This column is presented by SuperWest Sports, a media partner of Oregon Sports News.
Wise is the bettor who consults Nick’s No-Nonsense Betting Tips before logging on to his sportsbook.
I may not always be perfect, but if you’ve followed my advice in the past, you’re money ahead.
Every Friday in this space throughout the 2024 college football season, I give you my straight-up picks for games involving SuperWest teams.
For those who don’t know, that includes all the former Pac-12 teams, the Mountain West, plus BYU. 8-2
On rare occasions, when I blow a pick (or two), I evaluate my mistakes the following week, analyzing where I may have gone wrong.
Last week, I went 8-2—too many misses to review. So, where did I go wrong? UNLV is the real deal and should not be overlooked. On the other hand, UCLA could be in for a long season.
On the season, I’m an impressive 22-8, good for 73 percent.
I fully expect to be basking in the glory of success again this week—and you should, too.
As always, my selections include incredibly accurate game scores and just enough commentary to keep me from eating too many pretzels in the South Shore District of Seattle.
The bag is almost empty, so let’s get on with the picks!
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Stanford @ Syracuse
Friday, September 20
4:30 PM
Stanford did not look good against TCU.
Even though the final score was only a seven-point differential, the Cardinal did not pass the nose test.
It feels like Ashton Daniels has gotten better, but he’ll need to improve as a passer if Stanford is going to be loud this season.
They’ll also need to find some sort of production out of the halfback position; their two leading backs have combined for 87 yards thus far.
For Syracuse, as long as their defense puts up an adequate effort, they should be in a solid position.
Ohio State transfer Kyle McCord has thrown for 735 yards, eight touchdowns, and one touchdown in 2024. He’s complemented by halfback LeQuint Allen, who rushed for 94 more yards than Stanford’s duo combined.
Math is fun, but Stanford’s offense isn’t. ‘Cuse gets it done by two touchdowns.
Syracuse 31, Stanford 17
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San Jose State @ Washington State
Friday – September 20
7:00 PM
Fight, Fight, Fight for Washington State, win the victory, Win the day for Crimson and Gray …
I’m still singing about last week’s Apple Cup victory, and this could be a problem if the Cougars are doing the same.
WSU is obviously the favorite in this game, but San Jose State is coming to Pullman with a 3-0 record and a dangerous passing attack.
The Spartans are led by signal-caller Emmett Brown, who played for Washington State last year before transferring to SJSU in the off-season.
Brown has thrown for 915 yards, nine touchdowns, and two interceptions through the Spartans’ first three games. He’ll be looking for his get-back game.
The Spartans also feature wide receiver Nick Nash, who’s proven unguardable through the first three outings.
The Cougs are led by quarterback John Mateer, a plethora of talent at the skill positions, and a stingy defense.
I’ma be able to keep singing the fight song, WSU wins comfortably close.
Washington State 35, San Jose State 24
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USC @ Michigan
Saturday – September 21
12:30 PM
Michigan has looked average in the early season, but they might be more battle-tested than given credit.
Despite an ugly win against Central Arkansas, the Wolverines have faced two quality opponents in Texas and Fresno State.
The key to Michigan’s matchup against USC will be the play of their signal caller, Alex Orji. Orji has been named the starter for this contest and will provide Michigan with a quarterback with a sub-4.4 speed.
The Blue and Maize will also need defensive tackle Mason Graham to control the game in the trenches.
The Trojans need quarterback Miller Moss to play smart. Moss has proven to be a leader in the early season, but he cannot afford mistakes in the Big House.
He’ll need to find the balance of taking shots downfield while getting Woody Marks enough touches to keep Michigan’s line honest.
Honestly beating 107,612 people is not easy, the Wolverines win a close one.
Michigan 28, USC 27
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Purdue @ Oregon State
Saturday – September 21
5:30 PM
Anytime Oregon State is at home, the opposition needs to be ready. The Beavers fans know they need to win this game after Oregon beat their front teeth off.
For OSU to get back on track, its rushing attack will need to control the tempo of this contest.
Purdue features a balanced offense led by Hudson Card, and they don’t want to let him find his stuff. Card has thrown for 397 yards, five touchdowns, and two interceptions in the early season.
The Boilermakers also feature a duo of running backs who’ve run for about 100 yards apiece.
The Beavers’ best chance to move the ball is their running game, which is ranked 38th in the country. Anthony Hankerson and Jam Griffin lead this group. OSU quarterback Gevani McCoy will also need to make a few throws to add some balance. In the battle of mid-tier teams, the Beavers’ homefield leads them to victory. The Beavers get it done at Reser.
Oregon State 30, Purdue 24
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Cal @ Florida State
Saturday – September 21
4:00 PM
How is it possible that a 0-3 team is favored over a team that’s 3-0?
I don’t know if anyone has the answer to this, but it’s probably the only positive Florida State can take away from their early season.
The Seminoles enter this matchup as the laughing stock of the NCAA after three consecutive losses to Memphis, Boston College, and Georgia Tech.
They’ve yet to find anything on offense, and just about everyone needs to get their sh*t together.
