By Nick Bartlett, SuperWest Sports
November 15, 2024
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.
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 7-3. So where did I go wrong with those three losses?
UCLA’s improvement over the last few games has been remarkable, and I wasn’t ready to take them over Iowa.
By contrast, Oregon State has tanked over the past few weeks, and San Jose State seemed like a reasonable rebound game.
And of course, Colorado continued to surprise with its win over Texas Tech. I doubt anyone will underestimate the Buffs going forward.
But enough of that. I’m still a solid 74-36 on the season, good for 67 percent.
I fully expect to be basking in the glory of success again this week—and you should, too.
As always, my selections come with incredibly accurate game scores and just enough commentary to keep me from drinking too much coffee here in the South Shore District of Seattle.
I’m on my third cup, so let’s get on with the picks!
UCLA at Washington
Friday, November 15
6:00 pm PT, FOX
In their first-ever meeting as Big Ten foes we have two teams fighting for bowl eligibility.
Washington enters this matchup with a 5-5 record but they finish their season at Oregon making this contest pivotal.
UCLA comes to Seattle on a three-game winning streak after a nice victory at home against Iowa last week.
The key to this contest should be whether or not the Huskies can stop Bruins halfback T.J. Harden. Harden was dominant against the Hawkeyes, rushing for 125 yards on twenty carries.
He’ll need to perform big to take pressure off of Ethan Garbers.
UW boasts the 29th-ranked scoring defense and Garbers has proven to be prone to mistakes. He’s thrown 11 interceptions on the year and had three costly turnovers against Iowa.
Washington still has enough stability at the signal position to score points against UCLA. This, combined with Jonah Coleman’s running ability, will leave the Bruins in a purple haze.
UW’s going bowling.
Washington 31, UCLA 20
Houston at Arizona
Friday, November 15
7:15 pm PT, FS1
This is a contest between two squads trending in different area codes.
Arizona enters this game on a five-game losing streak and got humiliated by UCF in Orlando two weeks ago.
Houston pulled off an epic comeback victory over Kansas State last week and has won three out of its last four matchups.
Even though the Cougars are coming in hot, the Wildcats probably have the best player on the field in Tetairoa McMillan.
Noah Fifita and McMillan are still an elite duo and have the potential to terrorize opponents. If they can connect for a few big plays, it might prove too much to overcome for a porous Cougs offense.
Houston ranks near the bottom of the nation in just about every offensive statistic.
This game feels like UA’s best chance to get a final win this season. They should be able to catch Houston cocky early.
The Cougs aren’t as good as the K-State win indicates, they caught the “purple cats” napping.
Wildcats don’t sleep, Arizona finally gets to feel good.
Arizona 30, Houston 17
Utah at No. 17 Colorado
Saturday, November 16
9:00 am PT, FOX
The Utes enter this matchup amid their worst season in recent memory, due primarily to their quarterback struggles.
Brandon Rose got the nod last week against BYU but hurt his leg, which brings everything back to Isaac Wilson.
Wilson has not looked good during his freshman campaign, throwing for 1,200 yards, eight touchdowns, and eight interceptions.
If he cannot perform above his status quo, the Utes will likely have a hard time keeping pace with Colorado. The Buffs may have to go to their fifth-string quarterback.
CU needs to protect the ball.
The combination of Shedeur Sanders, Travis Hunter, and any speed receiver on their roster should be able to get chuck yardage against the Utes, but they still have to finish in the red zone.
Utah features a sticky defense that only allows 17 points per game but they might have problems slowing Sanders because they’re ranked 118th in the country in sacks per game.
Even in a rivalry game, the Buffs have a decisive enough talent advantage that they should win this game going away.
No Bison Burgers for the Men of Utah.
Colorado 28, Utah 20
Syracuse at Cal
Saturday, November 16
12:00 pm PT, The CW
California’s season has proven disappointing, but a loss here and it switches to hell.
The Golden Bears started the year off 3-0 before dropping four straight and becoming irrelevant in the ACC.
Cal has fought back the last two weeks with wins, but a victory over a high-value opponent would prove meaningful.
Syracuse enters this contest with a 6-3 mark, but they’re beatable—Stanford already knocked them off at home this year.
The key to this contest is the quarterback play of both teams.
The Golden Bears are led by Fernanda Mendoza who’s got some moxy. Mendoza’s thrown for 2,480, 12 touchdowns, and four interceptions.
The Sophomore signal-caller is looking like a future star in the ACC.
The Orange are led by quarterback Kyle McCord who’s thrown for 3,184 yards, 23 touchdowns, and 12 interceptions in 2024.
McCord’s best weapon is tight end Oronde Gadsden, who will likely be selected in the first three rounds of the NFL Draft when he declares.
‘Cuse is still playing for a lot with an outside shot to make a New Year’s Six bowl but Cal’s playing for their reputation.
The Bay Area schools get the sweep.
Cal 31, Syracuse 27
Nebraska at USC
Saturday, November 16
1:00 pm PT, The CW
After the opening win against LSU, it felt like Miller Moss was destined to be the replacement for Caleb Williams. Now Moss finds himself on the bench.
Jayden Maiava is set to make his first start for the Trojans and should provide a dual-threat option for SC.
Maiava helped elevate UNLV’s program last season, leading them to the Mountain West championship game.
He threw for 3,085 yards, 17 touchdowns, and 10 interceptions in 2023, he also added 277 yards and three touchdowns on the ground.
