10-23-2016, 09:11 AM
Well it turns out the biggest game of the Pac-12 season is Washington at Utah next week, so big that College Game Day will be there. This game is fascinating to me in a couple ways, so if there are some not just Stanford Pac-12 fans, I'd appreciate some discussion about this game from a Stanford perspective.
First of all, Stanford has played the toughest teams on its schedule through its first seven games. Washington has played literally nobody: Rutgers, Idaho, and Portland State OOC, the three worst teams in the Pac-12 (Arizona, Oregon, and OSU), and a Stanford team that can't get out of its own way on offense. Washington's opponents are a combined 16-28, one of the teams is a 2-5 FCS team, and a Rutgers who's only two wins were against Howard and New Mexico State. Stanford is by far and away the best team the Huskies have played, and they almost lost at a terrible Arizona team.
Utah, OTOH, has played much better competition in BYU, ×ÉÉ, Under Stanford Control (again), and UCLA. Utah's opponents are a combined 22-24, but those teams themselves have played better teams than the ones UW has played for the most part, like Alabama, Texas A&M, UCLA, Boise State, and Utah.
My theory: While Washington eked out a victory at a bad Arizona to remain undefeated, Utah just missed eeking out a victory at a much better than Arizona, ×ÉÉ. So don't get fooled by the rankings, Utah is on par or better than Washington. Moreover, Utah has really been tested by pretty good teams, even if their records don't indicate, in both U$C and UCLA. Washington has no such competition.
Chris Peterson and Kyle Wittingham are quite possibly the two best head coaches in the Pac-12, so I am expecting quite an incredible game. Washington State and Colorado still could get there, but this could be a preview of the Pac-12 championship game.
I like Utah at home. If they can score, and they proved they can against a not terrible UCLA defense, and play a bit better at home as I think is reasonable, they can pull the upset.
First of all, Stanford has played the toughest teams on its schedule through its first seven games. Washington has played literally nobody: Rutgers, Idaho, and Portland State OOC, the three worst teams in the Pac-12 (Arizona, Oregon, and OSU), and a Stanford team that can't get out of its own way on offense. Washington's opponents are a combined 16-28, one of the teams is a 2-5 FCS team, and a Rutgers who's only two wins were against Howard and New Mexico State. Stanford is by far and away the best team the Huskies have played, and they almost lost at a terrible Arizona team.
Utah, OTOH, has played much better competition in BYU, ×ÉÉ, Under Stanford Control (again), and UCLA. Utah's opponents are a combined 22-24, but those teams themselves have played better teams than the ones UW has played for the most part, like Alabama, Texas A&M, UCLA, Boise State, and Utah.
My theory: While Washington eked out a victory at a bad Arizona to remain undefeated, Utah just missed eeking out a victory at a much better than Arizona, ×ÉÉ. So don't get fooled by the rankings, Utah is on par or better than Washington. Moreover, Utah has really been tested by pretty good teams, even if their records don't indicate, in both U$C and UCLA. Washington has no such competition.
Chris Peterson and Kyle Wittingham are quite possibly the two best head coaches in the Pac-12, so I am expecting quite an incredible game. Washington State and Colorado still could get there, but this could be a preview of the Pac-12 championship game.
I like Utah at home. If they can score, and they proved they can against a not terrible UCLA defense, and play a bit better at home as I think is reasonable, they can pull the upset.
