PULLMAN, Wash. – Two of the more disappointing teams in the Pac-12 look to remain bowl eligible Saturday when Washington State meets visiting Stanford. The Cardinal must win two of their final three contests to extend their bowl streak to 11 straight seasons, while the Cougars face the same challenge to secure a postseason berth for the fifth straight year.
TV: 4:30 p.m. ET, Pac-12 Network. LINE: Washington State -10.5
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After putting up 41 points in a win over Arizona, the Cardinal struggled offensively in last week’s 16-13 loss to Colorado and will need an improved effort against the high-powered Cougars. Senior quarterback K.J. Costello missed nearly four games due to injury this season and has six touchdowns against three interceptions for the Cardinal, who are 1-3 away from Stanford Stadium. Washington State is first in the nation in the passing (433.1), seventh in total offense (510.9) and 10th in scoring (39.8), but head coach Mike Leach is searching for answers following back-to-back losses to Oregon and California. “We’ve definitely regressed,” Leach told reporters. “As coaches, we have not been able to turn this into a consistently tough team. Some of all this nicey-nice positive stuff we’ve experimented with, well, that experiment has failed.”
ABOUT STANFORD (4-5, 3-4 Pac-12)
Running back Cameron Scarlett ranks fourth in the conference with 87.5 yards per game while 6-7 tight end Colby Parkinson leads the passing attack with 36 catches for 412 yards and one touchdown. Stanford has started the same offensive line combination three consecutive games for the first time since 2017 and could dominate the line of scrimmage against the Cougars, who are giving up a league-worst 193.7 yards on the ground. The defense is led by cornerback Paulson Adebo (four interceptions) and outside linebacker Casey Toohill, who has 51 tackles, 8.5 tackles-for-loss and six sacks.
ABOUT WASHINGTON STATE (4-5, 1-5)
Quarterback Anthony Gordon threw for 407 yards in last week’s 33-20 loss to California and leads the country in passing yards (3,794), passing yards per game (421.6) and passing touchdowns (34). The Cougars’ explosive offense includes running back Max Borghi (10 touchdowns) and wideout Brandon Arconado, who leads the Pac-12 with five 100-yard receiving games. Linebacker Jahad Woods is second in the Pac-12 with 92 tackles, but the Cougars’ defense needs to bounce back after allowing Cal to score a season-high 33 points last week.
EXTRA POINTS
1. Stanford holds a 40-28-1 lead in the all-time series, but Washington State has won the last three meetings.
2. The Cougars are 16-2 in their last 18 home games.
3. Stanford is 25-8 under head coach David Shaw in November.
PREDICTION: Washington State 34, Stanford 24