The Pac-12 got some big wins last week in what has been a so-so start for the conference. The big upset was Arizona State beating No. 15 Michigan State. Colorado got a big win at Nebraska and California won at BYU. In all, the Pac-12 has five ranked teams in the AP top-25 ( #9 Stanford, #10 Washington, #20 Oregon, #22 USC, and #23 Arizona State).
Here are my week three picks….
UC Davis (2-0) at #9 Stanford (2-0) 11 a.m. (Pac-12) Line: N/A
The big news for this game is Heisman hopeful running back Bryce Love will miss the game with an undisclosed injury. The good news for Cardinal fans is love is expected to return the following week at Oregon.
After defeating USC 17-3 last week, the Cardinal should have no problem this week against UC Davis as they look forward to a showdown with Oregon in week four.
Stanford 38 UC Davis 10
Colorado (2-0) at New Hampshire (0-2) 2 p.m. (Pac-12) Line: N/A
Just when you thought it was going to be a down year for the Buffaloes, they go to Lincoln and beat Nebraska, 33-28. Quarterback Steven Montez passed for 351 yards and three touchdowns in the win. But Colorado’s most impressive player this season has been wide receiver Laviska Shenault Jr. In two games, Shenault Jr. has 388 yards receiving and two touchdowns.
The Buffs will roll this week as they get ready for Pac-12 play.
Colorado 48 New Hampshire 7
San Jose State (0-2) at #20 Oregon (2-0) 2 p.m. (Pac-12) Line: Oregon -41
The Ducks cruised to a 62-14 victory over Portland State last week. Quarterback Justin Herbert passed for 250 yards and four touchdowns.
This will be the last tune up for the Ducks before their showdown with Stanford next week.
Oregon 59 San Jose State 14
Idaho State (1-0) at California (2-0) 3 p.m. (Pac-12) Line: N/A
The Golden Bears picked up a huge 21-18 road win at BYU last week to improve to 2-0 on the season. Head coach Justin Wilcox has turned the program into a more defensive minded program and it has worked so far.
California will roll over Idaho State as they prepare for their Pac-12 opener at Arizona next week.
California 45 Idaho State 3
Oregon State (1-1) at Nevada (1-1) 4 p.m. (ESPNU) Line: Nevada -3
Jonathan Smith got his first win as head coach of the Beavers last week, defeating Southern Utah 48-25. Oregon State has proven they can score this year but through two games they have given up over 100 points.
Nevada scored 72 points in their home opener against Portland State. But they scored just 10 points last week in a 41-10 loss at Vanderbilt.
This game will likely be a shootout but something tells me Oregon State finally makes some stops and pulls off a slight upset on the road.
Oregon State 42 Nevada 38
#22 USC (1-1) at USC (1-1) 5 p.m. (FOX) Line: Texas -3.5
The Trojans managed just three points in their 17-3 loss at Stanford last week. Freshman QB JT Daniels was just 16-34 passing with two interceptions.
Texas has not looked great through two games. The Longhorns lost their season opener vs Maryland and just got by Tulsa last week with a 28-21 win.
Both teams have a lot of questions to answer. This week Texas will prevail at home as USC’s offensive struggles continue.
Texas 27 USC 17
Eastern Washington (2-0) at Washington State (2-0) 5 p.m. (Pac-12) Line: N/A
Washington State is known for their “air raid” offense but it’s been the defense that has shined this year. Last week they shutout San Jose State 31-0. Through two games, the Cougars have allowed just 19 points.
But the last time WSU met Eastern Washington, they lost 45-42 in 2016. The mighty FCS power has given plenty FBS teams problems in the past and they will have WSU’s full attention.
Early season losses have plagued Washington State under Mike Leach. It won’t happen this year.
Washington State 45 Eastern Washington 20
#23 Arizona State (2-0) at San Diego State (1-1) 7:30 p.m. (CBSS) Line: ASU -6
Herm Edwards is off to a dream start at Arizona State. The Sun Devils upset #15 Michigan State 16-13 last week. ASU looks much improved on defense and they might just have the best wide receiver in college football with N’Keal Harry.
San Diego State is a very difficult team to play against at home. Arizona State must stay focused and avoid an upset on the road. This is where the hiring of Herm Edwards pays off.
Arizona State 27 San Diego State 20
Fresno State (1-1) at UCLA (0-2) 7:30 p.m. (FS1) Line: Fresno State -2.5
Chip Kelly is in danger this week of starting 0-3 at UCLA after a 49-21 loss at Oklahoma. Freshman Dorian Thompson -Robinson got the start at QB last week after Wilton Speight went down with an injury in week one. Speight is questionable this Saturday.
UCLA won’t get off easy in their non-conference finale, facing a Fresno State team that will compete for a Mountain West title. Jeff Tedford knows how to win at this level and this will not be easy for Chip Kelly and UCLA.
It’s hard to imagine a Chip Kelly team starting off 0-3 and I think that’s enough motivation for his team to finally get in the win column at home.
UCLA 28 Fresno State 27
Arizona (0-2) at Southern Utah (0-2) 8 p.m. (Pac-12) Line: N/A
Kevin Sumlin could not have gotten off to a worse start at Arizona. A week after getting upset at home against BYU, the Wildcats were ran over at Houston, falling 45-18. Khalil Tate has rushed for a total of 22 yards in two games. Tate still passed for 341 yards in the loss at Houston but it wasn’t nearly enough. An ankle injury limited him and he’s still not 100 percent.
Arizona shouldn’t have a problem this week but this team has so many question marks to answer moving forward.
Arizona 45 Southern Utah 28
* My prediction for the Washington at Utah game will be available tomorrow in Ruth Robbins’ preview article.
