This is an archived article that was published on sltrib.com in 2014, and information in the article may be outdated. It is provided only for personal research purposes and may not be reprinted.
Call it brilliant or inevitable, but I got it right last week in saying Utah was due to lose a close game. On to Saturday's picks: Notre Dame at Arizona State, 1:30 p.m. MST, ABC Thanks to that 19-16 overtime defeat of Utah, Arizona State is the Pac-12 South leader. That distinction doesn't matter against Notre Dame, but the Sun Devils' No. 9 ranking by the College Football Playoff selection committee is significant. ASU can stay in playoff contention, building toward a potential Pac-12 championship game against Oregon. ASU quarterback Taylor Kelly is the key figure here. If he's closer to his maximum ability in his third start since returning from a foot injury, the Sun Devils should thrive. Arizona State 28, Notre Dame 24. Washington State at Oregon State, 2 p.m. MST, Pac-12 Networks The season has been disappointing for both schools, but OSU still has a shot at bowl eligibility. There's also some intrigue about WSU quarterback Luke Falk, the Logan product whose timetable for becoming the Cougars' starting quarterback was accelerated by Connor Halliday's season-ending injury. Oregon State 35, Washington State 31. UCLA at Washington, 5 p.m. MST, Fox Sports 1 UCLA is the Pac-12's most mysterious team, generally having failed to live up to expectations, yet standing 7-2 overall and hoping for some help in the South division race. Washington needs a win over somebody like UCLA to distinguish itself in the conference's middle tier. UCLA 24, Washington 17. Colorado at Arizona, 6 p.m. MST, Pac-12 Networks It's the same story every week with Colorado, as the Buffaloes keep improving – and losing. Arizona lost to UCLA last week, being held to seven points, but should bounce back. Arizona 31, Colorado 21. Oregon at Utah, 8 p.m. MST, ESPN Oregon becomes the last school to visit Utah in the Pac-12 era, and it should be a fun atmosphere for another late-night game at Rice-Eccles Stadium. The Ducks should be worried about facing Utah's outstanding defense, but all they have to do is score 30 points to win. That's routine for them. Oregon 31, Utah 24. – Kurt Kragthorpe