By Nick Bartlett, SuperWest Sports
Throughout the 2026 college football season, I’ll be giving you my just-for-fun picks for contests involving the best teams in the West across five conferences.
Last week, I improved my record to 9-3 in these fearless picks, missing on just San Jose State, which lost to EMU, and Wyoming, which lost to Colorado State.
This week, I am making picks for the following 10 games:
- Arizona State at Texas A&M
- Washington State at Kansas State
- Oregon at Oklahoma State
- Arizona at BYU
- Cal at Syracuse
- Utah State at Washington
- Memphis at Boise State
- San Diego State at UCLA
- Texas Tech at Oregon State
- Arkansas at Utah
You will also want to read Stephen Vilardo’s Big Ten Previews, Dane Miller’s Big 12 column, and my Pac-12 Previews.
Let’s get on to my picks!
Arizona State at No. 10 Texas A&M
Saturday, September 12
9:00 AM PT, ABC
This is a find-out-about-yourself matchup for Arizona State. And the Sun Devils could pull this one off.
Both squads destroyed opponents below their pay grade in week one, but this is the kickoff for both teams.
ASU quarterback Cutter Boley has the opportunity to go back to the SEC and get a dub. Boley needs to keep his confidence up before entering Big 12 play. But this should prove tricky because Texas A&M features one of the best secondaries in the country.
TAMU’s Marcus Ratcliffe and Dalton Brooks are the key to this contest. This safety duo should limit big plays and force the Sun Devils into long drives; they combined for 127 tackles and 9.5 tackles for loss in 2025.
Arizona State has some advantages, however. Their defensive front should be able to make plays against an Aggies offensive line that lacks continuity, as they’re replacing four players from this unit a year ago.
Defensive linemen C.J. Fite, Zac Swanson, and/or Jalen Thompson have to impact the game.
On offense, ASU needs players like Reed Harris, Omarion Miller, and Grayson Rigdon to win some one-on-one battles. Two good safeties, Kyle Field, too much.
The OG 12 kill the devil.
Texas A&M 35, ASU 24
Washington State at Kansas State
Saturday, September 12th
9:00 AM PT, TNT
Washington State played decently in their opener against Washington. It hurt the eyes, but the Cougars were a third-down stop away from an opportunity to tie the game.
If WSU wants to find success this weekend, however, they need to find a playmaker on offense. That side of the ball proved non-existent until the fourth quarter last week.
The Cougs also lost their top receiver in Tony Freeman, who is also their best offensive player.
The key to their matchup against Kansas State is to run the ball more efficiently. The Wildcats feature one of the best defensive ends in the Big 12, Wendell Gregory. If they don’t keep Gregory off balance, it’ll be a repeat of the Apple Cup.
WSU can hang, but can they win?
Kansas State 31, WSU 21
No. 6 Oregon at Oklahoma State 
Saturday, September 12
9:00 AM PT, ESPN
The Cowboys lost by 14 points against Tulsa in Week One. The key for OSU in this contest is to hold the Ducks to field goals and hope to connect on a few big throws.
The ‘Boys are in the midst of a transition with new Head Coach Eric Morris, but they brought over some talented wideouts from North Texas. They also held Tulsa to one of 11 on third downs.
Back to life, back to reality. UO is pissed off after Boise State nearly did it again. Dante Moore shined in the opener against a well-coached defense; it’ll happen again against Oklahoma State. Moore threw for 378 yards, three touchdowns, and zero interceptions in week one.
Other Duck standouts included Jordon Davison and Jeremiah McClellan. Dakorien Moore also had a big afternoon highlighted by the game-winning touchdown reception.
The Ducks also boast five preseason Big Ten First-Team selections on defense. Koi Perich led Oregon with 11 tackles against the Broncos, while three other players recorded one sack apiece.
There is a 99.9 % chance the Ducks win this contest, but they still have to play. The Pokes will wish they didn’t.
Oregon 42, Oklahoma St 14
Arizona at No. 15 BYU
Saturday, September 12
12:30 PM PT, FOX
This game should be an epic rematch of last year. Arizona was beating BYU by 14 points in the fourth quarter, but the Cougars made a comeback and won in double overtime.
