Coming off 2 weeks of fireworks that rank among the most exciting for the Pac-12 in recent memory, Pac-12 fans probably are not prepared for the duds that await them this weekend.

The league’s marquee program, USC, is on an early bye. A quarter of the conference is facing Division I-AA teams. The marquee matchup is either No. 8 Washington at a Michigan State squad suddenly in turmoil or Colorado State at a No. 18 Colorado program suddenly in ecstasy.

After being the talk of college football for 2 weeks with 8 teams now ranked and the best record among Power 5 conferences, the spotlight will be a bit less glaring.

Then, things go bonkers again in Week 4 as conference competition begins with UCLA at Utah, Oregon State at Washington State and Colorado at Oregon on tap.

Here are some final thoughts and a prediction for every Week 3 Pac-12 game, but first, my Week 3 betting slip …

No. 12 Utah vs. Weber State, 11 am, Pac-12 Network

The Utes will have no trouble in this one, but Nate Johnson’s elevation to QB2 — AKA starter with Cam Rising still sidelined — at least makes this intriguing. Johnson looked good — really good — in his rescue operation last Saturday at Baylor. Johnson went 6-of-7 passing for 82 yards and led the Utes to touchdown drives on their last 2 possessions to upend the Bears.

He’s certainly no immediate replacement for Rising, but identifying his potential replacement is important.

Prediction: Utah 56, Weber State 10

No. 16 Oregon State vs. San Diego State, 12:30 pm, FS1

The Aztecs were embarrassed on their own home field on Saturday in a blowout loss to UCLA, one of the Bruins’ best game in years, and probably one of SDSU’s worst. That makes this week’s Beavers matchup all the more interesting. Will the Aztecs bounce back in a big way?

DJ Uiagalelei will stand in their way. He’s playing big-time football, with a 193.6 passer rating and 5 TD passes after 2 games.

Prediction: Oregon State 29, San Diego State 17

California vs. Idaho, 1 pm, Pac-12 Network

Talk about a letdown. After scoring 58 points in a big win at North Texas, the Bears managed just 2 scores in a 14-10 home loss to Auburn on Saturday. Whatever good will that Jake Spavital built in Week 1 went right out the window.

Cal will have to look downfield more, after Sam Jackson V and Ben Finley averaged just 4.2 yards per attempt in Week 2

Prediction: California 45, Idaho 17

No. 8 Washington at Michigan State, 2 pm, Peacock

The Huskies surprised the Spartans last year at home, but these teams are in very different places then. Washington was on its way to a massive the turnaround and MSU was thought to be in a stable coaching position.

Fast forward a year, and the Huskies are a top-10 team, while Sparty is in a state of upheaval in light of the Mel Tucker suspension.

UDub will take advantage of the disparity.

Prediction: Washington 56, Michigan State 24

No. 23 Washington State vs. Northern Colorado, 2 pm, Pac-12 Network

Beating Wisconsin in Week 2 sent the Cougars soaring up into the polls, even if we’re still learning about the Badgers under Luke Fickell.

If the Wazzu defense continues to put pressure on opposing quarterbacks, the Cougars are going to be easily bowl-bound.

Prediction: Washington State 52, Northern Colorado 13

No. 24 UCLA vs. NC Central, 2 pm, Pac-12 Network

The Bruins have found their man in 5-star QB Dante Moore, even if Chip Kelly won’t admit it yet. Moore was sensational in his starting debut last weekend against San Diego State, and you got the feeling that the Bruins were holding something back.

Facing an HBCU squad for a 2nd straight year, UCLA won’t skip a beat.

Prediction: UCLA 52, North Carolina Central 10

No. 13 Oregon vs. Hawai’i, 5 pm, Pac-12 Network

The Ducks came down to Earth after their 81-point season-opener, needing some late-game heroics to eke past Texas Tech. The Warriors won’t put a scare into Oregon, but it should be a solid tune-up for Colorado a week later.

If the Ducks get any kind of threat from Hawai’i, they may be able to avoid a let-up against the Buffaloes next Saturday.

Prediction: Oregon 66, Hawai’i 20

Stanford vs. Sacramento State, 5 pm, Pac-12 Network

Once again, another game made more interesting by a particular scenario. In this case, we’re talking about Troy Taylor’s first matchup with his former team. Taylor left the Hornets to join the Cardinal to take over for David Shaw.

Taylor is playing it coy with his starting quarterback for the matchup, with Ashton Daniels coming off an arm injury and a pick against USC in Week 2, before giving way to Justin Lamson. Both will likely play against the Hornets on Saturday.

Prediction: Stanford 37, Sacramento State 24

No. 18 Colorado vs. Colorado State, 7 pm, Pac-12 Network

If this game is anything short of a landslide, some of the luster will come off the Buffaloes. That shouldn’t be the case, as the Colorado offense should simply outshine the reeling Rams. Shedeur Sanders (903 yards, 6 TDs in 2 games) might just go off for 400 yards in this one.

Prediction: Colorado 48, Colorado State 17

Arizona State vs. Fresno State, 7:30 pm, FS1

The Bulldogs are 2-0 with a combined victory margin of 7 points in wins over Purdue and Eastern Washington. Mikey Keene has been solid in taking over for Jake Haener, completing 65% of his passes for 599 yards and 6 scores with 2 picks.

He could end up giving Arizona State fits as a trio of Oklahoma State quarterbacks combined to go 22-of-32 passing for 191 yards and 2 scores in the Cowboys’ 27-15 Week 2 win.

Prediction: Fresno State 24, Arizona State 20

Arizona vs. UTEP, 8 pm, Pac-12 Network

UTEP hasn’t beaten Arizona since 1970 and doesn’t stand a chance in this one, but this should be fun if only to see former UTEP wide receiver and current Wildcats star Jacob Cowing catch passes against his former team. Even more interesting is that Cowing might not even be the best receiver Arizona has.

Wildcat sophomore Tetairoa McMillan, a top recruit a year ago, is covering off a monster game and unquestioningly the best performance of his career. T-Mac had 8 receptions for 161 yards and a touchdown on Saturday in a 31-24 loss to Mississippi State. In a league full of dominant receiving duos – and even trios – Cowing and his running mate are pretty darn good.

Prediction: Arizona 39, UTEP 20