Pac-12 Football Predictions: Week 5
The list of contenders to win the Conference of Champions is dwindling, and it's only one week into the league schedule.
No. 20 UCLA football (3-1, 1-0 Pac-12) is one of those few contenders, having just beaten Stanford after going 2-1 in conference play. The only other ranked team in the Pac-12 is No. 3 Oregon, which admittedly struggled to create separation from last-place Arizona in Week 4.
The Bruins' next opponent, Arizona State, is one of the few other teams expected to make some noise moving forward, as they pose an identical record to UCLA and opened their conference slate with a win over Colorado. Utah also started 1-0 in Pac-12 play, but is on bye for Week 5.
The North still runs through the Ducks, despite the vulnerability they have shown at times. Oregon State has snuck in as a dark horse as of late, especially after beating USC on the road. Either way, the state of Oregon is most likely going to be sending a representative to the Pac-12 Championship Game come December.
In the meantime, chaos will most definitely define the conference, per usual.
Here are All Bruins' picks for each of the contests including a Pac-12 team in Week 5:
Colorado vs. USC (-7.5)*
Saturday, 11 a.m. PT
Boulder, Colorado
At this point, it's clear the Trojans are far from the top-25 team they were pegged as early in September. Their season is fully in flux, blowing teams out one week and getting blown out the next. Donte Williams may not have lost the team as much as he's lost the fanbase though, so expect his all-out offense to outpace an absolutely putrid Buffaloes pass attack.
Pick: USC
Stanford vs. No. 3 Oregon (-8)*
Saturday, 12:30 p.m. PT
Stanford, California
The Cardinal were possibly a bit overrated prior to their matchup with the Bruins, and UCLA dismantled them for about 80% of the game. Oregon's defense is good enough not to allow those big chunk plays UCLA did, and freshman quarterback Tanner McKee might get a bit spooked with Kayvon Thibodeaux possibly returning and terrorizing him in the pocket. A more mobile quarterback may have a chance to improvise, but McKee – for all his strengths – is not that.
Pick: Oregon
California (-7.5)* vs. Washington State
Saturday, 2:30 p.m. PT
Berkely, California
The Cougars kept pace with the Utes last weekend, albeit a Utah team that had lost two in a row and wasn't as good as initially expected. Washington State's USC loss looks even worse in retrospect, given how the Trojans lost to Stanford the week prior and Oregon State the week after. Cal may not have won their conference opener against Washington, but they showed guts down the stretch to force overtime, and they certainly have the advantage at the skill positions if Jayden de Laura and Max Borghi can't play.
Pick: Cal
Oregon State (-2.5)* vs. Washington
Saturday, 6 p.m. PT
Corvallis, Oregon
A surprise contender in the Pac-12 North, the Beavers are riding a three-game winning streak since losing by single digits to Purdue in their season opener. Quarterback Chance Nolan and running back BJ Baylor are towards the top of the conference at their respective positions, and their defense only allows 21 points per game. Washington has bounced back since losing to Montana and Michigan, just not enough to be able to stop red-hot Oregon State
Pick: Oregon State
No. 20 UCLA (-3)* vs. Arizona State
Saturday, 7:30 p.m. PT
Pasadena, California
The most entertaining and important game of the weekend is going to be the night cap, which is really only an issue for East Coast viewers. Anyone in the Pacific time zone will have fun watching Chip Kelly go head-to-head with Herm Edwards and Dorian Thompson-Robinson facing down Jayden Daniels. As has been the case the last time those two pairs matched up, the Bruins will come out on top and take a significant early lead in the Pac-12 South.
Pick: UCLA
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