re going to be hungry for a win this week, so it’s unlikely that they will sleep on San Diego State. The Aztecs are known for having a solid defense, which Utah seemed to struggle with last week, and is no stranger to catching Pac-12 teams off guard. If San Diego State gets off to a quick start, this could turn out to be a much more exciting game than many people will want to give it credit for. 

Britt’s Picks: San Diego State     

Spread: Utah -9    

Total:  44.5   

Moneyline:   N/A

Stonybrook @ #4 Oregon – 4:30pm

Well, if there were any doubts about Oregon after Week 1, they certainly were addressed in Week 2 when they pulled off a stunning upset on the road against Ohio State. Given they’re playing a smaller school, the Ducks have already said they’ll be giving some of their players a day to rest anticipating the back ups can step up and get the job done. 

Britt’s Picks:  Oregon    

Spread: N/A    

Total: N/A    

Moneyline:  N/A 

Stanford @ Vanderbilt – 5:00pm

An outstanding performance by Stanford (1-1) last week against USC sent shockwaves through the college football landscape, and in turn, propelled the Cardinal out of the dark hole they’ve been hiding in and back on the scene. Meanwhile for Vanderbilt, the Commodores haven’t won a home game since 2019, and only recently snapped an 11-game losing streak last week to Colorado State. Even with Stanford’s first week struggles, the Cardinal should prevail in this one. 

Britt’s Picks:  Stanford    

Spread: Stanford -11    

Total:  48.5   

Moneyline: Vanderbilt +350/Stanford -475  

NAU @ Arizona – 7:00pm

Will the Wildcats be able to break a 714-day losing skid? The answer to that *should be* yes. Northern Arizona is currently 0-2 to start the season off, and the Wildcats should be hungry enough at this point that even if it’s not their cleanest performance, it should get the job done. 

Britt’s Picks: Arizona     

Spread: N/A    

Total: N/A    

Moneyline: N/A  

#19 Arizona State @ #23 BYU 7:15pm

Without a doubt, this will be one of the best Pac-12 games of the day as the Devils make their way to Provo for a showdown of the undefeated. Arizona State (2-0) has not gotten off to the hottest start this year, but they’re going to need to bring the heat with them to the state of Utah and start firing away right out of the gate. BYU was able to knock Utah on its heels last week early in the game, and ASU has got to ensure it doesn’t fall behind early and get caught in the trap of playing catch-up. Expect it to be a close game, as many of the Devils’ outcomes are under Herm Edwards. I think Arizona State should have what it takes to go on the road and get this one, especially should the more creative offensive play calling from Zak Hill be put on display. 

Britt’s Picks: Arizona State     

Spread: Arizona State -3.5     

Total: 50.5    

Moneyline: BYU +150/Arizona State -170  

Fresno State @ #13 UCLA 7:30pm

Going into a bye week, the UCLA Bruins (2-0) looked to be the team to beat in the Pac-12 South. Last weekend’s losses by both USC and Utah only further solidify their spot in the race to the top. While the Bruins may be riding high, they’ll have to be diligent against Fresno State, as the Bulldogs nearly pulled off an upset over Oregon on opening weekend.  

Britt’s Picks:  UCLA    

Spread: N/A    

Total: N/A    

Moneyline: N/A