The Pac-12 bombed in college football’s opening weekend. The conference covered only four out of 12 games, and in the national spotlight, Arizona State lost to SEC foe Texas A&M.
And Washington State lost to a FCS team predicted to finish toward the bottom of its conference.
But it’s another week and if college football tells us anything, it’s that anything can happen on a weekly basis. We’l see if the Pac-12 can battle back to match those preseason expectations.
Last week: 4-8 ATS
Washington State (+2) at Rutgers
We’ve acknowledged on several occasions that Washington State lost to a FCS team. Let’s not throw away the Cougars season already.
Washington State outgained Portland State by 117 yards and the passing offense of the Cougars was drowned in a driving rain storm. That’s a difficult task in the opening week for an offense predicated on passing.
This offense should be better this year compared to last with a returning quarterback and all five starting offensive linemen. We trust head coach Mike Leach to make adjustments, and there’s likely some overconfidence happening for Rutgers with the Cougars opening week loss.
The Scarlet Knights are dealing with turmoil of their own, with recent suspensions, and this team shouldn’t have the same success as last year’s team. Oddsmakers set this line at five points to open, and the betting public isn’t buying it. The line has moved to two, and it likely won’t go anywhere from there.
The Cougars should win this one outright. — Go against the chalk with Washington State
San Diego State at California (-14)
We were high on the Golden Bears in the offseason. The only problem with California this year is that its schedule is brutal.
That’s why it needs to take care of business against lesser teams, and we believe they know it.
And the betting public is taking notice, too. The Golden Bears opened as 9-point favorites against the Aztecs. That number has shot up to two touchdowns, and much of that has to do with California’s ability to score in bunches.
With quarterback Jared Goff running the offense and Sonny Dykes in his third year as head coach, California is a machine on offense, with loads of talent on that side of the ball. The defense holds up enough in this one, and Golden Bears make a statement — Go chalk with California
Other Pac-12 games with a betting line
Odds provided by Oddsshark
Utah State at Utah (-14)
Oregon State at Michigan (-16)
Massachusetts at Colorado (-13)
Arizona (-12) at Nevada
Oregon at Michigan State (-4)
Idaho at USC (-43)
Central Florida at Stanford (-19)
UCLA (-30) at UNLV
