Alex Williams
Jake Locker gets a sixth year of eligibility and leads No. 22 Washington into the ever-daunting environment that is Stanford Stadium. While Cardinal fans are sipping wine, injured linebacker Shayne Skov gets his leg surgically replaced with a robot limb. When Skov and Locker collide, it sets off the second big bang, forming an alternate universe — one where Stanford fills its stadium and Washington doesn’t get Andrew Lucked on Saturday.
No. 7 Stanford 41, No. 22 Washington 27
After Arizona’s 1-5 start and 10-game losing streak against Football Bowl Subdivision schools, ESPN decides to replace tonight’s game with bass fishing. Meanwhile, Arizona and UCLA play the greatest college game ever, a 17-overtime marathon in front of the few hundred people that fill Arizona Stadium to kick off the post-Mike Stoops era. Nick Foles throws for 1,319 yards and 18 touchdowns, but the Wildcats fail to send it to an 18th overtime when newly appointed placekicker John Bonano misses an extra point.
UCLA 149, Arizona 148
Emi Komiya
Andrew Luck! Yes! Not to jump on the bandwagon but he’ll be playing on his own turf this weekend. Despite the Huskies sneaking into the rankings this week and the rants about Stanford defense being weak, the upset alert should not go off for the Cardinal. Why? In the Pac-12 arena this game is Luck’s to take. Let Luck do his thing and the Cardinal should have no problem. It’ll be a high scoring showdown, but Stanford will come out with the W and go 6-0.
No. 7 Stanford 41, No. 22 Washington 34
The Wildcats are hungry — no, starving for win. Home game? New coach? ESPN? Those five consecutive Wildcat losses are deceptive. With quarterback Richard Brehaut out for the Bruins, pressure will be on for Kevin Prince and the Bruin run game. There’s hype about what UA interim head coach Tim Kish will change in the gameplan, and John Bonano’s new gig as field goal and point-after kicker could hint at changes to come. Time to shine, Nick Foles.
Arizona 31, UCLA 27
Zack Rosenblatt
Washington has a prolific offense, averaging 37 points per game (good for 22nd in the country) and has flown under the radar with a 5-1 record (3-0 in the Pac-12). Washington also has a porous pass defense, ranked 116th in the country. Luckily for the Huskies, Stanford has nothing to write home about at the quarterback position. Oh, wait.
No. 7 Stanford 38, No. 22 Washington 21
Some people are expecting a momentum shift of sorts with a new coach in Tim Kish, but remember, this is Arizona’s old defensive coordinator. The Wildcats’ defense is the worst in the Pac-12, and 117th in the nation. Injuries, inconsistency and, well, a general lack of talent have plagued the unit all season long. I don’t see that changing. Nobody will confuse the UCLA defense with the Baltimore Ravens (they are ranked 10th in the Pac-12), but in a battle of defensive mediocrity, UCLA comes out the winner.
UCLA 28, Arizona 24
