The Pac-12 has been prone to chaos this year, and we could see another upset this week as No. 13 UCLA hosts Washington.
How to watch Washington vs. UCLA: Preview, TV time, odds and more
Can the Bruins keep pace with Arizona State and defeat the visiting Huskies?
Casey Sapio-USA TODAY Sports
UCLA started out with a roar this season when they beat Nebraska by 20 points in Lincoln. At 5-0, it was expected to give Stanford and Oregon some competition, but lost those games by 14 and 28 points, respectively. The Bruins have won their last two games, against Colorado and Arizona, but not by as wide of a margin as they may have liked.
This week, they host a Washington team that also had higher aspirations than where they currently stand. The Huskies blew out Boise State in the opening week of the season, and beat Illinois and Arizona en route to a 4-0 start. They then faced likely the three best teams in the conference, all in a row -- at Stanford, versus Oregon and at Arizona State. After losing all three of those games, the Huskies have defeated the bottom of the conference in California and Colorado, and will now face a UCLA team hungry to stay in the conference title race.
The numbers
Rankings and records: UCLA is ranked 13th in the BCS, while Washington is unranked. The Bruins stand in second in the Pac-12 South, while the Huskies are fourth in the Pac-12 North. UCLA holds a 38-30-2 all-time lead in the series, and have won eight of the last ten meetings between the two schools.
Vegas: UCLA started as a 6.5-point favorite, but the line is now down to -2.5.
Weather: Clear skies and a high of 79, with temperatures dipping into the 50s at night.
Three names to know
Brett Hundley. The sophomore quarterback has gone from looking NFL-ready to struggling in Pac-12 play, especially in a two-game period against Oregon and Stanford in which he threw two touchdowns against four interceptions.
Bishop Sankey. A lot of attention (deservedly) falls to the running back stables at Oregon and Arizona, but Sankey may just be the best running back in the conference. He has 13 touchdowns this year and is averaging nearly six yards per rush.
Keith Price. Price has had a fairly steady season, even with some relative struggles during that three game losing streak. He has 22 total touchdowns on the year.
Two things at stake
A win here would put Washington on track to finish the year 9-3 -- a nice recovery from its earlier three-game skid.
UCLA is still very much alive in the Pac-12 South, but can’t afford to lose before their matchup with first-place Arizona State.
How to witness
TV: 9 p.m. ET on ESPN2.
Radio: For UCLA, AM 570, AM 1550 and 96.1 FM. For Washington, here’s a list of affiliates.
Online streaming: WatchESPN.
Further reading
For more from Washington, head to UW Dawg Pound. For the UCLA perspective, check out Bruins Nation. For everything Pac-12, visit Pacific Takes.
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