It’s been a while since the Pac-12 Conference has given us a four-week stretch with headliner games that compare to these:
Three weeks ago, in a duel of unbeaten teams, UCLA knocked off No. 15 Washington 40-32 at the Rose Bowl.
Two weeks ago, the Bruins justified their climb to No. 18 with a 42-32 victory over visiting No. 11 Utah, the preseason Pac-12 favorite.
Last week, the No. 20 Utes reminded us how tough they are at Salt Lake City, handing No. 7 USC its first defeat in a 43-42 instant classic.
And on Saturday at Eugene, Oregon, No. 9 UCLA — the last of the league’s unbeatens — tangles with the No. 10 Ducks, who are averaging 49.8 points in five victories since a 49-3 opening-day clunker against Georgia.
There’s also the subplot of Bruins coach Chip Kelly returning to Autzen Stadium to face his former team for the third time since taking the reins at UCLA. The Ducks beat Kelly’s Bruins in 2018 and ’20 at Eugene, averaging 40 points.
No matter which team you're rooting for, this ought to be a terrific game.
By the way, Jake and I make our picks independent of each other, so it’s interesting to note that we don’t agree on any of this week’s four Pac-12 matchups. That’s the first time that’s happened this season.
We’ll find out Saturday which one of us knows the score:
Week 7 records: Jeff 3-2, Jake 2-3
Season records: Jeff 38-18, Jake 33-23
All picks against the spread
Betting line from sisportsbook.com
SATURDAY
— UCLA (plus-6) at OREGON, 12:30 p.m., FOX
Jake: Playing in Eugene is no treat and the Ducks have been putting up big numbers, but I have faith in Dorian Thompson-Robinson. Pick: UCLA
Jeff: The Bruins have played on the road just once in their first six games — at Colorado. Autzen Stadium will be a different experience. Pick: Oregon
— ARIZONA STATE (plus-3) at STANFORD, 1 p.m., Pac-12 Networks
Jake: Arizona State is coming off a win and a bye, but Stanford may have got things going by beating Notre Dame. Pick: Stanford
Jeff: Wish the point spread was a bit bigger, but ASU had a bye last week to prep and the Cardinal must come back to earth after a win at Notre Dame. Pick: Arizona State
— COLORADO (plus-24) at OREGON STATE, 5 p.m., Pac-12 Networks
Jake: Oregon State is tough at home, but I don’t know whether they have enough firepower to cover this spread. Pick: Colorado
Jeff: Wish the point spread was a bit smaller, but Colorado has played three times on the road this season and lost by an average of 32 points. Pick: Jeff
— WASHINGTON (minus-7.5) at CAL, 7:30 p.m., ESPN
Jake: Although the Bears have been horrible in their past two games, those were on the road and Cal is much better at home. Same for Washington. Pick: Cal
Jeff: The Bears have had recent success against UW and played mostly tight, low-scoring games. But these Huskies have a new coaching staff and can score big points. Pick: Washington
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