When No. 8 Stanford and Washington State get together on Saturday night in the Palouse, control of the Pac-12 North will be on the line. Imagine saying that a month ago, let alone before the season started.
How to watch Stanford vs. Washington State on TV or online, plus 3 things to know
The bullies of the Pac-12 North face the unexpected upstarts. Here’s how you can watch, and what to watch for.
Kyle Terada-USA TODAY Sports
Stanford is the team everyone’s familiar with. They’re the big bullies of the Pac-12 North, and the natural fit to ascend to the top of the Pac-12 North now that Oregon has finally stumbled. They’ve overpowered everyone they’ve played this year -- with the obvious exception being Northwestern, sure -- and it’s with the same power offense and strong defense they’ve been known for.
Washington State, meanwhile, is new at this. The Cougars have been down for a long, long time, and it wasn’t so long ago that Mike Leach’s seat in Pullman was starting to get pretty dang hot. But Wazzu has rebounded since their opening loss to Portland State, and have a three-game Pac-12 winning streak to their credit when the Cardinal come to town. Can they make it four? Hey, weirder things have happened.
How to watch, stream and listen
TV: 10:30 p.m. ET, ESPN
Radio: Stanford | Washington State
Online streaming: WatchESPN
Spread: Stanford is a 12-point favorite.
Make friends: Get to SB Nation’s team blog chats for this game at Rule of Tree for Stanford fans or CougCenter for Washington State fans.
Three big things to know
1. A conflict of styles. These two teams play football about as differently as two teams possibly could. Washington State is one of the purest forms of the original Air Raid, and Stanford is more than happy to just smash away on offense with 75 offensive linemen and tight ends. These teams going back and forth in possession could cause whiplash.
2. Some speed with that power. Despite Stanford's heavy-handed offensive style, they have a pair of speedy running backs in Christian McCaffrey and Barry Sanders Jr. that can show you their taillights in a hurry. Keeping these two contained is going to be extremely difficult for Washington State's defense.
3. Luke Falk does numbers. Over the Cougars’ recent three-game winning streak, Falk has set defenses on fire and then set the ashes on fire. He’s thrown for an average of 475 yards in their wins over Oregon, Oregon State and Arizona, and has 16 touchdowns to only two interceptions during that span. He’ll get his against a very good Stanford defense, but will it be enough?
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