This week’s picks are as follows:

CAL over COLORADO … call this the Toilet Bowl, the Bad News Bowl or anything else you want, it still represents the best chance for either of these teams to actually win a Pac-12 football game. The Bears have the better quarterback. The Bears will win the game. Go Bears.

STANFORD over USC … some folks are heading straight to Reno with the rent money after seeing the mighty Cardinal is favored by only four points over the once-great Trojans. Well, the game is in the Coliseum and USC is still USC, so maybe the mystique is worth seven points. Stanford will not let down after last week’s dominating win over Oregon. Not with a shot at the national championship still in the cards.

OREGON over UTAH … we’ll see how the Ducks respond to last week’s whipping at Stanford. Here’s guessing they bounce back quickly.

ARIZONA STATE over OREGON STATE … the once-hopeful Beavers are in a serious downward spiral.

ARIZONA over WASHINGTON STATE … fans in the Palouse will have to wait yet another year for that elusive bowl bid.

VANDERBILT over KENTUCKY … break up the Commodores.

OKLAHOMA STATE over TEXAS … the best matchup of the week.

UPSET OF THE WEEK: Washington over UCLA … both teams aspire to the top, but they’ll have to settle for also-ran status this time around. (Upset record: 4-7).

ROUT OF THE WEEK: BYU over Idaho State … one of those scintillating late-season matches we’ve come to know and love. (Rout record: 11-0).

DON’T BET ON IT, BUT: South Carolina over Florida … my how the mighty have fallen. (Don’t bet record: 7-4).

FIVE EASY PICKS: This week’s late-season locks are Alabama (over Mississippi State), Florida State (over Syracuse), Old Dominion (over Campbell), Ohio State (over Illinois) and Baylor (over Texas Tech). (FEP record: 55-0).

AGGIES over NORTH DAKOTA … finally a breather in a difficult campaign. Yes, the Aggies are 3-3 in the Big Sky, having had the misfortune of scheduling the whole state of Montana, but also the good fortune of having early-season losses to Big Sky foes Northern Arizona and Portland State not count in the league standings. North Dakota, meanwhile, has hit rock bottom. Takes the Ags by 20.

OTHER GAMES: Central Florida over Temple, Oklahoma over Iowa State, Wisconsin over Indiana, Mississippi over Troy, Penn State over Purdue, West Virginia over Kansas, Virginia Tech over Maryland, East Carolina over UAB, Louisiana-Lafayette over Georgia State, Auburn over Georgia, Michigan State over Nebraska, Miami (Fla.) over Duke, Michigan over Northwestern, Kansas State over TCU, Navy over South Alabama, Louisville over Houston, Colorado State over New Mexico, Arkansas State over Texas State, Boise State over Wyoming, Montana over Weber State, San Diego State over Hawaii, Linfield over Pacific, and San Jose State over Nevada.

Last week: 34-5, season: 389-69, percentage: .849

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