Last weekend was uglier than someone who had their face set on fire then put out with a shovel. The 44-14 loss to Arizona was Washington’s the second-most embarrassing of the season thanks to Nebraska’s earlier decimation. The up-and-down Huskies were down last week. It was a throwback game, all the way to 2008. Play call questions, 467 yards for the opponent, grumbles about Jake Locker in the pocket. Just like the good ‘ol days. All that’s needed to fix things is a win over 13th-ranked Stanford (don’t forget a trip to No. 1 Oregon comes next week). The Cardinal is a 7.5-point favorite for Saturday’s 4 p.m. start. The picks!
Everyone at Yahoo! picks Stanford.
Jon Wilner of the San Jose Mercury News picks Stanford.
ESPN’s Ted Miller picks Stanford, 40-31.
Christian Caple of the Moscow Daily News picks Stanford in a rout, 42-19.
All four prognosticators at the Orange County Register pick Stanford.
Sports Press Northwest is in agreement with all those folks:
Art Thiel (4-3 overall, 3-4 against the spread)
When did smart guys become big ol’ meanies? What happened to revenge of the nerds? Stanford is the kind of physical team that mashes the Huskies where they are weakest. Tip to Jake Locker: Nothing more than three step drops and quick releases. Stanford 36, Washington 23
Seth Kolloen (2-5, 1-6)
In an attempt to raise money for the Husky Stadium renovations, the UW athletic department permits political candidates to make short statements during halftime. Seven hours later, Stanford has to leave to make its flight home and is declared the winner by the halftime score of 17-7.
Todd Dybas (2-5, 2-5)
This will be another blowout on the lines, much like Arizona, and Stanford will throw-in a special teams touchdown just for fun. For some reason, respect for the very good Cardinal departed with its loss to Oregon. It shouldn’t have. Stanford 38, Washington 24.