Why Stanford will win: The strength of this Cardinal team is its defense, and with a one-dimensional offense like Utah coming in, Stanford will be able to take care of business. Now, don't expect some high-scoring affair, but the home team will have more points than the away team, which in the #Pac12AfterDark is pretty darn surprising. -- Chantel Jennings
Why Utah will win: Lesser defenses have stopped the Cardinal this season, and Utah doesn’t have a lesser defense. Logic says this will be a tight, low-scoring game. Utah is first nationally in sacks and second in tackles for a loss. Both defenses are great. Neither offense is outstanding. If it’s a three-point game in either direction, I don’t think anyone will be surprised. But the Utes have done a better job turning drives into points. That’s why I’m hesitantly leaning toward Utah. -- Kevin Gemmell
Unanimous picks
Arizona State over Oregon State: The Sun Devils are the better team. Yes, Oregon State has done its fair share of title-run ruining in recent memory, but it's not going to happen this season. The Beavers have too many injuries, and ASU is too strong. -- Chantel Jennings
USC over Cal: Both teams have something to play for -- USC the division title and Cal bowl eligibility -- but the Trojans are the more complete team. Factor in Cal's prolonged lack of success against the Trojans and it's hard to see the Bears pulling off an upset on the road. -- Kyle Bonagura
Arizona over Washington: Thanks primarily to the running backbone that Shaq Thompson has supplied, Washington showed some improvement offensively last week. But that unit still doesn’t pack enough punch to inspire great confidence, especially when the Huskies’ defense is now limping and unable to provide suffocating support. Anu Solomon, Scooby Wright and the gang simply have more firepower, and the Wildcats will back that advantage up in a critical game for them at home. -- David Lombardi