ESPN’s College GameDay panel was split right down the middle on the nightcap in the Pac-12 in Week 9.

No. 11 Oregon State travels to Tucson to take on a red-hot Arizona team that has been a nightmare opponent for each of the last three ranked teams it has faced. Here’s how the GameDay crew picked:

  • Desmond Howard: Arizona
  • Pat McAfee: Oregon State
  • Steve Smith Sr. (guest picker): Oregon State
  • Kirk Herbstreit: Arizona

(Lee Corso was absent from GameDay on Saturday to deal with a personal family matter.)

Both teams are coming off a bye week last weekend. Oregon State enters at 6-1 on the year and 3-1 in conference play. The Wildcats are 4-3 on the season and 2-2 in league play.

Last time the Beavs were on the field, they handled UCLA 36-24.

Arizona went to Pullman and walloped a ranked Washington State team, 44-6. That was on the heels of a pair of near-misses against top-10 teams (Washington and USC). The Wildcats had been trending toward a big win, but few expected Arizona to thrash Wazzu the way it did.

Now, the Wildcats have a real shot at getting to a bowl game for the first time since 2017. Kickoff between the two is set for 7:30 p.m. PT on ESPN.