The pick: Why Washington State will beat Stanford

STANFORD, Calif. – Finesse team? Stanford isn’t quite there yet. Nevertheless, the team Washington State will see on Saturday in the Bay Area promises to look much different than the rugged, grind-it-out teams David Shaw and Jim Harbaugh have presided over for the past decade-plus. The Cardinal, for the first time since 2004, are on pace to finish the season with more pass attempts than rushes – through seven games they’ve gone to the air 216 times and to the ground just 209. Even during the Andew Luck era, which spanned from 2009-11, Stanford logged 1,589 run plays compared to 733 passes. So this is as close to the Air Raid as Shaw and Stanford will get – and it should work to WSU’s advantage. The Cougars have drawn their fair share of defensive holding/pass interference penalties this season, yet still rank third in the Pac-12 with 180.4 passing yards per game allowed – good enough for 22nd nationally. Opponents have passed for just seven touchdowns against WSU and are completing only 53 percent of their throws. The Cougars are equipped to stop Stanford’s offense, which could be without two preseason All-Americans – running back Bryce Love and offensive guard Nate Herbig – and, I predict, won’t need more than three touchdowns to outscore them.

The pick: Washington State 31, Stanford 20.