Author: Cappers Picks

ASU Sun Devils vs UCLA Bruins NCAA Football Odds

Top 25 Arizona State head out to Pasadena to take on UCLA as they look to keep their one game edge on both USC and UCLA in the race for the PAC 12 South.

Oregon Ducks vs Washington Huskies NCAA Football Odds

Oregon come into this one needing a victory to keep pace with the streaking Stanford Cardinal in the Northern Division, while Washington is still just one game behind the Ducks for second.

Stanford Cardinal vs OSU Beavers NCAA Football Odds

The undefeated Stanford Cardinals look to keep up their streak alive in Corvallis as they take on the Oregon State Beavers on Saturday. Oregon State is coming off of a loss in Utah, which just continued their already dismal season.

Southern Cal Trojans vs CU Buffaloes NCAA Football Odds

The 6-2 USC Trojans lost in devastating fashion a week ago. They’ll look to right the ship this week in Boulder against the Colorado Buffaloes. Everyone else seems to be doing it, so why not USC?

Pac 12 Gambling – Colorado vs. Arizona State Preview

The hapless Buffaloes head into Tempe, Arizona to take on the Sun Devils of Arizona State on Saturday.

Buffaloes v Sun Devils
When: Saturday, 6:30 PM EST
Where: Sun Devil Stadium, Tempe, Arizona
TV: N/A
LINE: -31 (Arizona State), O/U 56.5

Colorado is coming off of yet another loss of 20 or more points. That makes three in a row now, and four games out of the last five.

Their only points a week ago were a result of a misplayed punt. They forced a safety on that play and that is the only thing that saved the Buffaloes from being shut out a week ago in their 45-2 loss. To boot that game was at home and things probably won’t get any better anytime soon.

After last week’s performance, Colorado is now 1-7 , with an 0-4 mark in conference play. Good for last in the PAC12 south unsurprisingly. They rank near the bottom in most statistical categories, which is where you would expect a 1-7 team to be.

They sit at 113th in rushing yards, 107th in points per game, then 117th in points allowed. The latter number is over 37 points per game. Not a good sign when going up against a top 50 offense.

The one semi bright note is that they can sling the ball around on occasion. They average over 225 yards through the air per contest. If Arizona State has a weakness that can be exploited in this one, it is their passing defense that ranks in the bottom half of the country. [soliloquy id=”82219″]

The Sun Devils meanwhile, are coming off of a tough loss in Eugene against Oregon. If not for a back breaking interception at the end of the first half, we could be looking at a top 15, one loss team here.

Sophomore quarterback Brock Osweiler had another solid day at the office, throwing for nearly 300 yards and two scores. What killed the Sun Devils though, were the two picks that he threw in crucial situations. When you have a rushing game that ranks in the bottom third of the country, you have to limit those mistakes against top flight competition.

What the Sun Devils lack on the ground, they more than make up for it in the passing department. They have a top 20 passing attack, which should be more than enough to secure a win in this one.

This week they are fortunate to face Colorado in their one break at home amidst a run of four of five road games. Osweiler should be able to exploit this horrendous Buffalo defense into a few scores.

Matt’s Prediction: Colorado 13 Arizona State 34- This one is going to get out of hand in a hurry. This Colorado team just isn’t ready for Pac 12 play, or any BCS league play for that matter. You combine that with an Arizona State team that is on the upswing and you get a game that is destined to be a blowout from the opening kickoff.

Pac 12 Gambling – Stanford vs. USC Preview

The Stanford Cardinals look to stay unbeaten as they travel into Southern California to take on the Trojans pm Saturday night.

Cardinal v Trojans
When: Saturday, 8:00 PM EST
Where: Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum, Los Angeles, California
TV: ABC, ABC Regional, ESPN3
LINE: +7.5 (USC), O/U 60

The Cardinals got here a little differently than usual, as Andrew Luck threw for a season low 169 yards a week ago. Although he still managed to put up two touchdowns.

Nevertheless, it was the running game that took the reins against Washington. They had three halfbacks that rushes for at least 93 yards, and all three had at least one touchdown as well. Anthony Wilkerson upped the ante a bit by adding two.

