ASU Football: Pac-12 against the spread for Week 4

Though there are only four matchups, Pac-12 football returns Friday with Washington State vs. USC with ASU football set to face No. 10 Washington Saturday night.

With Cal, UCLA, Colorado and Utah all off in Week 4, there are only four Pac-12 games, but four games are better than no games! Action kicks off Friday in LA when USC hosts Washington State, and then three other games take place Saturday.

Washington State at USC

Line: USC -4.5

A week ago, USC looked bad. I mean really bad.

The Trojans were crushed by a meddling Texas team on the road, but with Pac-12 play beginning this week, USC will be more focused.

That being said, Washington State’s offense is one of the best in the Pac-12, and quarterback Gardner Minshew has been really good this year. It will be a close game, but WSU will win outright and USC will be 0-4 against the spread after Week 4.

Arizona at Oregon State

Line: Arizona -5.5

Arizona and Oregon State, two of the Pac-12’s cellar dwellers, both showed flashes of improvement in their respective Week 3 games.

Arizona won for the first time of 2018, defeating Southern Utah by 31, and Oregon State nearly overcame a 23-point deficit against Nevada but fell just short.

Both teams don’t have much defense, so this will be a shootout, and whoever scores 40 points first will probably win. Vegas has Arizona by 5.5, but I think Oregon State will win outright because the Wildcats won’t be able to stop OSU’s offensive weapons in Jake Luton and Jermar Jefferson.

Stanford at Oregon

Line: Stanford -2.5

Both Stanford and Oregon have started the 2018 season off right, coming into this game with 3-0 records. Stanford’s Bryce Love and Oregon’s Justin Herbert are widely regarded as two of the NCAA’s most dynamic offensive players and will play a huge role in this game.

In three games, Stanford has allowed just 23 total points, but you’ve got to expect an offense like Oregon’s to put up points — especially at home.

Of all the Pac-12 games this week, this is the last one I’d bet on — this could go either way. Both teams are solid, and I expect it to be within single digits.

That being said, I think Oregon will cover and win. Autzen Stadium is a loud, crazy environment and will be too much for Stanford to handle.

Arizona State at Washington

Line: Washington -17.5

This game could go one of two ways. If ASU can stop the run like they did in the first two games, it could be a close, low-scoring game. But if the Sun Devils can’t stop Myles Gaskin, it could get ugly.

With Darius Slade expected to return, the front six should be able to put more pressure on UW’s offense. I still expect Gaskin to run for around 100 yards, but I don’t expect the Sun Devils to die by the opposing running game like they did last game.

While I still think Washington wins by double digits, ASU will keep it close for the first half. Washington wins, but not by more than 17 like Vegas says.