Straight-up winners: Colorado, Arizona, USC, Oregon, Stanford and Washingtonįive-star special: Colorado. and the Huskies’ passing attack soften up the OSU defense, opening up running lanes. The tactics are straightforward: The Beavers will rely on their running game to control the clock and wear down UW’s defense, while Michael Penix Jr. The Bears are more proficient at scoring (30.9 ppg) under playcaller Jake Spavital, but in a rivalry game that matches rookie quarterbacks, mistakes (or lack thereof) will determine the outcome.Ĭomment: The game of the day in the Pac-12 is one of the biggest games in OSU history, and it speaks volumes about coach Jonathan Smith’s work in Corvallis that his team is favored against an opponent that hasn’t lost in more than a year. The Cardinal’s first-year coach, Troy Taylor, faces his former team with a wobbly defense and erratic offense (20.9 points per game). ![]() Cal must win to keep its bowl hopes alive Stanford was officially eliminated last week. Pac-12 football awards: Projecting the 2023 coach, player of the yearĬomment: A few miles from the Pacific Ocean, these future ACC rivals collide with high stakes for one team and a spoiler opportunity for the other. That edge won’t be decisive, but it will help the Devils stay in range. ![]() Nobody knows Oregon’s personnel and scheme like ASU coach Kenny Dillingham, who served as the Ducks’ offensive coordinator last year. That said, this should be closer than the point spread indicates. The Sun Devils aren’t as talented as they were back then, and these Ducks are as good, if not better than the Justin Herbert-led outfit. Enjoy him while you can.Ĭomment: The Hotline called ASU’s stunner in 2019, but we do not foresee a repeat this week. How far will the Trojans tumble in Year Two under Lincoln Riley? Will the Bruins muster a performance that takes Chip Kelly off the Hot Seat? This might be USC quarterback Caleb Williams’ final college appearance (if he turns pro and sits out the bowl game). But with both teams immersed in late-season fades, the stakes are local, not national. From here, Arizona looks well-equipped to deal with Utah at the line of scrimmage - a dramatic change compared to prior meetings.Ĭomment: The last meeting of the crosstown rivals as members of the Pac-12 once looked like a critical matchup in the conference race. The Wildcats are narrow favorites, which reflects both their four-game winning streak and Utah’s lengthy injury list. (The teams didn’t meet during the pandemic year.) But the line dipped to 17 last season and now, amazingly, has flipped completely. The Utes were favored by 22 points in 2019 and by 24 points in 2021. But CU quarterback Shedeur Sanders is playing better than his WSU counterpart, Cam Ward, and that should make the difference.Ĭomment: We couldn’t help but notice the trajectory of the point spreads in this series and how they track with Arizona’s nadir and subsequent ascent. We are typically wary of the road team on Friday night because of the difficult logistics and condensed preparation time. The loser is officially eliminated from the bowl season, so desperation will be palpable. The Buffaloes have lost four in a row the Cougars have dropped their past six (but collected a huge victory off the field on Tuesday). Lines taken from BetMGM (via )Ĭomment: Welcome to the Look Out, Below! Bowl. Loads of scenarios exist - far too many for the Hotline’s crack research team and state-of-the-art supercomputer to calculate.īut clarity will begin to emerge Saturday afternoon along the Pac-12’s southern border. (The Beavers are backing Utah this weekend.) ![]() ![]() And let’s not forget about Oregon State (5-2), which must win out and requires help because of its head-to-head loss to the Wildcats.
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