With each passing week, parity gains traction within the Pac-12. And not just on the scoreboard, either. Seven teams are now within one game of .500 against the point spread.
Week 9 brings two oddities in terms of the early betting lines:
Four of the five road teams are favored by more than a touchdown.
Three games have the same points spread as Oregon, USC and UCLA are all favored by 15.5 points, with the Ducks and Trojans carrying those huge numbers with them on the road.
Here are records against the spread for each team through eight weeks of play, according to teamrankings.com:
6-2: Oregon State
5-2: Oregon and USC
4-3: UCLA, ASU, WSU, Cal, Arizona and Utah
4-4: Washington
2-5: Stanford
1-6: Colorado
To the details for Week 9. Lines from vegasinsider.com; trends from oddsshark.com and Phil Steele’s College Football 2022.
Idle: Washington and Oregon State
No. 14 Utah at Washington State (Thursday)
Line: Utah -8.5 (total: 56)
Comment: The only Thursday conference game of the season matches two teams desperate for different reasons: The Utes need to keep pace with Oregon at the top of the standings while the Cougars need to end a two-game losing streak and avoid the bottom tier. WSU has covered the spread in seven of its last eight home games and five of the past seven matchups with the Utes. The Cougars’ swarming, hard-charging defense is allowing just 19 points per game at home. But the Over has been the right play in seven of Utah’s last eight road games.
No. 8 Oregon at Cal
Line: Oregon -15.5 (total: 56.5)
Comment: A matchup of contrasting trajectories with the Ducks soaring after their victory over UCLA and the Bears floundering after their third consecutive loss. Cal coach Justin Wilcox, an Oregon alum, has held the Ducks to 58 points combined in their past three games (all against former Oregon coach Mario Cristobal). The Ducks are averaging 49 points per game against teams other than Georgia while the Bears have exceeded 21 points just once against FBS opponents (Arizona, with 49). Cal has covered the spread in six of its past seven home games.
No. 10 USC at Arizona
Line: USC -15.5 (total: 76)
Comment: This will be USC’s first game since the thriller at Utah while the Wildcats also are coming off a bye. The Trojans have won nine in a row in the series (last loss: 39-36 in 2012) but the games in Tucson are invariably close: Only one of the past seven matchups has been decided by more than seven points. The point total is gigantic — the largest in the country this week, by far — but for good reason: USC has one of the most potent offenses in the country (40.4 points per game) while Arizona’s defense is allowing 42 points in Pac-12 play. It’s Homecoming for the Wildcats.
Arizona State at Colorado
Line: ASU -12.5 (total: 46.5)
Comment: A rare matchup of interim coaches with ASU’s Shaun Aguano, in his fifth game since replacing Herm Edwards, facing CU’s Mike Sanford, who’s in his third game since taking over for Karl Dorrell. In contrast to the Arizona-USC matchup, this game carries one of the lowest point totals of the week. CU has yet to exceed 20 points in any of its seven games while ASU is coming off a 14-point performance at Stanford. Both teams have been shaky at quarterback because of injuries, poor performance or both. It’s Homecoming for the Buffaloes.
Stanford at No. 12 UCLA
Line: UCLA -15.5 (total: 63.5)
Comment: Stanford has dominated the series, with 12 wins in the past 14 matchups, but UCLA won last year by 11 points. How will the Bruins respond to the loss at Oregon in the biggest game of their season? This could be a letdown situation with a low-profile opponent they’re supposed to throttle. Meanwhile, Stanford has won two in a row despite scoring just 31 total points (16 at Notre Dame, 15 against ASU). The Cardinal is one play away (in the final seconds against Oregon State) from a three-game winning streak. It’s Homecoming for the Bruins.
