2011 Pac 12 Football Preview, Predictions, Odds & Free Picks - Week 7 | Sportsbookbuzz.com

2011 Pac 12 Football Week 7 Preview, Predictions, Odds & Picks

We are providing Pac 12 Football weekly matchup previews, predictions and odds for all Pac 12 football teams for the games Saturday October 15, 2011. And to gain a betting edge check our out NCAA Football Handicappers as they offer their free and expert pick. Use our comprehensive and insider information to bet successfully on College Football with our recommend sportsbooks.

This weekend marks the halfway point of the college football season. It seems like only a few articles ago I was making my 2011 predictions.

Three Pac-12 teams are ranked this week in the Associated Press poll — No. 7 Stanford, No. 9 Oregon and No. 18 Arizona State — but the conference will be hard pressed to send a team to the Bowl Championship Series national title game.

Oregon at Stanford on Nov. 12 figured to be the Pac-12 game of the year entering the season and nothing has altered that script.

There are some great games on tap this week, starting with Cal hosting the Trojans on Thursday and wrapping up on Saturday with Oregon and ASU battling it out on ESPN.

Let’s take a look at this week’s matchups. Listed pointspreads are provided by BetOnline.com.

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Thursday, October 13, 2011

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USC at California – 9:00 PM ET on ESPN

Can the Bears overcome their lack of offensive production when they square off with the USC Trojans on Thursday night? Cal has scored an average of 34.6 ppg, but that number is a bit misleading. Take out their 64-12 pummeling of the hapless Presbyterian College Bluestockings and that number falls to 24 ppg. And in their two losses, against Washington (4-1, 2-0) and #9 Oregon (4-1, 2-0), they only put up 19 points per game. Numbers like that are not going to help them against a Trojan offense that’s averaging 28 ppg, without the benefit of outings against the Bluestockings. Meanwhile, the Trojan offense seems to be coming together and putting up more points every week, while the Bears are headed the other direction. When these two teams met up last year, USC worked over the Golden Bears 48-14 without breaking much of sweat. And there’s no reason to think that the same thing won’t happen again this year.

Prediction: USC 40, California 21 – Bet Now

Odds: USC: -3 – California: +3 – Over/Under: 58.5

Saturday, October 15, 2011

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Utah at Pittsburgh – 12:00 PM ET on ESPNU

Pittsburgh and Utah look for a much needed win Saturday at Heinz Field. The Utes have suffered back to back defeats following a 35-14 loss to Arizona State while the Panthers were handled by Rutgers 34-10. Utah’s first season in the PAC 12 hasn’t started off with a bang, but has fizzled. Meanwhile, a week after destroying nationally ranked South Florida, Pittsburgh came out flat against Rutgers with struggles on both sides of the ball. This is a hard one to call. As for Utah, their offense is challenged and the defense has been average. Put the two together, and it’s not a winning combination. Pittsburgh on the other hand, has so much talent, but the numbers on both sides of the ball tells us this team doesn’t stand out. I wouldn’t be in any rush to take either one.

Prediction: Pittsburgh 17, Utah 15 – Bet Now

Odds: Pittsburgh: -7 – Utah: +7 – Over/Under: 46.5

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Colorado @ Washington – 3:30 PM ET

The Washington Huskies have a chance to knock off their second PAC 12 newbie in a row when they face the Colorado Buffaloes at Husky Stadium on Saturday afternoon. Two weeks ago Washington easily handled the Utes, the other new PAC 12 team, 31-14 in Utah. With the win over the Utes, Washington is off to their best start since 2006 and there couldn’t be a better opponent to face at home when you looking for win than the Buffaloes. After a painful 48-7 loss to the Stanford Cardinal, Colorado minted their 20th consecutive road loss, and that’s not their only problem. Injuries have plagued their defense all season and, last week, head coach John Embree suspended four more defensive players for breaking unspecified team rules. There are some bright spots for the Buffs coming into this tilt. Quarterback Tyler Hansen has been on fire. Should the Buffaloes have any shot of winning against the Huskies, they’ll need Hansen to step up. But if Washington plays anything like they did against Utah, this will be all Huskies.

Prediction: Washington 41, Colorado 14 – Bet Now

Odds: Washington: -14.5 – Colorado: +14.5 – Over/Under: 59

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BYU @ Oregon State – 4:00 PM ET

Oregon State will look to try and build from their win against the Wildcats as they welcome the Cougars of BYU to town in a break from Pac 12 conference play. BYU may be 4-2 this season, but don’t let that make you think that they are any better than the Beavers. They are a couple of calls away from being a one win team just like Oregon State. The Cougars have recently benched Jake Heaps, formerly the number one rated quarterback out of high school, in favor of Riley Nelson. This move gave them their first semi-comfortable win of the season. Could Nelson be the Cougs long term answer here? He did throw two interceptions in the contest, but also racked up three touchdowns through the air, and over 50 yards of offense on the ground. The Beavers defense could have its hands full.

Prediction: BYU 35, Oregon State 21 – Bet Now

Odds: BYU: +2 – Oregon State: -2 – Over/Under: 49.5

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#7 Stanford @ Washington State – 7:30 PM ET

Washington State takes on its first ranked opponent of the season on Saturday when they host the #7 Stanford Cardinal. While the Cougars would seem to have little chance against the high flying Cardinal, this may be the best shot they’ve had at knocking off a ranked opponent in a long time. Still, it’s hard to overstate how well Stanford is playing with superstar Andrew Luck under center. While the Cougars may be having their best season in years, Luck and the Cardinal seem to be getting better with every game. So what can Washington State do to contain the Luck juggernaut? Frankly, there isn’t much that can be done. Stanford is heading into Martin Stadium with a 13-game winning streak, the longest current streak going in college football. It’s hard to picture a scenario where the Cardinal lose this one.

Prediction: Stanford 45, Washington State 21 – Bet Now

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#18 Arizona State @ #9 Oregon – 10:15 PM ET on ESPN

If the #18 ASU Sun Devils can overcome the #9 Oregon Ducks, they’ve got a pretty good shot at running the PAC-12 for the rest of the season. The Sun Devils have already knocked off two ranked opponents, so there’s no reason to think they can’t do it again, especially this week. That’s because Oregon will likely take the field without the star running back LaMicheal James. Offensively, ASU has had no problem putting up a lot of points on both ranked and unranked opponents this season. Junior quarterback Brock Osweiller is proving to be a strong presence for the Sun Devils both on and off the field. However, one of the biggest problems this season for the Sun Devils has been sloppy play. The Sun Devils have looked pretty good on defense this year and if they knock off the dumb penalties, they could really slow down the vaunted OU offense. For the Ducks, the key to victory is finding someone to fill James very large shoes.

Prediction: Oregon 35, Arizona State 30 – Bet Now

Odds: Oregon: -14 – Arizona State: +14 – Over/Under: 66.5

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