Picks against the spread, over/under for Arizona-NAU and other Pac-12 matchups

Every week, the Star’s Michael Lev, Justin Spears and Alec White will pick the winner of the UA game and select others throughout the Pac-12. For in-depth breakdowns of each game, check out the latest episode of the Wildcast Podcast.

This week, the guys give their takes on Arizona-NAU, ASU-BYU and USC-Washington State.

Northern Arizona @ Arizona, 7 p.m. on Pac-12 Arizona

Who will cover? Arizona (-23)

Official betting lines won’t open until Saturday morning with the Wildcats taking on an FCS school, but the consensus at OddShark.com is that Arizona will be a 23-point favorite against NAU.

The Wildcats are 1-1 against the spread (ATS) so far this year and all three Star reporters are picking the heavy-favored home team to win Saturday. Lev and White are calling for the Cats to cover the spread, while Spears sees the Lumberjacks keeping it closer.

Lev on why Arizona covers: “It’s hard to take that risk when you haven’t seen Arizona win, and win handedly… but I think it’s time. I think we’re going to see two running backs go over 100 yards in this game, Michael Wiley and Drake Anderson. Plus, (Arizona) has scored in the 60s each of the last three times they’ve faced NAU.”

Spears on why NAU covers: “I don’t think Arizona is going to cover. I think they’ll win by 20 or 21 points. I think Will Plummer is going to have a three-to-four touchdown game. He’s going to look great, Arizona is going to get right again.”

Lev’s pick: Arizona 41-14

White’s pick: Arizona 44-14

Spears’ pick: Arizona 38-17

Over/under (52)

All three reporters feel confident the points total will go over, citing recent matchup history.

White on why it goes over: “If we break down the history of Arizona-NAU, Arizona has scored in the last three matchups 65, 62 and 77 points. If we go deeper down the history books, they’ve scored 35, 41, and 34 dating back to 2009. So, I feel confident in saying Arizona will score at least 34 points.

But if the total is going to go over, you have to believe NAU has to score at least one or two touchdowns and I think they do that in garbage time late in the game."

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No. 19 Arizona State at No. 23 BYU (+3.5), 7:15 p.m. on ESPN

The BYU Cougars find themselves ranked for the first time this season after taking down Utah in the Holy War last week. Despite coming into the game 2-0, ASU has yet to cover the spread and are listed as road favorites against the Cougs.

BYU upset the Utes last weekend after being listed as 7-point underdogs and the Cougars are once again listed as home underdogs.

Who will cover? BYU (+3.5)

Both Spears and White are calling for another upset special in Provo, picking BYU to win outright over ASU. However, Lev sees this as a letdown spot for the Cougars and likes ASU to cover.

Spears on why BYU wins and covers: “I don’t think this is a letdown spot at all because the next week they play against South Florida and after that a game against Utah State. So there’s not really anybody that they’re looking forward to playing. They’ll be all dialed in for this game against ASU. It’s at home in Provo, it’ll be a rowdy crowd and with that being said. I’m going to pick BYU to win.”

Lev on why ASU covers: "BYU looked really good last week against Utah, that caught a lot of people by surprise. But I’m going to go the other way on this one, I’m picking Arizona State to win and cover. I think there’s a natural letdown after your big rivalry game so I think BYU could be susceptible to that. I also think Arizona State is a better team and has a better roster."

USC at Washington State (+7.5), 12:30 p.m. on Ch. 11

Who will cover? USC (-7.5): All three Star reporters are in agreement on this one, picking the Trojans to cover on the road against Wazzu. Even after the firing of Clay Helton, the guys see this one as an emotional game for USC and it'll have a much better performance.

White on why USC covers: “It’s not a double-digit spread, so I feel a little safer picking USC. The Cougars are 0-2 against the spread. They lost their opener against Utah State and then won, but didn’t cover against Portland State last week. We’re all in on the Trojans bounce back.”

Standings so far:

Lev: 1-3 straight up, 3-1 against the spread, 1-1 picking the over/under.

White: 1-3 SU, 1-3 ATS, 2-0 O/U

Spears: 1-3 SU, 1-3 ATS, 2-0 O/U