Roundup: Chess match between Colorado offense, ASU defense

The folks at Mile High Sports think a chess match will break out between Colorado’s offense and Arizona State’s defense. The Pac-12 Networks game preview is attached in the link. Here’s my bold prediction – if Arizona State wins, the Sun Devils will enter the top 25 for the first time this season.

So Washington quarterback Jake Browning’s finger wag at an Oregon defender cost him 500 pushups, notes our old friend Bryan Fischer. From the outside looking in, I loved the finger wag. Signals a new era in the Washington-Oregon rivalry.

USC running back Justin Davis will not play against Arizona, Clay Helton announced Thursday. Joey Kaufman of the Los Angeles Daily News notes that Davis has a high ankle sprain and did not practice this week.

Oregon State running back Ryan Nall participated in a walkthrough practice Thursday and is out of the boot, reports Gina Mizell. Can the Beavs get back to .500 on the season? They could certainly use Nall against the Utes, especially since it figures to be stormy on Saturday.

Brian Hamilton of Sports Illustrated takes a look at the issues Stanford is having on its offensive line, a position group that has been such a strength for the Cardinal during the Harbaugh/Shaw years.

Kevin Gemmell examines how close games have led to different outcomes for UCLA and Arizona State. The Bruins have lost a game in overtime, another in the final 30 seconds and another by three on the road, while Arizona State has been able to come through in the clutch.

Pac-12 reporter symbiosis right here y’all, as Kyle Goon reaches out to Danny Moran for an Oregon State football scouting report for the Utah faithful. This game looks like much less of an automatic win for the Utes after the Beavs’ win over Cal (a team Utah lost to) last weekend.

Chet Broberg of CougCenter reminds us that former Washington State offensive lineman Mike Utley will be honored at the Wazzu-UCLA game in Pullman Saturday as a tip of the hat for him being inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame.

Tom Fornelli considers Arizona State as one of five teams around the country facing a tough road test this week. Indeed, Folsom Field is not the place you wanna be if you’re a 2016 visitor.

Nate Krueger of GoDucks.com tells us how Oregon football alums performed in Week 5 of the NFL season. Marcus Mariota did his thing, leading the Titans to a W. #ProDucks

Catch a sneak preview of the Cal football episode of “The Drive” in this link. Defensive tackle James Looney is featured in this preview of the episode that airs Friday.

Michael Lev features Arizona cornerback Jace Whittaker. The Wildcats welcome the Trojans to Tucson this weekend (who could forget that 2012 game?).