Week 5 ACC & Pac-12: OSU, WSU, Stanford, and Cal Crash

Talent Disparity Too Much for Cougars vs. Huskies

Washington State played well through three quarters before Washington broke open the game. The Husky offense proved unstoppable for the Cougars’ defense; they didn’t force a punt in the contest.

WSU always wants to beat UW, but the talent disparity was just a little too much for the Cougs.

The Cougars should feel good about their progress in the rebuilding process. They have no egregious losses, and they still have winnable games on their schedule.

Another plus for Wazzu is finding a starting quarterback, although nothing is certain with Jimmy Rogers. Zevi Eckhaus looked good in the Apple Cup, and the Dawgs have the best defense WSU has played this season.

A 2-2 record is a decent spot for Butch T. and the Cougars to be, but a win in Fort Collins is a must. WSU’s schedule gets extremely difficult after Colorado State.

WSU has a bye before facing Ole Miss and Virginia on the road. If Washington State would like to make a bowl, a win this week is everything.

Struggling Beavers Facing Must-Win Scenario vs. Houston

Oregon State is in a brutal spot. The loss to Oregon should’ve been expected, but their schedule remains difficult throughout the next month.

If the Beavers want to do anything with their season, they’ll need to win two out of their next three matchups.

They host Houston and Wake Forest, and travel to App State in between.

The matchup against the Cougars is a life vest for their season. If they can win this game, they’ll gain vital momentum before traveling to Boone.

UH is undefeated, but they’re not the Ducks. This is the type of matchup the Beavers must win if they want to re-establish themselves as a competitive team.

The Beavs have the talent to compete with the Cougars, but they gotta make Conner Weigman uncomfortable. Weigman has performed well this year, but struggled in 2024 at Texas A&M.

Houston historically has a good defense, so if he gets going, Oregon State might not be able to keep pace.

A loss could heat up Trent Bray’s seat considerably, making it a moment of transition.

Bears Must Rebound Quickly After Unexpected Loss to San Diego State

What the flavor happened to Cal last week? The Golden Bears’ loss was unexpected, but how it happened was flabbergasting.

Luckily for Justin Wilcox, San Diego State isn’t in the ACC and Cal faces Boston College this week.

Unfortunately, this type of early-season defeat has become all-too-regular under Wilcox. But it’s how Cal responds that’ll determine its fate.

The Bears started off 3-0 a season ago, then lost their next four games.

The Eagles are a soft landing spot, even if the matchup is in Chestnut Hill, but Cal can’t afford to lose this. A loss to BC would bring back all the memories of last year, and might get Ol’ Ball Coach back on the hot seat.

The play of Jaron-Keawe Sagapolutele was particularly disappointing. While he was able to move the ball on occasion, throwing for 208 yards, he left the game with two interceptions and no touchdowns.

There is a good chance that the Golden Bears overlooked SDSU and will be ready to go next week. Sometimes things happen. But some things can’t happen twice.

Stanford Looks to Bounce Back (Again) vs. San Jose State

Stanford suffered a tough loss last week in Charlottesville.

The Virginia offense proved too much, scoring 48 points and tallying 590 yards of offense. Chandler Morris threw for 380 yards and four touchdowns for the Cavaliers.

This loss was doubly tough because it was one of the few games on the Tree’s remaining schedule that appeared winnable.

Stanford gets a bounceback game against San Jose State this week, but then they enter the thick of ACC play.

If the Cardinal want to retain any interest level from their fanbase, they cannot lose to the Spartans.

Ben Gulbranson played well last week for the second straight week.

And Bryce Farrell is starting to develop into an impact receiver. Farrell has 207 yards and one touchdown in his last two games.

If Micah Ford can play the way he did against Boston College, this offense could prove decent.

Stanford doesn’t have a lot of expectations, but a win against SJSU would be two outta three, and would keep them in the mix for the postseason.