Stanford TE Zach Ertz has bested the competition by leaps and bounds this season. (US Presswire)

Washington State (2-5, 0-4 Pac-12) at No. 19 Stanford  (5-2, 3-1 Pac-12)

Kickoff: Saturday, 6:15 p.m. ET (Pac-12 Network)

Spread: Stanford by 23.5

Watchability: With how uneventful the Washington State offense has been lately, moderate, at best. There will be other games on. There have to be. There just have to be.

Shining stars: Washington State -- DL Xavier Cooper. Elder statesman Travis Long may get the pub, but Cooper has shined as a freshman. He has six tackles for loss and a sack this year, and he could give Cardinal QB Josh Nunes fits. Stanford -- LB Chase Thomas. Thomas has been a stud all season, but he really turned it on in the Big Game against Cal. Thomas had four tackles for loss, including a sack. He also had a forced fumble and a fumble recovery. All of that won him conference defensive player of the week honors.

Who could steal the show: Washington State -- RB Teondray Caldwell. Caldwell isn't making waves in the Cougars' running game because, well, no one is. But he is averaging nearly 27 yards per kick return, which ranks second in the conference. Stanford -- TE Zach Ertz. He's not exactly a mystery, but his production has been so huge for the Cardinal, his presence is sometimes overlooked. Not here. Not after a six-catch, 146-yard performance in a 21-7 win over Cal.

You going? Ranking the road trip: This could be one plodding, boring game, and no one wants to see that west of the SEC.

Magic number for Washington State: 2.71. The Cougars' biggest uptick this season has probably been on the defensive line, where they rank 21st nationally with 2.71 sacks per game.

Magic number for Stanford: 270.71. The biggest flaw in the Cardinal defense is against the pass, where opposing offenses are averaging more than 270 yards per game.

The game comes down to: Stanford's fantastic run defense, and Washington State's utter lack of a running game.

Prediction: Stanford 30, Washington State 10

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