Arizona (1-4, 0-3 Pac-12) at Oregon State (0-4, 0-2) (Saturday, 12:30 p.m.)@@http://pac-12.org/SPORTS/Football/Standings.aspx@@ @@http://pac-12.org/SPORTS/Football/Schedule.aspx@@
A tough season-opening stretch now beyond them, the Wildcats will look to flex their muscle (and potent passing attack) against the reeling, winless Beavers. Although Arizona has only one win this season (against Northern Arizona), the Wildcats possess one of the top quarterback/wide receiver duos in the nation with Nick Foles and Juron Criner. Last week against USC, the pair helped Arizona score 41 points and rack up 554 yards of total offense. Although the Wildcats rank 112th in the nation in scoring defense, Oregon State’s anemic offense might not be able to take advantage — the Beavers are 111th in the nation in scoring offense, at 16.8 points per game. Their defense, which allowed 29 points to Football Championship Subdivision squad Sacramento State, isn’t much better, allowing 31.5 points per game.@@http://www.arizonawildcats.com/sports/m-footbl/recaps/100111aaa.html@@ @@http://www.ncaa.com/stats/football/fbs/current/team/1043/p3@@  @@http://www.ncaa.com/stats/football/fbs/current/team/1028/p3@@ @@http://www.ncaa.com/stats/football/fbs/current/team/1043/p2@@
No. 22 Arizona State (4-1, 2-0) at Utah (2-2, 0-2) (Saturday 12:30 p.m.)
In an undefeated start to Pac-12 play, Arizona State has used a balanced attack (both its scoring offense and scoring defense rank in the top-35 nationally) to fend off opponents. Those numbers might be even higher if it weren’t for a rash of injuries to key players, including receiver T.J. Simpson, defensive end Junior Onyeali, cornerback Omar Bolden, and linebacker Brandon Magee. This week, the Sun Devils received even more bad injury news — starting left tackle Evan Finkenberg is out indefinitely after having knee surgery this week. At some point, all of that may catch up with Arizona State, but the Sun Devils will certainly have the talent edge against a Utah squad that is 0-2 in its first Pac-12 season. To make matters worse for the Utes, who rank only 87th in the nation in total offense, starting quarterback Jordan Wynn will miss the game with an injury, forcing unproven backup Jon Hays into the starting role.
Colorado (1-4, 0-1) at Stanford (4-0, 2-0) (Saturday, 4:30 p.m., Versus)
Apart from the shocking news that Andrew Luck is expected to surrender his quarterbacking duties to focus solely on playing receiver after making a stunning one-handed catch last week against UCLA, this matchup presents very little intrigue. The undefeated No. 7 Cardinal has rolled through a soft early-season schedule, winning all four games by an average of 34 points. Stanford ranks in the top-10 in both scoring offense and scoring defense, and has yet to truly be tested this season. Colorado, on the other hand, is coming off a painful loss at home to Washington State in which the Buffaloes blew a 10-point lead late in the fourth quarter. Colorado’s struggles are easy to pinpoint — they have trouble moving the ball on offense (the Buffaloes are 105th in the nation in rushing and 88th in scoring offense), and can’t stop anybody on defense (89th in scoring defense). That combination doesn’t usually create a successful formula.@@http://www.ncaa.com/stats/football/fbs/current/team/1025/p3@@@@http://www.ncaa.com/stats/football/fbs/current/team/1028/p2@@
Washington State (3-1, 1-0) at UCLA (2-3, 1-1) (Saturday, 7:30 p.m.)
Although Jeff Tuel may be sufficiently recovered from a broken collarbone to play, it appears Washington State will start Marshall Lobbestael at quarterback, and with good reason. The Cougar senior has done a tremendous job in Tuel’s absence, completing 63 percent of his passes and throwing 13 touchdowns against three interceptions. Most recently, Lobbestael led Washington State to a dramatic 31-27 come-from-behind win over host Colorado. As a team, the Cougars rank 10th in scoring offense and 55th in scoring defense in the nation. In stark contrast to a Washington State program that appears to be trending upwards, UCLA is, well, not. The Bruins lost 45-19 to Stanford last weekend, and coach Rick Neuheisel is very much on the hot seat. Despite all the turmoil in Westwood, however, the Bruins do have some talent from years of solid recruiting. Quarterback Richard Brehaut is a steady, if unspectacular signal caller, and Jonathan Franklin and Derrick Coleman are both threats rushing the ball — the Bruins average 199.4 yards per game on the ground, the 29th best total in the nation.@@http://www.wsucougars.com/sports/m-footbl/mtt/lobbestael_marshall00.html@@@@http://www.uclabruins.com/sports/m-footbl/sched/ucla-m-footbl-sched.html@@@@http://www.ncaa.com/stats/football/fbs/current/team/1025@@