Pac-12 Report – Week 2

VegasInsider Staff Sports Betting Expert

7 minute read

Arizona at Houston (ABC -or- ESPN2, 12:00 p.m. ET)
The Wildcats had their home opener spoiled by visiting BYU, as Khalil Tate was mostly held in check. It was also a loss for Kevin Sumlin in his debut for the Wildcats. The need the alarm clock to go off for this one, literally and figuratively. It's a 10 a.m. kickoff as far as their bodies are concerned, so will that be a problem? Houston enters this game as a 3 1/2-point favorite as of Thursday afternoon. Arizona has to show it can win on the road, something that has been a problem in recent years. They're even worse against the number, going 3-13 ATS in their past 16 road trips and 0-5 ATS in their past five road games against teams with a winning home record. Houston is 14-6 ATS in the past games in the month of December.

UCLA at Oklahoma (FOX, 1:00 p.m.)
The Bruins opened with an egg-laying at home against Cincinnati, while Oklahoma quickly quieted any talk of the Lane Train, Devin Singletary and FAU pulling off an upset last week in Norman. The Sooners looked like a powerhouse, thrashing FAU 63-14. The Bruins did not look good, falling at home to the Bearcats by a 26-17 count. They also lost QB Wilton Speight, the Michigan transfer, to an injury and he is questionable for this one. As such, Oklahoma opened as a four-touchdown favorite, and the number is up to 30 points. When is the last time UCLA has been an underdog by this many points? You only have to go back to 2011 in the Pac-12 Championship Game against Oregon when the Bruins were 31-point 'dogs. They covered in a 49-31 loss to the Ducks that day.

Colorado at Nebraska (Pac-12 Network, 3:30 p.m. ET)
Mother Nature showed up and ruined the fun in Lincoln last week, as their game against Akron was wiped out by weather. So Scott Frost will make his debut against a good Colorado club in a old Big 8 matchup. The Buffaloes steamrolled Colorado State in their rivalry game in the Mile High City a week ago. The Buffs enter 1-4 ATS in the past five road games, while going just 4-11-1 ATS in the past 16 games overall. The Cornhuskers are just 4-10 ATS in their past 14 games overall, while going 2-7-1 ATS in their past 10 at home against teams with a winning road mark. Frost was hired from UCF to change all of that. The under is 5-2 in Colorado's past seven on the road, and 4-1 in their past five non-conference tilts. The over is 3-0-1 in Nebraska's past four at home, and 11-4 in the past 15 outside of the conference. These teams have a history, and Colorado is 6-2 ATS in the past eight trips to Lincoln and 11-4 ATS in the past 15 meetings overall. The over has hit in each of the past five meetings, although this is the first battle since the Huskers won a 45-17 decision Nov. 26, 2010.

Utah at Northern Illinois (ESPNews, 7:30 p.m.)
The Huskies were blown out in Iowa City, now they return home to host a good Utah side. The Utes have been great on the road, going 19-7 ATS in their past 26 business trips, and they're 46-21-2 ATS in the past 69 non-conference battles. In addition, Utah has started out fast lately, going 5-0 ATS in their past five games in September. NIU is on the flip side, going 1-7 ATS in their past eight at home against teams with a winning record, 1-4 ATS in the past five home overall and 5-11 ATS in the past 16 against teams with a winning record.

Southern California at Stanford (FOX, 8:30 p.m.)
The Trojans started out slow against USC, breaking in a freshman quarterback in the process. They finally got it rolling in the second half to pull away from a pesky UNLV side. Stanford exacted a little revenge on San Diego State on 'The Farm' last week, but have a much bigger fish to fry against USC in the conference opener for both. Each team enters in the Top 15, so this is a huge early-season game. It's huge any time these teams battle. USC is just 1-5-1 ATS in the past seven on the road, 0-4 ATS in their past four in September and 2-6-1 ATS in the past nine against winning teams. They're also 1-4 ATS in the past five in this series, while the 'over' has cashed in four of the past five. However, the underdog is 9-4 ATS in the past 13 meetings. Stanford enters 4-0 ATS in the past four against winning teams and 4-1 ATS in the past five at home.

California at Brigham Young (ESPN2, 10:15 p.m.)
Cal took care of business 24-17 against North Carolina in their opener, and the score is a lot closer than the game actually was. The Tar Heels actually scored a late TD to make things interesting. BYU scored the upset on the road against Arizona, now look to slay a second straight Pac-12 opponent. They ruined Pac-12 After Dark last week. Can they do it again? Cal is 4-1-1 ATS in the past six non-conference tilts, but just 3-7 ATS in the past 10 on the road. BYU is 5-1 ATS in the past six overall, and 4-1 ATS in the past five against the Pac-12, including last week's outright win as an underdog in the desert. These teams have a history, and the road team is 4-0 ATS in the past four meetings with the 'over' cashing in all four outings.

Michigan State at Arizona State (ESPN, 10:45 p.m.)
Michigan State was a bit sluggish in its opening game at home against Utah State, winning just 38-31 and needing a late score to avoid an upset. They didn't come near covering the 23 1/2-point spread. Now, they are favored by a touchdown on the road. AZ State humbled UTSA by a 49-7 score. Now, it's Sparty vs. Sparky for the first time since Sept. 13, 1986. Michigan State is 6-1 ATS in the past seven following a non-cover, but they're just 4-9 ATS in the past 13 non-conference tilts and 2-6 ATS in the past eight against the Pac-12. Arizona State has covered six of the past eight against the Big Ten.

San Jose State at Washington State (Pac-12 Network, 11:00 p.m.)
The Cougars opened with a quality win at Wyoming, dismantling their impressive defense. Now, they face another Mountain West club, although the Spartans of San Jose are hardly even an FBS-quality squad. The Spartans were tripped up at home by FCS UC Davis, 44-38. If a team like that can drop 44 on San Jose State, imagine what Wazzu can do at home on the Palouse. San Jose State enters 3-14 ATS in the past 17 in September and 3-9 ATS in their past 12 against the Pac-12. Washington State has covered five in a row and they're 4-0 ATS in their past four in September.

Other Games
Portland State at Oregon (Pac-12 Network, 2:00 p.m.)
North Dakota at Washington (Pac-12 Network, 5:00 p.m.)
Southern Utah at Oregon State (Pac-12 Network, 8:00 p.m.)

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