Pac-12 Football Predictions: Week 1

Previewing and picking the winners of every Pac-12 matchup on the first full weekend of college football

The Bruins got their season started last week, and now the rest of the conference is ready to join them on the gridiron.

UCLA football (1-0) was the first Pac-12 program to kick off its 2021 season, defeating Hawaii 44-10 in Week 0. The other 11 teams out West are starting things up now as well, with Utah and Weber State getting going early Thursday night in Salt Lake City.

To get some additional thoughts, takes and information on a handful of these games, watch the roundtable between the six FanNation and Sports Illustrated Pac-12 publishers (see video above).

Here are All Bruins' picks for each of the contests including a Pac-12 team in Week 1:

No. 24 Utah (-28.5)* vs. Weber State

Thursday, 4:30 p.m. PT
Salt Lake City, Utah

The Wildcats are a really solid FCS program, as they own a 37-11 record since 2017 and have ended the past five seasons inside the AP top 10 and atop the Big Sky. Utah, on the other hand, has succeeded at a Power Five level, continues to churn out NFL talent, boasts arguably the best coach West of the Mississippi and is 15-2 in its last 17 home games. This one shouldn't be very close.

Pick: Utah

No. 25 Arizona State (-45)* vs. Southern Utah

Thursday, 7:30 p.m. PT
Tempe, Arizona

Like UCLA, Southern Utah already got its season started a week ago. Unlike UCLA, Southern Utah was on the losing end of a blowout, getting stomped 45-14 by San Jose State. Arizona State has more talent than San Jose State practically everywhere on the field, and the game is in Tempe, so this should be an easy victory for the Sun Devils despite all the non-football storylines surrounding the program.

Pick: Arizona State

Colorado (-38)* vs. Northern Colorado

Friday, 6 p.m. PT
Boulder, Colorado

The next Pac-12-Big Sky matchups doesn't boast the same FCS prestige as the Utah-Weber State game. Northern Colorado finishes nearly every season close to the bottom of the Big Sky standings, so while the Buffaloes aren't expected to be a top-tier team in the Pac-12, even they should be able to wipe the floor with the Bears.

Pick: Colorado

Stanford vs. Kansas State (-3)*

Saturday, 9 a.m. PT
Arlington, Texas

The first Power Five matchup for a Pac-12 team is going to be a tight one. The Cardinal finished the 2020 season on a four-game winning streak with a 3.3-point average margin of victory, so the DNA of this team is built for close games. The Wildcats went 4-6 last year and still don't have a clear answer at quarterback, so expect Stanford to emerge from this neutral-site game with a victory.

Pick: Stanford

No. 10 Oregon (-20.5)* vs. Fresno State

Saturday, 11 a.m. PT
Eugene, Oregon

UCLA fans should keep a close eye on this game. Oregon will surely stave off the upset bid from Fresno State, but with the Bruins and Bulldogs set to face off in two weeks time, it will be important to see how they match up against Pac-12 talent and coaching.

Pick: Oregon

No. 15 USC (-14)* vs. San Jose State

Saturday, 1 p.m. PT
Los Angeles, California

The Trojans may be running into one of the most dangerous Group of Five teams in the country. Quarterback Nick Starkel took a San Jose State program that had posted just one winning season in the previous 13 years and led them to an undefeated regular season, a 7-1 record and postseason AP top 25 finish. Starkel and the Spartans proved their offense is just as prolific as it was last year against Southern Utah in Week 0, so while their defense won't be able to contain USC's talent, expect San Jose State to put up a lot of points in a valiant losing effort.

Pick: USC

Oregon State vs. Purdue (-7)*

Thursday, 4 p.m. PT
West Lafayette, Indiana

The departure of Jermar Jefferson to the NFL Draft robbed the Beavers of their biggest bright spot from a 2020 season that went off the rails fast. Beating Oregon in the Civil War put Oregon State at 2-2 with momentum and hype to spare, but three straight losses to end the year put a damper on the promising start. Considering Oregon State already had a bottom-half of the FBS offense before losing Jefferson and replacing quarterback Tristain Gebbia with the not-much-better Sam Noyer, the equally-mediocre Purdue should be expected to win Saturday based mostly off of homefield advantage.

Pick: Purdue

No. 20 Washington vs. Montana

Saturday, 5 p.m. PT
Seattle, Washington

Montana last beat Washington in 1920, before they were even called the Huskies. Washington owns the all-time series 17-1-1 and shouldn't have any problems disposing of an FCS opponent when its sights are set on taking hold of the Pac-12 North.

Pick: Washington

UCLA vs. No. 16 LSU (-2.5)*

Saturday, 5:30 p.m. PT
Pasadena, California

The Bruins are riding high after a dominant day on the ground and their first season-opening and nonconference win of the Chip Kelly era. UCLA certainly showed they have what it takes to compete with and even beat LSU, but the fact of the matter is that nearly everything would have to go right for that to become reality. The Tigers boast so much talent on defense, even if their production a year ago didn't show it, that the Bruins may not have enough firepower to best them.

Pick: LSU

Arizona vs. BYU (-12.5)*

Saturday, 7:30 p.m. PT
Las Vegas, Nevada

Coach Jedd Fisch is doing big things in Tucson, but they won't exactly lead to success in the short term. With a team considered by many to be the least talented in the Pac-12, Fisch simply doesn't have a lot to work with, and his decision to roll with two quarterbacks might make things messy and over-complicated against a typically well-coached and consistent Cougars squad.

Pick: BYU

California (-3)* vs. Nevada

Saturday, 7:30 p.m. PT
Berkeley, California

Chase Garbers is looking to bounce back from a poor 2020 season, but even playing a Group of Five team at home doesn't mean he'll be the best quarterback on the field Saturday. Nevada quarterback Carson Strong is considered by many to be a first round NFL Draft prospect, and he passed for 317.6 yards per game last year with a 27-to-4 TD-to-INT ratio, a 70.1% completion percentage and 160.6 passer rating. If Strong can put up those kind of numbers against the Golden Bears, an upset over a Cal team that crumbled last fall could be in the cards.

Pick: Nevada

Washington State (-17)* vs. Utah State

Saturday, 8 p.m. PT
Pullman, Washington

The Aggies made eight bowls in nine years heading into last season, but a 0-3 start led to them ditching coach Gary Anderson midseason before finishing 1-5. Blake Anderson comes over from Arkansas State, and he'll be diving into the gig head first with a Power Five matchup right out of the gates. Even if coach Nick Rolovich continues to lose his hold on his team on and off the field, his Cougars will still put up big offensive numbers and use their homefield advantage to secure the win.

Pick: Washington State

*Odds via BetOnline

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