Washington State

Stanford (3-0, 2-0)
Coming into the game tied with the most wins in the Pac-10, Washington State faces its biggest test of the season. The Cougars have piled up wins against Idaho, Boise State, California, Arizona and Oregon State, but Stanford has faced tougher competition to come away with its three wins (Boston College, Arizona State and USC).
The Cougars have not won in Palo Alto in 13 years.
The Washington State defense is the top-ranked rush defense in the Pac-10, so Stanford running backs Brian Allen and Kerry Carter have their work cut out for them.
Even if the Cougars can stop the running attack, Stanford’s passing offense could carry them. Quarterback Randy Fasani, arguably the Pac-10’s most underrated passer, has thrown 10 touchdowns and only one interception. His 10 touchdown passes have been distributed to eight different receivers.

Arizona State (3-1, 0-1) at Southern California (1-4, 0-3)
Don’t let Southern California’s record deceive you. The Trojans are favored in this game and are coming off a heartbreaking loss to Washington.
The Trojans have lost four straight games by a total of 14 points, to teams all currently ranked in the top 25.
“We need to keep our heads up,” running back Sultan McCullough said. “We’re going to win some ballgames.”
The sparks for Arizona State are quarterback Jeff Krohn, who leads the Pac-10 and is sixth in the nation in total offense at 294 yards per game and has thrown for 15 touchdowns, which also leads the Pac-10. Receiver Shaun McDonald is averaging 24.6 yards per catch for the Sun Devils and has seven touchdowns.
If USC quarterback Carson Palmer can lead the Trojan offense to the end zone efficiently and the defense stays strong in the second half, something it didn’t do against Washington last week, USC should come away with it’s first Pac-10 win.

Arizona (3-2, 0-2) at

Oregon State (1-3, 0-2)
Oregon State has lost two consecutive games for the first time since 1999, and unless the Beaver offense can emerge from the funk they have mired themselves in so far this season, Arizona will keep OSU winless in Pac-10 play.
Last week, running back Ken Simonton continued his disappointing season, rushing for just 19 yards on 12 carries. He needs one more point to become the leading non-kicker on the Pac-10 scoring list.
“We’re both 0-2, so it’s a critical game for both football teams … to stay in the race and have opportunities to be involved in bowls,” head coach Dennis Erickson said.
Arizona, who is coming off a sound defeat by Oregon, brings the eighth-ranked offense and the seventh-ranked defense in the Pac-10 into Corvallis.