In the sequel, Noah Fifita is looking for revenge. Fifita is the best signal-caller in the conference, and he’ll be ready for the environment. He’ll need some help, though; the Cougs have a dirty defense with playmakers at every level.
Bodie Schoonover is a problem at defensive end. The Cougars also have Cade Uluave in the linebacking corps. Uluave was first-team All-ACC with Cal in 2025. BYU’s secondary is experienced and returns two starters from last year’s unit.
Gio Richardson shined in the opener for the Wildcats, but Tre Spivey and Chris Hunter III will need to contribute as well. If UA struggles to move the ball, BYU will likely wear out Arizona’s defense by the fourth quarter.
Bear Bachmeier, LJ Martin, and the Cougar offensive line help fuel a potent rushing attack. BYU needs a wideout to step up with Chase Roberts moving on, though. If they don’t find an explosive player, the Cats could pounce.
BYU almost lost their undefeated season in the desert in 2025, and they’ll run it back at home.
BYU 24, Arizona 17
Cal at Syracuse
Saturday, September 12th
12:30 PM PT, ACC Network
This is a crucial moment for Cal. The opening week loss to UCLA hurt, but it isn’t a disaster yet. A loss to Syracuse would be that disaster. And it’s worrisome because of Jaron-Keawe Sagapolutele’s ankle injury.
Luckily for the Golden Bears, they have a better team than in 2025. Adam Mohammed is the type of back who can take over a contest. He finished with 35 touches, 166 total yards, and one touchdown in the opener.
Complementing him are Ian Strong, Chase Hendricks, and Dorian Thomas. The return of Thomas is vital at tight end; he was a first-team All-Mountain West selection a year ago.
The depth at receiver should also benefit Cal in this contest, but they have to throw away from Chris Peal, a Phil Steele Preseason All-American at cornerback. He’s probably their best player on defense, but other names to know are Antoine Deslauriers, Rashard Perry, and Keyshawn Johnson.
Offensively, the Orange will lean heavily on quarterback Steve Angeli. Angeli missed most of last season with an Achilles injury after leading them to a 3-1 start. Most of SU’s main offensive pieces are coming off a hobbled year and lack game reps.
The Bears go herbivore.
Cal 35, Syracuse 20
Utah State at No. 19 Washington
Saturday, September 12
12:30 PM PT, BTN
This is going to be a bad experience for Utah State fans.
Washington’s coming off an Apple Cup victory in which they feel they underperformed. They will be motivated, angry, and confident. The only chance the Aggies have in this contest is to get their passing attack going from the jump.
McCae Hillstead threw three interceptions in the opener, and if he throws one in this contest, it’s too many. The Huskies forced two picks in week one. Javen Jacobs is a solid running back, but he probably won’t have room to do much. USU lacks experience at their offensive tackles, which UW will expose.
The Dawgs still need to find more skill-position players. They struggled to create separation and score points in the opener, and they’re still figuring out how to replace Jonah Coleman and Denzel Boston. They’re also without Jayden Limar and Quaid Carr, which means they’re on their third-string halfback.
Chris Lawson and Rashid Williams combined for seven catches, 161 receiving yards, and one touchdown in the opener. They’ll be looking for a bigger contribution from Dezmen Roebuck.
Washington’s the better team here, and they’re going to snowplow Utah State.
Washington 45, Utah St 10
Memphis at Boise State
Saturday, September 12th
3:00 PM PT, USA Network
Boise State’s the best team in the Pac-12 conference, which makes this game against Memphis dangerous. No matter how well the Broncos played against Oregon, if they lose, they’re 0-2 and probably out of the College Football Playoff.
And the Tigers showed last week they can come out West and get a victory. But maybe not the Wild West. BSU only allowed three sacks against the Ducks in the opener.
U of M played well on offense against UNLV, but their defense won them the game. They finished with six sacks and held the Rebels to 3-of-15 on third downs. It feels unlikely they can replicate this against Boise State.
The Broncos’ offensive line should be able to control the tempo of the contest. The combination of Roger Carreon, Jason Steele, and Daylon Metoyer is elite. With these three moving furniture for Sire Gaines and Dylan Riley, the duo should put up some big numbers.