The Trojans should probably give Woody Marks a few extra carries to ease the transition for Maiava.
Nebraska enters this contest on a similar page.
The country was obsessed with Dylan Raiola after the Cornhuskers’ victory over Colorado. But as the year has gone on his prestige has faltered.
Raiola has thrown for 1,921 yards, 10 touchdowns, and eight interceptions in 2024. He also got dinged up in his last outing against UCLA.
This game will inevitably come down to which quarterback makes more plays and USC has more weapons.
Traveler grazes in corn.
USC 42, Nebraska 21
No. 13 Boise State at San Jose State
Saturday, November 16
4:00 pm PT, The CW
The Spartans are a solid team that took Washington State to double overtime earlier this year.
SJSU was also a Texas High School coinflip away from making the Mountain West title game last season.
The key for San Jose State in this contest is to rely on their vaunted passing attack. The Spartans enter this contest ranked fifth in the nation in passing.
Quarterback Walker Eget has thrown for 1,312 yards, three touchdowns, and six interceptions but he replaced Emmett Brown, who has better statistics.
San Jose State’s best player on offense is Nick Nash, who is probably one of the more undervalued receivers in the country.
For Boise State, if Maddux Madsen can continue to perform at a high rate, he should be able to take advantage of a Spartans pass defense that ranks 95th nationally.
Ashton Jeanty is likely to gallop all over SJSU’s mediocre run defense. Nash may be undervalued, but Jeanty’s a walking Heisman.
Boise beats Silicon Valley.
Boise State 42, SJSU 24
ASU at No. 16 Kansas State
Saturday, November 16
4:00 pm PT, The CW
The Sun Devils enter this contest with a 7-2 record, having beaten UCF last week without Cam Skattebo.
ASU is one of the hottest teams in the nation and still holds a slim shot at capturing the Big 12 title.
The key for ASU in this contest is to score a lot of points. Kansas State blew a home game against Houston last week and they’ll be ready to make amends in Manhattan.
The key for the Wildcats is the play of quarterback Avery Johnson.
Johnson started slow this season but has found his arm recently, throwing for 224-plus yards in his last five games. He’s thrown for 1,892 yards, 17 touchdowns, and seven interceptions.
DJ Giddens and Johnsno also form a dangerous duo in the backfield. The pair helps ignite the nation’s 17th-ranked rushing attack.
KSU has a decent scoring defense but they’ll be tested by an ASU unit that has multiple playmakers. Jordan Tyson is a standout at wide receiver.
The Sun Devils are the hip pick to make, but an angry Wildcat eats Sparky.
Kansas State 28, ASU 27
No. 1 Oregon at Wisconsin
Saturday, November 16
4:30 pm PT, The CW
Oregon has established itself as the best team in the country this year and is coming off a 38-17 victory over Maryland 38-17 last week.
Barring a massive slipup, the Ducks are headed to the College Football Playoff.
Wisconsin’s program is on a downtrend the last couple of seasons and a win against UO would help reimagine the Luke Fickell era.
The main problem for the Badgers this season has been their depth.
Wisconsin lost its best player in Chez Mellusi earlier this year when he stepped away from football due to medical reasons.
The Badgers also lost their starting quarterback Tyler Van Dyke to a lower-body injury in September.
Backup signal-caller Braedyn Locke has struggled as a fill-in, throwing for 1,418 yards, eight touchdowns, and eight interceptions.
Oregon needs to match the physicality of Wisconsin, which still has a cheese-fed offensive line and the ability to control a game. The Ducks have plenty of beef on its lines as well.
The difference is UO has playmakers at every level and there are holes in the cheese.
UO stays undefeated.
Oregon 35, Wisconsin 24
Kansas at No. 6 BYU
Saturday, November 16
7:15 pm PT, The CW
Kansas has won two of their three last games after a 1-5 start to the season.
The Jayhawks also feature the 14th-best rushing attack in the nation, led by the quarterback-halfback combination of Jalon Daniels and Devin Neal.
One aspect of KU’s improvement is that Daniels is starting to protect the football. He’s only thrown one interception in his last four outings after a porous start to the season.
The Cougars need their run defense to boss up as they rank 67th against the rush, which could be a vulnerability in this contest.
BYU should be prepared, having faced a similar opponent in Kansas State, winning easily.
Even though the Cougs run defense is average, their overall defense has shown it can stop one-dimensional offenses.
BYU only allows 19.8 points per game and has forced 16 interceptions this season, which could prove problematic for Daniels.
If the Cougars were going to screw up their dream season, last week would’ve been it.
Cats hunt birds.
BYU 35, Kansas 30
San Diego State at UNLV
Saturday, November 16
7:30 pm PT, The CW
UNLV likely has been eliminated from Mountain West title contention but they still have a chance at a 10-win campaign.
They’ve already clinched their first back-to-back bowl-eligible seasons in program history.
The key for UNLV in this contest is to pressure San Diego State’s quarterback Danny O’Neill.
The Aztecs feature the nation’s 87th-ranked passing attack and will need to be multi-dimensional against an underrated UNLV defense.
The Rebels rank near the bottom of the nation in pass yards allowed per game but this feels inaccurate given teams had to play from behind.
Jalen Catalon is a game-changer at safety.
San Diego State also boasts the country’s career-leading rusher in Marquez Cooper, but he’s more of a consistent back than an over-the-fence hitter.
Unless Freddy Freeman joins the Aztecs, UNLV should win this one trotting away.
Vegas stays hot.
UNLV 38, SDSU 21
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