Best Pac12 Football Preview Oct.10-11

Major games




USC (3-2) at No, 9 Notre Dane (4-1) (11.5 favorite)

SC is having a terrible time on the road this year. Both its losses have been away from the cozy confines of the LA Coliseum. So its their misfortune to be in South Bend, a house of horrors for visiting teams. The wrath of the Irish is about to strike SC, which comes to town with one of its lesser teams, one saddled with a weak rushing offense and a defense that tends to crumble in the second half. SC's strength is its passing game, featuring a fleet of fleet receivers. The Irish, though, counter with a talented secondary capable of muting the power of this passing game.


Trojan QB Kendon Slovis, who missed several games due to a concussion, returns but the inexperienced freshman is likely to be intimidated by the hostile environment and throw some crushing INTs. The Irish also get a key player back, Jafar Armstrong, one of the top five RBs in the country, who has missed four games. A one-man wrecking crew, he can destroy an opponent almost single-handed. SC is over matched at the RB position and just about everywhere else.

Prediction: Notre Dame wins.




Washington (4-2) (6.5 favorite) at Arizona (4-1)

Once considered a strength, Washington QB Jacob Eason, woefully inconsistent, has turned into an  Achilles Heel. Tough losses, to Cal and Stanford, could have been averted if Eason had made the clutch plays a big-time QB is expected to make. Look for Eason to shape up and play skillfully. What the Huskies have to do is keep marvelous Arizona QB Khalil Tate under control. Washington has the defense, which is on par with Oregon's top-notch unit, to tame Tate.

Prediction: Washington wins



Washington State  (3-2) at No. 18 Arizona State (4-1) (1.5 favorite)

Though ranked No. 18, Arizona State could easily be undefeated and in the Top 10. The lone blemish on the Sun Devils' record is a close home loss to an inferior Colorado team. The Sun Devils have a solid defense and a strong offense. WSU, however, is one-dimensional. Their offense is scary good, averaging 45 points a game. Their passing offense is peerless and, in total offense, they rank fourth nationally. But their defense is awful, so bad that Coach Mike Leach dumped the defensive coordinator.  But the new leader doesn't have time to overhaul the defense, which will keep WSU from beating well-balanced teams like Arizona State.

Prediction: Arizona State wins.


No.15 Utah (4-1) (13.5 favorite) at Oregon State (2-3)


Utah is one of the best teams in the Pac12 while Oregon State is one of the worst. The Utes have a killer offensive line which helps them control games with punishing rushing. Their league-leading ground game will wear down the weaker Beavers, who will be waving the white flag in the fourth quarter.

Prediction : Utah wins.