Pac-12 College Football: Madwed picks Washington v Oregon State, Stanford v Colorado, USC v Arizona State, and Washington State v California
OREGON STATE +10 over Washington, Friday 10:30 PM EST
The Huskies solidified their elimination from any type of postseason contention with their loss at home to Utah last week. This is undoubtedly a very disappointing season in Seattle, and they will need to find the motivation to keep playing to the best of their ability going forward. They will head to Corvallis to face an Oregon State team that is performing at a level they haven’t reached in years. You would be hard pressed to find a college football analyst that projected the Beavers to win three conference games all season, let alone with four weeks left on the schedule. The key to their wins so far has been an explosive offense paired with a defense that does just enough to win some games. Other than a blowout loss to Utah they have been able to score points on everyone. Washington has not had their typical dominant defense this year and should struggle to hold down Oregon State on Friday. I see Washington running all over a weak Beaver’s run defense and scoring plenty of points, but 10 points is too big of a line to have confidence in the Huskies. I am taking the points in this one.
Stanford -3 over COLORADO, Saturday 3:30 PM EST
After a loss to UCLA last week, Colorado is in a complete freefall. They have not held anyone below 30 points all season. Wins against Nebraska and Arizona State that seemed impressive early in the season look anything but in retrospect. Contrast that with a Stanford team that has gained steam as the season has progressed and it is hard to see the Cardinal losing this weekend. Expect Stanford to be able to pass all day on the Buffaloes like everybody else has. It could be said that Colorado has been the most consistent team in the conference this year. The result is the same almost every week. I don’t think Colorado will enjoy much of a home field advantage at this point in the season and their nosedive will continue.
USC +1.5 over ARIZONA STATE, Saturday 3:30 PM EST
Arizona State’s once possible dreams of winning the Pac-12 South are completely over after consecutive losses to Utah and UCLA. The Trojans still find themselves in a position to steal the division if they can win their last three and Utah loses once. They hold the head to head tiebreaker over the Utes. This game is going to be a true showing of what happens when one team has everything tangible to play for against an opponent playing for pride. Arizona State quarterback Jayden Daniels has continued to improve, but the rest of the team has not kept up. USC did get demolished last week against Oregon, but Arizona State is not on that level. I expect USC to be able to pass on a mediocre Sun Devils pass defense and I will take the points.
Washington State -7.5 over CALIFORNIA, Saturday 7 PM EST
Like their cross-state rivals, the Cougars have been used to competing for Pac-12 North championships year after year. They fell hard in 2019, coming into week 11 with a 1-4 record in conference. It’s been the same story as usual for any Mike Leach coached team. A high-flying offense felled by a sieve of a defense. Their pass and run defense ranks 11th and 12th in the conference respectively. Luckily, they run into a Cal team that has not been able to get it going on offense since Chase Garbers went down. They have lost four straight including the game against Arizona State in which Garbers hurt his shoulder. They haven’t scored more than 17 points in any game, and that was against an Oregon State defense that has its own issues. In short, while Cal’s defense actually matches up pretty well with the Cougars, their offense won’t be able to stay on the field. I expect Washington State to win convincingly. They have scored 31 or more against every opponent except Utah and Cal won’t be able to keep up.
WANNA BET COLLEGE FOOTBALL?
In New Jersey: PointsBet.com, Promo code: BETTORS (You can get two risk-free bets up to $1,000 if you qualify.) William Hill NJ (Deposit $50, get $50 cash) RIvers Casino NJ* (First deposit match up to $250)
In Pennsylvania: Rivers Casino PA* (First deposit match up to $250); Rivers Casino Pittsburgh* (First deposit match up to $250). Only 1x Wager Applies, Playable in PA Only
In most of Europe: William Hill UK; Pinnacle (No UK or Portugal); Asian Odds (No UK or Portugal)
In Asia: Pinnacle/Asian Odds
In parts of South America: Pinnacle/Asian Odds
In parts of Africa: Pinnacle/Asian Odds
*Note: First Deposit Bonus may only be claimed once per person across all Rivers websites
GAMBLING PROBLEM? CALL 1-800-GAMBLER