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CFB: Week 4 Conference Previews: Pac-12 Conference

UCLA (3-0) at COLORADO (0-3)
Sat., Sept. 24 • 12:00 pm MT • PAC-12 NETWORK
UCLA: Have won 6 straight overall, their longest win streak since the 2013-14 seasons. Looking to start 4-0 for the first time since 2015. Nicholas Barr-Mira‘s 24-yard FG as time expired was UCLA’s first winning score in final minute of regulation since November 2017 when JJ Molson beat Cal with 37-yard FG with 4 seconds left. Bruins have won 5 of their last 6 road conference games. In 2020 at Colorado, QB Dorian Thompson-Robinson became first UCLA QB with 300+ pass yards and 100+ rush yards in the same game.

COLORADO: Have won their last 3 home games against UCLA with their last loss coming in 2014, which the Bruins won in 2 OT. Have won 6 of their last 8 home conference games with 5 of the 6 wins by 6 points or less. Colorado converted four 4th downs last week, the most in a game by a Pac-12 team this season. Looking to be first 0-3 Pac-12 school to beat a 3-0 Pac-12 school in their conference opener since UCLA beat Washington State in 2019. Head Coach Karl Dorrell played WR at UCLA from 1983-86 and was their head coach from 2003-07.

15 OREGON (2-1) at WASHINGTON STATE (3-0)

Sat., Sept. 24 • 1:00 pm PT • FOX
OREGON: 13-6 at Washington State since 1985 and have won the last 3 games in the series overall. Looking to start 3-1 or better for the 6th straight season. Scored 111 points the last 2 weeks after being held to 3 points in season-opener against Georgia. Bo Nix became the first Oregon QB since Marcus Mariota in 2014 to have 3 rush TD and 2 pass TD in the same game. Terrance Ferguson only the 2nd Oregon TE in at least the last 25 seasons with back-to-back games with multiple rec TD (Jake Breeland in 2019). 1 of 4 FBS schools this season to have not allowed a sack.

WASHINGTON STATE: Just the 2nd Power 5 team since 1996 to start a season 3-0 with a road win over a Top 20 opponent and not be ranked (2002 Kentucky). Looking for a win over a ranked opponent for the 2nd time in 3 weeks, would be their first season with multiple Top 25 wins since 2018. Looking for first 4-0 start since 2017. 14 sacks this season, tied with USC for 2nd most in FBS this season. LB Daiyan Henley had 13 tackles, 3 sacks, and 2 forced fumbles last week. QB Cameron Ward 300 pass yards and 4 pass TD last week, his first 300-yard game with WSU after topping 300 in 11 of 13 games last year with Incarnate Word.

ARIZONA (2-1) at CALIFORNIA (2-1)
Sat., Sept. 24 • 2:30 pm PT • PAC-12 NETWORK
ARIZONA: Have won their last 6 meetings with Cal with their last loss coming in 2009 in Berkeley. Looking for first conference road win since Oct. 2019 at Colorado. Have scored 31+ points in both of their wins this season, scored 31+ points once in the previous 20 games. Forced 6 turnovers this season, the same amount they forced all of last season. WR Jacob Cowing 5 rec TD in 3 games with Arizona, most by a Wildcats receiver in a season against non-conference opponents since at least 1996. QB Will Plummer is the younger brother of Cal QB Jack Plummer. Looking to start 3-1 for first time since a 4-1 start in 2019.

CALIFORNIA: Last 6 losses to Arizona have all come by 7 points or less. Cal was without 7 starters due to injury or COVID protocols in last year’s 10-3 loss in Tucson. 5-game home winning streak, their longest since the 2015-16 seasons, and a win would give them their longest streak since winning 9 in a row in 2008- 09. Held Notre Dame to 297 total yards last week, the fewest Cal has allowed in a loss since 2019. QB Jack Plummer had 34 yards rushing at Notre Dame but 4 runs of 10+ yards.

