Entering the weekend with a 7-2 (77%+) mark in our BCS Conference Pointspread Standings, disaster struck the Pac Ten on Saturday.  All ten clubs played non-conference games and they went 2-8 to the pointspread, with the overall pointspread ledger being -120 points. Frighteningly, that 120-point margin included routs by USC and Oregon State. Those two covered by a combined 45½ points.  Obviously that means there were some colossal losses, and of the eight losses, six were by 18½ or more to the number.  UCLA failed to cover by 51½ points, Arizona State by 26½, Cal by 22½, Washington State by 21½. Washington by 20, Arizona by 18½.   

It was a very tough week in the Pac Ten, and the “Little Brothers” in the Mountain West Conference are chirping about their 4-game sweep on Saturday.  BYU over UCLA, UNLV (at +24!) over Arizona State, New Mexico over Arizona, and  TCU over Stanford (Cardinal were nearly a two touchdown underdog) saw MWC’s 4-game domination reach exactly 100-points compared to pointspread expectations. 

The MWC/Pac Ten bowl matchups just got a little bit more interesting, and from a handicapping perspective, the usual emotional edge that that Mountain West clubs have will likely not exist this holiday season.