Two of the Pac-12’s best defenses will square off on Saturday when Stanford hosts Utah. Both teams suffered blowout losses to Oregon last time out, but have played well in most of their other games this season.
How to watch Utah vs. Stanford: Game guide, TV schedule, streaming, odds
Two struggling offenses face elite defenses. Will any points emerge?
Ed Szczepanski-USA TODAY Sports
Utah has been one of the conference’s biggest surprises this season, but it didn’t start out that way. After a dominating road victory over Michigan rounded off a perfect record in non-conference play, the Utes suffered a disappointing home loss to Washington State to start Pac-12 competition. They then fired off three close wins in a row -- two points over UCLA, a double-overtime triumph over Oregon State and three points over USC -- before their recent two-game losing streak brought them back to .500 in conference play.
Stanford needs a strong finish to even make a bowl at this point. The Cardinal suffered an early three-point loss to USC to start on the wrong Pac-12 note, and are 0-4 against ranked competition this season. Stanford lost by three to Notre Dame, but fell by more sizable margins against Arizona State and Oregon. The Cardinal appear to have taken at least a small step backwards this season, even if they’re playing better than their record shows.
How to watch, listen, and stream
Where: Stanford Stadium, Stanford, Calif.
Game time: 6 p.m. ET.
TV: Pac-12 Network.
Radio: For Utah, 700 The Zone. For Stanford, click here.
Online streaming: Pac12.com.
Our blogs on these schools
The numbers
Rankings and records: Utah is ranked No. 23 in the Playoff rankings and No. 25 in the AP Poll. Stanford is not ranked in any poll. The Utes are 6-3, with a 3-3 conference record, while the Cardinal are 5-4 with a 3-3 record in Pac-12 play.
Vegas: Stanford opened as a 7.5-point favorite. The line is now eight with an over/under of 43 points, per OddsShark.
Weather forecast: High of 67, partly cloudy.
Two things at stake
Utah is in the midst of a two-game skid, and another loss could set up a bad situation against Arizona next week.
A loss for Stanford would require a win against either Cal or UCLA to become bowl-eligible.
One big matchup
Kevin Hogan vs. Utah secondary. The Stanford signal caller has struggled in his senior year, averaging 7.7 yards per attempt with 13 touchdowns against seven interceptions. He’ll be faced with a Utah secondary that has feasted on opposing quarterbacks, picking off 10 passes and holding them to 6.9 yards per attempt.
Further reading
For more on Stanford, head to Rule of Tree. For Utah coverage, check out Block U.
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