First look: Colorado at Washington State

What is it? Colorado (4-3, 1-3), coming off its first Pac-12 win, pays a visit to No. 15 Washington State (6-1, 3-1), which is coming off its only Pac-12 loss.

Where is it? Martin Stadium in Pullman.

When is it? Saturday at 7:45 p.m.

Where can I watch it? ESPN will televise the game.

Who is favored? The Cougars are favored to win by 10.5 points.

Why Colorado will win: Maybe the wear and tear of seven consecutive games – and the injuries that have built up on defense – finally caught up to the Cougars against Cal. How else do they let a player like Vic Enwere, who’d rushed for just 173 yards in six games, gash them for 102? Colorado’s Phillip Lindsay, five yards short of 1,000 this season, will be the most productive back the Cougars have seen and the senior is coming off his two best statistical games of the year: 281 yards and three touchdowns vs. Arizona, 185 yards and two touchdowns vs. Oregon State.

Why WSU will win: The Buffaloes were stout on defense in their first three games, giving up just 27 total points, but it hasn’t been that way as of late. Colorado is conceding 35.5 points per game in Pac-12 play and most recently, the Buffaloes gave up 33 to a reeling Oregon State team that had hit 30 only one other time this season. Also, it certainly won’t be easy to play the Cougars following a harrowing 34-point loss to Cal.

What happened last time? The 20th-ranked Cougars lost 38-24 to a 12th-ranked Colorado team that would go on to play for a Pac-12 championship just a few weeks later. Former Buffaloes defensive coordinator Jim Leavitt kept the Air Raid offense in check and Luke Falk, though he threw three touchdown passes, completed under 50 percent and also had an interception. WSU took a 24-21 lead on John Thompson’s touchdown catch in the third quarter, but CU outscored the visitors 17-0 the rest of the game.