ASU Football: Pac-12 against the spread for Week 10

After a chaotic slew of Pac-12 games last week, the conference returns Friday with Colorado-Arizona as ASU football faces Utah Saturday.

Week 9 was Pac-12 doomsday. The result: only two teams in the College Football Playoff rankings.

Washington State cracked the Top 10 for the first time of the season, coming in at No. 8. Utah is the South’s lone team in the rankings at No. 15.

Lately, it’s been increasingly evident that anyone can beat anyone on a given day. Heck, even Oregon State can win a Pac-12 game once in a while.

A matchup between Colorado and Arizona kicks off what should be another week of chaotic Pac-12 pigskin.

Colorado at Arizona

Line: Arizona -3.0

Colorado did the one thing all Pac-12 schools fear: losing to Oregon State in football. Despite leading by 28 at one point, Oregon State mounted the comeback of the year and upended the Buffaloes.

This week, Colorado faces another team it should beat on paper — Arizona. But if you haven’t noticed, there is significant variation between what should happen and what actually happens in this sport. Arizona shocked the college football world a week ago, defeating Oregon 44-15.

At 5-3, Colorado still needs another win to reach bowl eligibility. The combination of this and anger from last week will propel Colorado past Arizona in Tucson.

Utah at Arizona State

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Line: Utah -7.0

Arizona State got a much-needed win last week, escaping Los Angeles with a win over USC. Now, the Sun Devils are back to .500, needing two wins to hit the six-win mark. This week, however, the Sun Devils face a Utah team that has played better than anybody as of late.

Offensively, Utah has displayed its explosiveness, and the Utes have scored 40 or more in each of their last four games. Utah also has the Pac-12’s best defense, allowing an average of 81.1 rushing yards per game, which is third in the entire nation.

Because of the brick wall that is Utah’s front, the Sun Devil offense will be forced to rely on quarterback Manny Wilkins to make plays with his arm frequently.

Wilkins looked comfortable against USC, but without Cameron Smith and Porter Gustin, the Trojans’ defense is nowhere near the level of Utah’s. For the most part, Utah will shut down the ASU offense, helping it cover the spread.

UCLA at Oregon

Line: Oregon -10.5

After a couple productive weeks, UCLA regressed to how it looked in its first four games of the season. The Bruins were routed at home by Utah, diminishing their record to 2-6 overall.

This week, they face off against an Oregon team that was routed by Arizona last week. Once considered a dark-horse playoff contender, Oregon has slipped out of relevancy lately, losing its last two games and falling out of the Top 25.

Oregon is desperate for a win after this recent skid, and it will get that in Week 10. Justin Herbert won’t have much trouble putting up big numbers, leading the Ducks to cover the spread.

Stanford at Washington

Line: Washington -10.0

Once regarded as the two best teams in the Pac-12, Washington and Stanford both fell in Week 9.

Stanford choked away an 11-point lead against Washington State, and Washington lost to a middling Cal team. Offensive struggles have doomed both of these teams recently with star players not living up to their respective potentials.

The one thing that has remained constant for either of these teams is defense, especially Washington’s. That will be the difference in the outcome, but overall, I expect this game to be low-scoring. Because of this, Washington won’t cover the spread despite the home-field advantage.

USC at Oregon State

Line: USC -17.0

Make no mistake about Oregon’s signature comeback win last week: Oregon State is still awful and easily the worst team in the Pac-12. A week before, Oregon State lost 49-7 to a Cal team that’s been inconsistent throughout the season.

Sure, USC is depleted with injuries defensively, but even so, it’s still among the most athletic units in college football. While OSU running back Jermar Jefferson is one of the best backs in the Pac-12, the Beavers will be unable to block for him.

JT Daniels is expected to return this week, which should give USC’s offense a boost against a horrible Oregon State defense. I truly expect USC to dominate in all facets of this game and easily cover the spread.

California at Washington State

Line: Washington State -9.5

Cal was a part of one of college football’s biggest upsets a week ago, and they’ll look to do the same thing this week against Washington State.

Washington State, led by quarterback Gardner Minshew, is the only Pac-12 school still in playoff contention. Minshew has thrown for 3183 yards this season, and he is now fourth on ESPN’s Heisman Watch.

Neither of these teams has much of a defense, but Cal also doesn’t have much of an offense. This will make it hard for the Golden Bears to keep up with Minshew and the Cougars. Washington State should easily cover at home.