After holding a firm lead through the first handful of weeks, it now looks as Robert Ingle’s grasp over the rest of the contributors is fading, with both Marcus Russel and The_Coach now right on his tail. Robert Ingle’s incorrect selections of Utah and Oregon helped the rest of the field, as three of the contributors (Marcus Russell, The_Coach and Brian J. Moore) all finished with one-loss weeks.
For Marcus Russell, it was the selection of Oregon over Washington State in a bounce-back game scenario. For The_Coach, it was Arizona State not having enough to knock-off a desperate USC team and for Brian J. Moore, it was his belief that the Utes would protect their undefeated record against California. Despite a few wrong selections here and there, overall, the group managed a 23-7 record for Week Five. Not too shabby.
For Week Six, we have some new faces added to the mix in “Addz” and “Donald B. Jordan”, who have both recently joined the crew here at Building The Dam. While they may be a bit behind the rest of the guys in terms of chasing Robert Ingle at the top of the standings, we’ll still like to see how they do making picks on a weekly basis. This week, the Pac-12 ramps up the conference play heat with Colorado traveling to USC, Washington visiting Eugene and an upset-minded Washington State team heading to Stanford. As always, this week should be another good one in the Pac-12.
Saturday, October 8th
USC (2-3) v. #21 Colorado (4-1) [4:00 PM ET, PAC12]
Ingle Win Probability Calculator: Colorado (51%)
After four weeks of some tough sledding for head coach Clay Helton’s program, the Trojans finally got back-on-track on Saturday night in the City of Angels, when USC held off Arizona State in impressive bounce-back fashion. USC now looks like they’ve finally answered some questions on offense, as freshman quarterback Sam Darnold has taken the reigns and restored some faith in primetime players like wide receiver JuJu Smith-Schuster and running back Justin Davis. The trick now for the Trojans will be keeping their newfound mojo going. Welcoming a surging Colorado team to town could make-or-break USC’s season at this point, especially if the emergence of a steady offensive unit was just a one week fluke. The Buffs have one of the more prolific offenses in the country, currently averaging 43.2 points per game, and with a stout defense behind them, it’ll take a herculean effort across the board from the Trojans to pull this one out. Look for the match-up between Colorado’s offensive line and USC’s front-seven to be a solid indicator of how this one goes.
Marcus Russell: USC
The_Coach: Colorado
DavidMays: USC
Robert Ingle: Colorado
Brian J. Moore: USC
Addz: Colorado
Donald B. Jordan: Colorado
Saturday, October 8th
Oregon (2-3) v. #5 Washington (5-0) [7:30 PM ET, FOX]
Ingle Win Probability Calculator: Washington (60%)
No team in the conference has more pressure weighing on them at this point than Oregon, who enters their Saturday meeting with Washington already on a three game losing skid. The Ducks, while usually a high-octane powerhouse in the conference, have now fallen on times tough enough that the fan base is publicly calling for head coach Mark Helfrich’s job. Now, enter Washington into the mix. The Huskies have raced out to the best start in the Pac-12 and suddenly, the potential breakthrough team in the conference, has become the league’s best chance to make the College Football Playoff. How will Oregon slow down the Huskies? That is still widely unknown but this game could end up turning into one of the biggest conference showdowns of the season, simply due to the implications it may have. A fourth straight loss for Oregon will literally spell doom in Eugene, while another win for the balanced Huskies (before hosting Oregon State next week) would keep their College Football Playoff hopes alive.
Marcus Russell: Washington
The_Coach: Washington
DavidMays: Washington
Robert Ingle: Washington
Brian J. Moore: Washington
Addz: Washington
Donald B. Jordan: Washington
Saturday, October 8th
Oregon State (1-3) v. California (3-2) [9:00 PM ET, PAC12]
Ingle Win Probability Calculator: California (72%)
Coming off last week’s challenging loss at Colorado, Oregon State now returns home to square off with a prolific California team, who could have the most offensive firepowers in the whole Pac-12. As usual, we’ll have you completely covered here at Building The Dam all throughout the week and on gameday, covering every inch of this match-up.
- Oregon State vs. Cal: Preview
- Oregon State vs. Cal: Q & A With California Golden Blogs
- Oregon State vs. Cal: What Needs Improvement?
- Oregon State vs. Colorado: What Did We Learn?
Marcus Russell: California
The_Coach: California
DavidMays: Oregon State
Robert Ingle: California
Brian J. Moore: California
Addz: California
Donald B. Jordan: California
Saturday, October 8th
#24 Utah (4-1) v. Arizona (2-3) [10:00 PM ET, FS1]
Ingle Win Probability Calculator: Utah (59%)
Utah failed to keep their unbeaten streak alive last week against Cal and will be on the lookout for revenge against Arizona. The 2-3 Wildcats on the other hand are coming off a blowout loss to UCLA and due to another quarterback injury may be forced to start freshman Kahlil Tate. The latest lines have Utah favored by 9.5 points.
Marcus Russell: Utah
The_Coach: Utah
DavidMays: Arizona
Robert Ingle: Utah
Brian J. Moore: Utah
Addz: Utah
Donald B. Jordan: Utah
Saturday, October 8th
Arizona State (4-1) v. UCLA (3-2) [10:30 PM ET, ESPN2]
Ingle Win Probability Calculator: UCLA (53%)
UCLA appears to be better than their two loss record, fresh off a blowout win against Arizona. Arizona State had been one of the surprises of the Pac-12 with their 4-0 start, but came back down to earth losing big to a desperate USC team last week. UCLA enters the game as solid favorites but don't sleep on the Sun Devils.
Marcus Russell: UCLA
The_Coach: Arizona State
DavidMays: UCLA
Robert Ingle: UCLA
Brian J. Moore: UCLA
Addz: UCLA
Donald B. Jordan: UCLA
Saturday, October 8th
#15 Stanford (3-1) v. Washington State (2-2) [10:30 PM ET, ESPN]
Ingle Win Probability Calculator: Stanford (57%)
After being decimated last week at the hands of Washington, Stanford will try to bounce back this week against Washington State. Stanford will need to slow down the Cougars pass-happy offense, which is not an easy task considering Stanford’s secondary has been hit hard with injuries. Washington State has to be feeling confident coming off a 55-31 win against Oregon, but winning on the road against Stanford is no easy task.
Marcus Russell: Stanford
The_Coach: Stanford
DavidMays: Stanford
Robert Ingle: Stanford
Brian J. Moore: Washington State
Addz: Stanford
Donald B. Jordan: Stanford