The Wildcats have been a pleasant surprise this season. Three weeks ago, they should've beaten USC. Two weeks ago they blew out Washington State in Pullman. They now enter Saturday's game off a bye week and face an Oregon State defense that allows 31.7 points on the road (versus 11.8 at home). QB Noah Fifita has a field day. I'll take Arizona.

The Wildcats are a very good team as they proved beating Washington State by 38 in their last game. They are 6-1 ATS this season, which is tied for the best in FBS. They are a great defensive team and should be able to slow down the Beavers throughout the game. The Beavers defense has struggled on the road. The Wildcats have scored 40+ points in back-to-back games and have a good chance to make it three straight. Take the Wildcats.

Pac-12 North teams tend to struggle in the desert, and what Oregon State is running into is an Arizona team that has been exceeding expectations all season. The Wildcats are 4-3 overall but 6-1 against the spread and has covered every single time as an underdog. The move to Noah Fifita has eliminated some of the turnover-powered variance from the offense, and Oregon State's defense has not been as strong away from home in Pac-12 play.

Arizona isn't going to win the Pac-12, and it isn't ranked, but the gap between the Wildcats and the upper tier teams in the league isn't nearly as wide as expected. Noah Fifita has been a revelation at QB, and Oregon State hasn't been as impressive on the road. I like the Cats to win, but we're taking the safer play with the points.