No. 7 Stanford (3-0, 2-0 Pac-12) at No. 10 Washington (4-0, 1-0), 9 p.m. (ESPN)
Line: Washington by 3.
Series record: Tied 41-41-4.
WHAT’S AT STAKE
The most influential Pac-12 North matchup of the year may happen on the final day of September. Stanford already has wins over both Los Angeles schools after completing its comeback victory over UCLA last week. A win over the Huskies would firmly plant the Cardinal on top of the division. Washington can validate its hype with a victory. The Huskies struggled to win at Arizona last week, but a win over Stanford could be the push to insert Washington back into the national conversation.
KEY MATCHUP
Stanford QB Ryan Burns vs. Washington’s pass rush. Burns didn’t look very good against UCLA until the final drive where he led the Cardinal to a game-winning touchdown in the final minute. With so much attention on RB Christian McCaffrey, if the Huskies can put pressure on Burns it should play into Washington’s favor with one of the top defensive backfields in the country. The Huskies have 13 sacks.
PLAYERS TO WATCH
Stanford: McCaffrey. For all the special moments in McCaffrey’s career, he has never found the end zone on offense in a true road game. McCaffrey had four 100-yard rushing games last season on the road, and had 138 yards rushing last week at UCLA.
Washington: QB Jake Browning. Browning missed last year’s game at Stanford due to injuries. He was excellent the first three weeks, but threw for just 160 yards and had a critical interception against Arizona. Browning’s challenge will be navigating a Stanford defense that hasn’t allowed 250 yards passing in a game yet this year, but will be without both starting cornerbacks.
FACTS & FIGURES
First matchup of AP top-10 teams at Husky Stadium since No. 7 Nebraska beat No. 2 Washington during 1997 season. Just the fourth matchup of top-10 teams at Husky Stadium ever. … Stanford has won seven of the past eight meetings. The only Washington win came in 2012 at CenturyLink Field in Seattle, a 17-13 victory. … First game for Stanford outside the state of California since Nov. 7, 2015 at Colorado, a span of 328 days.
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