Week 2 Pac-12 Staff Pick-Em! Now bigger and better!

IHello friends! Nik Jam here presenting you with Week 2 of our Golden Blogs Pac-12 Pickem. Last week was my first time in charge of this game, and I made a few mistakes (or at least I saw things that needed to change) so I've revamped our glorious Pick-em league to include Over/Under and added a points system. (Two points for every correct pick against the spread. One point for every correct over/under pick)

All twelve Pac-12 teams are in action today, but I decided to skip the matches against FCS opponents since those tend to not have a spread anyway (Washington plays Sacramento State, Arizona State plays Cal Poly) and removed UCLA and USC who are playing smaller FBS schools, and the spreads are high enough that it's basically "Will USC/UCLA win by enough points or win in a slightly less blowout fashion?"

This will also be the first week our beloved Bears are involved in Pickem.

So let's begin with a recap of last week's shortened round.

Week 1 Recap

Here we have most of us looking bad for trusting Colorado and doubting Washington, while the rest of the games were pretty evenly split. Thus we have a fairly average rankings so far. I won the week for four correct picks while Andrew and PerryScope went winless after nailing the Utah win.

Now with the new points systems the rankings are as follows...

Nik Jam: 8
KWBears: 6
Berkelium97: 6
Ruey Yen: 6
Nam: 4
Andrew: 2
PerryScope: 2

The good news for everyone is that this week there's a chance for 24 points! So we could completely flip the rankings by this time next week.

So let's begin with the Week 2 picks in order of games being played.

Starting this week, Spread and Over and Under are based on the ESPN iPhone app on Tuesday, September 8 and will not reflect current spreads or other betting sites.

Utah vs. Utah State

Utah is a 13.5 favorite. The Over/Under is 44.

Seems like our crew is certain that Utah can win and cover the high spread, with a couple exceptions.

Ruey Yen: I like Utah in this one, but don't think they will cover.

Nik Jam: Utah looked really good against Michigan last week. I don't see them dropping off at home.

Andrew G. Miller: Utah stood out last week by being prepared for their opponent. They won't fall in the trap here.

Berkelium97: Utah State has won 19 games in the past two seasons. As with most of these games between Utah schools, this will be a slugfest that comes down to the final possession.

PerryScope: Utah has a stout defense and that running game will keep that clock going so I do not think it will be a high scoring game. From what I hear the Aggies aren't that bad but that is all I know.

KWBears: Utah State is not even close to Michigan, and Utah beat Michigan last week.  This game won't even be close.

Oregon State at Michigan

Oregon State is a 15 point underdog. The Over/Under is 48.

Seems everyone thinks Michigan will win. Three of us expect Oregon State to cover the high spread, which actually hasn't changed a whole lot (+14.5 underdog now) and only I have the game being high scoring.

Ruey Yen: I think Michigan will beat Oregon State (who are probably better than they showed last week) but not cover.

Nik Jam: I see the game being closer than 15, but can't imagine the Beavers pulling this off. Too much hype in Ann Arbor.

Andrew G. Miller: This is by far the less interesting of the Oregon/Michigan matchups this weekend. I'll take UM and their long week to prepare for the Beavs.

Berkelium97: I have no idea what to expect in this game, as I didn't watch a single down of OSU's game last week. Michigan's tenacious D-line could make the difference, however. I think OSU's line won't be able to give Collins much room to run or much time to pass. 15 is a tad too high for me to be comfortable, but I'm more confident in Michigan covering than OSU making a game of it.

PerryScope: I think Michigan is still going to win, just not by 2+ touchdowns. The Beavers have some confidence going into the game and I think they can keep it close up until the 4th quarter.

KWBears: Michigan and HC Jim Harbaugh got embarrassed on national TV last week. They won't let it happen again, especially in the Big House's season opener. Too bad for the Beavs.

Colorado vs. UMass

Colorado is a 13 point favorite. The Over/Under is 61.5.

Again, it seems like Colorado is widely expected to win, but they may struggle to fend off UMass in what could be a pivotal game for the Buffaloes program and coach Mac.

Ruey Yen: Colorado wins but not cover.

Nik Jam: It's a home game for Colorado. If they get wins somewhere, it's here.

Andrew G. Miller: I don't trust Colorado as far as I can throw Ralphie the Buffalo, but they won't completely faceplant twice in two weeks. Right?

Berkelium97: Hawai'i is only slightly better than UMass and they beat Colorado. If the Buffs can't win this, it's over for Mac.

PerryScope: Not sure. I really hope they (Colorado) can win this game.

KWBears: Colorado lost to one sub-par opponent last week - they won't let it happen again. If they do, this season is a complete waste of time for the Buffs.

Washington State at Rutgers.

Washington State is a 1.5 point underdog. The Over/Under is 62.

Looks like our crew has lost faith in the Cougars, with only Ruey choosing them to right the ship. The nation doesn't either, given that Rutgers has since moved up to a 3.5 point favorite. Can Wazzu prove us wrong?

