Top-10 matchup highlights Pac-12 this week
A matchup between top-10 teams and a few games that could make or break teams' seasons highlight this week in Pac-12 football.
Here's what to look for:
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GAME OF THE WEEK: No. 7 Stanford at No. 10 Washington. The weekend kicks off Friday night with a prime-time game between marquee teams. The Cardinal (3-0) have already passed two big tests, knocking off Southern California and UCLA in consecutive weeks. The Huskies breezed through their first three games against overmatched opponents before outlasting Arizona in overtime in their conference opener last week. Washington (4-0) has a talent-laden defense that could have as many as seven future NFL players, but they will be trying to stop arguably the best running back in the country in Christian McCaffrey. He had his way with the Huskies last season, racking up 300 all-purpose yards in the Cardinal's 31-14 win.
BEST MATCHUP: Arizona State at USC. The Trojans (1-3) may be off to their worst start since 2001, but there is still plenty of talent on this team and they're playing at home. Arizona State (4-0) has had its share of deficiencies - struggles on defense, slow starts - but keeps finding ways to win. The Sun Devils showed off their offensive explosiveness last week, scoring 31 points in the fourth quarter to rally for a 51-41 victory over California. The 31 points were more than 54 teams scored in their entire games last weekend.
INSIDE THE NUMBERS: Utah's Mitch Wishnowsky is leading the nation in punting average at 52.1 yards per kick. ... Washington State is looking to beat Oregon in consecutive games for the first time since 2002-03. ... Arizona's Brandon Dawkins is ninth nationally with 130.3 yards rushing per game and is second among quarterbacks, behind Louisville's Lamar Jackson (131.5).
IMPACT PLAYER: Colorado QB Steven Montez. The Buffaloes appeared to be in trouble, having to face Oregon with quarterback Sefo Liufau out with an ankle injury. Montez filled in quite nicely, accounting for 448 yards of total offense while becoming the first player in school history with 300 yards passing and 100 rushing in the same game. Liufau is still not 100 percent, so Montez may get the call again this week against Oregon State.
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Compiled by AP College Football Writer John Marshall
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AP college football website: collegefootball.ap.org