Stanford tallied a total of five touchdowns on the ground against the Huskies. That number is one quarter of their total number of rushing scores on the season, so it was a pretty marquee day for the Cardinal ground attack.

The Cardinals are a top ten team for a reason. They rank up near the top in most offensive and defensive categories. They are generally known for their passing attack, but it has been the running game that is more highly touted of late.

They average just under 220 yards a game on the ground. That number is good for 17th in the country. However, it isn’t to say that the passing game isn’t excellent. It is up in the top 25 nationally.

The other two Stanford stats that jump out at you have to be their point per game averages. They haven’t faced the toughest schedule to this point, but they have still put up almost 50 points a game. Good for second in the country. While their defense has allowed less than 15 per contest. Also in the top 5.

As for the Trojans, they are also coming off of a win. The difference is their win happened to come against the biggest rival that USC has in Notre Dame, so they will be riding high headed into this one. [soliloquy id=”82219″]

QB Matt Barkley is coming off of another top notch performance as well. He tossed for over 200 yards, while adding three touchdowns in the process to vault the Trojans to a 6-1 record. Sophomore Robert Woods seemed to be the target of choice for Barkley. He racked up twelve catches for 119 yards, including two scores.

While the Trojans have a nice record on the year, they don’t really have the stats to back up their 6-1 mark. In fact, in this match-up, they only have an advantage in one area. That is passing yards, and they only hold that edge by 2.2 yards per game.

They fall outside of the top 35 for all of the major stats outside of passing yards. Not really the recipe to take down a top ten juggernaut like Stanford.

Matt’s Prediction: Stanford 38,USC 24–The Trojans have benefited from an incredibly weak schedule thus far. They may possess the best win between the two teams in this one though with their win a week ago against the Irish. The stats on paper obviously favor the Cardinals., who I expect to win this one rather convincingly. Even on the road.

Washington State vs. Oregon Preview

Oregon, coming off of a huge win in Colorado, are looking to do the same thing as they did a week ago back at home against the Cougars of Washington State.

Annihilate their opponent.

Cougars v Ducks
When: Saturday, 3:00 PM EST
Where: Autzen Stadium, Eugene, Oregon
TV: N/A
LINE: -35 (Oregon), O/U 69

Washington State are coming off a game in which they were throttled by the lowly Oregon State Beavers. Granted they did lose their starting quarterback shortly after they tied the game at 14, so that probably had a little bit to do with the final score.

But there is more bad news coming their way. Jeff Tuel is not coming back for this week’s game. As everyone saw, this just isn’t the same team when he isn’t on the field.

The Cougars do not have much of a running game, and they basically solely relied on the arm of Tuel, and now that he’s out, no one is quite sure where their points are going to come from.

Remember, this was a team that boasted a top ten passing attack. Outside of that one, single, silver lining. They fall near the bottom of the NCAA in most other categories.

They rank 91st in rushing yards per game, and are giving up around 30 points per game. The latter number is good for 87th in the country but will probably drop after their meeting with the Ducks.

Even if Oregon decides to hold out their number one backfield tandem in quarterback Darren Thomas and running back LaMichael James, they will likely field a team more than capable of putting up at least 30 points on the scoreboard. [soliloquy id=”82219″]

The only thing holding this one up from being a complete laugher is the fact that Washington State actually has a solid run defense. As we all know, running the ball is what this Oregon team excels at.

Even with that being said, it is going to be hard to keep this offense down for too long. As they are a pretty efficient passing team, even though they do not turn to the air all that often. Why would you when you average well over 300 yards per game on the ground?

They are also putting up over 48 points a game total, which is just ridiculous given the strength of their schedule thus far. Their season low came against LSU in their first game of the 2011 campaign, but they still managed 27 points in that one. Oh by the way, LSU boasts the 4th best run defense in the country, so it doesn’t look good for Wazzou this weekend.

Matt’s Prediction: Oregon 52, Washington State 3-Washington State didn’t really have a chance in this one if they were 100 percent healthy. Now they are without the man that makes their offense go in Tuel. I think everyone can add 2+2 here. This is going to be a blowout with or without Oregon’s Thomas or James. There is just no way around it.