Pac-12 picks: Heavy favorites across the board on the final weekend (ever) of conference play

Week 13 opens on Black Friday with Oregon hosting OSU in critical matchup

Cal and UCLA meet in the final game of the Pac-12 regular season on Saturday, a fitting pairing given the circumstances.

The schools have previously turned off the lights.

In the summer of 1958, the Pacific Coast Conference was rocked by a massive pay-for-play scandal. The Bears and Bruins, along with USC and Washington, agreed prior to the season that this would be their final year of PCC competition.

Does this sound familiar?

It’s been 110 days since the Pac-12’s Black Friday, Aug. 4, when Washington, Oregon, Arizona, Arizona State, and Utah announced their departure from the conference. Both USC and UCLA had one foot out the door. Stanford and California would arrive a few weeks later.

For three months, riveting on-field competition has taken place against a backdrop of impending collapse.

Every week, marching bands played the national anthem, but we never heard the bugle call of ‘Taps.’

The same was true for the PCC in the fall of 1958, with one exception: the four departing members formed a new league, the Athletic Association of Western Universities (AAWU).

Stanford joined the team the following year.

The Pac-8 was formed when Washington State, Oregon, and Oregon State joined, and the conference entered the era of L.A. dynasties and two more rounds of expansion.

Now, 65 years later, the cause of death isn’t a pay-for-play scandal, but rather gross mismanagement by two commissioners and a slew of university presidents, which resulted in ten schools joining other conferences.

Will the death and resurrection cycle be repeated?

Washington State and Oregon State intend to compete under the Pac-12 banner next season and possibly in 2025, with the possibility of adding Mountain West schools beginning in 2026.

As this unprecedented season comes to a close and the Rose Bowl bell rings Saturday night, a chapter six decades in the making comes to an end.

Pac-12 football as we know it has come to an end. It’s finished. It will never be the same again.

But, 65 years from now, will fans remember this strange season as we remember the fall of ’58 — as a time of chaos, death, disappointment… and rebirth?

To the picks …

Last week: 3-3 Season: 38-35-1 Five-star special: 6-6

All picks against the spread Lines taken from BetMGM (via VegasInsider.com)

(All times Pacific)

Oregon State at Oregon (Friday) Kickoff: 5:30 p.m. on Fox Line: Oregon -13.5 (total: 62.5) Comment: A difficult assignment under any circumstances for the Beavers — they haven’t won at Autzen Stadium since 2007 — has an added challenge this week: preparation. Last weekend, while OSU was battling Washington physically and emotionally, the Ducks were in cruise control at Arizona State. To secure a spot in the conference championship, the home team should be faster, fresher, and more motivated. The short week only strengthens Oregon’s position. Pick: Oregon

Colorado at Utah Kickoff: 12 p.m. on Pac-12 Networks Line: Utah -21.5 (total: 52.5) Comment: Both teams are stumbling to the finish line, with the Utes missing a slew of all-conference players due to injury and the Buffaloes demoralized by seven straight losses. Shedeur Sanders, the quarterback for Colorado, is questionable this week because he’s “not feeling well,” according to his father, coach Deion Sanders. (We wouldn’t be feeling well after being sacked 918 times this season, either.) The point spread is so wide that Utah will need defensive touchdowns to cover. That appears to be about right to us. Pick: Utah

Arizona at Arizona State Kickoff: 12:30 p.m. on ESPN Line: Arizona -10.5 (total: 49.5) Comment: There should be two betting lines: one for if Oregon loses on Friday night and the Wildcats go into the game in Tempe knowing a win would put them in first place in the conference; and one for if Oregon wins and Arizona does not have the added layer of motivation. In either case, the visitors are superior in the majority of positions. It may take a few quarters, but the Wildcats should be in command by the fourth. Oh, how this rivalry’s dynamics have shifted. ASU was favored by 20 points just two years ago. Pick: Arizona

Washington State at Washington Kickoff: 1 p.m. on Fox Line: Washington -16.5 (total: 67.5) Comment: The schools’ agreement to continue the series after UW leaves the Pac-12 earlier this week has no bearing on this matchup. What matters is the environment. How will WSU quarterback Cam Ward handle the rowdy atmosphere in Husky Stadium and a UW defense that has significantly improved in the last month? We’re skeptical of Ward’s ability to navigate the challenges, but we’re confident the Huskies will capitalize on every misstep and finish the regular season undefeated. Pick: Washington

Notre Dame at Stanford Kickoff: 4 p.m. on Pac-12 Networks Line: Notre Dame -25.5 (total: 51.5) Comment: The final Pac-12 Networks football broadcast should be closer than the point spread suggests. Notre Dame has had several 40-point games against low-level competition, but the Irish have nothing to play for in this game. Stanford’s flaws will be exposed, but we wonder if the sterile environment will benefit the home team by tempering Notre Dame’s energy and urgency. With that huge betting line, this screams back-door cover. Pick: Stanford

Cal at UCLA Kickoff: 7:30 p.m. on ESPN Line: UCLA -9.5 (total: 52.5) Comment: The final Pac-12 regular-season game has high stakes for the visitors, who must win to be bowl-eligible. The Bruins are coming off an emotional victory over USC and have nothing tangible on the line — they are out of the conference race and will play in a mid-level bowl game. The Bears’ offense is far superior to recent years, but they will struggle against UCLA’s ferocious front seven. As a result, their defense must step up and turn this into a one-score game in the fourth quarter, when a single play could spark an upset. Choose: Cal

Oregon, Utah, Arizona, Washington, Notre Dame, and California were the clear winners.

Cal is a five-star special. With so many huge favorites this week, we’ll take an underdog playing for a bowl bid.