This is an archived article that was published on sltrib.com in 2016, and information in the article may be outdated. It is provided only for personal research purposes and may not be reprinted.

Ever since the Pac-12 was formed with two divisions for football, the Stanford-Oregon game In the North has been circled on the calendar, because of its regional and national impact. Not this year. This week's games involving Utah, Washington, Colorado and Washington State are more important to the Pc-12 landscape in 2016. On to the picks:  Thursday's game Utah at Arizona State, 7:30 p.m. MST, Fox Sports 1 There will be moments of frustration for Utah's offense in this game, as the Utes try to run against ASU's aggressive defense. But if former Utah quarterback Travis Wilson could exploit the Sun Devils' approach by passing for 297 yards last year, Troy Williams should be able to top 300 yards and lead the Utes to a convincing win. Utah 42, Arizona State 24.  Saturday's games Stanford at Oregon, 2 p.m. MST, Pac-12 Networks During what seems like a bad season, Stanford is positioned to finish 9-3. Christian McCaffrey should have fun running against the Ducks' defense. Stanford 35, Oregon 24.  USC at Washington, 5:30 p.m. MST, Fox This is the Pac-12's marquee game of the week, and it is a fascinating matchup. The Trojans are rolling, but they have to face Washington's well-built, balanced team at Husky Stadium. If you follow the logic that USC played Utah evenly and Utah played Washington evenly, this should be a close game. In a unusual move, if you've followed these picks all season, I'm going with the upset. USC 28, Washington 27.  Oregon State at UCLA, 7 p.m. MST, Pac-12 Networks Each of these teams will be happy to face the other, desperately needing a win. UCLA 24, Oregon State 17. Colorado at Arizona, 8 p.m. MST, Fox Sports 1 Utah needs help from a Colorado opponent only if the Utes lose one of their next two games, which shouldn't be necessary. Colorado 31, Arizona 21.  California at Washington State, 8:30 p.m. MST, ESPN These teams staged a 60-59 game in Pullman two years ago, but Washington State's defense is much improved. Washington State 60, California 29.  – Kurt Kragthorpe