Memphis defensive linemen Elijah Kinsler and J’Mond Tapp are excellent players, but Boise just faced the No. 2 team in the country. Tigers quarterback Marcus Stokes is also phenomenal in his own right, but Will Smith won’t let Stokes win twice.
Look it up. Boise State—with a hat tip to the Far East Movement’s song—can still “fly like a G6.”
Boise State 28, Memphis 13
San Diego State at UCLA
Saturday, September 12th
4:15 PM PT, Big Ten Network
This is another game that could transform the perception of the Pac-12, one way or the other—especially after UCLA’s win at Cal.
If San Diego State gets thrashed by the Bruins, some will argue that the conference is pretty much the same as the Mountain West, except for Boise State.
But if the Aztecs win, the Pac-12 feels more credible.
The key to this contest is for SDSU to find their identity. If the offense can replicate what it did against Portland State, then Aztec FAST is coming to life. But Jayden Denegal will need to do more to knock off the Bruins.
It feels unlikely that SDSU will be able to run for 237 yards again. UCLA only allowed 119 yards against the Bears, and Cal running back Adam Mohammed is a bruiser with speed who can play.
Denegal needs to make some downfield throws to keep the Aztecs in this matchup. UCLA scored 45 points against Cal, and Nico Iamaleava had an off game.
San Diego State will also need to find a way to stop the Bruins halfback duo of Wayne Knight and Anthony Woods. They combined for 189 rushing yards and five touchdowns in the opener. This is concerning because SDSU only returns two starters on defense.
If the Aztecs are going to pull off the upset, they’ll need other skill players to support Lucky Sutton and Denegal.
No one needs this more than the Aztecs, but UCLA isn’t the third-best team in SoCal.
UCLA 38, SDSU 21
No. 13 Texas Tech at Oregon State
Saturday, September 12th
4:30 PM PT, CBS
Oregon State made a marvelous comeback against Houston.
If Amare Thomas didn’t make an elite catch in the fourth quarter, the game could’ve swayed. The Beavers’ offense had some crests and troughs in their initial outing.
OSU has to find a way to move the ball on the ground better. The Beavs only finished with 26 total yards rushing. The number looks worse because of four sacks, but they got stuffed.
However, on the positive side, Oregon State quarterback Braden Atkinson might be a stud. If he can play the way he did against the Cougars, anything could happen this week.
Texas Tech is the best team OSU will face all season, but maybe the Beavers can catch them exhaling from the Brendan Sorsby thing.
The Red Raiders feature three standouts in their front seven. The most notable is A.J. Holmes Jr., a Second-Team All-American last season. Jamond Mathis and Ben Roberts can also wreak havoc at linebacker.
Another thing to consider is that Tech’s quarterback Will Hammond hasn’t proven much at the collegiate level. They have a pack of wolves around Hammond, but he’s gotta be successful on this hunt.
And if TTU falls behind early in Reser, the leader might get shaky.
Texas Tech 42, Oregon State 17
Arkansas at No. 20 Utah
Saturday, September 12
7:15 PM PT, FOX
This is a nifty non-conference matchup. Arkansas heads into Salt Lake City looking to play better than they did in Week One. The Razorbacks beat North Alabama by 17, but they had eight penalties, three turnovers, and only scored one touchdown in six red zone attempts.
Utah decimated Idaho 66-14. Morgan Scalley’s debut went a bit smoother than Kyle Whittingham’s.
Scalley’s Utes should be able to capitalize against a U of A offense that struggles to run the ball. They only averaged three yards per carry against the Lions, and no back finished with more than 50 rushing yards. If they couldn’t generate a push against UNA, the Utes should be alright.
On offense, as long as U or U’s offensive line protects Devon Dampier, they should cruise. But this isn’t a guarantee. Utah’s still in the process of rebuilding their offensive line, though they return two key pieces this week in Keith Olson and Isaiah Garcia.
Even if the line underwhelms, the combination of Wayshawn Parker and Dampier should move the ball. Braden Pegan also played well at wideout in week one.
Arkansas has enough talent to compete, but will lose.
Utah 38, Arkansas 20
Writes about football and basketball as a Senior Writer and hosts “The Nick Bartlett Show” for SuperWest Sports.