For California, this is the best their program has looked in a long time, and a win in Tallahassee would only bolster their program.
The Golden Bears are led by quarterback Fernando Mendoza, who has thrown for 589 yards, five touchdowns, and one interception in the early season.
Mendoza is joined by halfback Jaivian Thomas and wideout Nyziah Hunter, who form a dangerous trio.
Putting thinking aside, I find it illogical that FSU starts its season 0-4. Can the Seminoles pull off the upset?
Florida State 38, California 28
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Utah @ Oklahoma State
Saturday – September 21
1:00 PM
This game features a 7th-year college quarterback versus a 6th-year college quarterback. Van Wilder would be proud.
This should be one of the better games on the Big 12 slate this year, as both teams have real aspirations to win the conference.
The Key to this matchup is the return of Utah signal caller Cam Rising, who has the world’s best hair. Rising is a two-time Pac-12 champion, and he’ll need to move the ball against a dangerous Oklahoma State passing attack.
The Cowboys are averaging 42.7 points per game behind quarterback Alan Bowman’s consistent play. Bowman has proven pivotal this season because halfback Ollie Gordon has struggled to find his rhythm.
This game will depend on which team can make big plays down the field. The Pokes have four receivers who have over 100 yards receiving, but none of them are named Brant Kuithe.
The superstar duo of Rising and Kuithe will prove the difference.
Utes get it in Stillwater.
Utah 42, Oklahoma State 30
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Kansas State @ BYU
Saturday – September 21
7:30 PM
By the metrics, Jake Retzlaff is a pretty good quarterback. But he didn’t look solid against SMU.
In this week’s matchup, Retzlaff will need to be better with his two lead running backs, who are questionable for the affair. The key for him will be to get multiple targets involved outside of Chase Roberts to keep the defense guessing.
Keelan Marion, Jojo Phillips, and Darius Lassiter could prove to be the dudes.
Kansas State needs to find a way to throw the ball. The Wildcats enter this contest with the 113-ranking passing offense in the nation, which is pretty bad.
The Wildcats also boast the 16th-best running offense, where they find their points.
Signal-caller Avery Johnson has been decent enough, but BYU’s 36th-ranked scoring defense could feast if the Cats become one-dimensional.
The Cougars’ win against SMU was impressive, but it was ugly as hell—too ugly to beat the purple and grey.
Wildcats pounce the blue-and-white Cougs.
Kansas State 35, BYU 27
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Baylor @ Colorado
Saturday – September 21
5:00 PM
In this contest, we have a mid-tier game that feels big due to Deion Sanders’s never-ending coverage.
Sanders’ squad enters this contest with mixed results and a 2-1 mark. Colorado’s biggest concern entering the game is the play of their offensive line. The Buffaloes allowed six sacks in their loss against Nebraska, and this issue has plagued them since last season.
If Shedeur Sanders gets protection, he and Travis Hunter are trouble to play against.
Baylor has beaten everyone they should but looked miserable against Utah until Cam Rising got hurt.
The Bears’ defense currently ranks in the top ten in scoring, but this could prove misleading given the competition they’ve played against. BU will need whoever plays quarterback this week to step up and keep pace with CU’s flashy offense.
If Baylor had a better D-line, they could get this done, but they don’t.
Buffs trample Bears.
Colorado 45, Baylor 31
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ASU @ Texas Tech
Saturday – September 21
12:30 PM
Arizona State is probably the surprise team of the SuperWest in the early portion of the season. The Sun Devils enter this contest with a 3-0 mark and two impressive victories over Texas State and Mississippi State.
The most important thing for ASU this week is limiting Texas Tech’s high-powered attack.
The Red Raiders found their style last Saturday in a demolition of North Texas in Lubbock. It also helped that Tahj Brooks returned to the field.
In this matchup, expect Tech to lean on their offensive line and Brooks to reignite the nation’s 14th-ranked scoring offense.
The Sun Devils’ offense will need to continue to perform at a high level if they are going to keep pace against a hungry Red Raiders squad. Sam Leavitt performed well in the first three contests, but this is a game he’ll need to score some points just to stay alive.
Sparky doesn’t like kickin it, this is a Texas two-step.
Texas Tech 45, ASU 38
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Northwestern @ UW
Saturday – September 21
4:30 PM
Washington is going to be very angry entering this contest. The Huskies outplayed rival Washington State in the fourth quarter but fell short due to a questionable play call and a plethora of penalties.
Expect UW’s offense to bounce back with the combination of Will Rogers, Jonah Coleman, and Giles Jackson. Rogers and Jackson connected for three deep balls, and Giles finished with 162 yards and one touchdown in last week’s game.
Northwestern needs to pray that Jack Lausch finds himself. Lausch looked decent against Eastern Illinois, but Charleston is a long way from Seattle.
If the Wildcats want to hang around, they’ll need their defense to prove steady against the run. They currently boast the 5th best-rushing defense in the nation.
All stats aside, the Huskies are not losing to Northwestern in the Sea after their debacle the week prior.
Washington wins in a blowout.
Washington 52, Northwestern 10
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