Pac-12 Football Game Picks: Prolific Oregon Makes Utah a Rare Home Underdog

There are five home underdogs among six Pac-12 games on Saturday, including No 13 Utah, which has won 18 in a row at Rice-Eccles Stadium and lost just once at home in its past 30 games.

No. 8 Oregon, leading the conference and No. 2 nationally in scoring at 47.0 points per game, will try to crack a Utes defense that has allowed more than 14 points just once this season.

Both teams are 6-1 overall, 3-1 in the Pac-12 and among four one-loss teams chasing unbeaten No. 5 Washington for the top spot in the conference standings.

Other road favorites are No. 24 USC (at Cal), the Huskies (at Stanford), Washington State (at Arizona State) and No. 11 Oregon State (at Arizona).

The only home team favored this week is No. 23 UCLA, which gives 17 points in its Rose Bowl matchup vs. high-scoring but defenseless Colorado.

Last week: Jake 1-3, Jeff 0-4,

Season: Jake 32-28, Jeff 30-30

All picks against the spread

Betting line from sisportsbook.com

Saturday

-- No. 8 Oregon (minus-5.5) at No. 13 Utah, 12:30 p.m., FOX

Jake: Utah is so tough at Rice-Eccles (18-game home winning streak) and the Utes’ defense will keep the score down, but the Ducks have enough offense to end the streak. Pick: Oregon

Jeff: This is a fascinating matchup of an Oregon team that plays well on both sides of the line of scrimmage vs. a Utah squad that defends like crazy and almost never loses at home,. If Utes QB Bryson Barnes continues to progress and safety-turned-running back Sione Vaki can be the X-factor, this could be close. Pick: Utah

-- No. 24 USC (minus-10.5) at Cal, 1 p.m., Pac-12 Network

Jake: Cal’s offense will look good against the Trojans, who will score a lot but not enough to beat the spread. Pick: Cal

Jeff: The Trojans have lost two in a row to excellent teams but they feast on those below them. Cal needs to score points to keep this close but I’m expecting Caleb Williams to deliver the kind of game we see from Heisman Trophy winners. Pick: USC

-- No. 5 Washington (minus-26.5) at Stanford, 4 p.m., FS1

Jake: The Huskies will be out to show that last week’s poor showing against Arizona State (15-7 win) was an anomaly. Pick: Washington

Jeff: The Huskies were averaging close to 40 points before losing their balance in a 15-7 escape act vs. Arizona State. They’ll get back on track at Stanford, which has allowed 42 points or more four times. Pick: Washington

-- Colorado (plus-17.5) at No. 23 UCLA, 4:30 p.m., ABC

Jake: It doesn’t matter who plays quarterback for the Bruins, whose pass rush will make things difficult for Shedeur Sanders. Pick: UCLA

Jeff: For some reason I’m still not sold on the Bruins, who seem to labor against good teams. The Buffaloes certainly aren’t a good defensive team, but they can score and they had a well-time bye after their second-half collapse vs. Stanford. Pick: Colorado.

-- Washington State (minus-6.5) at Arizona State, 5 p.m., Pac-12 Network

Jake: Arizona State is getting better and the Cougars seem to be regressing. Pick: Arizona State

Jeff: ASU has lost six in a row, but they seem to have more momentum than WSU, lo The Sun Devils lost to Washington, Colorado and Cal by a combined 14 points, so they’re accustomed to tight margins. Pick: Arizona State.

-- No. 11 Oregon State (minus-3.5) at Arizona, 7:30 p.m., ESPN

Jake: Oregon State’s defense is much better at home than on the road, and the Wildcats have been impressive lately. Pick: Arizona

Jeff: You wonder if Arizona would have preferred not to have a bye last week after a stunning 44-6 win at Washington State. Prior to that the Cats lost in triple-overtime at USC and by a touchdown vs. Washington. The Beavers and they’ve won three in a row, but only Cal was on the road. Pick: Arizona.

Cover photo of versatile Utah star Sione Vaki by Kirby Lee, USA Today

Follow Jeff Faraudo of Cal Sports Report on Twitter: @jefffaraudo