UCLA at Arizona State (6:30 p.m., Friday, ESPN2)
UCLA running back Kahlil Bell is coming off his most impressive game of the season, rushing for 97 yards and two touchdowns two weeks ago, albeit against the sub-par defense of the Washington Huskies. He could see similar success this week, however, against a young Arizona State defense allowing an average of 145.7 rushing yards per game at home. Bruins quarterback Kevin Craft has not been playing well as of late, throwing nine interceptions and zero touchdowns during the last three games. UCLA would like to keep the ball on the ground. If ASU can manage to stop the run, something it has done only once this year in allowing seven yards against Washington State, it will win this game easily. The Sun Devils will need to win their remaining two games in order to become bowl eligible.
Key Stat: Rudy Carpenter has been sacked 140 times during his four years at Arizona State.
Notre Dame at No. 5 USC (5 p.m., Saturday)
USC is in a tight spot – it needs an Oregon State loss in order to have a shot at the Rose Bowl. The Trojans have two games remaining at home against unranked Notre Dame and UCLA to close the season, both of which they need to win to keep their hopes alive. Notre Dame is going to need a big game from Jimmy Clausen if it wants to beat a USC defense that has allowed an average of just 8.3 points per game this season. Expect this to be another game where USC gets to rest Mark Sanchez by the time the fourth quarter rolls around. The Trojans’ three-headed monster out of the backfield – Joe McKnight, C.J. Gable and Stafon Johnson – should exploit the Fighting Irish defense and lead the team to victory.
Key Stat: USC has rushed for 2,088 yards and 21 touchdowns this season.
Washington State at Hawaii (8:05 p.m., Saturday)
With the double overtime victory last week against the Washington Huskies, the Washington State Cougars won not only the Apple Cup, but also their first Pac-10 game of the season. Kevin Lopina led the team by controlling the ball, throwing just one interception this week and playing the entire game. They also managed to run the ball, gaining 171 yards on the ground. Hawaii has done a fair job this season on the defensive end of the ball, allowing only 55 rushing yards in the last two weeks. The Warriors also have a solid receiving core, with three receivers gaining more than 500 yards so far this season. The team is 4-1 at home this season, so this will be a tough game for Washington State.
Key Stat: Starting Cougars quarterback Kevin Lopina has yet to throw a touchdown this season.
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