Nick Bartlett’s Brash Week 8 Football Predictions

featured, recent 4 min read


  By Nick Bartlett, SuperWest Sports

   October 22, 2021

Wow, what a week.

From ASU losing at Utah to Nick Rolovich being pushed out at WSU (and announcing his plans to sue the University) things got a little crazy.

No one really knew how the Rolovich situation was going turn out, but I called Utah’s win, going 4-1 for last Friday and Saturday’s games.

That puts me at 9-5 over the past three weeks. Not great, but not bad either.

This week I’ve got a real upset special for you. In the game between the Cougars and the Cougars, I’m picking the Cougars.

OK, maybe that wasn’t so clever, but I’ll sort it all out below.

As always, my selections come complete with game scores and just enough commentary to keep me from getting kicked out of this fast-food joint I’m writing in.

Washington 35, Arizona 7

The Huskies played well against the Bruins, but still don’t believe in stopping the run, which ultimately led to their downfall.

Luckily for UW, they’re facing the one team they shouldn’t need a gameplan for in the Wildcats. The Dawgs could probably run the same three plays all night long and walk away with a comfortable victory.

For Arizona, they are not only looking like the worst team in the Conference this year, but maybe of all time…

Dawgs by a ton.

Washington State 30, BYU 24

Nick Rolovich is gone, along with four of his assistants, and by now everyone knows why, so I won’t go into the details. You’ll find my take on the situation in Episode 7 of The Nick Bartlett Show.

Instead I’ll focus on what interim head coach Jake Dickert must do: Win.

Winning solves everything (well, almost everything) and beating BYU would be great medicine for the Cougar faithful feeling divided and frustrated by their fractured football program.

Of course, by that I mean the crimson-and-gray Cougars, not the blue-and-white Cougars.

With Rolovich gone, I expect WSU to rally behind their new vaccinated leader and win the battle of the Cougars.

Wazzu by a couple of field goals.

Oregon 35, UCLA 24

The Bruins are explosive, powerful, athletic, and yet, Dorian Thompson-Robinson is still unproven.

Even though DTR played phenomenal last week, most quarterbacks will find success when their team is athletically superior.

For the Ducks, all they need to do is take advantage of his mistakes. Speaking of Oregon, I don’t know why I still think this team is good but I do.

Deal with it. Ducks by 11.

Cal 27, Colorado 14

In front of what could prove a packed house of 100 people, the Golden Bears take on the lowly Buffs in Berkeley.

For Colorado they enter this matchup after a blowout victory over Arizona, but don’t be fooled, they’re still absolutely terrible. If it wasn’t for a blocked punt and a pick six momentum could’ve swung toward the Cats.

For Cal, quarterback Chase Garbers simply needs to not mess this up.

This shouldn’t prove hard, Bears by 13.

Notre Dame 37, USC 24

Dun dun dun dun dun dun dun dun dun dun, dun dun dun dun dun dun dun dun duhnaaaaaaa!

For all you Trojan fans out there, this may be the only time you hear your fight song this week.

Notre Dame has already beaten Florida State, Virginia Tech, and Wisconsin.

USC has already lost to Stanford, Oregon State, and Utah. A once prestigious rivalry is no longer prestigious. We have an elite team versus an average one.

Fighting Irish by 13.

Utah 27, Oregon State 17

This is one of those games the Beavers need to get if their program is going to take the next step. For the Utes, a win in this contest solidifies them as the mid-season favorite in the South.

But forreal, let’s just be honest, the Beavs run was cute but… they never felt like legit title contenders.

Utah enters this matchup with three phenomenal victories against WSU, USC, and ASU. As long as Charlie Brewer doesn’t try and transfer back to Salt Lake City, I’m picking the Utes.

Utah by 10.

[Read Dane Miller’s Week 8 Preview with our Staff Picks]