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It's kind of a quarterback-crazy week in the Pac-12, where at least three freshmen are scheduled to make their first career starts (or at least rumored). Let's hit that hard in the Pick-6, our semi-regular round-up of writing related to Utah, the Pac-12 or sports in general.

The most desperate move of these might be in Eugene …

TODAY'S TOP LINK • CSN's Aaron Fentress writes that http://www.csnnw.com/oregon-ducks/starting-herbert-against-washington-would-be-risky";>pulling grad transfer Dakota Prukop for freshman Justin Herbert is a panic move, and unfair to the local prospect. One of the things that bugs Fentress is that Prukop has only played one truly ugly game:

The feeling among the staff could very well be that Herbert, at the very least, could deliver a few more big plays that increase the Ducks' chances of pulling off an upset. Plus, it's far likely that Herbert is far more comfortable now with the offense than he was a month ago, thus making it more likely he is ready from a mental standpoint.

But it would seem to make more sense, at least from this vantage point, to start Prukop, who has already played solid football against two ranked teams, then should he falter replace him with Herbert. That would take the pressure off of the freshman. And who knows, maybe Prukop has another solid game. He's had four thus far.

For context, the Ducks are playing the No. 5 Huskies, a team they have beaten 12 straight times. But Washington destroyed Stanford last week in a victory that few foresaw as lopsided. If Herbert starts, he's going into the fire.

More links:

• More pertinent to Utah's game coming up, the Arizona Wildcats http://tucson.com/sports/arizonawildcats/football/blog/arizona-wildcats-continue-to-prep-qb-khalil-tate-for-possible/article_6fb32be4-8b2c-11e6-bf7f-038f2812fb64.html";>may start freshman Khalil Tate after he filled in admirably for Brandon Dawkins in the last game.

• The Arizona Republic reports http://www.azcentral.com/story/sports/ncaaf/asu/2016/10/04/qb-brady-white-preparing-first-arizona-state-football-start/91573320/";>that redshirt freshman Brady White is coming in after Manny Wilkins was hurt against USC. Whit e is a former highly touted recruit who got some playing time last week, preparing him for UCLA this week.

• From the Spokesman-Review, http://www.thenewstribune.com/sports/spt-columns-blogs/john-mcgrath/article106013937.html";>a columnist calls out Chris Petersen for shutting down media access to players ahead of the Oregon game. He argues that if the Huskies are trying to treat the Ducks as just another opponent, why change the routine now?

• Weird story out of Colorado:http://www.denverpost.com/2016/10/05/cu-boulder-man-machete/";> A machete-wielding man entered the Colorado Champions Center where he was shot and killed by police. All of Colorado's students and staff are safe, according to the athletic department.

APROPOS OF NOTHING • Apparently football players are like the rest of us: http://thelab.bleacherreport.com/donald-trump-is-tearing-the-nfl-apart/";>Bleacher Report has a story about how the presidential election is tearing NFL locker rooms apart — a microcosm for political disagreements all over the country.

They had known each other for four years. Their wives talked on occasion. Their kids sometimes played together. They sat next to each other in team meetings and went to dinner several times per month. They often joked that politics were off-limits because of their disparate viewpoints. Then, after their first offseason team workout in May, the lineman revealed he would be voting for Trump—and everything changed.

The linebacker, a Clinton supporter, began finding excuses for not going to dinner. The families stopped talking. When the lineman confronted his now former friend, he recalls receiving a blunt response: I can't be friends with anyone who would vote for Donald Trump. I'm sorry.

Them's the breaks in politics — whether on the gridiron or at the Thanksgiving table, apparently.

kgoon@sltrib.com
Twitter: @kylegoon