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The Stanford Cardinal have locked up a spot in the Pac-12 championship with the Oregon Ducks’ loss last weekend, but there’s still rankings and bragging rights on the line this week against the Notre Dame Fighting Irish.
Rivalry Week is at its finest when the USC Trojans and UCLA Bruins are both relevant, and that’s exactly what college football fans can look forward to entering Week 14.
The Arizona Wildcats played spoiler to the Oregon Ducks last weekend, and they’ll look to do the same against another ranked opponent in the Arizona Stat Sun Devils.
The 2013 Civil War lacks the mystique we’ve seen in recent years, largely due to the recent play of the Oregon Ducks and Oregon State Beavers.
The Fresno State Bulldogs have clinched a spot in the Mountain West Conference title game, but their BCS eligibility is in question ever because they were recently leapfrogged in the polls by Northern Illinois.
The 2013 Apple Cup will be played at the newly renovated Husky Stadium, and it will feature two teams who have had their ups and downs this season. For the most part, Washington State has exceeded all expectations.
Washington State (6-5, 4-4 Pac-12) @ Washington (7-4, 4-4 Pac-12)
Friday, Nov. 29 3:30 PM ET @ Husky Stadium
Spread: Washington -14.5
O/U: OFF
Dropping four of five in the middle of the year is never ideal, but having a winning record at this juncture is a huge step up from where they were a year ago.
Washington also endured a three-game losing streak in the middle of the season, but it has won three of its last four entering Week 14.
The Washington Huskies will enter this one as favorites by more than two touchdowns, but WSU will use its patented Mike Leach-led passing attack to attempt to shorten the gap. On the season, the Cougars are fifth in the country in passing yards per contest.
They average 372 yards per game in the air, and while they have only scored 31 points per outing, it has been good enough to win half of their conference games up to this point.
As well as Connor Halliday has played this season, Washington State’s biggest hope for victory will have to do more with the opposing quarterback. The problem, however, is that we don’t know exactly who will play behind center for UW on Friday.
Regardless of who plays, whether it’s Keith Price or Cyler Miles, getting pressure on the QB has to be a priority for Washington State.
Price blew an 18-point lead in last year’s matchup with the Cougars, and while you can’t count on that to happen again, knowing you can rattle the opponent is a confidence builder entering a rivalry.
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Defensively, there is no mystery about what Washington must do in this one. Defend the pass, defend the pass and defend the pass. Washington State hasn’t been able to run the ball all year, as it is 123rd in rushing yards at this juncture, and you shouldn’t expect that to change in the last game of the season.
Offensively, the Huskies have proven that they have a very balanced attack.
They’re 29 in passing, 15th in rushing and the combined yardage has resulted in nearly 40 points per game—the 16th-best mark in the FBS.
Historically, betting trends point in both directions. WSU is 9-3 ATS in its last 12 versus a team with a winning record, but UW is 9-2 ATS in its last 11 home games.
What you have to take into consideration is that this is a rivalry, and often times that means the underdog shows up to play even when they’re not expected to.
In the last 18 meetings between these two in-state opponents, the underdog has won ATS 13 times. WSU is far from a guarantee at this point in the process, but with a solid season officially behind them, expect them to show up and play a good game, even if they don’t come out on top.
Prediction: Washington 37 – Washington State 30
The Nebraska Cornhuskers continue to chug along without their starting quarterback and will get the chance to prove that they belong in a big-time bowl game on Friday afternoon when they host an improved Iowa Hawkeyes team in front of a national audience.
The Chicago Bulls may have begun the 2013-14 NBA season in underwhelming fashion, but they’ve reeled off five straight wins to bring them to 6-3 on the year. The caveat here is that four of the five wins have been against teams that will be out of the playoffs or fighting for a late seed.
Week 13 features two teams playing in Pasadena who are fighting for a spot in the Pac-12 championship. The No. 17 Arizona Sun Devils can clinch the South Division with a win, but the No. 14 UCLA Bruins have other plans in mind.
The Stanford Cardinal entered last week with their Rose Bowl fate in their own hands. Unfortunately for them, a loss to the USC Trojans means they need another loss from the Oregon Ducks—an unlikely wish considering the team’s remaining schedule.
ESPN said it perfectly when they wrote that the Washington Huskies and the Oregon State Beavers would be playing in the “Frustrated Bowl” in their Week 13 matchup. Despite looking so promising at one point in the year, the season has turned the wrong direction for both programs.
The Oregon Ducks bounced back last weekend with a 44-21 win over the Utah Utes—a much-need victory for fans following the heart-wrenching lost to the Stanford Cardinal.
LeBron James of the Miami Heat recently earned himself yet another notch on the belt of NBA history when he was named the NBA’s Eastern Conference Player of the Week for the 44th time in his career. Now he’ll take that honor with him into a battle with the Atlanta Hawks on Tuesday, Nov. 19 on NBA TV.
The Washington State Cougars and the Arizona Wildcats are set to square off Saturday night in a battle that will feature two offenses with very different looks.
The Oregon Ducks had their hearts broken last week when they fell to the No. 5 Stanford Cardinal 26-20, but the hope is that their spirits are still high, as they enter Week 12’s matchup against the Utah Utes.
The No. 19 Arizona State Sun Devils narrowly escaped defeat last week against the Utah Utes, and now they have the Oregon State Beavers and their prolific passing attack to deal with on the horizon.
