WSU Vs. Utah Game: Win Gives Cougars First Place In Pac-12 Standings
The WSU vs. Utah game on Saturday (November 11) is a huge one now. A win for the Washington State Cougars would make them the first-place team in the Pac-12 standings. This would be a huge boost for WSU and set up an Apple Cup game against the Washington Huskies with everything on the line for the school. Beating Utah and Washington would then put WSU in the Pac-12 Championship Game and give them a shot at one of the big bowl games this winter.
This short-term scenario is now possible because Stanford beat Washington on Friday night (November 10). Continuing a trend of schools getting upset during these Friday night games, UW just could not slow down the Stanford offense in the second half. Stanford running back Bryce Love dominated the Huskies, going for 166 yards and three touchdowns on 30 carries. JJ Arcega-Whiteside added 130 receiving yards on just five catches and the Stanford Cardinal won 30-22.
In the updated Pac-12 standings, Stanford (7-3, 6-2) has taken over first place in the Pac-12 North. The Washington Huskies (8-2, 5-2) are tied with the Washington State Cougars (8-2, 5-2) for second place. If WSU beats Utah a bit later on Saturday, the team will improve to 6-2 in the conference and 9-2 overall. Since they beat Stanford in the head-to-head game already this year, it would give WSU sole possession of the Pac-12 North.
See where Luke, Jamal and Hercules sit among the Pac-12 and WSU record books heading into the game at Utah!#GoCougs #AirRaid #SpeedD pic.twitter.com/LOSEl1B2eL
— WSU Cougar Football (@wsucougfb) November 9, 2017
The WSU vs. Utah game is at 2:30 p.m. PT and the Utes will host this one at Rice-Eccles Stadium. WSU has won the last two games between the schools and they are currently favored by one point in the ESPN odds. That’s a very slim margin of victory, suggesting that this could be a really good game between the two teams. With two of the best defenses in the conference on the field Saturday afternoon, it’s also possible that it could wind up being very low-scoring. The over/under is also slated at just 50.5 on the morning of the big game.
WSU quarterback Luke Falk (115) is just one touchdown pass from tying former USC quarterback, Matt Barkley (116), for most career Pac-12 touchdowns. It gives an extra incentive for Falk to put on a good show against Utah, especially since a number of NFL scouts are expected to be watching to see how he performs against a stout defense. Utah gives up just 23.1 points per game this season, making every possession very important for head coach Mike Leach and his Washington State Cougars.
[Featured Image by Thearon W. Henderson/Getty Images]
