Pac-12 Predictions: Week 4

This week officially kicks off conference play, which also makes my life easier in that I'll be doing half the previews I usually do, as teams square off against each other. And no, don't expect the quality of the posts to improve in any way.

I'm 22-11 on the season, though we've got some real tough decisions with what I think are some pretty even matchups for some teams. It's going to be a real fun weekend for Pac-12 football. Let's take a look.

Arizona 28 Oregon 44
You've got to applaud the job that Rich Rod has done at Arizona so far. He's got them playing disciplined ball and has them buying in. And he's already got the Wildcats ranked with their 3-0 record. It's a completely different story though when you face off against the 3rd ranked Ducks at Autzen Stadium. While it's easy to dismiss the Wildcats, you've got to pause and consider that the Ducks have yet to really be tested this year, while the Wildcats have shown the ability to go toe to toe with a ranked team in Oklahoma State and flat out score more than opponents. I can't believe I'm typing this, but a upset isn't out of the question here. What is more likely though is that the Ducks rise to the occasion, and the Wildcats are unable to do enough to stop Mariota, Barner and most dangerously, DeAnthony Thomas.

Utah 24 Arizona State 17
Real interesting matchup. I was this close to jumping on the Sun Devils bandwagon and jumping off the Utes bandwagon until last weekend. ASU has shown far more discipline, cohesion on offense, and a better team defense than they showed last season. Meanwhile, the Utes have shown that they truly might have the best defense in the Pac-12 South, and that with smart QB play, they could make a bit of noise in the South as well. I believe the game will down to special teams, with both teams having gaffes in recent weeks. Despite ASU's home field advantage, I think Utah is able to wear down ASU in its running game and puts a clamp on Taylor Kelly and the Sun Devil offense over the course of 4 quarters.

Oregon State 20 UCLA 31
This should be another good one to watch that might provide a lot more clarity about both teams. Oregon State showed huge strides in defense in absolutely shutting down Wisconsin in their opener. UCLA meanwhile, is the team everyone seems to be talking about with Jonathan Franklin putting up videogame numbers and Brett Hundley seemingly living up to his 5 star billing. Ultimately, for as good as OSU's defense is, I think they have a hard time shutting down UCLA, and I'm not sold enough on their offense to think they'll score more points than the Bruins. Add in a touch of homefield advantage, and it looks like UCLA holds on to its ranking for another week.

Washington State 41 Colorado 13
I think Colorado surprises people here. Pfffff, sorry I couldn't type that with a straight face. I really tried. But seriously, I *hahahah*, I still can't do it! Man, ok, Colorado will score some points. In all seriousness. Washington State's defense has shown the ability to give up big plays, but Colorado doesn't have enough on the defensive side of the ball to come close to shutting the Cougars down.