Week 3 Pac-12 Predictions: Do Oregon And USC Stay Perfect?
Week 3 of the Pac-12 college football season is upon us. And finally, Utah is suiting up so that means every program in the conference will have played a game.
Yet, only Oregon, Oregon State, USC and UCLA have played all three games thus far once this weekend commences. The pecking order still needs to be filled out but right now perennial favorites Oregon and USC are leading the charge.
Let's see if Utah, playing in its first game of the year, has something to say about the south division race.
Mandatory Credit: Kelvin Kuo-USA TODAY Sports
Entering Week 3, I'm 6-3 thus far — underestimating Colorado and UCLA at one point and losing the USC-Arizona State heartbreak in the first game of the season.
Here are my Pac-12 predictions for the four conference games taking place this weekend...
Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports
No. 11 Oregon (2-0) vs. UCLA (1-1)
Time: 1:30 p.m. MT
TV: ESPN2
Chip Kelly, the legendary Oregon coach, makes his return to Autzen stadium this weekend, but this time as head coach of the Bruins. It's sad that no fans are in attendance and his reception might be heard an hour north in Corvallis.
After UCLA's great showing last weekend against a Cal team expected to challenge the Ducks in the north division, UCLA may be better than originally thought. Combine that with Oregon's slow starts and an upset may have been on the deep horizon.
Alas that won't be happening on Saturday. Even with quarterback Dorian Thompson-Robinson (Although he won't be playing this week), the Ducks should cruise to victory in this one.
Tyler Shough has been very impressive in his first two starts as the offense under new OC Joe Moorhead is dynamic. The defense is improving every week, particularly in the second half of games. This week should be no different, and I expect that Oregon gets off to a faster start and never looks back
Prediction: Oregon 45 — UCLA 31
Mandatory Credit: James Snook-USA TODAY Sports
Oregon State (0-2) vs. Cal (0-1)
Time: 1:30 p.m. MT
TV: FS1
Oregon State, despite its two losses, has been competitive in each game. The Beavers possess a dynamic running back in Jermar Jefferson, arguably the best in the Pac-12. But the rest of the offense has looked out of sync and anemic at times, trying to decide between being a spread-it-out type of group or a TE-heavy attack.
On the other side of the field, coaches typically say you see your most improvement from week one to week two. For Cal, lets hope so. The Golden Bears were downright sad against UCLA last weekend, letting a defense that gave up 48 points the week prior hold them to just 10 points and 176 yards of total offense.
I think Cal finds its groove and identity in this one, but they have trouble containing Jefferson and Oregon State tight end Luke Musgrave. A back-and-forth game ends with the Beavers picking up their first win of the season as the defense holds tight in the redzone and quarterback Tristan Gebbia does just enough.
Prediction: Oregon State 31 — Cal 23
Mandatory Credit: Jayne Kamin-Oncea-USA TODAY Sports
Washington (1-0) vs. Arizona (0-1)
Time: 6 p.m. MT
TV: FOX
Is Washington not as good as we first expected or are the Wildcats exceeding expectations? Those are the questions that will be answered when this one ends.
Washington scored just 27 points in an anemic offensive performance against Oregon State last week as new quarterback Dylan Morris threw for just 141 yards. Thankfully the run game got going as three different players scored rushing touchdowns.
Arizona put up a much bigger fight than anticipated against USC, allowing a touchdown with 25 seconds left to fall 34-30. Grant Gunnell showed poise in the pocket while running back Gary Brightwell and wide receiver Tayvion Cunningham had breakout games.
It's going to be a tad chilly in Seattle tonight and it'll be interesting to see how the Arizona kids deal with that. Altogether, the Huskies pull this one out despite the fight put up by the Wildcats. I think the offense finds its groove and puts together more consistent drives, while the talented defense shuts down Arizona.
Prediction: Washington 38 — Arizona 17
Mandatory Credit: Joe Nicholson-USA TODAY Sports
Utah (0-0) vs. No. 20 USC (2-0)
Time: 8:30 p.m. MT
TV: ESPN
This was an extremely tough game to predict as I'm bullish on Utah and I believe that this offense has the opportunity to thrive. While the defense is young and inexperienced, it's without a doubt talented and you never know how somebody responds until they play a real game.
Mandatory Credit: Kelvin Kuo-USA TODAY Sports
Combine all of that with the cold weather in which the Trojans can't prepare for and the way they've largely underperformed this season, the recipe for the upset is there. I fully get that come Sunday, there's a very high likelihood of me regretting my decision on this but it's one of those teams where I'm following my head rather than my gut.
Overall, I'm not quite willing to bet on the Utes until they've played a game. If this where their second game of the season, I would take the Utes. But it's their first, and the growing pains and inexperience will be apparent. I think the offense does a great job and succeeds, but I believe the defense will not be able to hold USC on its final possession and the Trojans win another nail-biter.
Prediction: USC 38 — Utah 34
Mandatory Credit: Joe Camporeale-USA TODAY Sports
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