Stanford Steve and The Bear: Week 12 college football picks

Week 12 of the college football season is here and the Pac-12 is loaded with premiere matchups. Unfortunately for the USC Trojans (7-4; 5-3 in conference), they have underperformed and their chances at a Pac-12 title in their final season in the conference have come and gone. 2022 Heisman winner Caleb Williams and head coach Lincoln Riley were…

The UCLA Bruins (6-4) and the USC Trojans (7-4) are set to square off in a rivalry battle on Saturday afternoon. UCLA has lost two straight games to teams from Arizona, including a 17-7 setback against Arizona State last week. The Bruins have only picked up one road win since September, which came at Stanford a month ago. USC has dropped four of…

The fifth-ranked Washington Huskies visit the No. 20 USC Trojans on Saturday in the biggest game of Week 10 in Pac-12 football. In a season that has seen a number of marquee Pac-12 contests, Saturday's game at Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum appears to stack up as another thriller. Michael Penix Jr. and the undefeated Huskies enter as three-point…

UCLA leads the all-time series with Colorado 13-5, winning the last two meetings in commanding fashion. While it's hard to take too much from these recent games considering Deion Sanders hadn't arrived in BOulder yet, it's worth noting UCLA covered the spread in each instance as heavy favorites. Recent UCLA vs Colorado games have seen plenty of…

Utah at USC? Lacking significance. Huskies vs Arizona State? Ducks vs Wazzu? Bombs away. Aside from UCLA's visit to a suddenly spry Stanford team, Week 8 in the Pac-12 is shaping up to be a bit of a dud. Here's a look at my final thoughts and predictions from Week 8 in the Pac-12 … The Cougars are reeling after a gut-check loss to Arizona, an…

The Pac-12 women's basketball landscape endured a number of changes over the past weekend. USC gave Colorado its first home-court loss of the season, which knocked the Buffaloes out of a second-place tie with Utah. The Utes are now all alone in second place, one game behind first-place Stanford. Later this season, Stanford goes to Utah and…

USC remained atop our SI Pac-12 Football Power Rankings for the third straight week - unanimous for the second week in a row. More important to the Trojans, their 11-1 record and Pac-12 regular-season title has moved them to the No. 4 position in the latest College Football Playoff rankings, announced Tuesday afternoon. Unbeatens Georgia, Michigan…

The Fan Nation and Sports Illustrated publishers of the Pac-12 have come together to unveil their takes on the conference's hierarchy heading into championship weekend. UCLA football (9-3, 6-3) fell from No. 5 to No. 6 in the latest edition of the SI Pac-12 Power Rankings following the team's 35-28 win over Cal. There was not a consensus on where…

The UCLA Bruins take on the California Golden Bears college football odds series for our UCLA California prediction and pick. The UCLA Bruins lost to their crosstown rivals, the USC Trojans, last week. They were knocked out of contention for a spot in the Pac-12 Championship Game. The Bruins were fully and finally eliminated from the College…

The No. 18 UCLA Bruins look to close out a successful regular season on a winning note as they travel to the Bay Area to take on Pac-12 conference foe, the California Golden Bears on Friday afternoon. UCLA, 8-3, fell to No. 6 USC 48-45 at the Rose Bowl last Saturday, while Cal, 4-7, defeated rival Stanford at home, 27-20. The Bruins dominated this…

The Battle for the Victory Bell has arrived, with both the Bruins and Trojans looking to solidify themselves as true contenders in the West. WHO: UCLA vs. USC DATE: Saturday, Nov. 19 TIME: 5:05 p.m. PT LOCATION: Rose Bowl Stadium, Pasadena, CA TV: FOX - Gus Johnson (play-by-play), Joel Klatt (analyst), Allison Williams (sideline) RADIO: AM 570,…

The USC Trojans take on the UCLA Bruins. Check out our college football odds series for our USC UCLA prediction and pick. The UCLA football program faces its moment of truth in this game. UCLA has not won a conference championship since 1998. The Bruins are almost certain to make the Pac-12 Championship Game if they win here. They would have to win…

This season I'll be breaking down a few of college football's biggest games each week and giving out at least one bet I like from each matchup. Let's take a look at a classic rivalry game between USC and UCLA. USC vs UCLA Spread, current line: If I had to bet this game against the spread, I would take the points, but my preferred angle is to bet…

The most significant Pac-12 game of Week 12 also could be the longest. Touchdowns mean clock stoppages and commercial breaks, and there will be a lot of touchdowns in the Rose Bowl on Saturday evening. When USC and UCLA collided last season, they combined for 95 points. The year before that, 81 points. The year before that, 87. Oddsmakers accounted…

Jon WilnerThe San Jose (Calif.) Mercury News The Pac-12 has outperformed the Big 12 on the field this season, placing more teams in the College Football Playoff rankings and generating more serious contenders for the CFP. But the Big 12 owns an advantage in one regard: Its best teams against the point spread have fared slightly better than the…

The Bruins have added one of the most prominent voices in college football to their expanding bandwagon. Fox Sports analyst Joel Klatt said on "The Joel Klatt Show" that, of the teams that have yet to make a College Football Playoff appearance, No. 11 UCLA football (6-0, 3-0 Pac-12) is the most likely to clinch a berth this season. "Watch out for…

We address three Pac-12 football questions this week: It's kind of eerie what going on in Los Angeles with UCLA and USC with regard to the parallels with 1988. Both teams have started this season 6-0, just as they did in 1988. Both teams have a Heisman Trophy candidate quarterback leading the way, as they did in 1988. One team's quarterback is a…

At last, things get interesting. Ten Pac-12 teams bring winning records into the start of conference play on Saturday, and five of those clubs are unbeaten. We anticipated Utah (2-1), USC (3-0) and Oregon (2-1) could be elite, but Washington, Washington State and Oregon State have exceeded expectations - all of them 3-0 to date. Can WSU defend its…

The USC Trojans play the Oregon State Beavers on Saturday, and if you're looking to do some betting research, this is the place to visit. We'll give you the latest point spread, money line odds, and over/under number, as well as the information you'll need to make the smartest bet at BetMGM. USC is once again the highest ranked Pac-12 team in the…

Chris Fallica ESPN Staff Writer Lead researcher for "College GameDay" since 1996 Voter on ESPN CFB Selection Committee Steve Coughlin ESPN Staff Writer Known as "Stanford Steve" Played college football at Stanford Producer for SportsCenter with SVP "Stanford Steve" Coughlin and Chris "The Bear" Fallica preview Week 2 of the 2022 college football…

With just over three months left until kickoff, oddsmakers have pegged some concrete expectations for the Bruins' upcoming season. BetOnline came out with its over/under regular season win totals for the 2022 college football season on Monday, setting the initial expectations for teams across the country. UCLA's mark was set at 8.5, meaning anyone…