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2021 Cristobal Predictions: Week 8 PAC-12 Picks and Schedule

A big week in the PAC!

Fortune Teller Photo by Camerique/Getty Images

Time to find out if ATQ is mostly wrong or mostly right!

Make your prediction for who will win this week’s PAC-12 contest and who will cover. At the end of the year we’ll tally the total and find out if we know what the Hell we’re talking about.

Last week was pretty good for the ATQ hivemind, which meant it was a pretty good week for my pocketbook. Together, we chose the correct victor 67 percent of the time, and covered on 50 percent of our bets against the spread.

Two of you made particularly good predictions, and have thus been awarded the RESIDENT GENIUS AWARD:

soddruntlestuntle

The more things change, the more they the same.

The Ducks muddle through another conference game, alternating between dazzling and dismal.

Brown’s shortcomings are again on display, as his passing game consists of short-yardage checkdowns and sideline swings and screens. Luckily both Travis Dye and Johnny Johnson, lll break short pass plays for long touchdown gallops, as Oregon’s porous defensive backfield again makes middling Cal quarterback Chase Garbers look like Aaron Rodgers. For the game Brown goes 14 for 26 for 180 yards and the aforementioned two TD passes. Dye flourishes as the lead back, running for 125 yards, while Byron Caldwell and Trey Benson each scamper for 50 yards.

Oregon 24, Cal 20

and ATCQ must be commended for his optimism in the Duck fandom, though it proved wrong...

ATCQ

Ducks win 27 - 20

The offense still looks overall sluggish, but they are able to move the ball decently for the majority of the game. Cal overall looks much improved after their BYE week and has some success moving the ball in the first half before we clamp down a bit after halftime. Despite the close score, I see this as an objectively boring game with very few big plays and most successful drives being methodical rather than explosive.

AB looks pedestrian, but improved from his performance vs. Stanford, going for 198 through the air with a TD and an INT. He adds 37 rushing yards and no TDs on the ground. I do worry how the crowd will react if he struggles early… I get as frustrated as anyone, but I do not want to hear fans booing our QB, no matter how poorly he’s playing. Please be classy Duck fans!


NCAA Football: Arizona at Washington Jennifer Buchanan-USA TODAY Sports

wASHINGTON @ ARIZONA

TIME/CHANNEL: Friday, 7:30 PM, ESPN2

SEASON RECORD: Uw (2-4, 1-2) / UA (0-6, 0-3)

HISTORICAL RECORD: The Huskies are 23-11-1 against the Wildcats and have won the last four contests against them.

MM’s MUSINGS: For years, huskie haters around the globe have gathered around the television to watch washington go down in flames in Tucson. However, this season, the magic of the desert doesn’t seem powerful enough to compensate for Arizona’s inefficiencies. washington may be bad, but are they the team that finally breaks Arizona’s 18-game losing streak with another embarrassing loss in America’s Dune? We’ll find out.

Poll

Who wins?

This poll is closed

  • 38%
    Arizona
    (15 votes)
  • 61%
    washington
    (24 votes)
39 votes total Vote Now

Poll

Who covers?

This poll is closed

  • 91%
    Arizona (+17.5)
    (32 votes)
  • 8%
    washington (-17.5)
    (3 votes)
35 votes total Vote Now
Ronney Jenkins

BYU @ WASHINGTON STATE

TIME/CHANNEL: Saturday, 12:30 PM, FS1

SEASON RECORD: BYU (5-2) / WSU (4-3, 3-2)

HISTORICAL RECORD: The Cougars (BYU) are 3-1-0 all-time against the Cougars (Wazzu).

MM’s MUSINGS: BYU started the season by dominating the PAC-12 and making some early playoff noise (albeit an easily ignorable noise), however, back-to-back losses have brought the Cougars back down to earth. Meanwhile, Wazzu is on the up-and-up, and could possibly be favored in this contest if not for justifiably losing half of their staff, including their head coach. We’ve got a classic cat fight, y’all!

Poll

Who wins?

This poll is closed

  • 73%
    BYU
    (53 votes)
  • 26%
    Washington State
    (19 votes)
72 votes total Vote Now

Poll

Who covers?

