Bob's Picks - Welcome to the Big Ten, Bruins and Huskies

New pastures are not always as green as they're cracked up to be

So UCLA and Washington thought they were too good for the 109-year-old Pac-12, thus they bolted for the promised greener pastures of the Big Ten.

A couple of home-wreckers, if you ask me.

After opening with wins over noted powerhouses Weber State and Eastern Michigan, the Huskies were handed a memorable parting gift from their former and presumably inferior Pac-12 partner Washington State. 

After rolling over another noted powerhouse in Northwestern - not Northeastern - UW was slated to visit an outfit called Rutgers, but only if they could find it on the map.

Husky fans were gleeful at how easy this new conference appeared to be, but then something truly awful happened. Rutgers, a team most Dawg fans had never heard of, up and whupped UW. And yes, that was a conference game.

With more conference games ahead against the likes of Michigan, USC and Penn State, Husky fans are wondering out loud what sort of mess they've gotten themselves into. Yes, this is the same University of Washington that played for the national championship last year, but already the Huskies have lost twice as many games as they did in all of 2023.

UCLA, meanwhile, opened play in its shiny new league with a 29-point loss to - you'd better be sitting down - Indiana. This was football, not basketball.

The Mighty Bruins followed that up with a 21-point shellacking at the hands of Oregon, and this Saturday are looking straight into the eyes of a moving freight train named Penn State.

Please, oh please, can't we come home to the Pac-12?

The Huskies and the Bruins baked this cake all by themselves. Who knew there would be crow inside?

This week's Picks are as follows:

(All of last week’s picks are available here)

MIAMI (Fla.) over CALIFORNIA ... The Hurricanes stole one last week from Virginia Tech. They won't need to steal in Berkeley.

VIRGINIA TECH over STANFORD ... After a heartbreaking loss at Miami, the Hokies will either be looking backward with regret or coming into Palo Alto loaded for bear.

OREGON over MICHIGAN STATE ... a homecoming of sorts for Jonathan Smith, who used to coach just up the road at his alma mater in Corvallis before heading for the hills at the first sign of trouble.

USC over MINNESOTA ... Gophers don't scare Trojans.

OREGON STATE over COLORADO STATE ... Someone has to defend the Pac-12's honor.

MICHIGAN over WASHINGTON ... Unfortunately for the Huskies, this one's at home where the locals are restless.

WISCONSIN over PURDUE ... Can things get any worse for the once-proud Boilermakers?

UPSET OF THE WEEK: North Carolina over Pittsburgh ... Can the Tar Heels finally figure things out? (Upset record: 2-3).

ROUT OF THE WEEK: Ohio State over Iowa ... The Buckeyes blew a playoff chance a few years ago with a lopsided loss to Iowa. Won't happen again. (Rout record: 5-0).

DON'T BET ON IT, BUT: Nebraska over Rutgers ... Are the Cornhuskers for real? We'll soon find out. (Don't bet record: 2-3).

FIVE EASY PICKS: Bet the house on Alabama (over Vanderbilt), Montana State (over Northern Colorado), Boise State (over Utah State), Georgia (over Auburn) and Penn State (over UCLA). (FEP record: 25-0).

AGGIES over PORTLAND STATE ... The Aggies have won four in a row. The Vikings have lost four in a row. Enough said. Take the Ags by 28.

OTHER GAMES: Clemson over Florida State, Louisville over SMU, Northern Illinois over Massachusetts, Army over Tulsa, Tulane over UAB, Ole Miss over South Carolina, Indiana over Northwestern, Bowling Green over Akron, East Carolina over Charlotte, James Madison over Louisiana-Monroe, Louisiana over Southern Mississippi, Tennessee over Arkansas, Iowa State over Baylor, San Jose State over Nevada, Arizona over Texas Tech, South Dakota State over Northern Iowa, South Dakota over Murray State, North Dakota State over North Dakota, Montana over Weber State, and Navy over Air Force.

Last week: 25-8, season: 229-28, percentage: .891.

Reach me at bobdunning@thewaryone.com