The picks are in for week 13 and it's clear some games are tougher to call than others. Five Pac-10 teams are in action today after Oregon and Arizona State took care of business yesterday. Among the action, Washington travels to Cal, Oregon State travels to Stanford and USC hosts the Notre Dame Fighting Irish in a rivalry game.
ESPN's Ted Miller submitted his weekly picks, as always, and predicted a close California win over the Huskies. Phil Steele also likes the Bears, but doesn't predict a close game. Steel has the Bears by 21. And for some local flavor, Seattle Times' Husky football beat reporter Bob Condotta also picks the Bears, by six. SB Nation's UW Dawg Pound likes the Huskies again this week, picking the Dawgs to drop Cal on the road, 27-17.
Picking the Notre Dame-USC game was a bit tougher. With any rivalry game, picking a winner is never easy. Add in the injury to USC quarterback Matt Barkley and we're looking at a near even match-up. At CBS, three of the five experts liked Notre Dame, the most divided they were on any pick this weekend. Miller likes Notre Dame by four. Steele differs from the masses, picking USC by a touchdown. We'll see how Mitch Mustain handles the game should Barkley be unable to go.
Finally, a game that should be, on paper, easy to pick. The Stanford Cardinal may be the best one loss team in the country, only falling to the No. 1 Oregon Ducks. Stanford has looked dominant at times this season and this week should be no different. However, Oregon State, the Cardinal's opponent, went from looking hapless in a loss to Washington State to competent in an easy, blowout win over USC. Miller says no way the Beavers pull the upset, though, as he picks Stanford by 20. All five CBS experts also stuck with the Cardinal. Steele sticks with Miller this time, choosing the Cardinal by 21.
The Saturday action kicks off at 12:30 as Washington takes on UCLA today.