This poll is closed

  • 75%
    BYU (-4.5)
    (46 votes)
  • 24%
    Washington State (+4.5)
    (15 votes)
61 votes total Vote Now
Colorado v California Photo by Ezra Shaw/Getty Images

COLORADO @ CALIFORNIA

TIME/CHANNEL: Saturday, 12:30 PM, PAC-12 NETWORK

SEASON RECORD: CU (2-4, 1-2) / CAL (1-5, 0-3)

HISTORICAL RECORD: Since 1968, Cal and Colorado have played each other 10 times on the gridiron. The Golden Bears hold a 6-4-0 lead.

MM’s MUSINGS: Both of these teams have looked pretty rough this season, but someone’s got to leave Berkeley with the win, and whichever team that is will be that much closer to bowl eligibility.

Poll

Who wins?

This poll is closed

  • 11%
    Colorado
    (8 votes)
  • 88%
    California
    (62 votes)
70 votes total Vote Now

Poll

Who covers?

This poll is closed

  • 59%
    Colorado (+8.5)
    (34 votes)
  • 40%
    California (-8.5)
    (23 votes)
57 votes total Vote Now
UCLA v Oregon Photo by Steve Dykes/Getty Images

No. 10 OREGON @ UCLA

TIME/CHANNEL: Saturday, 12:30 PM, ABC

SEASON RECORD: UO (5-1, 2-1) / UCLA (5-2, 3-1)

HISTORICAL RECORD: The Bruins hold a 39-30-0 lead over the Ducks who first played each other in 1928.

MM’s MUSINGS: PLEASE, FOR THE LOVE OF MARIOTA, LET US WIN THIS GAME BY 30 WITH A TWO-SCORE LEAD FOR THE MAJORITY OF THE CONTEST! MY HEART CAN’T TAKE IT ANYMORE!

Poll

Who wins?

This poll is closed

  • 72%
    Oregon
    (68 votes)
  • 27%
    UCLA
    (26 votes)
94 votes total Vote Now

Poll

Who covers?

This poll is closed

  • 77%
    Oregon (+1)
    (61 votes)
  • 22%
    UCLA (-1)
    (18 votes)
79 votes total Vote Now
USC v Notre Dame Photo by Joe Robbins/Getty Images

USC @ No. 13 NOTRE DAME

TIME/CHANNEL: Saturday, 4:30 PM, NBC

SEASON RECORD: USC (3-3, 2-3) / ND (5-1)

HISTORICAL RECORD: In this storied rivalry, the Fighting Irish have a 47-36-5 record over the Trojans.

MM’s MUSINGS: The Trojans have looked defeated before the opening kickoff for awhile now. This team has straight given up. Notre Dame, on the other hand, is still fighting for a spot in the playoff despite looking truly mediocre in many of its close wins (sound familiar, Duck fans?).

Still, Notre Dame has struggled against damn near everyone. Maybe Drake London alone will be enough to pull off a shocking upset. Probably not, but maybe.

Poll

Who wins?

This poll is closed

  • 17%
    USC
    (13 votes)
  • 82%
    Notre Dame
    (63 votes)
76 votes total Vote Now

Poll

Who covers?

This poll is closed

  • 25%
    USC (+7)
    (16 votes)
  • 75%
    Notre Dame (-7)
    (48 votes)
64 votes total Vote Now
Utah v Oregon State Photo by Jonathan Ferrey/Getty Images

UTAH @ OREGON STATE

TIME/CHANNEL: Saturday, 4:30 PM, PAC-12 NETWORK

SEASON RECORD: UU (4-2, 3-0) / OSU (4-2, 2-1)

HISTORICAL RECORD: This upcoming game between Utah and Oregon State will be the tiebreaker; the record currently sits at 11-11-1.

MM’s MUSINGS: This game is as important in the PAC-12 race as Oregon @ UCLA. Is Utah for real? Are the Beavers for real? Is “real life” real?

Poll

Who wins?

This poll is closed

  • 56%
    Utah
    (43 votes)
  • 43%
    Oregon State
    (33 votes)
76 votes total Vote Now

Poll

Who covers?

This poll is closed

  • 60%
    Utah (-3)
    (38 votes)
  • 39%
    Oregon State (+3)
    (25 votes)
63 votes total Vote Now

Comment below with your prediction for this week’s Oregon-UCLA game for your chance to win the coveted RESIDENT GENIUS award.

Include:

  • Final score.
  • Who you think will win.
  • Anthony Brown’s stat line.

Word to the wise: try to add some juicy details to your prediction, that way it will look even more impressive when your predictions come true!