Pac-12 picks, Week 4

Here we are: the first weekend of (mostly) Pac-12 v. Pac-12 action.

You know the drill. All lines, courtesy of VegasInsider.com, are for entertainment purposes only, unless you don’t find them entertaining, in which case you can use them however you’d like. And as always, our pick for the Washington game was made in a separate post.

Last week: 9-2 straight-up, 4-5-1 against the spread.

Season: 27-8 straight-up, 16-11-1 against the spread.

FRIDAY

Stanford at Oregon State, 7 p.m., FOX Sports 1 (Stanford by 14) -- Stanford appears to be much better than it looked against Northwestern. Oregon State does not appear to be much better than many other teams in the Pac-12. Cardinal should roll. The pick: Stanford 38, OSU 20.

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SATURDAY

Nicholls State at Colorado, 10:30 a.m., Pac-12 Networks (no line) -- Nicholls isn’t even a state. The pick: Colorado 52, Nicholls State 17.

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UCLA at Arizona, 5 p.m., ABC (UCLA by 2.5) -- This spread decreased by a few points, perhaps as a result of the Bruins losing linebacker Myles Jack for the season due to a knee injury. I’m expecting this to be a fun, competitive game, but the Bruins are the more talented team, and as such, I expect them to win a close one. The pick: UCLA 35, Arizona 31.

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Utah at Oregon, 5:30 p.m., FOX (Oregon by 10.5) -- Much as I can picture the Utes’ defense giving the Ducks fits in this one, it also has the feel of a statement game for an Oregon team that has a few questions to answer (defensively, in particular) after a somewhat lackluster nonconference showing. Vernon Adams says his finger is fine, by the way. You believe him? (On an unrelated note, this is a really tricky point spread.) The pick: Oregon 34, Utah 24.

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USC at Arizona State, 7:30 p.m., ESPN (USC by 5.5) -- Both teams need this one badly. The Trojans are obviously coming off a potentially season-derailing home loss to Stanford, and the Sun Devils have looked nothing like the dymanic offensive team many expected them to be. Tough call, but I like the Sun Devils at home. The pick: ASU 31, USC 28.

This story was originally published September 25, 2015 at 1:41 PM with the headline "Pac-12 picks, Week 4."