7 USC (3-0) at OREGON STATE (3-0)

Sat., Sept. 24 • 6:30 pm PT • PAC-12 NETWORK
USC: Looking to start 4-0 for 2nd time in last 3 years. Have won 9 of their last 11 conference road games. 1 of 5 FBS teams that have not committed a turnover this season. QB Caleb Williams has multiple pass TD in all 3 games with USC and in 9 of his 11 career games. Only USC QB since at least 1996 to have 2 rush TD and 2 pass TD in the same game. RB Travis Dye back-to-back games with 100+ rush yard, second time in his career after doing it with Oregon in 2018. TE Malcolm Epps had a rec TD and an INT vs. Fresno State, just 2nd Pac-12 player since 1996 to do both in 1 game (WSU’s Marcus Williams in 2000).

OREGON STATE: 3-0 for the first time since 2014 and have not started 4-0 since winning their first 6 games in 2012. 68 points last week is their most since 2012 and their 6th most in school history. 34+ points in each of first 3 games for first time since 2002. Beat the Trojans 45-27 last season, their first win at USC since 1960. Have won their last 7 games at Reser Stadium, longest streak since winning 8 in row in 2007-08. 3-1 at home against Top 10 ranked USC since 2000. WR Anthony Gould had 2 rec TD and a punt return for TD last week, the first Pac-12 player to do that since UW”s Dante Pettis in 2017.

STANFORD (1-1) at #18 WASHINGTON (3-0)
Sat., Sept. 24 • 7:30 pm PT • FS1
STANFORD: Coming off their only bye for the season, will play the next 10 straight weeks. Have won 5 of the last 8 meetings in Seattle and are 5-1 against ranked Washington teams under David Shaw. With a win, Shaw will tie legendary USC head coach Howard Jones for 5th most conference wins all-time. RB EJ Smith, 2nd in the Pac-12 with 103.0 rush YPG, is out for this week. Cardinal had 221 rush yards last game vs. USC, their most since 2018. Stanford has defeated at least one Top 25 team on the road in 8 of 11 seasons under Shaw.

WASHINGTON: Looking to start 4-0 for the first time since 2017, when they won their first 6 games. QB Michael Penix Jr. 3 straight games with 300+ pass yards, first UW QB to do that since Cody Pickett did it in the first 7 games of 2002. Penix is 1 of 2 FBS QB this season with multiple games of 330+ pass yards, 4 pass TD and 0 INT (Ohio State’s CJ Stroud). Huskies have scored on 14 of 16 first-half possessions with 12 of them for touchdowns. Kalen DeBoer looking to become only 2nd UW coach in last 100 years to start their Husky career 4-0 (Chris Petersen, 2014).

13 UTAH (2-1) at ARIZONA STATE (1-2)

Sat., Sept. 24 • 7:30 pm PT • ESPN
UTAH: Have won their last 2 meetings with ASU but have not played at Sun Devil Stadium since 2018. Only Pac-12 team currently ranked in the Top 25 in both scoring offense (15th) and scoring defense (T-24th). QB Cameron Rising career-high 4 pass TD last week, most by a Ute since Tyler Huntley in 2018. RB Tavion Thomas 25 rush TD since the start of the 2021 season, most in FBS. Utah gets 49.7% of their receiving yards from tight ends, by far the most in FBS with North Carolina second at 38.6%.

ARIZONA STATE: 15-4 all-time at home against Utah. Shaun Aguano will be ASU’s first interim head football coach since 1979. Have won their last 3 home games vs ranked opponents and 5 of their last 6 since 2017. First time with a losing record in non-conference play since 2017. RB X Valladay 100+ rush yards in all 3 games this season, first Sun Devil with 3 straight 100-yard games since Eno Benjamin in 2019. The last to have 4 straight 100-yard games was Demario Richard in 2017. 18 straight games without allowing play of 50+ yards, longest active streak in FBS.

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