Ruey Yen: As bad as the Cougs were last week, I think they can bounced back against a B1G team.

Nik Jam: Washington State needs to prove they righted the ship that looked awful last week before I start picking them in games.

Andrew G. Miller: Either Colorado or WSU will blow it. I've probably picked the wrong one.

Berkelium97: Another rainy forecast will turn the Wazzu offense into soggy mush.

PerryScope: Rutgers is a pretty good program in the last decade and with Wazzu coming off a nightmare loss to an FCS team I don't seem them winning on the road.

KWBears: I have faith the Cougars will learn from last week's disaster and come out swinging at Rutgers. But, I don't have faith that this young and inexperienced team can handle the travel and time change. New Jersey is far from Washington.

Cal vs. San Diego State

Cal is a 11 point favorite. The Over/Under is 61.

Shockingly, nobody has San Diego State pulling off the upset. No one even thinks they will come within 11 points.

Ruey Yen: I believe in the BearRaid so I think combined over 61 will be easy (I also may not believe the Cal D is that great). Hopefully, the Bears can jump out to an early lead and easily hold on (and cover).

Nik Jam: Goes without saying that I'm very nervous about this game, but I think Cal gets it done.

Andrew G. Miller: The Aztecs' offense won't be as bad as they were against USD, but they're not good enough to keep up with the Bears. Also, take the over until further notice.

Berkelium97: That 6.5-point opening spread was a joke.  I'd pick the Bears up to about -17.  SDSU has a decent defense, but we have one of the best offenses in the nation.

PerryScope: Cal should win by 2 -3 touchdowns in a high scoring game.  I think 61 is going to be pretty accurate for this over/under depending on how long the Aztecs can keep that clock moving with their running game.

KWBears: The Bear Raid is in mid-season form.  Jared Goff will add to his Heisman highlight reel this week against the Aztecs.

Arizona at Nevada.

Arizona is a 11.5 point favorite. The Over/Under is 62.

Ruey Yen: I think Arizona can win this one, but they may not cover.

Nik Jam: Ah. Nevada, the classic trap game. Arizona had some key injuries last week, the game should be close.

Andrew G. Miller: Scooby Wright is gone, but Arizona gets a couple of guys back from suspension. And this isn't the same Nevada team that shredded Cal...twice...

Berkelium97: A Pac-12 team missing its best linebacker goes into Reno...where have I seen this before?

PerryScope: Even without Scooby, the wildcats are going to rough up that Nevada offensive unit and they are going to be in control the entire game.

KWBears: The Wildcats will dispatch of Nevada easily, but not be as high flying as they could be.

Oregon at Michigan State

Oregon is a 3.5 point underdog. The Over/Under is 67.5

The game of the week! A tightly contested game of course has a split in picks. Most expect a high scoring affair.

Ruey Yen: I'm a sucker for Pac-12 pride.

Nik Jam: High-scoring affair should go in favor of the home team.

Andrew G. Miller: Neither team looked as dominant as they should have in their openers, but I think both will be ready to play this weekend. Home team gets the advantage here.

Berkelium97: Michigan State returns most of its starters from an elite, well rounded team. Oregon's defense looked very shaky against EWU last week. So why am I picking Oregon?

PerryScope: East Lansing is in store for one hell of a game. This game is one of, if not the most important game for the Pac 12 this season. Adams Vs. Cook; both QB's can make plays.

KWBears: What happened against EWU last week?! The Ducks may be living off of their reputation right now, and not reality. The Spartans at home will be real tough to beat.

Stanford vs. Central Florida

Stanford is a 18 point favorite. The Over/Under is 43.5

The nightcap sees our hated rivals taking on Central Florida, as the Card try to bounce back from a loss at Northwestern. This seems to be one of those where we expect the Lobsterbacks to win, but nowhere near by more than 18 points. The nation doesn't seem to agree. The Red Devils (how many more degrading nicknames can I come up with here?) have moved up to a NINETEEN point favorite now on the ESPN app. Seems like it might be a nice break for the ... ... Spoiled Childr... Wait wrong school... before reality sets in again next week.

Ruey Yen: Are Furd capable of scoring enough points to cover that 18 pt spread?

Nik Jam: The Card get some relief in a big win over UCF but I don't think it'll be that relevant over their chances with the Trojans.

Andrew G. Miller: Stanford moves into the win column, but I'm banking on the moral victory of an ugly, close game.

Berkelium97: Picking the under for LSJU seems like a safe bet every week.

PerryScope: Because it's Stanford and even though I do think they're going to win, I don't think it's going to be a blowout.

KWBears: Losing to Northwestern was ridiculous last week. I expect the Cardinal to come out fighting and trying to make the completely opposite statement against poor UCF.

Conclusion

A lot of fun games are in store this weekend. Who will come out on top this week?