IN THE CROSSHAIRS

Ken’s Pac-12, Big 12 picks: Utes, Bears stay hot

Ken Cross

October 21, 2015 at 3:54 pm.

Oct 17, 2015; Salt Lake City, UT, USA; Utah Utes defensive end Hunter Dimick (49) tackles Arizona State Sun Devils quarterback Mike Bercovici (2) during the first half at Rice-Eccles Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Russ Isabella-USA TODAY Sports

Oct 17, 2015; Salt Lake City, UT, USA; Utah Utes defensive end Hunter Dimick (49) tackles Arizona State Sun Devils quarterback Mike Bercovici (2) during the first half at Rice-Eccles Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Russ Isabella-USA TODAY Sports

PAC-12

No. 3 Utah at USC – The Utah Utes are on the rise as they have run to a 6-0 mark behind the play of running back Devontae Booker, who averages 130 yards per game. They lead the nation with 13 interceptions and go against one of the nation’s top quarterbacks in USC’s Cody Kessler.  Teams with physical running games seem to give the Trojans trouble. With a Utes’ win, it would be USC’s third loss at home.

UTES 33, TROJANS 27

No. 19 Cal at UCLA – The Bruins were blasted by the multi-pronged Stanford offensive attack in Palo Alto last week and now host the pass-happy Bears who are enjoying a college football reclamation behind coach Sonny Dykes and quarterback Jared Goff.  The Bruins are banged up and may not be in any mood for the Bears’ aggression.  Cal leads the nation with 21 turnovers gained as they lead the Pac-12 in defensive touchdowns with three and with Kyle Kragen recording five of a league-high 19 sacks.

BEARS 41, BRUINS 34

Washington at No. 10 Stanford – Many thought the Huskies would finally get a win over Oregon last week, but it didn’t happen as Vernon Adams and stability returned, at least somewhat, to the Oregon attack.  Stanford has been on a major role since an inexplicable loss at Northwestern in Week One.  Christian McCaffrey continues to amaze as he rolled up 369 all-purpose yards in the rout of UCLA last week.  The Cardinal have won eight of their last 10 against Washington.

CARDINAL 44, HUSKIES 20

Washington State at Arizona – This will be a fun game to watch with the prowess of the Wildcats’ quarterback Anu Solomon and the Arizona running game going against Luke Falk and the Cougars passing attack.  The two teams combine for 1,027.2 total yards per game.  With each team on a two-game winning streak, the winner could find itself in the middle of its division race.

WILDCATS 52, COUGARS 42

BIG 12 

Iowa State at No. 2 – Baylor – This Bears’ offense may be the most feared in recent memory.  They are the only team in the nation to have a top five runner (Shock Linwood) and a top five wide receiver (Corey Coleman), and a Baylor receiver has caught at least three touchdown passes in their last four games, each of which has seen them surpass 60 points.  Iowa State gave TCU a run for a little over a half last week before the Horned Frogs put the Cyclones to rest.  Iowa State could be flat based on the lack of talent and how much energy it took to hang with TCU for the length of time.

BEARS 62, CYCLONES 14

Kansas at No. 14 Oklahoma State – The Cowboys are rolling along at 6-0 and no one has even given them a nod. Their three Big 12 wins are by a combined 12 points.  Sack-master Emmanuel Ogbah is getting plenty of notoriety, along with Mike Gundy’s gun-slinging offense.  He is fifth in the nation at 1.25 sacks per game and averages 1.8 tackles-for-loss per outing, good for eighth in the country.  The Pokes’ signature is their passing game as Mason Rudolph is 8-1 as a starting quarterback and five of those wins are roadies.  David Glidden has been the go-to guy for Rudolph with 4.7 catches per game and 457 yards.

COWBOYS 55, JAYHAWKS 14

Texas Tech at Oklahoma – This could be another shootout with Pat Mahomes of Texas Tech and OU’s Baker Mayfield distributing the football around the field.  Jakeem Grant could test the Oklahoma secondary with his speed and length.  The Sooners have the speed to match up with Grant, Reginald Davis and Devin Lauderdale.  The key for the Red Raiders could be establishing DeAndre Washington in the run game for Mahomes to be able to go over the top.

SOONERS 44, RED RAIDERS 40

Kansas State at Texas – The Longhorns enjoyed a bye week after their 24-17 upset of Oklahoma, while the Wildcats were busy getting trampled at home, 55-0, by those angry Sooners.  The Sooners proved just how slow the Wildcats are on offense, which is not a good thing as sophomore D’Onta Freeman had a career-high 117 yards for Texas in the win over Oklahoma.  Jerrod Heard has settled in as the Longhorns quarterback and will be a tough assignment for the Wildcats.

LONGHORNS 30, WILDCATS 19

 

ALL  |  NFL  |  College Football  |  MLB  |  NBA