The Associated Press
Another Stanford-Oregon showdown highlights Week 7 of the Pac-12 season. As is the case this time of year in the conference, it’s far from the only big game of the week.
GAME OF THE WEEK: Stanford at No. 5 Oregon. The Cardinal have had the Ducks’ number recently, beating them on the way to the Pac-12 Championship and Rose Bowl each of the past two seasons. Oregon has reason to hope this is the year its Cardinal luck will change, entering the game 7-1 while Stanford has already lost three games. As always, it will come down to the contrast in styles. The Ducks like to play fast, but have had trouble with the Cardinal’s physical defense. Oregon enters the game fifth nationally, scoring 45.5 points per game, and Stanford is second defensively, allowing 12.5 per game.
BEST MATCHUP: No. 14 Arizona at No. 25 UCLA. The Wildcats have put themselves in position to win the Pac-12 South and have an outside shot at a spot in the College Football Playoff. To stay in the hunt, they’ll need to knock off the Bruins, who have won the two games in the series since Brett Hundley took over as quarterback. Arizona is undefeated on the road, including a win over Oregon, and UCLA is facing its first three-game home losing streak in 43 years, but it doesn’t figure to be easy for the Wildcats.
INSIDE THE NUMBERS: Utah’s Travis Wilson is the only FBS quarterback to have at least 125 pass attempts without throwing an interception, with 143 straight without a pick. Oregon’s Marcus Mariota had his streak end at 253 passes without an interception last week when a ball that was tipped twice got picked off. … Oregon State QB Sean Mannion needs 194 yards passing against Cal this week to break the Pac-12 record of 12,327 career passing yards set by USC’s Matt Barkley from 2009-12. … Arizona State head coach Todd Graham has called a defensive timeout on third down 44 times in his three years in the desert and the Sun Devils have forced fourth down or forced a turnover 31 times.
IMPACT PLAYER: USC kick returner Adoree Jackson. The freshman matched a school record with a 100-yard kickoff return for a touchdown in last week’s loss to Utah and is fifth nationally with 33.7 yards per kickoff return. The Trojans face Washington State this week.
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Complied by AP College Football Writer John Marshall.
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