Pac-12 Football Week 5 Preview

We are finally in the thick of things with Pac-12 football as the first full week of conference play is here. There are five games listed for this week and all of them are Pac-12 battles. Despite the competition, every game counts and we will be able to get a more accurate look at how the conference shapes up after this weekend. So without further adieu, here is the Pac-12 Football Week 4 Preview…

Thursday, September 25

# 11 UCLA (3-0) vs #15 Arizona State (3-0, 1-0), 7 p.m. PT (Fox Sports 1)

Sep 13, 2014; Arlington, TX, USA; UCLA Bruins quarterback Brett Hundley (17) reacts at the end of the game agains the Texas Longhornsduring the fourth quarter at AT&T Stadium. UCLA beat Texas 20-17. Mandatory Credit: Matthew Emmons-USA TODAY Sports

This game is up in the air and is very unpredictable. Even the odds change day-to-day as the Bruins were -7 and -5 in the past few days, but as of Wednesday afternoon, it has dropped to -4. The reason for this is the possibility that both starting quarterbacks will not play in this “revenge” game. Taylor Kelly is out with a foot injury and it has not been disclosed how serious Brett Hundley‘s elbow is, whether he will play and who would be the back-up between Jerry Neuheisel and Asiantii Woulard if Hundley cannot go. Head coach Jim Mora is keeping all of that close to the chest, but the overwhelming speculation is that Hundley plays. If that is the case, UCLA just might have a victory waiting for them in Tempe.

Prediction: UCLA 35 – ASU 24

Saturday, September 27

Colorado (2-2, 0-1) vs Cal (2-1, 0-1), 1 p.m. (Pac-12 Network)

Colorado is currently holding up the sixth spot in the South Division and cannot get a good rhythm. Cal on the other hand is a good team gone bad. After an impressive 2-o start, which included a road win at Northwestern the Cal offense has been taken to another level. With the methodical substituting-in of Luke Rubenzer for starter Jared Goff , the One-Two-Punch of these QBs has defenses guessing as they are 13th in the nation in passing yards per game (335.3) and 16th in the nation in points per game (43.7). The sad thing is, their defense is very suspect. The Bears allowed 36 points to be put up on them in the fourth quarter against Arizona which ended with a Hail Mary to win the game. Expect Cal’s defense to be a bit more awake in the second half. As for Colorado, they have a good offense that could do to Cal what Arizona did, but it is not entirely certain they have the defense to contain the Golden Bears.

Prediction: Colorado 28 – Cal 36

#16 Stanford (2-1, 0-1) vs Washington (4-0), 1 p.m. (Fox)

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Talk about another tough game to call. Washington has been rocky and in consistent, but when they are one, they are on. Stanford on the other hand is still hard nosed team that powers through games. It would be easy to call this a Cardinal win, but two things halt that bet.

1. Stanford had an unorthodox amount of mistakes, especially in the red zone, in their loss to USC.

2. This is a rivalry game. Anything can happen.

If Stanford can play the way Stanford plays, than this is a Cardinal victory. If Washington has a slip up, Stanford will attack. The Huskies have to be near perfect to take out the Cardinal, but in the end, the tougher team will prevail, but just barely.

Prediction: Stanford 24 – Washington 21

Washington State (1-3, 0-1) vs Utah (3-0), 5 p.m. (Pac-12 Network)

Sep 20, 2014; Ann Arbor, MI, USA; Utah Utes quarterback Travis Wilson (7) runs the ball in the third quarter against the Michigan Wolverines at Michigan Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Rick Osentoski-USA TODAY Sports

Washington State impressed the lot of people last week when they took it to the #2 Oregon Ducks. Aside from a passing game that carved up Oregon, the best part of their execution was their pass rush as the got to Marcus Mariota seven times in the backfield. As for Utah, they are very fun to watch. They score a lot, they gain a lot of yards and they are looking good on offense. Their defense is holding their own, but will be tested for the first time as the Cougar Air Raid could catch the Utes off-gaurd. A week ago I would have said that the Cougars defense would be exploited by the Utes, but after an impactful slowing of the Ducks offense, it is all up in the air.

Prediction: Washington State 45 – Utah 48

Oregon State vs #18 USC, 7:30 p.m. (ESPN)